Bio Spira journal

I realize I am going to catch hell for writing this post.... But hopefully my experience can help others.

One day I decided to setup a 100 gallon predator tank. After careful research I decided that I wanted to see if Bio Spira really works as advertised. There is a TON of misinformation on the web which is why I am writing this post.

I ordered
a lionfish
a niger trigger
a coral hind grouper
a porcupine puffer
a yellow tang
and an auriga butterfly

Normally a bio load like this would take 7 or 8 months to establish. Instant Ocean claims they can cycle a tank in 24 hours or so.

I do have a mature tank and a qt and a 30 gallon trashcan as a backup if anything should go wrong.

As I drip acclimated the fish I added 2 bottles of Bio spira each rated for 75 gallon aquariums. Supposedly this stuff can't be overdosed.

I added all the fish in at once. Per the directions I found.

I tested the Ammonia every hour to make sure it wasn't spiking too much. Most fish can handle up to 1ppm of ammonia(or so I am told).

6 hours later the ammonia peaked at .5 ppm
30 hours and 3 feedings later the ammonia is undetectable

This product is liquid gold! It DOES actually work. I don't know how...
All of the fish are eating and happy. (Fish came from live aquaria btw)

I am extremely happy with this product and will continue to monitor the params. but WOW!

I will continue to keep you guys updated.

 

Glad it worked for you. I added a bottle in my 75 gallon, (100G total) and it has worked fine for me. My bio load isnt that high, just 2 fish. but it def got the job done.

It does it thru adding the beneficial bacteria to your system right away, where as during a normal cycle, could take weeks- months.

 

I really don't understand why people talk so much crap about Bio Spira. Even in an extreme case like mine where I added a ton of fish. I did add a little extra product. A spike of .5 is barely testable. The fish probably didn't even notice. If I had a choice between waiting 6 weeks or spending a few dollars on a bottle. I choose the bottle.

As a precaution to others, I would recommend keeping a bottle of amquel or prime handy just in case the ammonia hits 1ppm.

I highly recommend this product.

 

Nice. I'm kinda doing the same thing, not really, but with a different product called stability, made by seachem. Stability says you have to use it for 7 days... how's the bio spira work? Just once and done?

 

One and done. You add it the same time you add fish.

 

it's not that i don't think it works. it's no different than when i cycled my tank with 150 pounds of live rock. With all of the bacteria already on the rock, the cycle was done in a day or two. I just don't want any of my fish to have to live through the cycle or be exposed to any ammonia spikes if i can help it. So i like to test for a couple of weeks to a month just to be on the safe side before i add any fish. Do I know that .5 ammonia hurts the fish? No, but i don't know that it doesn't either. i just like to play it safe when living creatures are involved. This is just my approach and i am not attacking your method in any way.

 

cool, I have a bottle sitting in my empty tank waiting to be used soon...

 

Day 2

Today my nitrites are spiking to around 2 ppm or so. Which doesn't concern me because most marine fish can tolerate nitrites in the hundreds of ppm. Some inverts are more sensitive. I have no inverts at this time.

Here is an article from a very respected member of the reef community about nitrites.
Nitrite and the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

My ammonia is still undetectable which is awesome.

 

i have used this product like gold. i have set up 3 tanks and each one of them i used bio spira like magic. i stand behind this product.

 

when i was a noob the lfs said to use bio spira and add fish the same day,so i went ahead and got 2 clowns and a yellow tang(this was before i knew about tank size rec.) to put in my 28bow.....i used the miracle potion and added the fish the same day, with freshly mixed saltwater.....i still have the same fish today...(YT is in a 75 now though)...everything worked great and they seemed fine.....they even had a outbreak of ick that they beat with diet, so it seems if they were weak from any ammonia it would have taken them out....i dont go to that lfs anymore cause all their fish are infected and sickly....i believe without bio spira this wouldnt be possible and the fish would have died