Advanced Nutrients Tarantula – 250 ml

Advanced Nutrients Tarantula is a liquid beneficial bacteria bio-fertilizer that inoculates the root zone with 11 hand-selected bacterial strains at 10,000,000 colony-forming units per gram. Dosed at 2 mL per liter during the first two weeks of vegetative and flowering phases, it is designed to increase water and nutrient absorption, improve iron and phosphorus availability, and promote lateral root development in any hydroponic or soil-based growing system.

Advanced Nutrients Tarantula Specifications

All specifications below are sourced from the canonical product record, supplier listing (SKU 015414608780), and Advanced Nutrients product research data.

Why Choose Advanced Nutrients Tarantula

The following points are drawn directly from the product description, supplier data, and Advanced Nutrients research documentation for Tarantula.

• 10 million CFU per gram across 11 bacterial strains. Tarantula delivers 10,000,000 colony-forming units per gram of beneficial bacteria across 11 individually selected strains. The high CFU concentration means that when diluted into a reservoir at 2 mL/L, a meaningful population of active bacteria is introduced to the root zone rather than a token dose. Each strain is bred separately in a dedicated 10,000-liter bioreactor, not blended from a shared culture pool.
• Improves iron and phosphorus availability in the root zone. Two mineral limitations that commonly restrict plant growth in hydroponic systems are iron availability and phosphorus solubility. Beneficial bacteria in the root zone produce organic acids and other compounds that improve the plant-available forms of both elements. Tarantula specifically targets this mechanism, making it a practical tool in systems where iron deficiency or phosphorus lockout is a recurring problem.
• Increases water and nutrient absorption. Colonization of the root zone by the bacteria in Tarantula is documented by the manufacturer to increase water uptake and nutrient absorption. A larger, more active root mass supported by beneficial microbial activity can draw water and dissolved nutrients more efficiently than a root zone dominated by low-activity or harmful microbes.
• Promotes lateral root development and increased budding sites. Beyond nutrient uptake, the research data notes that Tarantula promotes greater lateral root branching and increased budding sites. A more branched root architecture provides more surface area for absorption and structural support for heavy flowering loads.
• Dormancy compound prevents shelf degradation. The manufacturer includes an antagonist compound in the formulation that keeps the microbial strains dormant until the concentrate is diluted into reservoir water. This means the living bacteria are preserved in viable condition during storage and shipping rather than becoming active—and eventually exhausting their nutrient supply—inside the bottle.
• Compatible with pH Perfect and non-pH Perfect base nutrients. Tarantula is documented as compatible with all Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect base nutrients, non-pH-Perfect base nutrients, and all competitor base nutrient and supplement programs. Growers do not need to switch their existing nutrient line to add Tarantula; it functions as a drop-in additive to any established feeding program.

Best Uses for Advanced Nutrients Tarantula

Tarantula is categorized under Nutrients & Additives > Additives > Roots. The use cases below reflect the product’s documented application as a root-zone microbial inoculant in hydroponic and soil-based growing systems.

• Early-stage root zone establishment in hydroponic systems. Tarantula is applied during the first two weeks of vegetative growth and the first two weeks of the flowering phase. These transition periods are when establishing a healthy microbial population in the root zone has the most leverage: beneficial bacteria introduced early have time to colonize before the root system is fully developed, leading to stronger root architecture through the growth cycle.
• Restoring microbial balance in depleted or sterile growing media. Inert hydroponic media such as rockwool, clay pebbles, and perlite contain no native microbial population. Tarantula introduces a starting population of 11 beneficial bacterial strains into what would otherwise be a microbiologically bare environment. It is also useful for re-establishing balance in a grow medium that has experienced a root disease event or heavy chemical flush that wiped out existing beneficial populations.
• Enhancing iron and phosphorus uptake in nutrient-heavy feeding programs. Growers running high-EC feeding programs—especially during heavy bloom—can experience phosphorus lockout or iron deficiency even when those elements are present in the reservoir. Tarantula’s bacteria produce compounds that convert locked-up mineral forms into plant-available ones, functioning as a supplement to rather than a replacement for the base nutrient program. If you are also supplementing with additional root-zone organic inputs, Earth Juice Hi-Brix molasses is a carbon source that supports beneficial microbial activity and pairs naturally with bacterial inoculants like Tarantula.
• Soil and amended media grows where microbial diversity matters. While Tarantula is compatible with all liquid-feed hydroponic systems, it is equally applicable in soil-based or amended-media grows where maintaining or improving microbial diversity is a goal. The documented benefit of re-establishing beneficial bacteria populations in unbalanced soil makes it a candidate for use after heavy pesticide or fungicide applications that may have disrupted the native microbial community.
• Companion use with other Advanced Nutrients additives. Tarantula is designed to slot into the Advanced Nutrients additive stack alongside products like Voodoo Juice (which targets a different set of microbial species) and other root-zone enhancers. Growers building a complete Advanced Nutrients program can use Tarantula for its bacterial inoculation during transition weeks without needing to adjust the rest of the feeding schedule. For growers comparing root-zone additive options, Heavy 16 Roots is another root-zone enhancement product in the same category that takes a different formulation approach.
• Scale operations running multiple system types. Because Tarantula is compatible with aeroponics, drip, NFT, flood-and-drain, DWC, and continuous liquid-feed systems, operations running mixed system types can use a single bacterial inoculant across the facility rather than selecting separate products for different equipment configurations. The 250 mL bottle covered here is suited to home grows and small commercial operations; the same formula scales to 1 L, 4 L, 10 L, and 23 L sizes.

