JBL FilterStart Red
Bacteria starter (liquid) to activate new and cleaned filters in goldfish aquariums

  • Adds millions of beneficial, autotrophic and pollutant-degrading bacterial strains to the aquarium filter after filter cleaning in goldfish aquariums or when using new filters/filter material for the first time
  • Shake bottle well, as bacteria will settle in the liquid. Do not store above 35 °C
  • For fast biological filter settling: breakdown of ammonium/ammonia and nitrite through highly active autotrophic live bacteria
  • Sufficient for 3 l filter material
  • Contents: 1 package JBL bacteria starter25184 10 ml for aquariums. Use: 10 ml/3l filter material
Find out more
Product information

Nature at Home – Home for Fish and Plants
Goldfish and veiltails as well as other goldfish breeding forms need to feel at home in the aquarium. Prepare the aquarium water in a fish-friendly way and protect your aquarium inhabitants. For the initial setup and during partial water changes the aquarium needs beneficial bacteria to clean the aquarium biologically and to break down pollutants rapidly. JBL FilterStart Red activates new filter material, cleaned filters and filters where medications have been used. The autotrophic bacteria contained in it ensure clean water, a rapid breakdown of ammonium/ammonia and of nitrite. Use for water changes, new set-ups and after fish diseases. This bacterial starter ensures biologically active and efficient filters, while degrading fish excrement and other waste.

Advantages of the JBL bacterial starters
Live autotrophic bacteria, breakdown of ammonium/ammonia and nitrite through active bacteria, breakdown of fish excrement and other waste. The bacterial composition of JBL FilterStart Red has been specially adapted for the cooler water of goldfish aquariums.

Autotrophic bacterial strains grow somewhat more slowly than heterotrophic bacteria, but are faster and more efficient when breaking down pollutants (nitrification).

8 complementary bacteria cultures to break down protein, ammonium and nitrite.

Videos
Details
FAQ
May I feed the animals on a regular basis during the first three weeks?

No, you need to feed them very sparingly with maximum 25% of the usual amount. The bacteria are adapting to the current water load and may not be overstrained. A slow increase allows the bacteria a stable adaptation to their environment.

Do the "filter bacteria" pose a risk to sensitive persons, as they could potentially be transmitted by air?

No, these bacteria are generally harmless to humans.
They can not get into the air, as nitrifying bacteria are generally substrate bound and bound to a medium that is aqueous to at least moist.

How are the filter bacteria (nitrobacter) preserved in the bottles? How can the bacteria survive inside?

The bacteria in the products are contained in a nutrient solution which meets the "minimum requirements", as full-scale metabolism would shorten the shelf life. As long as the bottles are in their original packaging and stored at temperatures between 4-35 °C the shelf life is 18 months.

If the liquid is clear or has occasional small brownish flocks, the product is fine. The smell should be barely discernible. If the liquid smells of rotten eggs or if it contains black flakes, the product is no longer suitable for use.

Blog (opinions & experiences)

JBL TV #32: Quick and easy cleaning tips - for internal & external filters

Sooner or later your aquarium filter will get dirty. This is how to clean it properly.

Find out more

JBL TV #26: The right internal and external filter for the aquarium

What’s a filter really for? How does an external filter work and what are the advantages and disadvantages of external filters?

Find out more

JBL TV #25: Goldfish in the aquarium - tips & tricks for their care

The goldfish aquarium is particularly popular in southern European countries, whereas in Germany goldfish tend to be kept in garden ponds.

Find out more

JBL TV #7: Why do fish die in high nitrite levels and what can be done about it?

How does the nitrogen cycle in the aquarium work? Why do nitrite values get too high and how can the value be reduced? Why adding salt is senseless.

Find out more

Time For A Change - Pros And Cons

Think back to your childhood. Your bedroom was a small area for you to let your imagination run free. And unsurprisingly you felt like re-decorating and rearranging it at least every three weeks.

