Rolf C Hagen has reformulated its widely-sold filter boosting and maturation product Nutrafin Cycle.
Hagen claims that new Cycle can allow the instant introduction of fish when the product is added to a correctly set up aquarium containing dechlorinated tapwater.
Klaus Reimueller, the European Business Development Manager at Rolf C Hagen told Practical Fishkeeping: We ve been manufacturing Cycle for the past 25 years and we changed the formula only three times.
Reimueller said that he believed the new formula was truly outstanding, and was much more responsive and faster working than the previous generation.
The new formula of Nutrafin Cycle is produced using a special fermentation process and floc technology. Hagen did not state the strains of bacteria used but said that around five lithotrophic and heterotrophic strains were used and that they were present at five times the biomass seen in the previous incarnation.
It claims that new Cycle is capable of reducing up to 40mg of ammonia per litre per day and says it has laboratory tests to prove this.
Reimueller said that during laboratory testing, Hagen also used a 100mg per litre concentration of ammonia solution and in five days it had been completely metabolised to nitrite, and after seven days the nitrite had also been converted to nitrate.
Nutrafin Category Manager Tom Sarac said: New Nutrafin Cycle has been developed using the latest advances in bio-technology and has achieved improved bacterial stability, higher activity levels and an ultra pure concentrated product for unparalleled consistent performance from every bottle.
Hagen said that the product allowed fish to be added to a new aquarium immediately without the need for a fishless cycling process.
However, it recommends that fishkeepers add only a limited number of fish to an aquarium that has been dechlorinated and heated to the correct temperature, and advises the gradually addition of further stock.
The new formulation of Nutrafin Cycle is due to go on sale in the UK later this year and will be available in five sizes: 30ml, 120ml, 250ml, 500ml and 2 litre.