Microbial Disc

[Marsonian]

http/www.aquamidas.com/product2.html

Hello there guys, I have been reading your forum for two weeks now and have finally signed up as a member.

I am a total newbie where fish are concerned so please be gentle with me, but I do learn fast lol.

I am cycling my two tanks at the moment and have come across this product on Ebay and on its website and it sounds too good to be true.

It states it will remove ammonia and nitrite and nitrate I would presume but I was wondering would it also remove the good bacteria needed to sustain the tank and keep its natural balance of feeding the plants etc.

I have very nearly purchased the item as I am always looking for shortcuts to perfection lol but from reading the posts you guys leave I realise that you know what you are talking about so I wanted to wait to see what the fish experts say !

I have many other questions for you but wanted to start with this one.

Look forward to hearing your comments.

Marsonian. (Seamus)

 

[kadkins20]

im clearly no expert, but most things that sound too good to be true are too good to be true

and generally, unless something is very specific about what it kills, it'll kill everything (think lysol) which would include beneficial bacteria and other microbes (like maybe even algae... i kinda want algae to feed my plecos )

besides, reading its website it says that "ammonia levels are reduced... ...due to the reduced levels of bacteria in the water." That right there sounds highly questionable. We know that fish produce ammonia and bacteria get rid of it.

I would say either pass on it completely or wait for someone who has had positive results from it to come along and recommend it. Chain fish stores sell lots of questionable products. Independent websites are no different.

EDIT: and the fastest way to a shortcut is to get some filter media from a friend who has had a tank up and running for a while.

 

[Corleone]

Doing a bit of reading, antimicrobial nano-silver products will kill any single-celled organism, be it bacteria or eukaryote, and some multicellular microorganisms. It acts by directly damaging protein bonds and cellular membranes, and is an indiscriminate killer. This would include some types of algae, and most certainly your filter bacteria as readily as it would include harmful bacteria.

As noted above, bacteria aren't where the ammonia comes from, it's what removes the ammonia. The bacteria that process ammonia don't live in the water, but they live in high flow areas like inside the filter, where they're sure to come into contact with anything that's present in the water. This would almost certainly cause ammonia problems rather than solving them.

 

[davidwd1306]

Hi all,

The aquamidas silver disc does not leech anything into the water, it only kills single cell organisms that come into contact with it, so the good bacteria in your filters and surfaces will be safe. It is the harmful viruses and bacteria present in the water that would come into contact with it. I have used this disc now for 18 months and I have actually been quite impressed with it. It is a bit of a problem knowing where to put it as apparently it works best with a flow over it, I managed to hide it quite close to the filter inlet. It is only a small tank but I will be using it in my larger tank when it arrives and I will report my findings then, but so far very impressed!

Great forum guys - great source of info.

 

[drobbyb]

I dunno about this one. It sounds like another miracle aquarium product that is designed to separate you from your money. Until I see some scientific testing I will not form an opinion.

They say that it does not release metals into the water, but hospitals have been using this technology for some time now and everything that they sterilize is placed into the water itself, not coming into direct contact with the silver. In the case of the hospital's sterilization units, this is contrary to their claim. I can't imagine this silver biocide being any different. This isn't saying that their claim isn't entirely true because I don't know their manufacturing process, it just seems fishy that a metal object in an aquatic environment where acids and bases are present doesn't corrode and release ions into the water. It would seem that this would be the whole point as it's the silver ions that do the actual sterilization.

 

[JoshuaA]

I dunno about this one. It sounds like another miracle aquarium product that is designed to separate you from your money. Until I see some scientific testing I will not form an opinion.

They say that it does not release metals into the water, but hospitals have been using this technology for some time now and everything that they sterilize is placed into the water itself, not coming into direct contact with the silver. In the case of the hospital's sterilization units, this is contrary to their claim. I can't imagine this silver biocide being any different. This isn't saying that their claim isn't entirely true because I don't know their manufacturing process, it just seems fishy that a metal object in an aquatic environment where acids and bases are present doesn't corrode and release ions into the water. It would seem that this would be the whole point as it's the silver ions that do the actual sterilization.

