Product Review: Products For ‘Rapid Cycling’ Of Marine Aquaria: Brightwell Aquatics’ MicroBacter7 And Continuum Aquatics’ BacterGen.M

While visiting a fish store during a recent trip to the mainland, I saw products claiming to hasten “cycling” of marine aquaria. I was intrigued by the possibility, purchased the products, and began formulating a testing protocol. These products are Brightwell Aquatics” MicroBacter7 and Continuum Aquatics” BacterGen.M.

Successful reefkeeping depends upon natural cycles doing what they do, whether it involves cycling of carbon, nitrogen, or other elements. Perhaps the most important is the nitrogen cycle since it involves ammonia, which can be toxic to fishes at high concentrations. Ammonia is excreted by fishes and their waste products contain proteins that eventually degrade to ammonia. Ammonia is converted to nitrite (also toxic) by a certain group of bacteria (usually designated as Nitrosomonas species.) Nitrite is then converted to relatively non-toxic nitrate by another group of bacteria (generally referred to as Nitrobacter species.) Bacteria that convert nitrogenous wastes tend to be rather sensitive to environmental conditions (such as pH) and slow growing, …read more

Read more here: Advanced Aquarist