Find out more

Care products - The best solutions for your aquarium

With the right products, aquarium care is not only easy, but can also be a lot of fun! The formulas that make up JBL products are based on intensive research and, especially with care products, their effects are not always immediately visible, yet in the medium and long-term they’ll result in a beautiful aquarium and healthy fish.

Find out more
Laboratories and calculators

Online Hospital

Do you have ill fish and you don’t know what disease it is and how to treat it? Here you can diagnose diseases using photos or identification keys and you can find out where they come from and how to treat them. By showing you over 500 photos to identify and cure fish diseases, we enable you to find a diagnosis and solution.

Water Analysis Online Laboratory

Enter your water parameters and get an in-depth analysis of your values in a matter of seconds. You enter your water values – and we analyse! Here you have the opportunity to enter the measured water values directly into the JBL Online Laboratory. This will analyse your values and explain and submit corrective measures.
Reference guide (Themeworld)

Diseases

Recognising and treating fish and invertebrate diseases

Daily care

How much daily or weekly care is involved? What are the basic maintenance measures for your aquarium?

Bacterial initial phase

How do you start an aquarium with bacteria properly? When do you need to bacterially inoculate the water?

Biotope (habitat) aquarium types

A real piece of the Amazon or, with the Congo, a piece of the heart of Africa. A habitat (biotope) aquarium is a challenge. Can you emulate nature?

Aquascaping aquarium type JBL Dreamscape®

Mountains, valleys, meadows and fish! Create your dreamlike landscape under water with the Dreamscape® aquarium

Goldfish aquarium type JBL Goldfish Paradise®

Lively goldfish in the aquarium enhance any room perfectly! Invite some new flatmates into your home with this goldfish aquarium.
Download

Instructions

safety instructions

accessories
Customer reviews

A word about cookies before we continue

The JBL Homepage also uses several types of cookies to provide you with full functionality and many services: We require technical and functional cookies to ensure that everything works when you visit this website. We also use cookies for marketing purposes. This ensures that we recognise you when you visit our extensive site again, that we can measure the success of our campaigns and that the personalisation cookies allow us to address you individually and directly, adapted to your needs - even outside our website. You can determine at any time - even at a later date - which cookies you allow and which you do not allow (more on this under "Change settings").

The JBL website uses several types of cookies to provide you with full functionality and many services: Technical and functional cookies are absolutely necessary so that everything works when you visit this website. In addition, we use cookies for marketing purposes. You can determine at any time - even at a later date - which cookies you allow and which you do not (more on this under "Change settings").

Our data protection declaration tells you how we process personal data and what purposes we use the data processing for. tells you how we process personal data and what purposes we use the data processing for. Please confirm the use of all cookies by clicking "Accept" - and you're on your way.

Are you over 16 years old? Then confirm the use of all cookies with "Noticed" and you are ready to go.

Choose your cookie settings

Technical and functional cookies, so that everything works when you visit our website.
Marketing cookies, so that we recognize you on our pages and can measure the success of our campaigns.

PUSH messages from JBL

What are PUSH messages? As part of the W3C standard, web notifications define an API for end-user notifications that are sent to the user's desktop and/or mobile devices via the browser. Notifications appear on the end devices as they are familiar to the end user from apps installed on the device (e.g. emails). Notifications appear on the end user’s device, just like an app (e.g. for emails) installed on the device.

These notifications enable a website operator to contact its users whenever they have a browser open - it doesn’t matter whether the user is currently visiting the website or not.

To be able to send web push notifications, all you need is a website with a web push code installed. This allows brands without apps to take advantage of many of the benefits of push notifications (personalised real-time communications at just the right moment).

Web notifications are part of the W3C standard and define an API for end user notifications. A notification makes it possible to inform the user about an event, such as a new blog post, outside the context of a website.

JBL GmbH & Co. KG provides this service free of charge, and it is easy to activate or deactivate.