Why bacteria in a bottle doesn't work for some people

[@patriciamoldovan3092]

Agree with everything that you are saying. An important point to consider is the Seachem Stability comes in spore form and does not actually become activated until poured into your aquarium & takes about 24 hours to work.

[@robertdillon9989]

To add to your understanding: what is in the stability bottle is bacterial spores. there is a difference between an active bacterial cell and a spore. This info is widely available ....Spores are not activated forms, they are essentially seeds... waiting for the proper environment to begin mitosis, and can survive ungodly extremes. (so don’t worry so much....) Your premis on Matrix is also a bit scewed, it IS only pumice that is tested and certified clean. What you are paying for is the testing and standardization/ piece of mind...I frankly buy plain pumice and boil it.... 4 gallons for 29$ ;) been working great for years! ..(you may be right about fraud on Amazon, too bad...) Robert Dillon , PhD

[@filiplaskovski9993]

Hey rob so when cycling the tank should water changes be done often or not ? Cause wouldn’t the water change remove the ammonia that the bacteria need to eat ? And how long does it take for the spores to start mitosis?

[@prophet60091]

I find this video more of a mock to be Orson Wells. Thank you for you comment, this is the information I need when searching for bacteria review and the brand.. Thank you indeed.

[@lolitacooksley7909]

As said in previous comment these are spores and don’t die off like live bacteria would. The reason these products fail for some people is usually due to mis use. In order for these products to work you need ammonia in the water to start the process. Secondly if you add this too soon after adding water or haven’t treated your water correctly this could stop the product from working . Additionally if you use ozone IV this will kill the bacteria once they develop, carbon should also be avoided as should adding the product right after using Prime for example as Prime binds ammonia and therefore stalls the process. To be successful with these products, fill you tank, treat you water, get ammonia in the tank THEN add the product. Make sure you are running only biological and /or mechanical filters no UV ozone carbon purigen chemipure etc and do not use Prime or similar products that bind ammonia during the cycle or do any water changes until your ammonia and nitrates fall to 0.

[@danstanford89]

The are many forum's from the manufacturer of prime that state it doesnt get rid of all of the amonia there is still enough for beneficial bacteria to grow

[@mahmudulhasankhan2216]

if biofilter is in outside of tank, then should i add stability in tank or in biofilter ( water will be circulated through biofilter)

[@aquaticsal6524]

Prime does not remove ammonia but detoxifies it so it is still in tank for the bacteria to use even seachem tells u to use both products together for best results

[@loganspence1147]

Prime bonds to nh3 aka ammonia and turns it into ammonium nh4 which makes it still bioavailabke for bacteria mytosis but makes it non toxic for fish between 24-48 hours

[@williamsnyder1424]

@@danstanford89 Prime does not get rid of ammonia, it binds with it and makes ammonium. It will not hurt your cycle.

[@kevinrspBelieves]

Live bacteria can service from being frozen solid up to 120°f. These are spores anyway and are far more resilient.

[@BigClayBoi]

The bottle doesn't come with bacteria it comes with the SPORES of the bacteria which could withstand most extreme temperatures.. the spores are activated when placed into the tank.

[@elgezouliabdul4973]

Thanks a lot for this review . If I use seachem stability how fast I can but the fish in . Thanks

[@marthanewsome6375]

The ones I buy have a foam membrane over the top that you have to cut to open.

[@petroboomn7491]

Agree with everything your saying, at the end of the day I still think these products are dubious at best. I believe most companies probably do bottle live bacteria, but I would bet money less than 20% of customers are getting a bottle of live bacteria, due to the practical realities of transport as you pointed out. I have started many tanks without. Tried two different bacteria in a bottle quick starts, neither seemed to do much, they might've sped it up a bit, but its very hard to prove that and I still had ammonia spikes that required water changes. Still took 3-4 weeks to cycle a tank.

[@skyefox3597]

THANK YOU for putting this video together. I’m really new to the fish hobby and was looking into why a lot of people seem to say don’t waste your money on these. This made a lot of sense! And, because of your video, when I received my order of Stability, Prime and Paraguard, I checked the seals and sure enough the Stability did not have one. It’s also clear, and after shaking it up to use it, it was bubbling up the side of the bottle - like peroxide or soda. Great, very useful video.

