Bacillus Bacteria filtration?  9/27/08
Hello crew,
I was reading the following article http://www.wallaquariums.com/cycling.htm and they strongly encourage the use of something called Fritz Zyme #360 Gravel Cleaner. I've done some research on this product and the bacillus bacteria, and I was hoping to get an opinion from a trusted source. I'm brand new to this, and I'd prefer not to get "taken" if I can help it. I have a 55g FW tank that is currently home to 4 apple snails. Soon, I will be adding 5 Xenopus froglets. (I will have 7 froglets but two of them will be in their own 20g tank). Anyway, as you are probably already aware, both the snails and the frogs. well..poop. A LOT. In the interest of maintaining a healthy environment where all life can thrive I've tried to incorporate many layers of filtration. Right now I have a Lustar IV Hydro Sponge filter in the tank, and an Aquaclear 70 HOB filter on it. My plan is to, once the tank is stable (it's still cycling), remove the Aquaclear, and just have the sponge filter running (I'll be stacking it, though, so I'll have an extra sponge in case I need a Q Tank at some point). I also have some plants coming that I will be adding to the tank. I will have driftwood planted with Anubias, and Limnobium spongia floating at the surface. I have a gravel vac and do the regular recommended weekly vacuuming and water changes. I was just wondering if a product like this would help me in keeping the water quality in check between weekly cleanings. I really hope this isn't addressed already, I used the search feature on your site and couldn't find anything. Also, I really would appreciate an opinion from the crew. Dr. Monks and Mr. Fenner have already been so helpful, and this site is such a wonderful source for impartial information. Thanks so much.
Laura
<Laura, by all means experiment with filtration methods. All that really matters is that you have a system offering upwards of 4 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour. That's the key factor as far as nitrogenous wastes are concerned (ammonia, nitrite). Solid wastes are different. Solid waste (faeces, dead plant leaves, general debris) aren't toxic as such, and removal is more a question of maximising water flow through mechanical media. For that, the best approach is to use some type of canister filter; air-powered devices lack the "suck" to do the job adequately. Virtually everything else offered -- sludge removers, gravel cleaners, filter aids -- are pretty much snake-oil remedies for problems that wouldn't exist in tanks where adequate mechanical filtration was installed to begin with. In a tank with strong water current, all the solid waste will either go into the filter or else collect in one corner where the substrate is deliberately kept lower than the rest of the tank (usually at the front). During a water change, you just suck out this debris, and of course clean out the mechanical media in the filter every few weeks. Properly maintained, the gravel in an aquarium should honestly go years without needing cleaning, particularly if you install some Malayan livebearing snails to circulate the substrate and break down organic wastes. For what it's worth, in the tank where I keep a Panaque catfish -- a species that eats wood and produces sawdust as its waste product -- I have filters running at 8-10 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Bacillus Bacteria filtration?
Thanks so much for the tips, and I'll check into those snails and canister filter.
Laura
<Most welcome. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Bacillus Bacteria filtration? Follow up questions..  9/27/08
So, I'm a little confused..
Should I use a canister in addition to the sponge filters in the 55g tank?
<If you are concerned about solid wastes, then sure. But does all rather depend on how messy these frogs are. In a 55 gallon system I can't imagine half a dozen frogs will be a big deal really. Slope the substrate, and with luck detritus will collect at the bottom of the slope. Siphon out waste as required (or even use a turkey baster as a pipette.>
(not very attractive in my tank) :-( .. But I know that the frogs are sensitive to turbulence, so I thought if sponge filters would do the work and minimize the turbulence, so much the better... BUT if a canister filter will do all that then...
This is tough.
<No, not really. Set the thing up with the frogs and the sponges. See how things go. If it doesn't work out, add a suitable canister.>
On the one hand I want to create an environment that will make for happy, healthy, and thriving, plants and animals. On the other hand, there are budgetary and space considerations. And along those lines, a giant sponge filter in my tank definitely cuts down on the swim room available for my frogs.
