Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

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.