Bio Spira
- Thread starter Andy O
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naturebatslast
Senior Toad Licker
Spyro Gyra?
smcnally
Tankless
From a supplier...
Q: Does BIO-Spira® need to be refrigerated?
A: BIO-Spira® is an active bacteria culture. Refrigeration provides the optimal long-term storage. If BIO-Spira® is left out of the refrigerator at room-temperature, it will still perform at optimal conditions. However, it is best to return BIO-Spira® to refrigeration when possible. Use the following as a guide:
a. Long Term Storage (1 year): 50°F (10°C)
b. Mid Term Storage (6 months): 39°F-87°F (4°C-31°C)
Q: Does BIO-Spira® need to be refrigerated?
A: BIO-Spira® is an active bacteria culture. Refrigeration provides the optimal long-term storage. If BIO-Spira® is left out of the refrigerator at room-temperature, it will still perform at optimal conditions. However, it is best to return BIO-Spira® to refrigeration when possible. Use the following as a guide:
a. Long Term Storage (1 year): 50°F (10°C)
b. Mid Term Storage (6 months): 39°F-87°F (4°C-31°C)
smcnally
Tankless
From same website...Matt L. said:What's Bio Spira?
Matt
Bio-spira is a live nitrifying bacteria used to cycle/start a freshwater or saltwater aquarium, and therefore you can add a full normal load of fish immediately!! It is not intended to be used as a general ammonia/nitrite remover, and (if used for such purposes); it may take additional time for the bacteria to grow sufficient levels to eliminate the actual ammonia/nitrite levels already in your particular aquarium.
Matt L.
Non-member
PSA: Nitrifying Microbes
If you bought it in February, it should be fine, but the sooner you use it the better it will be.
Nitrifying bacteria can not form spores, which are what many bacterium do when they are presented with adverse conditions. These bacterium just make a spore and crawl up inside it and hibernate (so to speak) until conditions improve. Nitrifying bacterium cannot do this. At least the nitrite oxidizers can't. So what does this mean? If conditions become adverse for nitrifying bacteria, they'll die.
For those who do not know, I am a scientist who studies nitrifying bacteria for a living! I keep and cultivate nitrifying bacteria all the time, and actually know who the guy is who founded Bio-spria! I only realized this after I looked at the web page.
I'm not implying anyone here would act to the contrary, and I read the same claim on the web site, but...
Do not rely on any of these microbes in a bottle as a means for setting up a tank and dumping your fish right in!!! BOO! Shame on them for saying this!
These products can be great to seed a new tank (especially if you want to avoid using water from another tank because of contamination issues!), but still add your fish slowly. Why? If the microbes in the product have died (and nitrifiers die easily!), you won't get any benefit, and you'll basically have dumped a whole bunch of fish into an uncycled tank, and we all know what that does. Also, you don't know how many of the microbes in the bottle have taken hold in your tank. A lot may have, or very few may have. Thus, its best to go slowly and test your water routinely when adding fish.
Matt
If you bought it in February, it should be fine, but the sooner you use it the better it will be.
Nitrifying bacteria can not form spores, which are what many bacterium do when they are presented with adverse conditions. These bacterium just make a spore and crawl up inside it and hibernate (so to speak) until conditions improve. Nitrifying bacterium cannot do this. At least the nitrite oxidizers can't. So what does this mean? If conditions become adverse for nitrifying bacteria, they'll die.
For those who do not know, I am a scientist who studies nitrifying bacteria for a living! I keep and cultivate nitrifying bacteria all the time, and actually know who the guy is who founded Bio-spria! I only realized this after I looked at the web page.
I'm not implying anyone here would act to the contrary, and I read the same claim on the web site, but...
Do not rely on any of these microbes in a bottle as a means for setting up a tank and dumping your fish right in!!! BOO! Shame on them for saying this!
These products can be great to seed a new tank (especially if you want to avoid using water from another tank because of contamination issues!), but still add your fish slowly. Why? If the microbes in the product have died (and nitrifiers die easily!), you won't get any benefit, and you'll basically have dumped a whole bunch of fish into an uncycled tank, and we all know what that does. Also, you don't know how many of the microbes in the bottle have taken hold in your tank. A lot may have, or very few may have. Thus, its best to go slowly and test your water routinely when adding fish.
Matt