Tarantula vs Plant Revolution Great White Premium Mycorrhizae

Plant Revolution Great White Premium Mycorrhizae is the most frequently compared alternative when growers are evaluating root-zone microbial inoculants. Both products inoculate the root zone with beneficial microbes, but the formulation strategies differ substantially. The table below compares the two products on the specifications that matter most for a grower making a purchasing decision.

The practical choice between the two products depends on what kind of microbial support the grow needs. Tarantula is the stronger choice when the goal is high-concentration bacterial inoculation in a liquid-feed hydroponic system, particularly when iron and phosphorus availability is the primary concern. Great White covers a wider range of microbial kingdoms—bacteria, fungi, and trichoderma—at lower bacterial concentration per species, which makes it a better fit for growers who want a single product that addresses multiple microbial categories, especially in soil or coco where mycorrhizal fungi can form effective root associations. Some growers running high-value crops use both products at different phases of the cycle, though that decision should be based on individual crop response rather than a blanket recommendation.

Compatibility & Operating Range

Tarantula is a living microbial product. Compatibility considerations go beyond physical system type and extend to chemical environment, storage conditions, and interactions with other inputs in the same reservoir.

• Hydroponic system types: Documented compatible with aeroponics, drip irrigation and emitters, nutrient film technique (NFT), flood and drain (ebb and flow), deep water culture (DWC), and all continuous liquid-feed growing systems. The liquid form makes it easy to dose directly into a reservoir at 2 mL per liter regardless of system type.
• Growing media: Compatible with inert hydroponic media (rockwool, clay pebbles, perlite, and similar substrates) as well as soil and amended media. Because Tarantula is a bacterial inoculant rather than a mycorrhizal product, it does not require the close root contact that fungi need to form associations—the bacteria colonize the water film around roots and grow media particles rather than penetrating root cells.
• Nutrient program compatibility: Advanced Nutrients explicitly documents Tarantula as compatible with all pH Perfect and non-pH Perfect base nutrients in their own line, plus all competitor base nutrients and supplements. Growers using General Hydroponics, Botanicare, House & Garden, or other nutrient brands do not need to switch programs to incorporate Tarantula into their regimen.
• Chemical inputs to avoid near application: Strong oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), chlorine, and sodium hypochlorite will kill the beneficial bacteria in Tarantula. If the reservoir or system is treated with an oxidizer for sterilization, apply Tarantula after the oxidizer has been fully flushed from the system, not concurrent with it. Similarly, high-concentration copper-based algaecides can be toxic to bacteria at the reservoir; allow a flush interval before introducing any living microbial product.
• pH range: Beneficial bacteria in hydroponic root zones are generally active across a pH of 5.5–7.0. Standard hydroponic practice targeting pH 5.8–6.2 is within the effective operating range for the bacteria in Tarantula. Extreme pH (below 5.0 or above 7.5) will reduce microbial viability and effectiveness.
• Temperature: Store in a cool location away from direct sunlight and extreme heat. Living microbial products lose viability faster at high temperatures; refrigeration is acceptable but not required. Reservoir water temperature should remain within the standard hydroponic range (65–72°F / 18–22°C). Higher reservoir temperatures not only stress the bacteria but also accelerate the growth of competing pathogens. If you are managing reservoir temperature with environmental control equipment, maintaining water temperature in this range also benefits the microbial populations introduced by Tarantula.
• Interaction with other microbial products: Tarantula can be used alongside other microbial products with compatible species profiles. Advanced Nutrients Voodoo Juice, a companion product targeting a different microbial spectrum, is documented for use in the same program. When layering multiple microbial products, apply at the dose rates specified for each product individually; do not reduce doses on the assumption that the populations will compensate for each other.
• Compatibility with PureCrop1 and other crop protection products: If you are running a crop protection program that includes PureCrop1 or similar biostimulant / insecticide formulations, check the specific active ingredients before applying concurrent with Tarantula in the same reservoir. Saponin-based or neem-derived products at high concentrations can affect microbial populations; foliar applications timed between reservoir changes are generally lower risk than direct reservoir additions.

