Just a quick question, as I can't seem to find any reference to it.
What does the 'good bacteria' look like?
It never really occured to me before as I just figured being bacteria it was to small to see with the human eye, and therefore a void question, however that was before I started noticing the gooey clear bio-film in my new tank, and the brown speckles on the sealent at the joins of the tank. Suddenly I wondered if perhaps a large bacteria colony might be visible, is this 'sludge' them?
I ask because I want to know just how much I should wash my filter?
On my 60L tank when I clean the internal filter I leave the ceramic containing 'pod' in the tank (as it looks pretty clean), and just take the sponges away to clean in the old tank water. After picking out the various bits of plant matter, and the snails the sponge is usually still fairly clogged with what can only be described as brown goo. It doesn't smell or anything, but I usually give the sponges a good swishing in the water until the majority of this 'goo' is rinsed off, then I put them back in the filter.
So I'm a little confused - lol
The ceramics look 'clean' (ie. no 'goo'), so I don't rinse those, but that is where the majority of the bacteria are supposed to grow.
The sponges are covered in goo, which I wash away.
Whenever anyone gets cloudy water, or clear 'goo' growing in their tanks it's always put down as a 'bacterial bloom' or 'bio-film'.
So the big question... is goo good or not? Is that where my bacteria are or not?
What does the 'good bacteria' look like?
It never really occured to me before as I just figured being bacteria it was to small to see with the human eye, and therefore a void question, however that was before I started noticing the gooey clear bio-film in my new tank, and the brown speckles on the sealent at the joins of the tank. Suddenly I wondered if perhaps a large bacteria colony might be visible, is this 'sludge' them?
I ask because I want to know just how much I should wash my filter?
On my 60L tank when I clean the internal filter I leave the ceramic containing 'pod' in the tank (as it looks pretty clean), and just take the sponges away to clean in the old tank water. After picking out the various bits of plant matter, and the snails the sponge is usually still fairly clogged with what can only be described as brown goo. It doesn't smell or anything, but I usually give the sponges a good swishing in the water until the majority of this 'goo' is rinsed off, then I put them back in the filter.
So I'm a little confused - lol
The ceramics look 'clean' (ie. no 'goo'), so I don't rinse those, but that is where the majority of the bacteria are supposed to grow.
The sponges are covered in goo, which I wash away.
Whenever anyone gets cloudy water, or clear 'goo' growing in their tanks it's always put down as a 'bacterial bloom' or 'bio-film'.
So the big question... is goo good or not? Is that where my bacteria are or not?