Where does it 'live'?

[my_fallen_angel]

This might seem like a silly question
I was just reading a post about not having gravel in the bottom of a betta tank.

If you dont have gravel in the tank where does the Benifical bacteria grow and 'live'??
and the how would the tank cycle??

 

[arcticfox]

Hi there, Think about it if you had no gravel,you wouldnt have an undergravel filter,so would have to be in the sponge/filter media of the filter you were using....make sense?

 

[waterwatereverywhere]

I believe it lives on any surface, including rocks, glass, etc. The purpose of filter media (gravel, filter sponge, bio-balls, whatever) is to give a large surface area that it can colonise.

 

[Bol]

Yep, most of it is on 'surfaces'.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

What if you don't have a sponge filter?

Anyhoo, seeing as how it's impossible to kill all bacteria, they'd end up living on the glass if forced to.

 

[Bol]

I'd guess that bacteria live on the glass of all tanks.

But, the total surface area of the glass walls is almost insignificant when compared to the surface area of a layer of substrate, or the surface area of a decent sized sponge or chunk of filter floss.

edit: meaning, if you had a bare tank, with no filter media, you'd still have bacteria ... just not much of it, relatively.

 

[Silly me]

Ok so there is almost no bacteria in a bare tank, would you need to cycle it, could you just do a big water change and clear everything from the botton of the tank every 3rd day?

I'm not pushing the cycle thing out the door.. but in a small Betta tank, no ammonia peak, nothing just clean water ever 3rd day.. no filter nothing?

This is not a beginners question.. I am thinking just a small betta tank ( I can see someone pulling out of perportion )

 

[Bol]

If by "small", you mean a gallon or less, then yes, it's probably possible.

For what it's worth, I've kept bare 5g uncycled, unfiltered (but with an air stone) hospital tanks going with ammonia levels "below measureable" for over two weeks at a time, doing 50% water changes every day.