06-23-2012, 01:43 PM
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#22 |
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But I do not agree that it is a given that in any tank there are more bacteria in the substrate than the filter. As stated the flow rate alone will favor the nitrifying bacteria in the filter, not the substrate.
| I wasn't talking nitrifying bacteria, though these too tend to be throughout the tank. Quote: |
A well maintained bed of gravel will have some debris, but not necessarily enough to throw the tank off balance if removed. I also think that the bacteria in the substrate with a lot of trapped debris are living off of that debris, meaning if you remove the substrate and the bacteria and debris inside it you should not throw the tank itself off balance since the bacteria were there for the debris, not the free ammonia and nitrite in the water column. In addition, sand will not trap nearly the amount of debris that gravel will, resulting in much less debris in the substrate to feed the bacteria system that can occur with gravel as a substrate.
| I don't see the logic of this. I had gravel substrates for years before I changed most over to sand 1-2 years ago. I have the same fish load, feed the same, etc. now as i did previously, so the waste produced by the fish that made its way into the gravel must be making its way into the sand...there is no where else for it to go to be broken down by the bacteria down there. And there must be more bacteria down there to do this, than in the filter where there is significantly less waste. Quote: |
Which source discusses the heterotrophic bacteria that consume waste and produce ammonia?
| Sorry, you'll have to check the referenced sources. I simply wrote the article as a summation of the information, and I gave the sources for it. But I cannot remember what came from where.
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