Bio-Spira or substitute in the uk

[Doug Corsa]

I live in UK in the chester/manchester area.
And i was wondering if you can get a product like Bio-Spira (i think thats what it is called) that gives you all those bacteria that helps with the cycle.

Basicly does anyone know where i can get this in my area? And also how much will it cost?

 

[Sasha the breen]

I heard theirs Nutrafin cycle that does that but i may be wrong.Youre lfs should stock it

 

[modernhamlet]

Nutrafin Cycle is not the same as Bio-Spira. As far as I know, Bio-Spira is the only product with live colonies of the actual nitrifying bacteria. Most of the experienced folks here think that any "cycling" product other than Bio-Spira is wasted money.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Bio-Spira is available in the UK.

There's always the old fashioned way. Gravel or filter media from an established tank...

Good luck!

 

[thecichlidaddict]

There's always the old fashioned way. Gravel or filter media from an established tank...

And there is nothing wrong with this method - it's proven to work!

I have only tried a couple of them, (unsuccessfuly, not including bio-spira) and I have no faith in them at all.

 

[Doug Corsa]

i could have sworn there was a product just like it that is availible on a website like aquazoo.co.uk od something.
So i assume as it is a .co.uk that it is availible in the uk. But i just dont know the name of it

 

[heresmike]

I frequent another fish forum that's based in the UK, and one member has indicated that some of the fish stores over there DO carry BioSpira now in the freezer section. (although everyone on the board maintains a closed mind about using it). If you need more specifics, I can find out for you.

 

[pufferdude]

Bio-Spira is the only thing that will work.

 

[Socrates]

I just did a Bio-Spira "cycle".

IT WORKS.

I have 22 Fish in my tank. No problems with chemistry, my bio-wheel is nice and dark, my water is clear, etc.

I put WATER in my 40 US gallon tank 13 days ago along with Bio-Safe.

I put in 12 fish and Bio-Spira after 6 days, and now I have the 22 mentioned.

I did lose one neon to stress or something. Very small guy, but there was no chemical spike in the water when he "vanished". I never did find him, and about a half day after he disappeared ammonia did rise slightly (to just over .25), but I neutralized it with a 20% water change and the Jungle fizzy tabs I had here in case of just such an emergency and never saw any signs of stress. That spike was over in about a day.

I've never seen the 2ppm nitrite rammonia spikes MArineland says can happen. I think this may be because I overdosed the Bio-Spira by so much.

 

[pufferdude]

Thats a nice lookin tank you got there.

 

[spanair]

There was a thread about some one mentioning that there was a couple of places that did have bio-spira here in the UK, I cant find it. If any one can get some where, where they got bio-spira it'll be very aprecited

 

[heresmike]

Re: BioSpira availability in the UK... all I can offer is this link which pionts you to a phone number for ordering. I would make sure that the shipper can keep it cold because it says on the package to keep refrigerated.

http/www.aqualink.co.uk/

Hope this helps

 

[mrV]

Does BioSpira contain also bacteria that oxidize ammonia/ammonium to nitrite? I think BioSpira is got its name from "nitrospira" and nitrospira bacteria only oxidize nitrite to nitrate. Nitrosomonas is still needed to the other work...

 

[heresmike]

Does BioSpira contain also bacteria that oxidize ammonia/ammonium to nitrite? I think BioSpira is got its name from "nitrospira" and nitrospira bacteria only oxidize nitrite to nitrate. Nitrosomonas is still needed to the other work...

It appears that the person who pioneered the development of the product disagrees with you on that. Here is a link to an interview with him

http/www.aquamaniacs.net/drtimhovanec.html

 

[Doug Corsa]

well i live in chester. so are there any fish shops within the cheshire area that stock it?

 

[mrV]

It appears that the person who pioneered the development of the product disagrees with you on that. Here is a link to an interview with him

http/www.aquamaniacs.net/drtimhovanec.html

Please read carefully.

[]the books and papers said it was so, that Nitrosomonas europaea was the ammonia-oxidizer and Nitrobacter winogradskyi was the nitrite-oxidizer in aquaria whether freshwater or saltwater. [] But it resulted in the discovery that Nitrobacter species were not present in aquaria samples but there were lots of bacteria that were most closely related to Nitrospira.

He didn't say that there aren't nitrosomonas bacteria. He didn't find nitrobacter as it thought for several years. Nitrosomonas and nitrobacter are not the same family. Anyway... Nowadays it is known that there is remarkable amount of nitrospira like bacteria. But nitrobacteria still are bacteria that oxidize nitrite to nitrate - but not in freshwater aquaria, as it has been thought. It still quite mystification what bacteria are our tanks - probably they are nitrobacter bacteria still although they live different environment (rich environment) but also there are significant proofs of nitrospira -like bacteria.

From my homepage you'll find some references to these studies.. (There is quote in english so you don't need to study finnish) I haven't read all studies, but Im going to when I have more time.. What I have understood, there is nitrosomonas and nitrospira -like bacteria. Nitrosomas oxidize ammonia to nitrite and nitrospira nitirite to nitrate.

(I could be wrong too... So if I read it wrong and didn't understand it, please correct it! My mother language isn't english, so...)