Biomature

stan22 · 09-26-2008, 07:30 PM

I have been using biomature to cycle my tank for just over a week now everything seems to be going fine but just checking to see if any one has any experience of using this product?

Any help would be great. Thanks

Judge · 09-26-2008, 11:29 PM

Hi stan 22 and welcome to FTF. We are very glad you are here and have decided to join us in the greatest of hobbies. You will find many wonderful features here on this site so feel free to wander around and get familiar with the site while getting to know some of the most friendly and knowledgeable fish addicts you could ever want to meet!
Ah, your question..thought I forgot that didn't you?? Well the short of it is there are several products that claim to speed up th enatural processes but if I were you I would monitor your water readings and wait for the cycle to complete and then you can begin to stock very slowly. Please give us a run down of what your readings are now along with the size of tank and maybe even your plans for stocking. You'll find there will be others I am sure who will swim by and give you a howdy. So stick around and get to know some of the others, you won't be disappointed.

stan22 · 09-27-2008, 08:52 AM

Hi thanks for the welcome

The product i am using is a source of ammonia for my tank heres a brief description - http://www.waterlife.co.uk/seaquariums/biomature.htm

I think it may just be available in the uk

As for the size of my tank it is 69 uk gallons which is about 89 us gallons i think.

I am on day 10 my readings are as follows
Ammonia-5 ppm
Nitrite- 5 ppm
Nitrate- 25 ppm

I think i should maybe let the ammonia calm down a bit.

The stuff i am using biomature says i should add it daily until i have a nitrite reading of 10 ppm then stop adding it and then let the nitrite level drop to zero then add a few hardy fish. I have read a few reviews on it and some people have cycled there tank between 11 & 14 days but i am in no rush i would rather make sure my tank is cycled properly.

Any advice would be great. Thanks

Judge · 09-27-2008, 09:01 AM

Good for you, we are always pleased to hear about folks who research and take the time to create their watery habitats in a proper manner! I would say if your NitrIte is beginning to decrease and NitrAtes are beginning to rise, as soon as Ammonia is 0 and stays that way for a while then I would say it is safe to begin to add a friend or two. Just remember to take it slow and continue reading about everything you can and it will aid in lessening your mistakes along the way. We all have made them but it sounds to me like you are off on a great start. Heck, you'll be ready to join in the fun with Octobers photo contest!!

RJRofFL · 09-27-2008, 03:24 PM

Hi stan22. And let me add a warm welcome to you as our neighbor "across the pond."

First, let me congratulate you for "cycling" your tank fish less. It is the fastest and more humane way to do so.

Personally, I am not a fan of "bacteria in a bottle" simply because bacteria need a flow of oxygen to survive and there is not any oxygen in a sealed bottle. Also, too, in researching this product, it appears that it does not actually contain the "beneficial bacteria" but simply ammonia and other minerals. However, nonetheless, you can still continue to cycle your tank and no harm is done.

We have an excellent article (upper left of main page under Articles) dedicated to fish less cycling and we also have a video tutorial dealing with this which you can watch by clicking on my signature below.

I'm not sure if you have a full understanding of the "cycle" process but, in brief it entails fish waste producing ammonia, a nitrifing bacteria then "eats" the ammonia and expels NitrIte whereby another "beneficial" bacteria "eats" the NitrIte expelling NitrAtes. Then the cycle starts over and is constantly going on in your aquarium.

In order to "kick start" the cycle from scratch, all that's needed is ammonia and the rest will continue on its own. Since you already have NitrIte and NitrAte readings, this implies your cycle is underway. It is important to continue "feeding" this beneficial bacteria or they will die and stall your cycle. So don't stop adding ammonia.

The way the process works is that ammonia should start to decrease and NitrItes should increase. Soon the ammonia will drop to zero and the NitrItes will increase. Shortly after that NitrAtes should climb and NitrItes should drop. When both ammonia and NitrIte show zero, the cycle is complete. The confirmation of this is when you are able to add ammonia and then test in 24 hours to find ammonia reading zero. Then you know you have enough "beneficial bacteria" to handle a small bioload. At that point you can perform a large water change to eliminate the accumulating NitrAtes and add fish. Then it will be the fish who continually feed the cycle.

I hope this has not been confusing. I have a tendency to talk too much at times. If you need any further explanation or clarification, just shout.

Best of luck,

Bob