Hey all, thanks for
the questions. How was everyone's weekend?
I'll answer RTR first since he wrote out a very well thought out question for me that I think will answer some of
the other questions as well. And don't worry about
the comments RTR, I've heard them all and I blame nobody for having these predispositions, especially with
the line-up of products who have made these claims for
the last 15 years. Also, I have enjoyed reading your contribution to this thread, man! You really know your stuff!
Anyway, onto
the questions. First, yes
the strains are isolated and identified. They are real Nitrosomonas, Nitrobacter, Nitrococcus, and Nitrosococcus. They could be cultured in aquariums, yes, but they are not due to
the sheer volume to meet our customers' needs, which requires bio-reactors. There's faster and more efficient technology than using aquariums.
The nitrogen-laden water in which they are grown is also extracted via centrifuge, making it a very clean product as well. This isn't
the only way to do this, of course, but it's very efficient. Anything past that we start to get into proprietary information.
Which Bacteria Are Found In The Aquarium?
Now about
the "debate" about which nitrifiers are
the "real ones". Although many people swear it's a big deal and get extraordinarily worked up over it, it really is much to do about nothing, relatively speaking in terms of aquariums. Case and point: If it propagates in your aquarium, establishes a colony, and maintains that colony while oxidizing ammonia and nitrite they are
the "real ones",
including Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter. There's no stack of science documents that will change this fact. And Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter do that, therefor by definition, it's a fact they are proper nitrifying bacteria for
the aquarium. Think of it like this: Nitrifiers don't just magically appear in an immaculate conception as one specific strain. They are always imported from somewhere.
The most common ways for nitrifying bacteria to come into a system are through
the fish themselves or in media from another system. So, it's important to understand that in every instance of aquarium cycling
the bacteria is
always imported from somewhere. Having said
that,
the kind of bacteria found in
the aquarium will be
the kind that were imported, simple as that. If
anyone selling a different kind of bacteria is saying that you can only establish biofiltraion with that product and not with Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter, then it is merely an attempt to sell you a "rounder wheel" and an out-right lie. Basically, whichever bacteria are "found in
the aquarium" greatly depends on who's aquarium you're looking in. Then it becomes just
the "ones you find".
Waste Water And Nitrosomonas/Nitrobacter
When they say "Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter are found in waste water treatment plants" that is 50% of half
the truth and very clever language. Yes, they are found there. So what? Where in that statement does it say aquariums will kill Nitrsomonas and Nitrobacter or that they can't flourish there? Nowhere. If Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter can handle
the extremely diverse water conditions of a waste water treatment plant then they can, and do, most certainly handle a far more controlled and consistent aquarium environment. NItrosomonas and Nitrobacter aren't afraid of fish. What, in
the aquarium, is supposed to kill Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter?
The only thing that would effect them are things that effect any and all nitrifying bacteria.... pH, alkalinity, phosphate content, temperature, chlorine, chloramines, antibiotics, etc. Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter have no unique problems propagating and flourishing in
the aquarium environment at all.
Dead Bacteria
This one is easy. These bacteria don't die and come back to life. If they die, they're dead. Unlike heterotrophic bacteria, which can be dried, freeze dried, put in spore form and shelved for years, these autotrpohs must remain in liquid and kept vital. This is why they say "don't let your media dry out". SuperBac Real Nitrifying Bcateria is living nitrifiers. They are alive and don't enter
the aquarium dead.
The six-month shelf life is how long they can live in that state, after which they lose viable culture. If you put nitrifiers in your aquarium without food, they will manage about two weeks before they die. They don't just die instantly. This is good because if water levels are unacceptable for nitrifying bacteria, you find out with time to troubleshoot this so that
the bacteria jump start once it's ironed out.
$64 Million Question
"I used a Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter products before and they haven't worked. Why then?"
Answer: They didn't really have Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter in it. That's
the most common. If that isn't
the case and you were using a real nitrifying bacteria product, then there was something wrong with
the water parameters, WHICH also would effect a slow cycle as well. Same rules, now. But usually, a product like this doesn't have real nitrifiers in it. It is UNUSUAL that it does. Sadly, in most cases, SuperBac will be
the first real experience with Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter that hobbyists have
ever had to draw applicable experience from
On our website we offer a list of things to look for when trying to decide if a product is real or not.
The Point
This product is made and sold to cycle aquariums and combat ammonia and nitrite problems. If it didn't work we wouldn't be cycling aquarium systems in
the 24,000 gallon range over a weekend. It's really hard to fake those results. Most people just want a tool that will do this and don't really care to get into a holy war about bacteria. These arguments will not make our product fail to work like it says no matter how long they endure.
The burden of proof is not on us. This has been around for a long time.
The burden of proof is on those that would claim Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter do not work. Check this out... I could have cycled an aquarium in less time than it took to introduce myself here and write this last post.... Makes an argument like these seem unproductive.
Sincerely,
im almost kinda proud of myself for not killing him lol, i know that sounds bad, but its a habbit of mine to prepare myself for 
starting to sound like Monty Python!)
Just switched