# Beneficial bacteria



## indreamx (Dec 5, 2013)

I am in rushed on getting a beneficial bacteria on my new tank as the ammonia fluctuates. Does anyone willing to share a piece of their old filter for me?
I am located in Richmond.


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## nigerian prince (Mar 8, 2013)

what filter you running?
change your location in the settings


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## indreamx (Dec 5, 2013)

I am running that power filter aqueon. I want to change to sponge filter. It's for my 10 gallon tank. Has fish in it now and I don't have room to remove it.


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## indreamx (Dec 5, 2013)

Bump anyone?


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

The aqueon uses the blue trays as its bio media so that will be tough to get from anyone. You need a sponge out of someones filter. Than you could squeeze into your tank water or try to stuff it in the filter. Maybe someone with an aquaclear can give you a sponge


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Try Seachem Stability if you are worried about ammonia during the precycled phase 

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## indreamx (Dec 5, 2013)

Ok i will try that. I just got a new sponge filter. Thats why im asking.


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Seachem Stability, or Nutrafin Cycle boosts your beneficial bacteria. Any LFS should have either or to purchase. Ive used Cycle for both fresh and salt water tanks to speed the process up.

The product *Prime* will neutralize ammonia if its at high levels, but that would slow down your nitrogen cycle I believe and may provide false readings as such when tested.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Yes, I would recommend to just add stability and prime, and do a bit more water change than usual.
IPU and Pet Smarts in Richmond have these 2 products in stock as far as I know.


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## indreamx (Dec 5, 2013)

Ok. Yea i got lots of them. Ive stocked them from boxing day. I need to make sure tho idont use too much stability. It looks like it could increase ur nitrite n nitrate. I may be wrong.


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Follow the directions for both. Id be more worried about the prime than Stability though.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

indreamx said:


> Ok. Yea i got lots of them. Ive stocked them from boxing day. I need to make sure tho idont use too much stability. It looks like it could increase ur nitrite n nitrate. I may be wrong.


You don't have to worry about either too much. I am not sure that Stability will increase your nitrite and nitrate beyond what happens normally since it's part of the nitrogen cycle. It can only convert whatever ammonia is there. Just check your parameters with test kits and you should be fine.


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

stability works well IMO, just make sure to provide an ammonia source.


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## indreamx (Dec 5, 2013)

I have my fish in there. Should be enough ammonia. Is it bad to put prime when you are not doing water changes?


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

why would you continue to add prime if you are not replacing any water?


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## hp10BII (Apr 23, 2010)

indreamx said:


> I have my fish in there. Should be enough ammonia. Is it bad to put prime when you are not doing water changes?


You only need to add prime if you wish to detoxify existing ammonia and nitrite readings. Prime will give you false positive ammonia readings on certain types of test kits, IIRC Nessler based . ie. API


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## indreamx (Dec 5, 2013)

I use the API test. For example on my 45 gallon tank. I just did a test and found my nitrate + nitrite is so high. Highest at the chart. Fish seems doing fine and active. So I just changed 50% of water, added stability + prime again. I just did another reading, still high
On my 36 gallon, I changed 90% of the water, and all parameters are doing good. So my question is what would u do when nitrate and nitrite is high? like i said i have fish in there that I cannot move.

thanks


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

High nitrite is worst than high nitrate.
I will do a big water change or a few water changes. When you remove water you remove nitrite and nitrate.
Also, clean up your tank to remove rotten food/waste will greatly help.
Some fish are hardly so they may look "normal" for a while but it does not mean they are doing fine. High nitrite can kill them.


indreamx said:


> I use the API test. For example on my 45 gallon tank. I just did a test and found my nitrate + nitrite is so high. Highest at the chart. Fish seems doing fine and active. So I just changed 50% of water, added stability + prime again. I just did another reading, still high
> On my 36 gallon, I changed 90% of the water, and all parameters are doing good. So my question is what would u do when nitrate and nitrite is high? like i said i have fish in there that I cannot move.
> 
> thanks


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## indreamx (Dec 5, 2013)

ok ill do another big water change. I understand there is a calculation to reduce the amount - say nitrite by certain percentage and how many times you change per day.. but isn't those new water will be mixed with the existing nitrites? why not 90% water change?
I understand there is a beneficial bacteria in the water that you don't want to kill. For mine, I believe the good bacteria that can convert ammonia to nitrite is in the filter already. So changing 90% of the water would be ok, isnt it?
My tank is very clean, I only have crushed coral, few marbles.. i don't over feed. This fish of mine always finish its food right away. I sucked all the poop out.

So my question is, should I do another 50% tomorrow or should I do 90% WC?

thank you for your help


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Beneficial bacteria isn't in the water, it's on your crushed coral\marbles, filter (any rocks or plants that you have), but you don't want to stress your fish out with different PH, KH\GH, so don't do over 50% water changes until you know exactly what they like! Our tap water changes due to rain and them processing it differently, so just take it easy in the meanwhile until your accustom to they're behavior.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

When a tank is unstable and there are ammonia/nitrite traces it's better to do constant partial changes so that there is a bit of ammonia to continue to seed the cycle. If your tank is stable and the problem is only high nitrate and your fish are used to it, then big water changes of 75 - 90% shouldn't be a problem. But if you have only changed 25% of the water a week in the past and all of a sudden you go to 90% 2x a week, it would be a bit of a shock to the fish. Unless the ammonia/nitrite is out of control, I would not do more than 50% but I would do it every day for a few days.

The calculation is very straightforward especially if you do 50% wc. If you have 80 ppm nitrate and you add in new water with no nitrate you are diluting in by 1/2. So divide 80 by 2 and if you test you should get 40 ppm. Simple as that. Other percentages are whatever the fraction or divisor ends up being.


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## indreamx (Dec 5, 2013)

Great thank you. Yea i just did 90% water change. Fish is doing great and it completely ignored whats going on. Hope i dont get a huge spike again on nitrities. Thanks for your help.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Great.
You still need to have enough bacteria to complete the cycle in your tank. Stability can help to establish a colony of bacteria much sooner for you. You can dose it directly on your sponge filter.


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## indreamx (Dec 5, 2013)

Okey


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