one day setup?

Inwall, being in your boat of a LFS employee, I am the last person that recommends any type of bacterial agent. In my eyes they are and will always be a way for companies to take advantage of new hobbyists.
Even Dr Tim the old IO guy's stuff IMO is a joke. Yes it is live and needs to be refridgerated but you will have just as much sucess with a few # of live rock or water or sand from a fellow reefer's tank.
I am a huge fan of calling out sales reps when they come in pitching new bacterial products. Eventually they all concede that it REALLY isn't live or dormant bacteria but a catalyst to help hasten BB growth.... Oh ok brewers yeast like APR's version?!
You see WAY too many products toated to cycle a tank in one day or end water changes.... bologna!!

Like you said Curt, if your bioload produces, for simplicity sake, 2ppm of NH3 a day and you have enough BB to process 4ppm, then the colonies will die back to process the 2ppm. You add fish or something changes the NH3 production the colony will either grow to process it or cut back for lack of food... Its no different than the food chain..If there is only 3 rabbits around you are not going to have 100 wolves, or at least for long...

Long story short, folks save your money, don't buy gimmecks, have patience, research or just ask!!

Happy reefing!

 

I love it.

 

Amen.

The vendors who claim to have short term solutions for long term issues are counting on us one and all to not practice the adage above.

Those who feel the need to cycle their tank in one day, are inherently more likely to fall victim to these schemes; not to mention the first to leave the hobby in frustration.

Matt really did say it all when he said, "Go slow, let it grow."

 

thanks for the confirmations regarding this. when i read it , i was quite sceptical about this wonder "drug".

 

So when my Lfs said"it is never a bad thing to add the good bacteria to an established tank " I am guessing that this is not a true statement, but a sales gimmick? They were refering to adding "cycle" every other waterchange.

 

First of all, 99 percent of the Nitrifying bacteria live in biofilms on your tank surfaces (plumbing, glass walls, LR, LS, surface of powerheads, etc). If you remove some motile bacteria doing a normal routine waterchange, you don't need to worry about adding bacteria to replace the few that were removed. If there is Ammonia and Nitrite present, their population can grow VERY fast.

Now if you disturbed things too much in one day. Powerheaded the LR, vacuumed the sand, magnet cleaned the glass, cleaned mechanicle filtration, etc all in one day, then adding a live bacteria (or bacteria reproduction enhancers) could in the circumstance could be useful.

It may be a sales gimmick. It may not. When I was a partner in a LFS, the primary shareholder had been adding bacteria to his tanks for the last 25 years. I tried to explain the science behind why this is not necessary about 5 times and I would turn around and hear him selling bacteria to a customer. I was never going to change his mind. When he would bring in a large order, he would also buy the most expensive live bacteria for the store which was draining profits. He just wasn't smart enough to understand what I was saying. Your LFS owner might really believe he or she is helping you by recommending Cycle.

 

Its simply B/S in a bottle or freeze dried packet I'd never use anything like this ever again..
Back in the mid 70's Nectonics then the leader of the industry and since brought up by Sea Chem or Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Put out a instant cycle bacteria add this today and fish tomorrow .
I tried it tank was fine for about 2.5 months and then it hit that late cycle spike I knew of this from the cycling of many before this instant bacterial cycle , Lost some really nice expensive fish Marine fish in the early 70's where very expensive compared to todays cost.. a yellow tang in 1971 sold for about 29.95 to 35.00 I lost in that tank a Queen Angel 175.00 lesson learned . I like before thats and every since went back to my old fashion 12 week cycling methods this way has never failed me .
As a reference for young guys 175.00 then when a gallon of 100 Octane gas was 29ct and rent on a 3 bedrrom garden apt was 89.00 a month and 50.00 would fill up 3 grocery bags full of food steakes included .. A six pack was 1.50

 

Ah, the days of leaded gasoline. . and Rheingold!!

 

and 400 Hp in the family sedan LOL