API Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Stress Zyme
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- Brand: API
- Food and Treat Feature: Treats
- Containment Type: Containment Accessories
- Pet Care Type: Food and Treats
- Pet Type: Fish
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STRESS ZYME or How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love Bacteria
Pros
Billions of Bacteria!!
Cons
Billions of Bacteria!!
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Cheaper than Cycle, more widely available, requires no refrigeration. This product should meet all of your bacteria needs.
Many people do not realize just what life form is the most important inhabitant of an aquarium. That life form is the lowly bacterium. Bacteria forms the very basis of the food chain in an aquarium. The quality of your filtration or the frequency of your water changes, while helpful and very important to the health of the aquarium ecosystem, are no substitute for a well established and flourishing biological filter.
SO WHAT IS A BIOLOGICAL FILTER?
I'm so glad you asked! A biological filter is composed of billions and billions and billions (time to stop channeling Carl Sagan) of bacteria. These bacteria convert the ammonia and nitrates from fish waste into more benign chemicals and compounds. This is part of a very complex and boring process known as the Nitrogen Cycle. Without an efficient and thriving biological filter, most aquariums will turn toxic in time. Lack of a biological filter is generally what causes new aquarists to lose many fish, and give up on the hobby in disgust. Establishing and maintaining a biological filter can be easy, however, with the use of this product.
STRESS ZYME
Stress Zyme is a liquid containing millions of beneficial bacteria. Stress Zyme is not the only 'bacteria in a bottle' on the market. There are many other brands available. This product is, however, along with Cycle, the most readily available. Your average run of the mill aquarist uses either Cycle or Stress Zyme. I have used both, and prefer Stress Zyme.
The two products performed comparably; none of my tanks have ever had an ammonia or nitrite spike, even while new set ups. I have no sludge build up in my goldfish tank using Stress Zyme, and I didn't have any when I used Cycle. Both products work in both freshwater and saltwater tanks. I have successfully cycled several tanks with each product. My preference for Stress Zyme is based on a few non-performance factors.
*1*~ Stress Zyme is less expensive than Cycle. $13 for 16 oz. of Cycle at Pet Warehouse vs. $9.75 for the 16 oz. Stress Zyme.
*2*~ Stress Zyme is available in a gallon size; the largest Cycle is 16 oz. The gallon size, besides being more economical at $40, comes in handy when you have several tanks to maintain, and are always starting more (like me).
*3*~ Stress Zyme, unlike Cycle, does not have to be refrigerated after opening. This was the big selling point for me. One day my husband noticed the bottle of Cycle in the fridge, and absolutely lost it when he realized I was keeping a bottle of bacteria in the fridge right next to the food that he ate.
HOW DO YOU USE STRESS ZYME?
Stress Zyme can be used to cycle (establish the biological filter) a new aquarium, and to maintain an established one. It can also be used to re-establish the biological filter in a tank that has been treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics, sometimes needed to treat diseases of fish, as a side effect can wipe out the living ("biotic") biological filter.
It is simple to use, and the instructions are easy to understand and follow. You add a certain amount of Stress Zyme to your aquarium water based on your needs (cycling a new tank, maintaining an established one) and the size of your tank. Once the tank is cycled (about two weeks), you add the maintenance dose weekly. I have both established new tanks with this product and maintained mature tanks with it. My tanks have never spiked nor have I lost fish to ammonia or nitrite toxicosis.
READILY AVAILABLE
Unlike most biological starters, Stress Zyme is very available. My local aquarium shop carries it (along with Cycle). Wal Mart carries it, K-Mart carries it and so do several of my local supermarkets. The mega-retailers and supermarkets do not carry Cycle. Every single online pet retailer I have checked, from BigAlsOnline.com to PetSmart.com carries Stress Zyme. As a rule of thumb-if they carry aquarium product other than Tetra or Wardley, they carry Stress Zyme. If, for some bizarre reason, your local aquarium shop does nor carry Stress Zyme, you can visit the manufacturers website, www.aquariumpharm.com for a handy dealer locator.
THE BOTTOM LINE
It works. It's cheap. It's easy to find. You don't have to listen to your family whine about the bottle of bacteria next to the bologna. It's the perfect product.
Buy it. Now.
SO WHAT IS A BIOLOGICAL FILTER?
I'm so glad you asked! A biological filter is composed of billions and billions and billions (time to stop channeling Carl Sagan) of bacteria. These bacteria convert the ammonia and nitrates from fish waste into more benign chemicals and compounds. This is part of a very complex and boring process known as the Nitrogen Cycle. Without an efficient and thriving biological filter, most aquariums will turn toxic in time. Lack of a biological filter is generally what causes new aquarists to lose many fish, and give up on the hobby in disgust. Establishing and maintaining a biological filter can be easy, however, with the use of this product.
STRESS ZYME
Stress Zyme is a liquid containing millions of beneficial bacteria. Stress Zyme is not the only 'bacteria in a bottle' on the market. There are many other brands available. This product is, however, along with Cycle, the most readily available. Your average run of the mill aquarist uses either Cycle or Stress Zyme. I have used both, and prefer Stress Zyme.
The two products performed comparably; none of my tanks have ever had an ammonia or nitrite spike, even while new set ups. I have no sludge build up in my goldfish tank using Stress Zyme, and I didn't have any when I used Cycle. Both products work in both freshwater and saltwater tanks. I have successfully cycled several tanks with each product. My preference for Stress Zyme is based on a few non-performance factors.
*1*~ Stress Zyme is less expensive than Cycle. $13 for 16 oz. of Cycle at Pet Warehouse vs. $9.75 for the 16 oz. Stress Zyme.
*2*~ Stress Zyme is available in a gallon size; the largest Cycle is 16 oz. The gallon size, besides being more economical at $40, comes in handy when you have several tanks to maintain, and are always starting more (like me).
*3*~ Stress Zyme, unlike Cycle, does not have to be refrigerated after opening. This was the big selling point for me. One day my husband noticed the bottle of Cycle in the fridge, and absolutely lost it when he realized I was keeping a bottle of bacteria in the fridge right next to the food that he ate.
HOW DO YOU USE STRESS ZYME?
Stress Zyme can be used to cycle (establish the biological filter) a new aquarium, and to maintain an established one. It can also be used to re-establish the biological filter in a tank that has been treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics, sometimes needed to treat diseases of fish, as a side effect can wipe out the living ("biotic") biological filter.
It is simple to use, and the instructions are easy to understand and follow. You add a certain amount of Stress Zyme to your aquarium water based on your needs (cycling a new tank, maintaining an established one) and the size of your tank. Once the tank is cycled (about two weeks), you add the maintenance dose weekly. I have both established new tanks with this product and maintained mature tanks with it. My tanks have never spiked nor have I lost fish to ammonia or nitrite toxicosis.
READILY AVAILABLE
Unlike most biological starters, Stress Zyme is very available. My local aquarium shop carries it (along with Cycle). Wal Mart carries it, K-Mart carries it and so do several of my local supermarkets. The mega-retailers and supermarkets do not carry Cycle. Every single online pet retailer I have checked, from BigAlsOnline.com to PetSmart.com carries Stress Zyme. As a rule of thumb-if they carry aquarium product other than Tetra or Wardley, they carry Stress Zyme. If, for some bizarre reason, your local aquarium shop does nor carry Stress Zyme, you can visit the manufacturers website, www.aquariumpharm.com for a handy dealer locator.
THE BOTTOM LINE
It works. It's cheap. It's easy to find. You don't have to listen to your family whine about the bottle of bacteria next to the bologna. It's the perfect product.
Buy it. Now.
