Filter Bacteria

[Zachary1941]

Hi,
With reference to my post regarding adding a canister filter to my tank to run along side the jewul internal one..This had got me thinking (hard work this thinking stuff lol ) what happens to the good bacteria..When the new filter is set up do (A) Some of the bacteria in the internal die as there is no longer enough food for them, and a new colony starts in the external taking some of the food away from the internal (B) Some migrate to the external filter and share the food and load..© There would be enough bacteria to support the load in either filter should one fail (D)None of them so continue thinking lol Regards Zac

 

[m00se]

I believe the correct answers are both B and C. You'll get a good-going colony in the new filter, as it propagates into the new media. The new colony will establish in the new media, alongside the colony in the old filter. Provided there is enough ammonia kicking about to support the colony size, I believe they will continue to grow to fill the available media. Since you now have a colony in both filters, there would also be enough bacteria in either filter should one fail (assuming that either filter alone has enough turnover and media size to support your tank on its own, i.e. isn't rated for a tank half the size of the one it's in).

 

[waterdrop]

When you add more than one filter the bacteria will begin to attach and grow biofilms in the new filter(s). Very gradually, the colony sizes will begin to be split between the two filters. Eventually there will be enough bacterial cells and biofilm to support whatever the fish load (or ammonia ppm) is, but it will be evenly distributed across the total volume of biomedia. The thing is, it takes about a month or more for this redistribution to occur. For a long time, the earlier filter will still be maintaining a larger, disproportional, amount of the total biofilm.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Zachary1941]

Thanks Lads...Regards Zac