Dosing Guidelines

Tarantula is dosed as a liquid concentrate added to the reservoir at mix time. The dosing schedule is narrow by design: only the first two weeks of each major growth phase. The bacteria introduced during those windows colonize the root zone and persist through the cycle; continued weekly dosing through the full grow is not part of the documented protocol.

Volume reference for the 250 mL bottle: At 2 mL per liter, a 250 mL bottle of Tarantula provides enough concentrate for 125 liters (approximately 33 US gallons) of nutrient solution. For a 20-liter DWC reservoir, that is approximately 6 full reservoir fills dosed at 2 mL/L—enough to cover weeks 1 and 2 of both veg and bloom phases across two full grow cycles before the bottle is empty. Larger reservoirs or multi-site commercial operations will need the 1 L, 4 L, or 10 L sizes for the same coverage.

Measurement conversions: 2 mL is slightly less than half a teaspoon (1 teaspoon = 5 mL). Use a calibrated syringe or graduated dropper rather than estimating by teaspoon to ensure accurate dosing at this low rate. Overdosing a microbial product does not proportionally improve outcomes and may affect reservoir EC readings.

How to Use Tarantula

Tarantula is straightforward to incorporate into an existing feeding program. The steps below follow the product’s intended use as a reservoir additive in liquid-feed hydroponic systems, based on the supplier data and Advanced Nutrients research documentation.

1. Shake the bottle before measuring. Like all liquid microbial concentrates, Tarantula should be gently inverted and shaken before drawing a dose. The antagonist compound and bacterial cells can settle during storage; mixing ensures a consistent cell count per milliliter across the life of the bottle.
2. Fill your reservoir with fresh water. Use clean water free of active disinfectants. Municipal tap water with detectable chlorine should be allowed to off-gas for 24 hours or passed through a carbon filter before mixing; residual chlorine reduces bacterial viability.
3. Measure the Tarantula dose. Use a calibrated syringe or graduated pipette to draw 2 mL of Tarantula concentrate per liter of reservoir water. For a 50-liter reservoir, that is 100 mL of concentrate. For a 20-liter reservoir, 40 mL. Measure carefully; the dose rate is low enough that inaccuracy by even 1–2 mL per liter changes the effective CFU count meaningfully.
4. Add Tarantula to the reservoir water. Pour or inject the measured dose into the reservoir water while the recirculation pump or air stone is running. Mixing the microbial concentrate into moving water rather than still water helps distribute the bacterial cells evenly through the reservoir volume and growing media.
5. Add base nutrients and other additives after Tarantula. Incorporate Tarantula into plain reservoir water first, then add base nutrients and supplements. Introducing the microbial concentrate into plain water before adding concentrated nutrients ensures optimal dilution conditions for bacterial activation.
6. Verify reservoir pH and EC. After all inputs have been added, check pH and EC with calibrated instruments. Tarantula itself does not significantly affect pH or EC at the 2 mL/L dose rate, but it is good practice to verify the full reservoir is within target range before the feed cycle begins. Target pH 5.8–6.2 for most hydroponic crops; EC targets depend on crop type and growth stage.
7. Apply only during weeks 1–2 of vegetative and weeks 1–2 of flowering. Do not add Tarantula to every reservoir fill. Apply only during the first two weeks of each phase; omit from all subsequent reservoir changes in that phase.
8. Re-apply at the start of the flowering phase. When flipping to flower, re-apply Tarantula at 2 mL/L for the first two reservoir changes of the bloom phase to re-inoculate the root zone at this transition point.
9. Store the bottle correctly between uses. Cap securely after each use. Store in a cool location away from direct sunlight; do not freeze. Proper storage maintains microbial viability during the gap between veg and bloom applications.
10. Avoid co-application with oxidizing sterilizers. Do not add hydrogen peroxide, bleach, or other oxidizing sterilizers to the same reservoir in the same feed cycle as Tarantula. If you routinely sterilize between cycles, complete the sterilization and flush before applying Tarantula at the start of the next growth phase. Running a sterilizer concurrently with a living microbial product eliminates the bacteria before they can colonize the root zone.

Sources & Further Reading