SW Bio-Spira...

[adiliegro]

Anyone use it? Two days ago I loaded my tank with Sand (Agrag Alive), LR (about 10 pounds - 20 gal tank...I KNOW I need more LR, but this is what I got) and salt water from the tank that my Tang and Clownfish came from. I put in a package of Bio-Spira and the fish. My nitrites are at .25, my ammonia is at .25 and my nitrates are at .40. is this stuff working like its supposed to? My ammonia has dropped from .50 and the nitrites went up a bit and the nitrates DOUBLED overnight in response to the nitrites. How long before this puppy cycles out?

PH is 8.2 and salinity is at 1.025.

 

[LvFishguy]

It is still going to take a bit of time even using the bio spira. Basiclly it seeds enough bacteria in your tank to keep the levels from becoming toxic. It still can be up to 3-4 weeks for it to really settle out. it really does work I think that people are misinformed on the use of it. People are under the impression that it will keep everything at 0PPM across the board. And that really isn't the case. Also the nitrate increase is more than likely comming from your rock curing.
all is well though.

 

[adiliegro]

yeah...I keep checking it and it seems that the levels are good, though NOT 0 yet. My FW that I had was off the chart without bio-spira, but the SW is reletively low and evened out...just need to let them come down to 0 and I guess that may take a few days.

 

[adiliegro]

Ammonia is now at 0
nitrites at .25
nitrates at .40

Looks like this stuff is working.

 

[adiliegro]

Ammonia - 0
nitrites - 0
nitrates - .25

Bio-Spira WORKS...took this tank about 5 days to fully cycle.

 

[wrightme43]

Go slow. If you still have no live stock, you could use a eyedropper to drip in 3-4 drops of pure household ammonia (no scent). See how long it takes to convert that to nitrate. I have found (the hard way) that even when a tank reads 0-0-5 it may of cycled what ammonia is there to begin with but it is not stable. Adding fish can sometimes push the system past ammonia, and nitrites ability to be consumed. Paitence is the name of the game. A stable tank is what fish need to resist diesese, a spike in amm that does not kill them or even have a visable effect can sometimes open them up to diesese. This is only my opinion I hope it helps you. Steve

 

[edgerat]

I started out with about 100lbs of Aragalive or was it Aragamax??? hmm, anyways, and about 20lbs of base rock and then 4 of the smaller baggies of Bio-Spira. I never lost a fish and I had them in there a week after setting the tank up. Had one hell of a diatom bloom but other than that it was all good and the nitrates never got much out of hand

 

[adiliegro]

Hi Steve...I set the tank up with live sand, live rock and a Clown and a tang...Ammonia spiked, nitrites spiked, now they are all gone. Bio-spira WORKS!