[@elgezouliabdul4973]

What is the best way to fast cycle aquarium please help I have a filter running now for 15 days with 2 fishes inside . Thanks You urgent reply is appreciated.

[@MixedGoku]

Just a word of warning a lot of aquarium products are copied and knockoffs that look exactly the same the only difference is is that they might have a duplicate serial number so if you buy more than one product and it has exactly the same serial number on both that's a red flag some of these people are putting water out of their filter and bottling it up with a seal all you need to put that thing back on is an iron and a sock and sending it to Amazon I know because this happened to me the way I found out is that there was a bit of cotton underneath the seal but it was completely watertight they did an investigation and found that there was warehouses just using old fish water for this crap they were sending out they could have literally gave some somebody's fish a parasite or something

[@shiflettd]

It's dormant till it's added to a tank. I work at a wastewater plant and we buy bacteria or biochemicals which is sprayed on saw dust type material. You throw a bag of this in and it dissolves and the bacteria live and breed.

[@SailorMars714]

This is the first video I have watched on your channel while looking up bacteria in a bottle. Not to sound patronizing , but I was blown away by how intelligent, knowledgeable and eloquent you are! You definitely have a new sub with me and I look forward to seeing more of your quality content =)

[@fishrrelaxing9361]

The reason for this is one simple thing.. how it is stored and transported.. too hot or too cold and the bacteria get killed before you buy the bottle.

[@TorryGood]

Thats why I all ways check to see if the factory seal isn't broke when I buy from Amazon.

[@marcusbenson2849]

Omg thank u so much I was, for the longest, time looking for a product like this and U made it so simple for me to understand. u make amazing videos thank you.

[@stefan429]

In addition, i noticed that bacteria is more likely to die/be dead if you buy it physically from a store. in fact, ive never had one work when i bought it there. first time i bought from amazon, my tank cycled in 2 weeks just like it said it would and its worked every time i bought it from amazon. just get 1-2 day shipping and youre set

[@rcgamer4524]

Yup I have used api quick start for quite some time, but the latest batch I get was a total fail, I trusted it as I always do a little too much and in the space of 5 or 6 days my tank was toxic and lost a fish. Transferred the others immediately to another tank after testing water highly toxic. I was a little lax on the testing because I have never had a problem and it’s always worked. This time it failed. That’s it for me for any type of quick start. Going the long natural route from now on.

[@rcgamer4524]

I now understand what may have happened thank you for this video.

[@capnspicy5565]

It's been years since I've used, tried or tested any bacteria in a bottle, And before I just blast my opinion I would like to state that I tested this with 4 different 10 gallon tanks in the early 90's with the so called dormant prokaryotic bacteria, So things may have changed since then and now aerobic bacteria can live without oxygen... But I doubt it. In my tests with or without the bottled bacteria added it took the same amount of time for the tanks to cycle, I did a fishless cycle on these dossing them with pure ammonia, The water used was from my well with a ph of 7.6, I used 2 different bottles of bio that were shipped to the store I worked at in spring time, The reason I did the test was my customers kept asking this exact question, "Is this stuff snake oil" My answer was, I don't know never tested it, So I figured I should, And the only real difference I noticed was the tanks I dossed had a higher ammonia level than the control tanks and the ph dropped to 6.8, which confused me at first because ammonia should raise ph till nitrate acidity drops it, So I had to ask myself what could possibly cause this and why, So I tested for phosphate, and sure enough it was there at close to 10 ppm, the 2 control tanks however tested at 0.25 ppm, But why would they put phosphate in it? Simple answer... To lock up the bicarbonates and cause the ph to drop, The drop in ph would in turn change ammonia into ammonium a far less toxic chemical making it safer to add fish and allow the cycle to move forward safely, But all this is basic chemistry and API already sells perfect 6.8 ph that uses phosphate to do the same exact thing, It's NOT bacteria sleeping in a bottle, All in all I call them all Snake Oil and didn't bother trying others to see what they did, It's simple enough to just cycle a tank using precycled seeded media from another tank or just wait a month for the normal formation of bacteria, Any good fish store will have bio balls or even decorations in there tanks for sale already covered in bio or even a fist full of their gravel will work to kick it off. Edited to add: If I really cared enough to truly find out I would test it under a microscope, But that would require further education on my part into what dyes I would need to use, what dormant bacteria even looks like, How it wakes up and how long it takes to see activity, which i'm sure would take longer to learn all this than it would to just cycle the tank, lol At the end of the day all that really matters is what works for the individual and brings them peace of mind, If you want to dump purple kool-aid in the tank because it makes you feel safe and the fish are happy and healthy then that's all that matters.

