Instant Ocean BIO-Spira (Bacteria in a Bottle) - Snake Oil or Does it Work?

[that Fish Guy]

Originally Posted by Mark9

Don't use it then.
You keep focusing on skeptics who haven't used it rather than people who have successfully.
If you are scared to use it, then don't, it's that simple.

I just want all the facts.

If it has ever crashed a tank I need to know.

If a thousand people love it but one had a tank crash I want to be prepared.

[pmcarbrey]

Originally Posted by that Fish Guy

I just want all the facts.

If it has ever crashed a tank I need to know.

If a thousand people love it but one had a tank crash I want to be prepared.

The only people who have issues are those who either get a bottle that has been sitting on a shelf for months or those who do not do their proper mantainence. None of these products are substitutes for water changes and regular testing. The people who fail are the same people who would have failed without it. I've used smart start in over 100 tanks, and the only one I had crash was a large predator tank, and that was because the guy who owned it thought he could instantly overstock it, heavily feed, and do zero water changes. His fish lasted a month. Be smart and you're fine. There is plenty of literature and reviews for this product and others like it.

[JaySchulz]

I used it on my second reef tank years ago and it defentitly sped up the process compared to my first tank. But in my opinion, patience and research are very important in this hobby. I would let the tank cycle on its own and practice the patience that is needed as well as do more research for your build. A lot of the great builds that I read about take their time.

I've been out of the hobby for many years and now I'm learning a lot of things I should known years ago because I'm taking my time for once.

[theatrus]

I've used BIO Spira (shipped refrigerated) in the past to cycle a nano. While it doesn't make water instantly safe it's a major speed boost and does work.

[vokuro]

Purchased mine from Amazon. My cycle with dry rock took just about two weeks. Quick by my expectations. Bio-Spira didn't hurt, may have helped. At $10 it's a small gamble with no real downside IMO.

[tvu]

Bought mine twice on Amazon. It's worked great for me. Cycled my dead rock and new tank setup in no time.

[Khrysocome]

Just started a 120 gallon here using dry rock and pure ammonia. I bought Bio-Spira after seeing it recommended on BRS, but didn't expect it to make the tank "instantly" safe as advertised.

The tank went from 2ppm ammonia to 0 in about three days - the tank is about 5 days old now and continues to process 2ppm ammonia to 0 ppm every 24 hours. While I have lots of nitrites, I don't have any nitrate readings yet.

So in my very limited experience, I would never call this an "instantly safe tank" product, but more of a cycle booster. Of course I could always have a crash later, but so far so good.

[that Fish Guy]

I added a Bottle of BIO-Spira Today.

I will post the results.

I added the Bigger Bottle (For 75 Gallon Tanks) to my 45 Gallon so I got Extra Beneficial Bacteria as well.

[NS Mike D]

Originally Posted by Mark9

I was a week or so into my cycle, finished it in 2 days after adding.

same with me

[CStrickland]

Originally Posted by that Fish Guy

I added the Bigger Bottle (For 75 Gallon Tanks) to my 45 Gallon so I got Extra Beneficial Bacteria as well.

I think I read somewhere that you aren't supposed to overdose it. What is in the bottle is bacteria and a preservative that slows them down. That way they don't die from lack of food, or eat each other and poop inside the bottle making it go sour. When you add it to your tank, the preservative is diluted and they "wake up" and start eating your ammonia. But if you add a lot of it you are also adding a lot of preservative so they can stay sleepy.

So whatever the directions say to dose is enough bacteria to start the tank, but a small enough amount of preservative that it won't interfere. Probably only an issue if you used the big bottle on a 5g tank or whatev, but something to be aware of.

[sde1500]

I used the Seachem version, Stability, and tank cycled in 5 days.

[JMorris271]

This is all very interesting to me. So far in this forum, all I have read is don't use the bio in a bottle. Now I can be patient, but I would prefer to get things going as soon as safely possible. Life is too short. Is Seachem Stability essentially the same thing as Dr. Tim's?

[nuxx]

It works (for me).

Have cycled QT and frag tanks quickly with it.

Also use Stability if I'm at all worried.

[Yonp11]

I've used this on 2 occasions, both times it worked perfectly. Cuts cycle time down to 1-2 days.

I didn't put fish in immediately after dosing the bottle though, I waited and test a few times a day to track the completion of the cycle. (first ammonia went down, then saw nitrites, nitrites to 0, then saw nitrates)

The first time I used it I had waited 4 weeks for a cycle to even start, I dosed ammonia into the tank in the beginning and saw no signs of a cycle starting. Dosed BioSpira and the next day I had nitrates showing.

