bacteria

[walla2butterfly]

I decided to start a new thread rather then having to scroll down the chat transcript
So if you let a tank sit empty does the bacteria go dormant?
Tami

 

[java1]

by empty, you mean water and sand, but no rock? or no fish? or nothing but water?

 

[walla2butterfly]

Well all this learning about the bacteria has got me to thinking everytime I see things. ( Guess just a nerd at heart). Okay that said. I dont know if I told but my LFS said he was getting out of saltwater. He said the shipping was killing him and was having trouble getting quality stuff. So, he hasnt bought anything for those tanks in a while, just selling off what he has. He hasnt broke down the tanks. ( I believe that he still isnt sure whether he wants to do it or not.) There are putting in a Petco in town and he thinks maybe it will spur a bigger interest in SW, but they only sell damesel, clowns, and yellow tangs. No reef stuff.
Anyway, so they are sitting there with no fish, no LR but some had LR at some point. They have been set up for around 20 yrs if I remember right ( at least that long). Some have what you might call rumble in them. So I was wondering how long they could sit there like that. Would the bacterica go dormant or die off (or eventually) Personally I think he should use his help to clean them up but I guess that is a waste if you dont know if you are going to break them down. Some of them have this dark red moss like stuff. Looks like a carpet in some and is in his fish/vertabrate only tanks. Tami

 

[walla2butterfly]

oh I forgot, I read this article and actually could half way follow it thanks to you...Tami
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/e ... /index.php

 

[java1]

what sounds like is happening in your LFS tanks is that there's an overabundance of nutrients to consumers resulting in an outbreak of cyanobacteria (the "carpet" you mentioned).

being bare, with just sand, there's very little capacity for nutrient processing so a bacterial bloom is evident. eventually if no new nurients are added it will disappear on it's own, but if the sandbed is really 20+ years old, this may not happen for a long time.

 

[walla2butterfly]

well we all know about the LFS guys, he is the one that managed to sell me crushed coral even though I read everthing that told me not to use it, It is now part of my dogs pen (with a days of buying it) He believes that sand is bad. Plugs up the filters or something, that is what he told me.
So there will be a bloom even though nothing is in it?
Oh someone stopped by and "I" got to be the experienced reefer, even though it was his original tank that got me hook. He decided to do some construction on the road, and gave his tank to a friend of mine he was splitting expences with. It was seeing his tank that I finally decided to take the plung that was 2 years ago, even though I have wanted to do it for a while, I have had FW tanks all my life but was .............. about SW. Anyway he was saying that yout dont need lite on your sump and so I explained to him about the PH, and that I would have macroalgae in the sump..............oooooooooooooo it felt good to be the smart one on the block for a change, at least in SW stuff.........Tami

 

[java1]

haha awesome!

regarding the empty tank, if it's been running for 20 years then it has accumulated a lot of fine particulate detritus, and that stuff slowly decaying will contribute to the nutrient bloom.

 

[walla2butterfly]

okay thanks, was just wondering. I know that with shrimp method of cycling a tank I was always confussed about how it actually worked. Put some shrimp in tank for a couple of days, take it out, let tank do its thing, when ammonia is gone and LS. Never understood how the bacteria stays alive after they eat the shrimp rot. , and before you add the LS.

Wow , why do I feel like I am the only one who post on here? I see the hits so I know people are looking at the forum.
Well guess I had better go start reading, speaking of reading, dont know if you have ever seen this but I got a good chuckle out of it

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-04fools/lw/index.php

 

[java1]

Wow , why do I feel like I am the only one who post on here? I see the hits so I know people are looking at the forum.

what we need is a troll. you know, someone to post completly outrageous comments and get the crowd fired up.

"everyone knows you need to pee in your tank to properly cycle it!!!"

then maybe call us all noobs or something. that should work.