Bio Spiro question

[lauraj]

The instructions for this stuff are a little vague to me. I'm going to use it to get a quarantine tank going. At what point can I add the fish after putting in the Bio spiro? And where do you put the stuff? Onto the filter cartridge or just pour it into the tank? One more question...should I remove the charcoal from the cartridge?

Any answers would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[S-kate]

I've never used the stuff, so I'm not sure, but I think its supposed to be a fairly instant cycle. I would imagine you don't have to wait long before adding fish.

 

[lauraj]

Great answer. *BOUNCINGS After patiently waiting almost 6 weeks to complete the cycle in my tank with fish, I have no patience left when it comes to cycling my quarantine tank.

 

[Purple]

lol - ok - i'll bite ......

That stuff starts off your cycle by introducing all the relevant bacteria in one go - rather than doing it one stage at a time

How many fish it can handle is a very relative affair - there is no equation, or any one answer that will suffice.

It's a short cut - not an absolute "solution"

Dump it in there with your fish (or an alternative source of ammonia) - test and change water as required (some things never change) - see how you go

It speeds things up considerably - but there is no such thing as "one bottle does so many fish"

 

[poisonXvenom]

yea i tried it and resulted in a bout 5 deaths of fish out of 20. -.- But it cycled in 2 weeks. Watch over your water parameters and do neccessary water changes.

 

[lauraj]

Thanks, Purple. Do you know if the charcoal in the filter cartridge is a problem?

 

[Purple]

Thinking about it - you'd probably do just as well by using some of your existing filter media which would have exactly the same effect

As for carbon - not a good idea - if you do need to add meds to your Q-tank it will take them right back out again

 

[lauraj]

Sorry to hear it didn't work for you, Poison. I've gotten pretty good at the daily param checks and water changes, so I can keep that up. Might have to buy more test kits though. Man this hobby is expensive. I might need to pick up a second job, too!

 

[Purple]

It's only expensive to start off with - once things settle down it gets real easy.

I haven't checked for ammonia - nitrite - nitrate - gh - or kh in over 3 years

Ph gets done when i feel like it (digital) to check that what i think is stable is actually stable

But once a tank is settled down (after a few years) very little is going to go wrong with it unless you make major changes

As far as tanks go - "Predictabilty" comes with age ......

I keep the test kits to hand - along with the med kit - but other than water changes there's not much to do but watch and enjoy .....

I actually miss some of the drama - and especially re-designing the layout - but stability is the measure of success in this game .....

 

[lauraj]

My husband will be very happy to hear that. Although he doesn't believe me when I say that once I have a 20 or 29 gallon, I'll be content with that. My birthday's not till May, but I already know what I want

 

[rmarrandino1]

I've used Bio-Spira twice with great results. Just fill up the tank, let the filter run for 24-48 hours, dump in the Bio-Spira and a couple of hours later put in a 1/2 - 3/4 of the fish you have planned for the tank.

My 20 gallon cycled in 3 days and my 55-gallon, which I put a full load of fish in, cycled in under two weeks. Didn't lose any fish either time.

 

[NJmom2002]

I used it too. I had the tank set up for 3 days then I added the bio spira. I let it run overnight and added the fish. Its been 2 weeks now and all is good.. Fish are still happy and frolicking in the water.. Even caught them mating yesterday. Ew

 

[Gunnie]

I have always had complete success when I've used it. I've used it 3 times in emergency situations, and it pretty much was an instant cycle for me. Make sure you get yours from a reputable dealer or you will end up with an expensive packet of dead bacteria!

 

[MissFishy]

Once you have one tank set up and cycled, there really isn't any reason to ever have to cycle a tank again. Just take some filter media or gravel from the established tank and add that to the new tank. Instant cycle.

I'm also convinced that some batches of bio-spira work better than others. It all depends on whether the fish store has kept it refridgerated or not the whole time.

Tips to save money on test kits...if you have a drop test kit, you know where the line is to fill up with water? I marked halfway up that. I fill with half the water, and add half the drops. That way, your test kit lasts longer! FYI though, if the test requires an odd amount of drops, this will not work.

 

[lauraj]

Great idea, Miss Fishy on how to save on test kits. I'll have to try it!