I am amongst many who learnt the old techniques and processes first and that is not a bad thing in the slightest but are those days over?. Well in UK it might be with the above product having exploded in last few years.
What is goop
According to the creator, goop is “a pouch of live nitrifying bacteria. It enables you to introduce fish into a new aquarium without the typical ammonia and nitrite issues linked to immature filters.
Does it work?
The straightforward answer is yes, it does; however, there are a few caveats regarding the “instant” aspect, primarily around the use of aqua soils in an aquarium, as the creator has not conducted large amount of testing with aqua soils.
Does it work then with Aqua Soil and what about ammonia?
Based on my personal experience, yes, although it requires a few additional days. This is due to the additional Ammonia leaching from the substrate, it necessitates extra time to cultivate further bacteria to address this. In my situation, it managed the extra 2 or 3 ppm of ammonia that my Hanna checker detected in approximately 5 days.
In my sand aquarium, merely inserting the gooped filter was adequate to commence the cycling process.
A significant white cloud emerged from the filter upon activation, which was anticipated and noted by the creator. This is just bit of beneficial bacteria lost in the process.
If you buy a pre-assembled filter, you do not need this or have to worry about it, as they are ready for immediate use upon arrival.
*However, keep in mind the previous information regarding aqua soils, as it is also relevant to the pre-prepared filters.*
So all that sounds great but what are the costs to do all this?
Goop is quite affordable at £13.00 in total, which includes delivery, for a pouch that can support a tank of up to 50 litres. Naturally, the greater the quantity required, the higher the cost.
Furthermore, it is more affordable in comparison to Dr. Tim’s singular product. This particular item has been reported by numerous individuals to exhibit inconsistency and is priced higher.
The less fun bit!
This section of my review regarding Goop may not resonate with everyone; however, I understand that some individuals might feel a bit uneasy about it and may be apprehensive to engage with it, among other concerns.
How difficult is it to use? Well, it is actually quite simple. The only aspect to learn is how to disassemble your filter, which is a beneficial skill as it is part of the aquarium care process. I will not address this topic here, as there are several videos available on YouTube that demonstrate how to take a filter apart and reassemble it.
Goop is like well “vomit” like in its appearance and it can smell a bit its completely normal and natural it wont harm you aim is to get as much of it into the into the sponge as possible whatever way you feel most confident to do it for me I just massaged it into the sponge and it took about 5mins.
End result is that you have an aquarium that is running in half the time that it would take to fishless cycle the traditional way.
As I say though at the start I still highly recommend learning the traditional methods of cycling before using goop because it will give you a grounding to deal with any potential issues from goop such as phantom nitrite readings that can happen with goop.
Goop Homepage : https://nitrico.co.uk/index.php?cPath=70
