Advanced Nutrients Tarantula Liquid — Beneficial Bacteria for Root Zone Performance
Best for: Hydroponic growers wanting to introduce beneficial microbes without overcomplicating their nutrient strategy
Our thoughts
If you're running hydroponic systems and want to improve root colonisation and nutrient availability without adding complexity, this does exactly what it should. Tarantula is one we recommend a lot for growers looking to solve the microbial sterility problem that comes with inert media. Proven formula, high CFU count, and plays nicely with any nutrient line.
Advanced Nutrients Tarantula Liquid is a concentrated beneficial bacteria supplement designed to introduce powerful microbial colonies into your root zone. It contains 11 species of beneficial bacteria—including Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium, and Paenibacillus polymyxa—each selected and bred to improve nutrient availability, strengthen root structure, and protect against root disease. At 1.4 billion colony-forming units per gram, it's one of the highest-concentration bacterial products on the market. The core problem it solves: hydroponic growing media are biologically sterile by design. Tarantula restores that biological activity, making locked-out phosphorus and iron available again, improving water uptake, and building root mass that translates to better yields.
How it compares
This sits in the premium bacterial inoculant space of the beneficial microbes market.
- Significantly higher CFU concentration than most competitors—bacteria-only focus means no wasted space on fungi
- Works with any nutrient line, any base brand, any competitor product—full compatibility
- Separates bacterial and fungal products by design (unlike all-in-one products that create microbial conflict)
- Backed by Advanced Nutrients' 100% money-back guarantee on results
If you want pure bacterial root colonisation without the marketing noise, this is proper kit. You're paying for concentration and breed selection, not packaging.
Usage guidance
Tarantula works across all hydroponic systems and inert media from cutting through to the second week of flowering.
Dosing by plant stage
Cuttings and seedlings: 1ml per litre of feed water. Small plants: 2ml per litre. Mature plants: 4ml per litre. Add it directly to your nutrient solution—it's compatible with all base nutrients, pH Perfect or otherwise, and all competitor brands.
Application in common systems
Works equally well in NFT, flood and drain, deep water culture, drip irrigation, and aeroponics. Simply add to your reservoir or feed line at the appropriate dosage. The bacteria colonise the root zone and form protective biofilms.
Tap water consideration
Important: if you're using tap water with chlorine or chloramine, consider neutralising it first (products like Ecothrive Neutralise work well). Chlorine will kill the beneficial bacteria before they establish, wasting your product.
What to avoid
Don't mix Tarantula with peroxide-based additives or hydrogen peroxide solutions—they'll kill the microbes on contact.
Technical specifications
- Product type: Liquid beneficial bacteria concentrate
- Microbial count: 1.4 billion CFU per gram
- Bacterial strains: 11 species including Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus licheniformis, Paenibacillus polymyxa, and others
- Available sizes: 250ml, 1L, 4L bottles
- Dosage rate: 1–4ml per litre depending on plant stage
- Compatibility: All base nutrients, all competitor brands, all hydroponic systems and inert media
- Application window: From cutting stage through second week of flowering
- Storage: Cool, dark conditions recommended to maintain viability
Who this is for
- Hydroponic growers (NFT, flood and drain, DWC, drip, aeroponics) using inert media
- Anyone dealing with nutrient lockout or phosphorus availability issues
- Growers wanting to strengthen root systems without synthetic growth regulators
- Operators running multiple systems who want universal compatibility across different nutrient brands
- Commercial or serious hobbyist growers looking for proven, repeatable results
- Growers new to beneficial microbes wanting a single-product entry point (rather than multi-product blends)
Particularly suited to climate-controlled indoor operations where biological activity is absent and root colonisation directly impacts yield consistency.
Our take
This is proper root-zone biology in liquid form. High concentration, proven across 117 countries, plays nicely with any nutrient line you're already running. If you're growing hydroponically in sterile media and haven't introduced beneficial bacteria yet, this is a solid move. The CFU count is genuinely high—you're not paying for filler.
Good time to pick up while stock lasts. Does exactly what it should, day in, day out.