[that Fish Guy]

So after adding the Bottle of BIO-Spira I tested the Water a Day Later.

Ammonia Dropped from 1 to 0.5
Nitrites shot up to 5+ from 0
Nitrates went from 0 to 5/10

A Day after that

Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 5+
Nitrates - 20

I had Ammonia for quite a while so I cannot be sure if it would have done that anyways or if the BIO-Spira actually helped.

If my Nitrites Drop to Zero whithin a couple of days I will thank the BIO-Spira.

I wish I would have added this Day 1 instead of Day 18 so I could have reported better results.

I will add it Day 1 for my Next Build though for sure.

[nuxx]

Yeap

[JMorris271]

Originally Posted by Yonp11

. Cuts cycle time down to 1-2 days.

1. Can you please explain to me are you saying that it takes 1 to 2 days off of your 4 week cycle time, or you had a complete cycle in 1-2 days?
2. This statement confuses me.
When did you have to wait 4 weeks for a cycle?


The first time I used it I had waited 4 weeks for a cycle to even start, I dosed ammonia into the tank in the beginning and saw no signs of a cycle starting. Dosed BioSpira and the next day I had nitrates showing.

[sde1500]

Would be interesting to see this tested. We'd need to set up two identical systems side by side, dose ammonia in both, but only dose the additive in one, really see if it cycles faster.

[Mark9]

Originally Posted by sde1500

Would be interesting to see this tested. We'd need to set up two identical systems side by side, dose ammonia in both, but only dose the additive in one, really see if it cycles faster.

It does.

[shifty51008]

No need to test, there is never any doubt that adding bacteria will cycle a tank faster. The biggest issue is buying bacteria in a bottle that you dont know how long they have been sitting on a shelf. A bottle sitting on a shelf for 1 week will yeild better results than a bottle that has been there for a year.

[sde1500]

Yea that makes sense. And I can totally vouch for it working. Used them myself. Just seems a lot of doubt on the site. A documented test would help that I think is all.

[that Fish Guy]

Originally Posted by sde1500

Would be interesting to see this tested. We'd need to set up two identical systems side by side, dose ammonia in both, but only dose the additive in one, really see if it cycles faster.

I would love to see that Experiment.

Great Idea.

[Isaacs55]

I added the smallest bottle to my 40 gallon system on start up and it took 2 days to cycle...seems legit to me. On the day I added I tested for ammonia right before i added and had like 2 ppm from adding ammonia and then I added the small bottle of biospira. I check an hour later after the water cleared up, and had zero ammonia. Worked great for me.

[CStrickland]

Originally Posted by sde1500

Just seems a lot of doubt on the site.

Yeah, I think they have improved the formulas some, you used to have to refrigerate it. Maybe people had bad experiences with the first gen?

There's also a vibe that any "shortcut" is bad, more of a moral opposition to the idea than a question of whether it will work. Which I kind of get because some of the additives act like your tank is good to go if it can process ammo, but your still looking at a few months of algae and no benthic critters (if you went with dry rock and sand). Like the difference between "cycled" and "mature." Also you still ought to stock slowly and with care. But that doesn't mean the product isn't effective at boosting the biofilter.

It reminds me of the other day in the noob forum, a poster was saying it's ok to lie about how dangerous nitrites are in order to scare noobs into waiting for their tank to cycle. But I disagree cause imo it's better to try to give good info and let people make their own choices. Like in school they used to tell us that if you tried smoking pot you'd get pulled through a gateway and turn into a junkie, eventually someone tried it anyway and that didn't happen so we tuned out the rest off the message lol. I think they teach it different now cause that scary "brain on drugs" stuff didn't work. In this sitch, you see the "snake oil" work in a few tanks and you might just disregard the other warnings about going slow cause you figure people are just old-school fussy-pants's.

Idk, I'm tang police so I think about stuff like this sometimes, like how to tell people what they don't wanna hear.

[JMorris271]

Originally Posted by CStrickland

But that doesn't mean the product isn't effective at boosting the biofilter.

1.Would you consider a tank to be a just cycled once you add the Biospera and it reads 0 ammonia?
2.What does it mean if after you do the dose but then read high nitrites?
Would you dose ammonia again or let the nitrites go until they produce nitrates and then begin water changes?