[@ForeverShadowBanned]

Another reason this stuff doesn't work for some people is because some people can't read directions properly and are misinformed. For example some people add this stuff to a new tank and don't add fish or any real ammonia source to feed to the bacteria so they die off and then when a couple days/week/month later or when they eventually do add fish all the fish die then people get all pissed off and blame the product. The bottles literally tell you to use this stuff with live fish because bacteria needs constant ammonia to grow but part of the misinformation is everyone on the internet has perpetuated this lie that fish in cycling is cruel and doesn't work even with bacteria when it literally does if done right.

[@stephaniewright340]

Thank you because I was told it didn't.... Seachem stabilizer isn't beneficial bacteria ..I thought it is used to eat nitrites, ammonia and some nitrates??

[@obamama4632]

it is beneficial bacteria and eating nitrites and ammonia is exactly what they do lol

[@stephaniewright340]

@@obamama4632 I was told that it some beneficial bacteria...I have tried to cycle my aquarium with that and it didn't do nothing..I used tetra safe start and with in 24 hours it kick started my cycling.....so now anytime my cycle crashes I just use Tetra...I do put stabilizer in my tank when I do water changes or add water..along with conditioner..

[@obamama4632]

@@stephaniewright340 you might have just gotten a bad batch of seachem stability, its litterally on the bottle written that its beneficial bacteria

[@stephaniewright340]

@@obamama4632 ... After you made that comment I went back and actually read the bottle.... I've always read the instructions but that's as far as I read....yes I know it's ignorance..lol... Thank you though... I do like to use tetra safe start plus to start the process of cycling my aquariums... I will be getting a new aquarium soon and when I do I'll buy a new bottle and use Seachem stability....

[@rjl1309]

Any and all liquid products I have used have been sealed... agree about temp and time, things don't live forever...

[@SalamanderFangskin]

1.- You are very right stating the problem of dishonest customers and the Amazon dishonesty of returning back to the warehouse the used bottles. 2.- You are wrong in saying the bacteria is life. It gets activated once is in the water of your aquarium. Not before. -- Edit -- I discovered that each product must indicate the specifications and if it mentions that it must be refrigerated then it can affect. -- Edit/ -- 3.- You forgot to mention that those products have an expiration date, something that is important for having a real effect in your aquarium. Good video to reflect on these products 👍 -- Edit -- I recently made a mistake and broke the nitrogen cycle in my aquarium. I only kept my fish alive by doing water changes in a 300 liter aquarium. I used the Seachem Stability and API Quick Start separately and they all failed. But then I used the Azoo Plus Ultrabioguard and it proved to be a far superior product. I recommend it!

[@Oceanmaster_]

I have a doubt. I was hoping some of you guys could advise me. I am going to use Tap water for a fish tank, obviously I’m going to put a conditioner to it so the metal and toxic materials in the water go away. But I don’t know if at the same time I can put Stability ( bacteria ) to the fish tank. Can I use it at the same time ?

[@willparsons32]

Using any kind of bacteria in a bottle is fine but how long does one need to administer it (days, weeks, months???) before they see some kind of noticeable difference in their water quality because of the bacteria induction of what ever brand they choose?

[@irfanaziz550]

Do we need to feed the bacteria

[@Crawling3nmyskin]

Is chewy.com as bad as amazon.com? How can they sell it again if the seals are broken...?

[@xdsmastermia]

Crawling3nmyskin because nobody checks, they have way too many products to deal with to get that specific

[@brittanyc3282]

And even then the water in the bottle isn't oxygenated (well loses oxygen), and nitrifying bacteria are aerobic...

