Dosing bacteria to established reef?

mshur

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Wondering if anyone dosing extra bottled bacteria to established reef tank such a zeo, bacter 7, Dr.Tim's or others? Is there any benefits to our reefs by dosing extra bacteria.......
 

ndrwater

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Not necessarily.
Once truly established, our reefs are in balance and have enough bacteria to maintain equilibrium with the amount of animals in our tanks. By adding more randomly, you are essentially throwing off the balance. The tank will equalize to the amount of bacteria it needs to stay at equilibrium.
Long winded answer for jonreal need unless something has gone sideways
 
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mshur

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Not necessarily.
Once truly established, our reefs are in balance and have enough bacteria to maintain equilibrium with the amount of animals in our tanks. By adding more randomly, you are essentially throwing off the balance. The tank will equalize to the amount of bacteria it needs to stay at equilibrium.
Long winded answer for jonreal need unless something has gone sideways

100% agree and totally making sense. My reason for asking this question is follow:
I start dosing Brightwell Microbacter clean as precautionary method to keep sand and rock clean. After couple of doses some of my SPS got darker and cyano pop up on the sand..This lead me to believe that i broke a balance in my reef. So i wonder if i should dose other bacteria to regain this balance or just run a course.
 

ndrwater

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Dr Tim's is tried and true. Also, if purchasing off Amazon, you are getting it directly from Tim. Freshest available...
 

NS Mike D

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perhaps this might be the thread to ask. I recall reading that, in our closed systems over time, a single stain of bacteria can dominate the others. I think it had to do that more NO3 end product would results as N2 synthesizers would get squeezed out. So that dosing to rebalance was recommended

Anyone able to comment on this
 

ndrwater

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perhaps this might be the thread to ask. I recall reading that, in our closed systems over time, a single stain of bacteria can dominate the others. I think it had to do that more NO3 end product would results as N2 synthesizers would get squeezed out. So that dosing to rebalance was recommended

Anyone able to comment on this
While slightly true, more false than actually true..
A recent study has shown our tanks to actually have many strains of bacteria. I know one of the older tanks on this forum which is kept by @Paul B was included in the study to the best of my knowledge. Even his tank had many strains of bacteria and not a single type. From what I have read regarding his system, he has very few if any issues.
 

Miller535

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100% agree and totally making sense. My reason for asking this question is follow:
I start dosing Brightwell Microbacter clean as precautionary method to keep sand and rock clean. After couple of doses some of my SPS got darker and cyano pop up on the sand..This lead me to believe that i broke a balance in my reef. So i wonder if i should dose other bacteria to regain this balance or just run a course.

This is just a theory, but I have been dosing NO3 and PO4, and recently started dosing microbacter7. I noticed my NO3 and PO4 drop faster following the microbacter7. I wonder if that is what happened with the microbacter clean. And it stripped your tank of Either or both NO3 and PO4. If that did happen, then what you described would happen. And if you look up microbacter7 and clean, they are very similar. Bacteria blend, rodi, and so forth.
 
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mshur

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Still puzzle me why corals got darker , nutrient level didnt go up that high. I guess dosing Bacter clean bacteria have this effect on corals.. go figure:))
 

NS Mike D

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While slightly true, more false than actually true..
A recent study has shown our tanks to actually have many strains of bacteria. I know one of the older tanks on this forum which is kept by @Paul B was included in the study to the best of my knowledge. Even his tank had many strains of bacteria and not a single type. From what I have read regarding his system, he has very few if any issues.


@Paul B adds bacteria to his tank on a regular basis that he collect from the Long Island Sound
 

ndrwater

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@Paul B adds bacteria to his tank on a regular basis that he collect from the Long Island Sound
Adding seawater is markedly different from adding cultured bacteria.
That said, there are still many older tanks in the study with the same results as Paul. The idea that our tanks have a solitary strain of nitrifying bacteria because our tanks are a captive system is still false.
 
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mshur

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This is just a theory, but I have been dosing NO3 and PO4, and recently started dosing microbacter7. I noticed my NO3 and PO4 drop faster following the microbacter7. I wonder if that is what happened with the microbacter clean. And it stripped your tank of Either or both NO3 and PO4. If that did happen, then what you described would happen. And if you look up microbacter7 and clean, they are very similar. Bacteria blend, rodi, and so forth.

Actually N and P went up a bit ,not much though . I keep N around 5 ppm and now N is about 15 ppm. In addition i use algea scrubber
 
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mshur

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I was not suggesting that it made your nutrient levels go up, but down.
Correct... But they did went up a bit...I think this is a result of bacter clean bacteria...I might be wrong..
 

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