eSHa Aquabacter start-up bacteria for aquariums

Regular price 7,90 €
Regular price Sale price 7,90 €

This pot of nitrifying bacteria and sludge bacteria seeds a freshwater aquarium at start-up, then maintains the filter's population. The bacteria are released into the water within 24 to 48 hours and break down organic waste.

A 27 ml pot treats up to 750 litres, and it can be used with fish, plants and shrimp.

Ref. ESHA79081·Aquarium bacteria
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The summary

  • What you receive: a dry culture of nitrifying bacteria and sludge bacteria, with its nutrient medium.
  • The doses: one level scoop per 50 litres at set-up, then one scoop per 100 litres each month.
  • What it changes: the bacteria are released into the water within 24 to 48 hours and shorten the start-up, which takes about 2 months without seeding.
  • How to choose: a dry powder can be stored away and taken out again, while a liquid is poured and kept in a cool place.

27 ml pot that seeds the filter of an aquarium of up to 750 litres

eSHa Aquabacter starter bacteria are used to seed the filter of a freshwater aquarium, up to 750 litres with one 27 ml pot. This dry culture combines nitrifying bacteria and sludge bacteria, which are released into the water within 24 to 48 hours. It thus shortens the start-up, which takes around 2 months without seeding.

This tub contains a dry culture of bacteria, together with its nutrient medium, which you sow into a freshwater aquarium when setting it up. One level scoop seeds 50 litres, and one scoop per 100 litres each month then maintains the population. One tub covers up to 750 litres of water.

🕒 What seeding changes

Without this addition, it takes about 2 months before waste breakdown and nitrification work well enough. The pot shortens this delay, since the bacteria and their medium are released into the water within 24 to 48 hours and in the right proportion. What follows depends on your tank, its temperature and what you give it to digest, and it is the nitrite that tells you where you stand.

Nitrite drives the start-up

A newly started aquarium is managed first by its nitrite, a value read in drops. The nitrite test shows you the peak and then the return to zero, and it is this return that clears the way for your first fish. The 6-in-1 case adds ammonium, nitrate, pH and KH in the same kit, which saves you buying the bottles one by one during the weeks when these values change quickly.

🦠 What these bacteria do

The culture brings together two populations with distinct roles, along with the nutrient medium that helps them get started. Their work follows a precise sequence: the ammonium released by the fish, toxic even at low levels, becomes nitrite, which is also toxic, and then nitrate, which is far better tolerated. Meanwhile, a second population breaks down the organic waste that settles on the bottom of your tank, which limits the build-up of sludge.

Nitrification

Part of the crop takes up the nitrogen from the waste, first converted into nitrite, then into nitrate, which the plants consume.

The sludge

A second population tackles the sludge, that is, the leftover food and plant debris that build up on the bottom.

The nutrient medium

The powder also carries a culture medium, which feeds these bacteria while they settle on the filter media.

An aquaponic system lives off these two conversions. Its biofilter hosts the same chain, with the fish's nitrogen becoming the nitrate that the roots take up, and it too needs several weeks before it works to full capacity. An aquaponics grower setting up a second tank saves time by transferring media that has already been colonised from the first. The article on the nitrogen cycle details what each stage consumes and produces.

🧮 How long does a tub last

The tub treats up to 750 litres, which represents 15 level scoops at the start-up dose of 1 scoop per 50 litres. If your aquarium holds 100 litres, setting up takes 2 scoops, then maintenance takes 1 a month, so a tub lasts that tank a little over a year. On a 300-litre tank, the same tub covers the start-up and 3 months of maintenance. Close it tightly between uses, since the culture keeps in dry form.

Technical specifications

What the tub contains

Contents
Nitrifying bacteria and sludge bacteriaIn dry form, with their culture medium
Capacity
Up to 750 litres

The doses

Getting started
1 level scoop for 50 L
Maintenance
1 scoop per 100 L per month

Use

Where to take it
Filter, substrate or water surfaceWith a UV steriliser running, in the filter
Overdosing
A slight overdose has no effectA slightly larger number of bacteria does no harm

To budget for separately

Nitrite monitoring
A nitrite drop test
Water test
A 6-in-1 test kit case

In the box

  • 1 pot of bacterial culture with its measuring scoop

Dose, capacity and instructions for use recorded on 20/09/2026 from the manufacturer's instruction leaflet.

Manufacturer and product safety

Manufacturer
Sea Horse IPC B.V. (eSHa Labs)
Postal address
Hertog van Brabantlaan 4, 6223 CJ Maastricht, Pays-Bas (boîte postale : Postbus 431, 6200 AK Maastricht)

Information provided under Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety.

Seeding a filter, in powder or liquid form

Two bacterial cultures, two ways to dose them

Can't decide between these two cultures? One is sprinkled on with a scoop and stored dry, the other is poured from the cap and kept cool. Three questions are enough to decide.

ShapeDose for 50 litresStorageDosing schedulePrice
Recommended
eSHa Aquabacter start-up bacteria forYour choice		Powder with scoop1 level scoopDry form1 measure per 100 L every month7,90 €
Easy-Life EasyStart starter bacteria forYour choiceLiquid to pour in10 mlKeep refrigerated after openingDay 1, week 1, week 24,50 €
eSHa Aquabacter start-up bacteria forRecommended
ShapePowder with scoop
Dose for 50 litres1 level scoop
StorageDry form
Dosing schedule1 measure per 100 L every month
Easy-Life EasyStart starter bacteria for
ShapeLiquid to pour in
Dose for 50 litres10 ml
StorageKeep refrigerated after opening
Dosing scheduleDay 1, week 1, week 2

Forms, doses and schedules recorded on 20/09/2026 from both manufacturers.

Estimate your
delivery time

Small tub shipped as a tracked parcel, by Colissimo or Chronopost to your home. The exact charges and delivery times are shown in the basket once the address has been entered. Outside the European Union, import duties and taxes are payable by the recipient.

Frequently asked questions

6 questions

6 key questions

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