[@ReefandDive]

I fully cycled a 60gal in a week with stability. Amonia and nitrite still 0 after weeks with 3 fish (clown and 2 gobies). I did put some live rock to help but not a lot, most part dry rock. No doubt it works.

[@munafruit]

interesting points to consider! just out of interest... were you wearing a backpack in this video? i just got really curious and preoccupied about that while watching

[@andrewesquivel]

I get that question a lot when I have to pass through security checkpoints. It's actually a set of suspenders.

[@munafruit]

andrewesquivel very stylish! that makes more sense. was wondering why you would be wearing a backpack while just sitting there 😂 (and that reminds me i need to repair mine!)

[@adityakankal]

Hey a very good video I just want to know I just bought api quick start I wanted to know how does it smell like for it’s it smells like sewage water 💧 any idea pls help thanks btw one of the best video I’ve seen...

[@ee02108]

The jerk is not some dude, the bottles need to have a seal on it.

[@krisi.2011]

Stability is a good thing for up to a month in a new tank as you do water changes at 30-40 50% I always put 50 mils of stability back into my 75 gallon just to make sure there's no spikes and it seems to work brilliantly

[@mellewedin8221]

I understand this is over a year old. But how do you feel about powder bacteria? My tanks have crashed cuz I had no choice but to medicate my fish against worms. I had to large water changes which pretty much reset my tanks. I'm struggling with ammonia hardcore. I have done a thousand of water changes. I have added seachems stability I bought it in store, I have powder bacteria, and I also have microbe-lift nite-out 2. I haven't been feeding my fish while trying to combat this. I have even lighten up my bio load in each tank. My tanks are planted. I run no co2 I use no firts. Any pointers on getting my bacteria to take back off? I don't have the option of old media from a homie I don't trust pet stores.

[@michaelshort2388]

from what I know powder bacteria doesn't suffer from this kind of thing.

[@mellewedin8221]

It is actually working for me. The powder. Although I do prefer seachems brand products

[@handymaninside]

There’s a seal so I’m sure they can’t return it when it’s open that way?

[@troylinden369]

Naperville? Illinois? I'm coming over for advice! Lol

[@JohnDoe-vq8bg]

Pond bacteria blocks and lava rock. Try them, save big money. Thanks for sharing.

[@ArtbyMagic]

You are so right

[@frankyfish1177]

That's true I guess, do you know at what temp the bacteria hot and cold would no longer survive ?

[@andrewesquivel]

hard to say. I use Stability in my cold water and tropical tanks, so anything that a fish could survive in I would imagine Stability would work in.

[@3ffrige]

If people scam Amazon like that on a regular basis, shameful! You may be saving some money on your end, but it hurts everyone else in the long run. Even has the potential to kill other people’s prized fish. If people like that exist and don’t care about no one else but themselves, be very careful moving forward. What goes around comes around.

[@lyndallriedel4565]

I 100% agree. My favorite is Fluval Cycle from Drs Foster and Smith and I order with the shipping temperature in mind so I buy a large amount in the fall but I prefer to buy the 16oz during the summer. I think the fresher the better, but not at the expense of death of my little bacteria friends. I try to get my buyers to use Fluval Cycle. I had a recent buyer ask if he should put it in the refrigerator and I said would you put your guppies in the refrigerator...hahah...he's starting to catch on. They're just like having more pets...hahaha.

[@lyndallriedel4565]

Care and feeding of your bacteria..... www.bioconlabs.com/nitribactfacts.html

[@lyndallriedel4565]

And then there's the difference between the sludge eating bacteria and the nitrifying bacteria. I also tried Xtreme GreenClean with 68 kinds of bacteria and didn't like it as much as Fluval Cycle. It doesn't say "Add Fish Immediately" though.

[@panamacolon04]

Thanks

[@aquariumhacksbymarcus5653]

Great video. I called seachem about matrix it is in fact pumice stone but I like it works great for me as far as stability I think it works great on fishless cycle but if You have fish in the tank you are going to have to use more than 7 days worth it takes time for bacteria to grow in the gravel filter exc... So I THINK it helps but in no a Quick cycle.

