This is the second "gravel" cleaner I have used (Dr Tim's Waste Away is the other). To cut to the chase, these types of bacterial cleaners do work, but they are more subtle than you may think. They will not get rid of large fish food flakes that are rotting on your gravel (you need to vacuum those out yourself). But they are effective at digesting and breaking down the detrius that gets into your gravel over time. They also do act as nitrifying bacteria, specifically for nitrates which can help control that issue and extend water change times. Personally, I appreciate bacteria products for aquariums as it establishes a more natural environment for the fish. But, (and there is always a but!), you must be careful in using these type of cleaner bacteria. Never use more than recommended (error on the lessor side!) They can and will use up the oxygen in the tank and essentially "drown" your fish if used in high concentrations. At normal/recommended usage levels they are safe for all your aquarium pets. If you find your fish gasping for breath immediately stop using the product and do what you can to get more air in the water (bubblers and water changes will work). Because these bacteria will use oxygen, they respire CO2 and this will help your plants as well. Also, I would not use this type of product if you have a heavily planted tank and are using a CO2 system...this will be almost certain death for your fish due to lack of oxygen... So again be aware of product usage and its effects on oxygen levels. The product recommends using it once every week or two...I would recommend once every 2 weeks to be safest. Also, I would recommend a good gravel cleaning (at least the top of the gravel) to get rid of the large pieces of detrius first, then applying the product. The bottle will serve 1880 gallons of water...in a 75G tank, using once every two weeks, the bottle will last about a year. Another tip...don't use more than one bacterial product on any one day. Spread apart their usage i.e., use nitrifying bacteria on one day and then a day or two later use this product or other bacteria products...you want to give each bacteria product time to start growing and reproducing. Finally, this product has one issue that should be corrected immediately. Bacteria products do not last forever in a bottle. you should always know how fresh the product is and how long before it expires. The product should be clearly labelled with its date produced and its expiration date. Most products like these are generally good for a year, maybe two, if they are stored properly. Only buy freshly produced product for best results! If its been sitting on a store shelf or warehouse in an uncontrolled environment for a year or so look for something fresher...dead bacteria from poor storage and age is the biggest problem with these kinds of products. Read more
Love this gravel cleaner. Good value and works well. Read more
I originally ordered this because of the reviews I saw. I have a 10 gallon tank, which holds my beloved Betta fish, 3 tetras, and a snail. The reviews all raved about the product, and that is why i initially ordered it. I have used it twice so far. My tank has always been pretty clean and my water has been pretty clear, so it was hard for me to tell if the product was actually working. Everytime I do a water change, I put this in the tank along with water conditioner and i will say that my tank has stayed super clean and the gravel isn't as dirty as before. Being that i am new at being a fish owning, I can appreciate any product that helps me keep my tank clean. I do still siphon, and do bi weekly water changes but I believe this product helps. Read more
This stuff works awesome. I used a different kind before and it worked ok but it left the water cloudy for at least a full day. I put this stuff in at night checked it in the morning and the water was crystal clear! There was still some debris in the gravel but I checked it late in the day and it was almost completely gone. I'm guessing by the next morning it will be totally gone. Very impressed with this and will definitely buy it again! Read more
Exceptional product well packaged and fast delivery works good in fish tank use each week Read more
I hate doing gravel cleans and water changes. The typical irritants of tubes and hoses and spilt drops of water don't bother me so much as the invasive procedure performed on the entire world-as-they-know-it of my aquatic buddies. So I bought the product thinking "Well less gravel cleanings will bother you guys less so let's try it". I used the product on my 19 gallon tank. And yes, my gravel was clean. Very clean. My water was very clean also...for a time. I love my fish tank and spend a lot of time observing it. After using this cleaner, I felt the need for less water changes. Less intense gravel cleanings. I mean the gravel looked perfect. The water looked perfect. And three weeks later I started fighting a disaster. Though I had maintained water changes and gravel cleanings, I was far less thorough than before. I came home one day and one of my Danio's had died. The next day an African Albino frog died. Something was wrong. Two days later a Molly died. The water had gone from crystal clear that day to virtually no visibility. I came home from work and discovered this. Water changes, additional filters, neutralization chemicals...my tank was on life support. After 2 days I was able to get some level of clarity in the water. Once there I did a deep cleaning of the gravel. Not just skimming the top but digging down deep to the bottom of the tank. Just like I did before buying this bottled gravel cleaner. The amount of detritus was unbelievable. The stench was wretched. I had to perform multiple gravel cleanings because each one made the water so cloudy I would have to follow it with additional water changes. It's taken over a week and $100 worth of products and equipment to keep my hard built ecosystem alive. But I've managed to do it. This product works amazingly. A capful and your tank and gravel will look showroom ready in days. But it doesn't just make the detritus go away. It breaks it down so much that it falls to the very bottom of the tank where you don't even know it's there and slowly becomes a problem. The bottom line is this will clean your gravel. So much so that you forget about what's under the gravel. Buy this product, use it, and enjoy the beauty of your tank. But keep to your cleaning and water changing schedule. You won't need to clean the gravel. You will need to clean the tank. Read more
Takes away the odor very quickly and I have nearly no waste to remove. It works great Read more
