Microbacter 7 dosing - any downsides?

[kvansloo]

Thanks, I grab a bottle and some live phyto

Get some copepods also they are always good to add, and they live off the phyto.

 

[Jasongtr]

Get some copepods also they are always good to add, and they live off the phyto.

Thanks, we do periodically put copepods in, but no harm in doing some more

 

[Idech]

I have dosed 2-3 full bottles over time and never had any problems.

 

[Gribbles]

I think there can be downsides to adding bacteria to a reef tank, unless it is intended just as food for corals, but outcompeting dinos and maybe cyano for space may be one of the desirable uses.

I don’t think nutrients are going to drop enough to be any sort of issue.

Could you elaborate on the downsides? Things like a biofilm on the surface? Promoting growth of other undesirables?

I regularly add mb7 as well as carbon dose and am weighing the pros and cons. Mainly wondering if I should back off the mb7 dosing.

 

[Solo McReefer]

A 1/2" tubing

A long turkey baster

And a toothbrush

I add a few drops of MB7 to my tank each night, and after a waterchange

 

[Solo McReefer]

Things like a biofilm on the surface?

That's a upside

One wants that to occur

 

[JTP424]

Could you elaborate on the downsides? Things like a biofilm on the surface? Promoting growth of other undesirables?

I regularly add mb7 as well as carbon dose and am weighing the pros and cons. Mainly wondering if I should back off the mb7 dosing.

Regarding MB7, I've found myself using it for a bit, then backing off for a bit, then using it again.
I'm no chemist/expert, but I'm guessing things get "oversaturated" or "bottom-out" to a point where adding doesn't have any impact, so when I stop things pick back up, then after a while of not using it I dose for a while and things perk up again. I'm the worst haha.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Could you elaborate on the downsides? Things like a biofilm on the surface? Promoting growth of other undesirables?

I regularly add mb7 as well as carbon dose and am weighing the pros and cons. Mainly wondering if I should back off the mb7 dosing.

Depends on the tank situation, and this is my opinion as opposed to proven fact but…

1. MB7 claims to promote nitrification (conversion of ammonia to nitrate). Corals have a preference for ammonia over nitrate, and they spend extra energy to convert nitrate to ammonia for use. Continually boosting nitrifiers may cause corals to lose out on their preferred N source as nitrifiers grab it first.

2. MB7 also claims to promote denitrification (conversion of nitrate into N2). In a tank with normal nitrate, it is possible for these denitrifiers to reduce nitrate concentrations so corals do not have enough.

3. MB7 claims to reduce organics, dissolved and particulate. That may be a benefit if those organics are otherwise a problem (yellowing, toxins, etc.) but it may be a detriment for filter feeders that may get less foods.

I do not know if it accomplishes all of these, but each of them can be a double edged sword.

 

[Gribbles]

That's a upside

One wants that to occur

I meant on the surface of the water

 

[KrisReef]

The reason for the thread....

The dilemma is that the information that you seek is not available for many of the products that are available to “help do something “ in our tanks, we just have to trust the experts who sell or recommend a product,

I have used MB7 before and the tank survived and got better, although I don’t think I had cyano or GHA back then?

Who knows to both of those questions, just looking for a gentle help to rid these red patches and assumed mb7 wouldn't hurt and may help

$2.00 on Green.

Shouldn't we want to know what is in something we add to our tank?

Roll the dice and tank your chances.

It is a good question, if you try it post your results and observations for the good of the hobby.

 

[irischan]

The downside I can remember after I finished a big bottle of MB7 is it triggered a thick biofilm layer on all glass everyday. I scraped them off, then the filter sock clogged up and overflowed.

 

[Solo McReefer]

I've got a 40 gallon tank

And a filter sock starts overflowing in a day, I put way too much food in my tank

I have switched to Reef Diapers filters tho, have to toss one every day

They are covered and filled in brown fish and coral poop, I mean it could be the bacteria. Smells like poop, bacteria is what makes poop smell like poop, so it could be. I've never smelled a bottle of MB7

Zeovit Method "depends" on the bacteria the reefer adds to form a mulm going into the tank, to feed corals. Going into filter socks, and filter rolls, and protein skimmers for export

Lou Ekus echos this with his products, that coral 'eat' bacteria, and they get Ns and Ps(and Ks and Cs) this way(easier than active transport). So it's not just the greedy German Blue Bottle loonies who support this hypothesis

I could be wrong, and your filter socks really are clogging because of MB7. Could be true

 

[irischan]