[@johnb1381]

Maybe you could try Waterlife BacterLife from UK...fantastic stuff!

[@georgeduncan5178]

No doubt☝🏽☝🏽I always use Sea Chem..... and not one drop of chlorinated water touches my rocks filter material ornaments sand upon setup or filter maintenance Never!!

[@Fibonacci4ever]

Good point. That being said, marine land bacteria in the bag is my Go To (:

[@biologicalmedia8134]

Stability and (esspecialy)big als bio support are best

[@lelegurame]

We use bottled bacteria here in Indonesia for shrimp farming. And it worked perfectly. You just need to activate the "seed", some bacteria need glucose (sugar) to activate it, ex yeast or lactobacillus, some need carbohydrates (we use rice). Just like seed of a plant, it can be stored for months. Just remembered to see the expiration date.

[@lunacycalico4017]

What is the best way to activated bottled bacterian before add to a tank? Terima kasih

[@lelegurame]

@@lunacycalico4017 dissolve sugar in water and mixed with it the dormant bacteria. Make sure the sugar solution are already cooled off so the high temperature wont kill them

[@rawblow4512]

Dr Tim's didnt work but seachem stability cycled my tank around 7 days!

[@frankyfish1177]

Has always worked for me , surely they are told to check the seals in theses kind of thing on return? ...

[@andrewesquivel]

someone who has to process hundreds of returns a day from various categories of products doesn't really care or might not know better.

[@ThePlantedTankTV]

Seals are easy to fake. Superglue and aluminum foil cut to a perfect seal circle with a razor blade will do the trick. Sad to admit it but I've done it with other stuff before. :(

[@mariemandalay]

I guess it isn't worth it for the manufacture to use insulated shippers for the product.

[@AquariumCop]

I share this opinion . Thanks for sharing.

[@COOPERSCICHILDS]

Thumbs up friend I agree with you great video I need to share this video to help out other hobbiest thanks for sharing

[@mattrenaud8426]

Useful info thanks...

[@wildbill9919]

I've never used bacteria in a bottle because I don't see how bacteria can live in a bottle for days or weeks without food or oxygen.

[@sk8rat86]

wildbill9919 bacteria spores not actual bacteria

[@JordansFishRoom]

worked on all my tanks

[@vannakkeo7453]

API Quickstart works well for me!

[@rolicaaquatics7867]

You need to read up on Stability.

[@gioacchinogalizia3599]

For me, and underline for me, Seachem Stability is the best one!

[@Crawling3nmyskin]

So how can you tell if the bacteria is still alive? I think that is the real question.

[@michaelshort2388]

you can't.

[@TorryGood]

Using a microscope to see them

[@vvv1227]

Very meaningful keep it up

[@vvv1227]

many of the seachem product don't have manufacturing & expiry date lol

[@chicahchick]

I used it today ❤️❤️ wow I never thought of that 😱

[@matthewsullivan3581]

Very informative, I believe this happened to me. I bought a bottle of dr. Tim’s one and only on amazon. It did nothing for me. I then went to my LFS and bought some API quick start. The API worked like a charm. I don’t remember the one and only having a seal on it. I think this happened to me. 🤷‍♂️ If your going out of the way to rip amazon off for 15 to 20 dollars then you probably need a job. 😂 find something better to do.

[@Pricelistsell]

it works :)

[@staqzit8613]

my gudness bruh😬

[@theone5404]

Amazon doesn't resell things like that. They write it off. Come on. Get real.

[@RobertoPerez-rq4ck]

Yes they do, its called Amazon Warehouse.

[@damionmarkham9835]

interesting

[@rodriedu_]

I watch this video and my conclusion, is just another guy unhappy with Seachem hahahaha nothing else, I use plenty of seachem products on my reef thank, and it works just as it should be.

[@John-hp6hv]

This guy has no idea what he is talking about. Research before make a video lol.

[@aaronham5881]

i had to cut this nonsense off. thumbs down

[@kevinrspBelieves]

Live bacteria can service from being frozen solid up to 120°f. These are spores anyway and are far more resilient.