Start Your Reef Aquarium Quickly and Safely
For more than 15 years, Daphbio® has been a leader in marine and reef aquarium start-up solutions. Thanks to the living bacteria and microorganisms contained in the kit, starting your marine, saltwater or reef aquarium becomes fast and efficient.
From the fourth week, you can begin stocking your aquarium while avoiding common start-up issues such as macroalgae blooms, filamentous algae and cyanobacteria that typically settle in and become persistent.
The Daphbio® Start-Up Kit represents a major advancement in marine and reef aquaristics. While traditional aquarium cycling used to take 6 to 8 months, Daphbio® allows a complete start-up in 4 to 5 weeks, followed by gradual stocking.
The products are effective on live, dry, inert and artificial rocks, ensuring full compatibility with your aquarium setup.
Immediate Biological Colonization
From the very beginning of the protocol, our freshly harvested live bacteria colonize:
- Live or dry rocks
- Sand bed
- Sump
- Refugium
- Algae scrubber
- Reactors
At the same time, diverse microfauna and phytoplankton establish themselves in the aquarium. All products contribute to the long-term stability and viability of your reef ecosystem.
The Start-Up Kit is also suitable for aquarium resets and tank transfers.
Daphbio® Start-Up Kit – Contents
The marine aquarium start-up kit consists of 3 bottles, available in 250 ml, 500 ml or 1 liter formats:
- Microfauna & Meiofauna Eggs (seeded live microfauna)
- Microfauna Booster® (phytoplankton, enzymes and bacterioplankton)
- Bactoreef® (live aerobic and anaerobic marine bacteria)
These products recreate the essential trophic chain required for marine aquarium life.
The kit provides a coherent and complete solution, combining:
- Specific start-up bacteria with Bactoreef®
- Diverse benthic microfauna
- Phytoplankton via Microfauna Booster®
Choosing the Right Size
- 30 to 100 liters → 250 ml Start-Up Kit
- 100 to 500 liters → 500 ml Start-Up Kit
- 500 to 1000 liters → Two 500 ml Start-Up Kits (you will receive 1-liter bottles)
Instructions for Use & Recommendations
The complete start-up protocol is available by clicking here. We also recommend visiting our blog for additional start-up advice.
Important:
Some synthetic rocks contain silicates and heavy metals, which can cause issues during start-up. We recommend MarcoRocks, as they are safe and certified pest-free.
If you use synthetic rocks:
- Do not light the aquarium for 3 weeks
- Increase dosage by 30%, as synthetic rocks are non-porous
Once the start-up protocol is complete, Daphbio strongly recommends 1 liter of Microfauna Meiofauna to stabilize microfauna in your reef aquarium.
Storage Conditions
- Store products in the refrigerator upon receipt, except Bactoreef®, which should be stored at room temperature, protected from light.
- Bring the Microfauna & Meiofauna Eggs bottle back to room temperature before dosing.
- The live microfauna bottle must be opened daily (or left open) before use to allow re-oxygenation.