Beneficial bacteria growth on media

[ganesan]

I have seen aquarist keeping media in running water as in canister filter and top filter and some keep media in nets tied up lying on the bottom glass of barebottom aquarium. Does beneficial bacteria grow equally well in stagnant water as in aquarium bottom where aquarium current is very minimal or grow better with more colonies when there is water current and water movement around them.

[brewmaster15]

The bacterias that we depend on to convert ammonia waste to nitrite and then to less toxic nitrate are aerobic bacterias. They require oxygen to thrive. Water currents insure they get the maximum amount of oxygen . These bacterias also colonize the surface of filter material which means you also need moving water to bring the ammonia and nitrites to them.. stagnant water does not support these beneficial bacterias well.

Not knowing much about the filter material you saw laying on the bottom of the tank it could just be excess material the person had.. Some good bacteria will survive on the dissolved oxygen in the tank and nitogen wastes in a situation like that.

Its also possible they are using that media as a nitrate filter. Bacteria that break down nitrate thrive in more anaeobic oxygen poor areas . We have a lengthy thread here on nitrate filters..
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?130047-DIY-quot-Anoxic-Filtration-System-quot-eliminates-nitrates-Anyone-tried-this&highlight=Nitrate+filter

Al

[seanyuki]

I also seen people using ceramic rings in a mesh bag inside the tank, no clue why done this way.

136525

136526

[brewmaster15]

Francis, the bottom pic looks like they have a power head drawing water through the ceramic rings... so that wouldbe for biological filtration.

The top one I have sometimes done that to keep a bag of media alive when I lacked filter space. It may help a little with bio filtration but not as well as when water is moving through it. When I do it I place it over sponge filters.
Al

[seanyuki]

Thanks Al.

[ganesan]

Thanks I will go through that thread.

[ganesan]

Just like the one I see on that photo many lfs in my area are bagging media and dropping into their bb aquarium