bioPlus coarse and fine Filter Sponge(juwel aquarium)

[Bluefreshfish]

Hello

What bacterias are in bioPlus coarse and fine Filter Sponges (juwel aquarium)?
They deal with what (nitrates /ammonium?)

Thanks in advance

 

[Ch4rlie]

Well, I doubt there will be any bacteria in your sponges, new or not, if the tank has not begun it’s fishless cycling in order to get those bacterias.

There are two main types of bacterias that will deal with ammonia and nitrite.

For ammonia, Nitrosomonas bacteria, these will be the first to produce and colonise to deal with any ammonia waste that fish or any aquarium livestock produces every day, as well as decaying plants.

Ammonia is toxic to these livestock so it’s always best to have bacteria at zero on any test kit at any time.

For bacteria to deal with nitrite (which is a by produce of the Nitrosomonas when they consume ammonia) there will be nitrifying bacterias called Nitrobacter bacteria which will then consume nitrite which then becomes nitrate.

Again nitrite is toxic to any livestock as well so these will also be best to have zero reading at any one time on any test kit.

Nitrate is also toxic but out of the three elements, this is the least toxic and the only ways to deal with nitrate is to do large water changes (usually between 50-75% of and having live plants will help also in reducing nitrate levels to a minimum.

A half decent test kit to test for those is a must for all fish keepers imho, and a half decent kit which has proven to be fairly effective as long as the tests are carried out correctly and is of good value is API Master Freshwater Test Kit, easily obtained online or from most LFS.

A lot of keepers on this forum uses this kit, myself included.

Have a read of this article which explains in more detail about fishless cycles and why we do this as well as a good guide on how to do a fishless cycle.

A lot of information for the new fish keeper to take on so take your time and do your research and that will get you off to a good start before setting up your tanks etc.

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Bluefreshfish]

The cycle is already done
I just don't know what's the use of the 2 blue sponges.

The green (nitrax ) black and white seem to be useful for me (they Reduces nitrate ,Absorbs odour compounds turbidity and Serves as a mechanical pre-filter )

someone knows?

 

[Essjay]

The blue sponges are where those ammonia and nitrite removing bacteria live, the ones you have grown during cycling.

The green sponge is generally considered not to work (that is, it does not remove nitrate) and the best thing is to pretend it's another blue sponge, home for the ammonia and nitrite removing bacteria.

The black sponge is carbon impregnated and is not needed on a routine basis. Its main use it to remove medication after treatment has finished. Yes, it will remove odours if they occur, but a properly maintained tank should not have odours.

The white pads are the main mechanical medium; they remove the bits from the water to stop them reaching and clogging the sponges.

Ignore everything Juwel say about replacing the sponges. All you need to do is wash them in water you have taken out during a water change. They will last for years. If you replace them, you'll throw away a lot of the ammonia and nitrite removing bacteria. Since the green sponge doesn't remove nitrate, treat it like a blue sponge and wash it.
The exception is the white pad. That will clog quickly and go into holes after a couple of washes. But rather than buy expensive Juwel white pads, it is a lot cheaper to buy a length of filter wool from a roll (from a fish shop, Amazon or Ebay) and cut it to the same shape as the Juwel pad.

 

[Bluefreshfish]

Thank you for the answer

Have you ever tried to not put the green sponge? did the nitrate stay at the ideal value?

 

[Essjay]

When I had a Juwel tank I found that the green sponge did nothing for the nitrate in the tank. They say it contains anaerobic bacteria which break down nitrate but the flow of oxygenated water though the filter media usually prevents the growth of any anaerobic bacteria - these usually live in the oxygen depleted substrate.
This is why most people don't think it can work to remove nitrate, it's just a gimmick. If you want to remove nitrate you need a specific nitrate removing medium such as nitra-zorb.
Or prevent nitrate occurring by having live plants to remove ammonia and stop it being turned into nitrate.

 

[Bluefreshfish]

Maybe it works because water only enters by the top and the bottom?The middle of the filter is not as oxygenated as the other areas?

 

[AbbeysDad]

I'm about to correct a previous post. Nitrosomonas does in fact covert ammonia/ammonium into nitrites. We used to think that Nitrobacter converted nitrites into nitrates, but now it's believed that nitrospira is the bacteria that does the deed.
Anoxic/anaerobic bacteria can convert nitrates into nitrogen gas that escapes harmlessly as is done with live rock, deep sand, and refugiums in salt water. However, it can be very difficult to culture in the highly oxygenated fresh water aquarium. We tend to rely on routine partial water changes to reduce accumulated nitrates.
Many hobbyists have come to believe that sponge material is only good for mechanical filtration. However, sponge (aka bio-sponge) is an excellent platform for beneficial bacteria. This is easily evidenced by large fish rooms dependent only on air driven sponge filters. My filters (HOBs and canister) are all completely filled with sponge material!
We have also been led astray by manufacturers convincing media hype that we need commercial bio-medias of ceramic, plastic, and.or rock. It's just not true!
And many hobbyists have become convinced that beneficial bacteria only lives in the filter. Again, just not true. Bio-medias are rated based on surface area. In the established tank, there is far more surface area and bacteria in the substrate than could exist in any filter.
Myth Breakers
Bio-medias
Maintaining Water Quality
And More...

 

[Essjay]

Maybe it works because water only enters by the top and the bottom?The middle of the filter is not as oxygenated as the other areas?

With Juwel filters, the water only flows downwards through the filter media - or at least that's what happened in the one I had. The water drawn in through the lower slits only goes past the heater.
The green sponge is almost first in the direction of water flow (after the white pad and black sponge). There is enough oxygen in the water when it gets down to the blue sponges for the ammonia and nitrite removing bacteria to use so there is plenty when the water flows through the green sponge.

 

[Bluefreshfish]

I have checked it , you are right
Do you think the last 2 blue sponges also don't work very well ( it also contains anaerobic bacteria )?
One more question why Juwel recommand to change sponges if they can last for years?They also know about all these stuff ,don't they?

 

[AbbeysDad]

I have checked it , you are right
Do you think the last 2 blue sponges also don't work very well ( it also contains anaerobic bacteria )?

It is unlikely that sponge material in any canister filter allows anaerobic bacteria to flourish as there's just too much oxygen.

One more question why Juwel recommand to change sponges if they can last for years?They also know about all these stuff ,don't they?

Manufacturers always recommend periodic replacement of a portion of any bio-media as it becomes less effective when coated with detritus AND because the media is a cash cow for the company! But unlike the ceramic and stone bio-medias, sponge material cleans easily and can be used nearly forever or until it practically falls apart.

 

[Essjay]

Do you think the last 2 blue sponges also don't work very well

The sponges of all colours are the main part of the filter. The white pad just catches the bits to stop them getting to the sponges; the rest of the media is sponges of one type or another. The black sponge also contains carbon which will stop working after a few weeks, so will be just a sponge; and the green sponge does not remove nitrate, it just behaves like a blue sponge.
None of the sponges are anaerobic as oxygenated water flows through them all. And as AbbeysDad has said, sponges are one of the best biomedia out there - biomedia being media that is home to the bacteria which eat ammonia and nitrite.

 

[Bluefreshfish]

Thanks for all the answers