<Agreed; does depend on your aims. As stated, I'd go with the sponges or even an undergravel filter if budget is tight.>
But a canister filter, definitely cuts down on the room in my budget. How are canister filters in terms of turbulence?
<Depends on the size of the filter!>
What do you think? Thanks.
Laura
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Bacillus Bacteria filtration? Follow up questions.. – 09/27/08
Thanks for simplifying.
<Happy to help.>
One of the tads got an ARM today.
<Ooh!>
Too exciting!
<In a Gary Larson sort of way, yes, I guess sprouting an arm would be... Cheers, Neale.>

BGK Problem... FW over and mis-stocking issues, no reading -08/25/08
We have a 55 gallon freshwater tank that has been set up for about three months. We have 3 discus, 4 swordtails,
<Mmmm, "like" very different water conditions...>
4 clown loaches, 1 Pleco, 6 balloon belly tetras, 6 t-bone tetras, 1 elephant nose and 1 black ghost knife.
<Not generally a good idea to mix weakly electrogenic fish species>
The BGK and elephant nose were purchased together and were the first fish introduced. The BGK was about 3" when purchased and he is about 5" now. We added the other fish gradually. We do a 25% water change weekly. We are figuring out the feeding thing, and know we've been feeding too much, because of the water levels. Before we did the water change yesterday the levels were: PH 6.8, Ammonia 0.10, Nitrite 0.10,
<These are toxic...>
Nitrate .40.
<Likely you've misplaced the decimal... forty ppm... is way too much>
Last week when we took our water sample to the fish store, we were told the water levels were fine, except the ammonia was a little high.
<Any ammonia is reason for immediate action. Debilitating to deadly poisonous>
That, also, was before the water change. All of the fish have been doing well, except for swordtails, which were dying, one each day, for no apparent reason.
<... do some reading... the "reason" is obvious.>
It looked as though they
were being picked on by other fish, because their fins looked very ragged. 8 have died. 4 remain, so we are done with swordtails for now (replaced them with the clown loaches). The BGK was doing fine until a few days ago, when I noticed that the white stripe on his head was pink. The next day it seemed even pinker, but he was still eating aggressively and chasing other fish if they came too close to his "house". Today I noticed that he has a worm-like thing hanging from his chin/throat underneath. It looks like a Tubifex worm. He isn't eating much, and is pretty much staying in his house when we feed them. However, his pink stripe is lighter, looks like it is turning back to normal color. We give the fish live Tubifex worms, frozen brine shrimp and frozen blood worms. Pretty much worms every day and alternate with the shrimp and blood worms. We sometimes give them flake food. Can you help diagnose the BGK or tell me how to help him?
Thanks so much...
Jere
<All you need to know is archived on the WWM site... Your system is dangerously over-stocked... Start reading on WWM re Nitrogenous issues: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwmaintindex.htm
the third tray down... Acting on this knowledge should save most of your livestock... Then read re each species/groups needs ("Systems")... Then we'll chat. Bob Fenner>

Re: BGK Problem  8/26/08
I guess you can tell I'm a novice, huh? After the water change, the ammonia was down to zero.
<Ah, good>
Today the BGK looks back to almost normal. The white stripe is a little off-color, but that weird worm-thing is gone
and he has resumed eating. We haven't had any fishy deaths for almost two weeks, and the only ones that died were swordtails.
<Mmm, you really need a much larger system... actually two...>
I really appreciate your answer, and I plan to keep reading your Web site. I have been all over the Internet searching sites on aquariums and fish. I found so much conflicting information, that I was at my wits end. Then I found your site, which seemed much more consistent and extremely informative. I will continue my research in your archives.
>Very good<
The fish store where we bought the fish will buy back fish as long as they are healthy. We sold them four beautiful silver dollar fish when we bought the discus, because they told us the two didn't mix. The discus are still small, so we'll probably sell back more of our fish as they grow. I am in love with this hobby and my fish. I don't want to kill any
more fish!
Thanks again for your answer. I'm impressed with your expertise.
<And I with your apparent even-mindedness. Cheers, BobF>