Seachem Pristine 250 mL — Bio-Augmenting Bacteria for Aquarium Detritus

Seachem Pristine 250 mL is the ideal size for a medium-sized reef aquarium with regular maintenance. Its bio-augmentation method introduces organotrophic bacterial strains specialized in breaking down solid organic matter that your conventional biological filtration system doesn't process: accumulated detritus in the sump, biofilm on rocks and substrate, uneaten food, and surface oils. The 250 mL size provides enough product for several months of use without needing to refill.

What Pristine Deals With — Where Stability Stops

Pristine and Stability fulfill distinct yet complementary roles. Stability targets dissolved nitrogen compounds (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates) via nitrifying bacteria. Pristine targets solid and semi-solid organic matter that Stability ignores—sludge in the sump, brown biofilm on live rock, organic deposits in dead zones of the filter, and grease that forms surface films and disrupts gas exchange.

What Pristine bacteria do differently:

• Survival in low oxygen conditions: they colonize anaerobic zones of the substrate and sump where nitrifying bacteria cannot operate
• Fat degradation: elimination of organic films on the surface that limit O₂/CO₂ exchange
• Biopolymer production: established colonies trap suspended particles and improve water clarity without chemical intervention
• Nutrient reduction: By breaking down organic matter at the source, Pristine indirectly reduces the levels of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates produced by its decomposition.

Typical Use of the 250 mL Format

This format is particularly suitable for reef aquariums of 150 to 400 litres in monthly maintenance dosage, for systems with sumps where the bottom accumulates sludge despite regular cleaning, and for aquariums with a high organic load due to frequent feeding of LPS corals or anemones.

Seachem Official Usage Protocol

• Shake vigorously before use
• Turn off UV and ozone before dosing.
• Initial dose: 5 mL (1 capful) per 40 litres
• Maintenance dose: 5 mL per 80 litres — when adding new specimens, after cleaning the biofilter, or after medication treatment
• UV/ozone: wait 2 to 3 days before restarting to allow the colonies to establish themselves.
• After antibiotics: remove residues with activated charcoal + change the water before dosing Pristine
• Shelf life: 4 years from the date of manufacture (printed on the bottle)

Yield of the 250 mL format

• 160-liter aquarium: approximately 25 maintenance doses — more than 6 months at a monthly rate
• 320-liter aquarium: approximately 3 months of use with regular maintenance