Power House - PRODUCTS - High-performance dried bacteria- MicroHouse

■Ammonia and nitrous acid, which are highly toxic to fish, are constantly occurring due to the breakdown of organic materials in the aquarium, including bodily wastes from fish, uneaten food, and dead plant matter. This has a negative impact on water quality. On the other hand, these toxic substances are ultimately broken down into relatively harmless nitric acid due to the action of nitrifying bacteria. This is known as nitrification, and its process is shown in the figure below.

■However, nitrifying bacteria multiply extremely slowly, normally taking three months in a freshwater aquarium and six months in a saltwater aquarium before they will be fully established. Quickly starting up a new aquarium without any problems hinges on how fast nitrifying bacteria can multiply.

■Microlive is a concentrated culture of a wide variety of nitrifying bacteria. It comes with an activator agent, which means as soon as you add it to your aquarium, nitrifying bacteria start growing and adjust the condition of the water. But by using the appropriate amount when starting a new aquarium, changing water, or conducting normal water quality control, you can dramatically shorten the several-month-timespan necessary to create aquarium water.

●Primary types of nitrifying bacteria in Microlive

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria	Nitrite-oxidizing bacteria
Nitrosomonas	Nitrobacter
Nitrosospira	Nitrospina
Nitrosococcus	Nitrococcus
Nitrosolobus	Nitrospirae
Nitrosovibrio

(There have been at least five ammonior and four nitrous acid confirmed.)

●Price
100mℓ: ¥1,500
250mℓ: ¥3,000
(for both saltwater and freshwater)

■Active life of nitrifying bacteria in Microlive

By control a nutrient source for the small amount of nitrifying bacteria in the Microlive solution, we are able to preserve them for a long period and keep other bacteria from multiplying out of control. The active life of the nitrifying bacteria within Microlive is about one year at room temperature and about two to three years when stored in a cool, dark location at around 10℃.

■Activity and temperature of nitrifying bacteria in Microlive

Bacteria are generally known to die when temperatures exceed 30℃, but the nitrifying bacteria in Microlive have been confirmed to maintain 99% of their ammonia decomposition activity even after an 8-day accelerated test at a continuous 40℃ (test equivalent to one month with maximum one-day temperature of 40℃). At over 45℃, however, its activity markedly declined.

■How to use

・Add directly to the aquarium or filter.

■How much to use

・When starting a new aquarium, use the amounts shown in the table below twice (once when you start your aquarium and then one week later).
・Use the amount shown under "Routine maintenance" when changing water or cleaning the filtering media.
・The optimum amount to use depends on the types and numbers of organisms in your aquarium, but there are no issues with using a lot. However, when your aquarium is healthy, it may change the microbial balance therein, so we recommend that you use only a small amount.

●Guideline on amount to use
Tank size (cm)	Water volume (ℓ)	New aquarium	Routine maintenance
30	13	25mL×2	25mL
45	35	25mL×2	50mL
60	55	50mL×2	50mL
90	155	100mL×2	50～100mL
120	200	100mL×2～3	100～150mL

■Notes on using Microlive

・Nitrifying bacteria settle at the bottom of the bottle. Shake well to mix the bottle's contents before using.
・Nitrifying bacteria are extremely vulnerable to chlorine exposure, so always make sure to dechlorinate water before using it in your aquarium.
・After opening, tightly close the cap and store in a cool, dark location. The effective life of Microlive is about one year at room temperature and two to three years when stored in a cool, dark location.
・Leaving the bottle in a location with temperature of 45℃ or more for a long period may severely lower the activity of nitrifying bacteria.
・Nitrifying bacteria are generally susceptible to the effects of ultraviolet rays, so please store the bottle in its box, even at normal temperatures.

The wide variety of nitrifying bacteria that have been concentrated and cultured within Microlive multiply rapidly compared to normal nitrifying bacteria, which multiply at an exceedingly slow pace. This enables them to convert ammonia and nitrous acid, which are toxic to fish, into relatively harmless nitric acid at an early stage. The graphs to the right are an example of a nitrification performance test for Microlive in a freshwater and a saltwater aquarium, which proves the effect of the product.

■Test overview

We added 50mℓ of Microlive to a new aquarium (45cm, 35ℓ), then measured the change in water quality. After one week, the tank containing Microlive had less ammonia nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen. Meanwhile, ammonia nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen had both accumulated in the tank without Microlive.