I have been doing this for many years to grow good bacteria.. Time to find out...

[Etc]

Hi friends, understand that good bacteria can grow in any part inside the aquarium including gravel. I have been connecting my water pump outlet hose to a PP filter and flashing another PP filter because I feel that PP filter is giving me the most surface to grow good bacteria. Time for me to find out the answer if I am doing it right.

 

[kribensis12]

It's always good to grow good bacteria! How are you determining your success - as you cannot see them? Are you using the PP filter to seed a new tank?

 

[Etc]

It's always good to grow good bacteria! How are you determining your success - as you cannot see them? Are you using the PP filter to seed a new tank?

Hi, I am not sure as well. It is already more than 3 years I am having this setup. Do you think it is working?

 

[Byron]

What is a PP filter?

 

[Sgooosh]

Hi friends, understand that good bacteria can grow in any part inside the aquarium including gravel. I have been connecting my water pump outlet hose to a PP filter and flashing another PP filter because I feel that PP filter is giving me the most surface to grow good bacteria. Time for me to find out the answer if I am doing it right.

What is Pp filter
Sorry i am a beginner on tech stuff
Your deco and wood can provide homes for bacteria and definitely your filter

 

[Etc]

What is a PP filter?

Filter for drinking.

 

[Etc]

What is Pp filter
Sorry i am a beginner on tech stuff
Your deco and wood can provide homes for bacteria and definitely your filter

Just normal pp sediment 1 micron water filter. I am not sharing any tech stuff. I am just sharing something not proven that I have been doing for years.

 

[Sgooosh]

Just normal pp sediment 1 micron water filter. I am not sharing any tech stuff. I am just sharing something not proven that I have been doing for years.

Ohh i understand now
Cool

 

[Byron]

OK, to answer your initial questions. Nitrifying bacteria colonize all surfaces covered by water in dark areas, such as the filter media and the substrate, and maybe others. They will appear and multiply according to the "food" they have available (ammonia, then nitrite). Obviously in three years there are sufficient bacteria in your tank, be they in the PP filter or substrate or wherever.

As for the most surface area for bacteria, as I mention above they will colonize surfaces regardless. When all is said and done, you can run a tank without a filter, though the filter media is a good place for these bacteria. And water movement is actually the more important aspect of a filter. If you have live plants, all the better.

 

[Etc]

Just to add on, I have a prefilter + bio filter media in the inlet tank (part of the 90 gallons), a sump tank with alot of bio filter media, and also 3 XL size sponge filter. So I am not sure if this PP filter setup do any benefits to my aquarium.

 

[Etc]

OK, to answer your initial questions. Nitrifying bacteria colonize all surfaces covered by water in dark areas, such as the filter media and the substrate, and maybe others. They will appear and multiply according to the "food" they have available (ammonia, then nitrite). Obviously in three years there are sufficient bacteria in your tank, be they in the PP filter or substrate or wherever.

As for the most surface area for bacteria, as I mention above they will colonize surfaces regardless. When all is said and done, you can run a tank without a filter, though the filter media is a good place for these bacteria. And water movement is actually the more important aspect of a filter. If you have live plants, all the better.

 

[Etc]

Thanks for your replied. Tried real plant and not ending good. Agreed on the water movement, that is why I am connecting the PP filter on the outlet hose from my sump tank.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Some tend to believe that the greater the amount of bio-media, the greater the amount of beneficial bacteria.
I tend to believe that the amount of beneficial bacteria colony(ies) rises and falls based on the availability of 'food' and oxygen. So on the food side, this is ammonia for nitrosomonas and nitrite for nitrospira. With this in mind, you could potentially have 'acres' of unpopulated (bio-media) real estate.

Given that there is a substrate, a sponge filter, and a fair amount of other bio-media as shown in the photo, I doubt that the PP water filter, while it could add benefit in water clarification due to it's micron size, most likely adds little or nothing to the beneficial biology population. Of course, we'd never be able to prove it one way or the other, but rather just 'spit balling' the likelihood.

EDIT: Just to extend the above... Plants, especially fast growing stem and floating plants will use ammonia as their nitrogen source. So in a heavily planted tank, there may only be a little excess ammonia for beneficial bacteria to process. But this is a good thing as it results in lower nitrates. So the amount of beneficial biology, regardless of bio-media real estate, is less.... but who cares?

 

[Etc]

Some tend to believe that the greater the amount of bio-media, the greater the amount of beneficial bacteria.
I tend to believe that the amount of beneficial bacteria colony(ies) rises and falls based on the availability of 'food' and oxygen. So on the food side, this is ammonia for nitrosomonas and nitrite for nitrospira. With this in mind, you could potentially have 'acres' of unpopulated (bio-media) real estate.

Given that there is a substrate, a sponge filter, and a fair amount of other bio-media as shown in the photo, I doubt that the PP water filter, while it could add benefit in water clarification due to it's micron size, most likely adds little or nothing to the beneficial biology population. Of course, we'd never be able to prove it one way or the other, but rather just 'spit balling' the likelihood.

Some tend to believe that the greater the amount of bio-media, the greater the amount of beneficial bacteria.
I tend to believe that the amount of beneficial bacteria colony(ies) rises and falls based on the availability of 'food' and oxygen. So on the food side, this is ammonia for nitrosomonas and nitrite for nitrospira. With this in mind, you could potentially have 'acres' of unpopulated (bio-media) real estate.

Given that there is a substrate, a sponge filter, and a fair amount of other bio-media as shown in the photo, I doubt that the PP water filter, while it could add benefit in water clarification due to it's micron size, most likely adds little or nothing to the beneficial biology population. Of course, we'd never be able to prove it one way or the other, but rather just 'spit balling' the likelihood.

EDIT: Just to extend the above... Plants, especially fast growing stem and floating plants will use ammonia as their nitrogen source. So in a heavily planted tank, there may only be a little excess ammonia for beneficial bacteria to process. But this is a good thing as it results in lower nitrates. So the amount of beneficial biology, regardless of bio-media real estate, is less.... but who cares?

Thanks for your comment, more bio media just increase the tolerance for my aquarium for any mistake without killing my fish.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Thanks for your comment, more bio media just increase the tolerance for my aquarium for any mistake without killing my fish.

Your welcome.
Many hobbyists believe that beneficial bacteria only lives in the bio-media in their filters. Manufacturers have pushed this thinking and claim that their bio-media is better than the rest because of the increased surface area.
Nonsense I tell you...nonsense.
In the established aquarium, whether gravel or sand, there is acres and acres more surface area in the substrate than in any bio-media in any filter, hands down. This is why you can clean the filter media, even typically in treated tap water without a problem.
So with your sponge filter, bio-media, and SUBSTRATE, you already have all the beneficial bacteria you could ever need, so I feel the PP filter just may be pointless overkill my friend.

footnote: I have all but forsaken commercial bio-media. Oh I still have some old stuff in my DIY Bucket Filter on the turtle pond, but all of my tropical fish tank filters are completely filled with sponge material that I let run until flow is significantly reduced. Sponge material is not only great for mechanical filtration, but also biological filtration (as evidenced by so many large fishrooms running only on air driven sponge filters.