MICROBE-LIFTSubstrate Cleaner - Highly Active Bacteria for Slub & Dirt Removal in Aquarium, Freshwater and Saltwater 3785 ml

I use this on my pond sludge buildup. It's definitely smelly, and stains anything that touches it, but it does help with the anaerobic sludge buildup in my pond substrate. I have a natural pond setup, with filtering plants, koi, loaches, and minnows, none of which were negatively impacted by use of this product. I do tend to stir up the gravel and sand to displace some sludge, as the sand bed is relatively deep and saturated with sludge right now, in order to increase the contact area and hopefully speed up the digestion process.As a slow-acting solution, you do need to treat regularly for a few months to get rid of large sludge buildups, as you are slowly building up the bacterial/enzyme concentration in your tank or pond.I have used other products from Microbe-Lift for a while now, and my pond is very happy and healthy. It seems like a conscientious company that makes good stuff (my local pond shop uses their products on their display ponds as well).I hope you find this review helpful - if so please let me know!

I used this in 2 tanks - a 2 gallon and a 30 gallon and had good success in both.PROS: - easy to use - measure, pour, leave alone - good, desired results achieved - no impact to fish noticedCONS: - takes 2 doses to make a dent in my 30 gallon tank. not a problem but I need to plan on that in future. - scent is fairly unpleasant when pouringHappy & will continue to use on my fish tanks!

Good cleaner for fish tanks. Worked like it's supposed to, according to the kids.

So far so good. It arrived in tact and is a black liquid with an odd smell. No worries. Added to the tank as suggested, and I have noticed that my tank is cleaner after a month than it normally is. I will keep using and my fish haven't had an issue with it. Will keep using. Recommend.

Having had success with Microbe-Lift's Algae Cleaner, I had to give their Microbe-Lift Gravel and Substrate Cleaner for Home Aquariums a try.For the most part, how this is supposed to work is that it creates a healthy aquatic environment by speeding the biological breakdown of slow to degrade organic waste matter from aquarium bottoms that may become toxic to marine life.So depending on how many gallons your aquarium is, you can easily add a tablespoon per gallon. I use the measuring cup and it's not too strong in terms of odor but the odor dissipates quickly compared to others I've used.I noticed how this substrate cleaner worked magnificently well for my smaller tanks. In the smaller tank, the cloudiness disappeared.As for my larger tank, it didn't work as great as the smaller tanks. Perhaps it needs several treatments before I see similar clarity, but maybe it takes some time the larger the tank is.So, that' where I am at right now. Smaller tanks, it worked great. Larger tanks, I'm on a second treatment right now to hopefully seeing a significant change.The cleaner is black and the company does say it takes a while, as it works to break things down, which is true. But I did notice amazing results in my smaller tank, so I'm giving this cleaner a thumbs up. My much larger tank, it may take awhile, so we'll see.But overall, from the results of the smaller tanks, I'll give the Microbe-Lift's Algae Cleaner, I had to give their Microbe-Lift Gravel and Substrate Cleaner for Home Aquariums a thumbs up!