I've got a 40 gallon tank

And a filter sock starts overflowing in a day, I put way too much food in my tank

I have switched to Reef Diapers filters tho, have to toss one every day

They are covered and filled in brown fish and coral poop, I mean it could be the bacteria. Smells like poop, bacteria is what makes poop smell like poop, so it could be. I've never smelled a bottle of MB7

Zeovit Method "depends" on the bacteria the reefer adds to form a mulm going into the tank, to feed corals. Going into filter socks, and filter rolls, and protein skimmers for export

Lou Ekus echos this with his products, that coral 'eat' bacteria, and they get Ns and Ps(and Ks and Cs) this way(easier than active transport). So it's not just the greedy German Blue Bottle loonies who support this hypothesis

I could be wrong, and your filter socks really are clogging because of MB7. Could be true

That said, the use of MB7 had totally no observable negative effect on corals and fish at all. It only made me tired enough to scrape glass and clean filter sock everyday.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Our tank is 18 months old, no signs yet of coralline algae, we have a few red patches in some crevices in the rocks, nothing on the substrate, I'm going to assume it's cyano.

It's by no means serious enough to try chemiclean or would I probably want to.

Seen a few things that say using MB7 would add some decent bacteria to the system which may help, but I've also seen a post where someone said adding MB7 will damage our developing system as its maturing.

Any thoughts?

Ive been dosing for years and no issues. I do this to have bacteria compete with potential bacteria (cyano) and dino. Havent had any since doing this.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Our tank is 18 months old, no signs yet of coralline algae, we have a few red patches in some crevices in the rocks, nothing on the substrate, I'm going to assume it's cyano.

It's by no means serious enough to try chemiclean or would I probably want to.

Seen a few things that say using MB7 would add some decent bacteria to the system which may help, but I've also seen a post where someone said adding MB7 will damage our developing system as its maturing.

Any thoughts?

I doubt whatever is in the MB7 bottle will do any good, however it probably won't do any harm.

I stopped dosing any product that doesn't tell me exactly what it contains and relies on mystical hokus pokus claims written by marketing gurus.

I certainly saw no difference before/after for any of the bacterial products like MB7/Gen M when I tried them. Except to my wallet.

 

[telegraham]

it adds biodiversity to the tank

Nope. The major species are B. subtilis, B. licheniformis, and B. pumilus. That ain't biodiversity.

Seen a few things that say using MB7 would add some decent bacteria to the system which may help, but I've also seen a post where someone said adding MB7 will damage our developing system as its maturing.

Consider other options.

 

[Oldreefer44]

IMO, until we demand that we actually get full disclosure of the ingredients in the products that supposedly do this or that then we won’t know what if anything they do except for anecdotal user claims. When Salem Clemons was asked whether or not he would use MB7 he responded with an emphatic “no”. Not saying that I know more than any of the rest of us but why would you not include the strain of bacteria if it were known to be beneficial? Would that not sell more of the product? After all, they did not create the bacteria so it can’t be proprietary. Not picking on Brightwell as this practice seems to be gaining traction more and more in our industry leaving us less sure of what we are getting for our money.

 

[Jasongtr]

Nope. The major species are B. subtilis, B. licheniformis, and B. pumilus. That ain't biodiversity.


Consider other options.

What are you suggestions for other options?

 

[telegraham]

IMO, until we demand that we actually get full disclosure of the ingredients in the products that supposedly do this or that then we won’t know what if anything they do except for anecdotal user claims. When Salem Clemons was asked whether or not he would use MB7 he responded with an emphatic “no”. Not saying that I know more than any of the rest of us but why would you not include the strain of bacteria if it were known to be beneficial? Would that not sell more of the product? After all, they did not create the bacteria so it can’t be proprietary. Not picking on Brightwell as this practice seems to be gaining traction more and more in our industry leaving us less sure of what we are getting for our money.

It's up to us to decide what products succeed. To do so requires some critical thought, but sometimes it's easy just to follow along.

Because I've paid for the testing, I know what's in multiple bottles of MB7 along with other bottles of bacteria juice. Details down to the species level. A minor point, but in nearly all cases, you won't get strain data.

 

[exnisstech]

The downside I can remember after I finished a big bottle of MB7 is it triggered a thick biofilm layer on all glass everyday. I scraped them off, then the filter sock clogged up and overflowed.

That said, the use of MB7 had totally no observable negative effect on corals and fish at all. It only made me tired enough to scrape glass and clean filter sock everyday.

Sounds like you stop using MB7? If so did you start getting a lot less build up on the glass?