Don't hospitals use UVA/B and Gamma radiation to sterilise equipment? Or at least UK hospitals do, so I was told my old Physics teacher. After the cleaning solution you talk of anyway.

 

[waterdrop]

Note that this was a 2yr old thread...

 

[JoshuaA]

Note that this was a 2yr old thread...

So what is the opinion on this product now? The same as it was then or has anyone got some scientific evidence to suggest it releases metals into the water?

 

[IAmATeaf]

Note that this was a 2yr old thread...

So what is the opinion on this product now? The same as it was then or has anyone got some scientific evidence to suggest it releases metals into the water?

Not too sure it applies in this case but this article suggest that silver ion is released http/knol.google.com/k/daniel-snyder/the-antimicrobial-properties-of-silver/19yp2ug8iz123/49#

 

[drobbyb]

Note that this was a 2yr old thread...

I just love resurrecting dinosaurs

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Marsonian. I find the ad very inspiring but also a bit overly optimistic. It implies that you can dispense with regular water changes, which is definitely not possible. It also seems to say that the "antimicrobial" qualities will make things safe for your fish. If it indeed kills any bacteria in the water, it will inevitably kill off the very bacteria that we are trying to have grow in our filters. Although we grow filter bacteria that exist primarily on surfaces, and not in the water, they come from somewhere and that somewhere is the water in our water supplies. Anything that successfully destroys every bit of bacteria suspended in the water means the bacteria that we want to have grow in our filters will not stand a chance of getting started.

 

[Bignose]

Hi all,

The aquamidas silver disc does not leech anything into the water, it only kills single cell organisms that come into contact with it, so the good bacteria in your filters and surfaces will be safe. It is the harmful viruses and bacteria present in the water that would come into contact with it. I have used this disc now for 18 months and I have actually been quite impressed with it. It is a bit of a problem knowing where to put it as apparently it works best with a flow over it, I managed to hide it quite close to the filter inlet. It is only a small tank but I will be using it in my larger tank when it arrives and I will report my findings then, but so far very impressed!

Great forum guys - great source of info.

This is an example of anecdote, not evidence, and of specious reasoning. Just because your tank hasn't had any problems doesn't mean the discs are actually doing anything at all.

I've had my car keys on the same key ring for over 10 years now, and in all that time, I've never even seen an anaconda. By the same logic as being applied above, my keyring MUST repel anacondas, right?

I suspect that the discs no absolutely nothing at all. No harm, but no good, and the manufacturer is hoping that people will be duped into the kind of logic above.

Until there is conclusive evidence that the discs actually do anything positive -- and this would involve some effort because I'd like to see a study with controls and double blinds and everything -- I would save my money. Even my two year old money (yes, I know that this thread started some time ago, but now that I've noticed it, I felt I had to add something).

Finally, why would we even want something that kills everything in our tanks? A healthy tank as a rich variety of microbial life in it, in the biofilm and in the water column. Nature has these creatures for a reason, and a lot of them can do a lot of good things for a home aquarium. If I may suggest a good read: http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/biofilm/measure.shtml this is just one of many pages about the biofilm on that site. Lots of good info there.

 

[JoshuaA]

I've had my car keys on the same key ring for over 10 years now, and in all that time, I've never even seen an anaconda. By the same logic as being applied above, my keyring MUST repel anacondas, right?

Love it, such a fantastic line! Reminds me of this a ludicrous claim but if you go off what other people are basing their evidence off its perfectly viable.

Oldman brought up a fantastic point I really never thought of about it killing the free flowing bacteria in the water before they've even had a chance to adhere to a surface. This product really doesn't sound so good! Especially with scientific evidence to suggest this product may release silver into the water.

However I'm safe in the knowledge my car keys repel Sabre Toothed Tigers/Thylacine/Wooly Mammoths/T Rex's and of course the harmful Dodo.

Brownian motion, caused by the random buffeting of molecules, is ordinarily involved in bacterial settling

Wow I completely over looked the complexity of the bacteria movement. If it involves physics great but chemistry not interested