TBS actually sends you something similar in a plastic bag to mix in withe the rock and sand. I guess the key is to totally disolve it in water and then add it. I wouldn't think it's "snake oil" since it is bacteria. Don't know if it helped at all or not, but my tank cycled in just under 4 days, and barely reached 1ppm of ammonia in the process. It went up to that in one day, then after a small water change dropped to .5ppm, the next day it was at .25 in the am and zero by the time I got home. Been at 0ppm since.