TedsTank

I'm not too familiar with all those little buggers in our filters and tanks so:

I've seen a couple of posts about dying dried up filters. Doesn't the bacteria make spores or go dormant? Using even an older dried up filter pad aren't we essentially putting in a "seeded" filter? I know it would still take time to cycle but wouldn't the cycle time be faster?...well i guess they wouldn't leave spores as bacteria is not a fungus....it would be better than buying that bacteria stuff to add to your tank?? How can they sell good stuff in a bottle?....whose feeding it until it is sold??...we often say the bacteria is dead....is it??....or gone dormant? If we dry old filter pads aren't we saving a future culture? for the next tank.

omnitheforsaken

I think the beneficial bacteria that we cultivate in aquariums require water to live... that is, I think they die with prolonged exposure to air, like the fish they support. I don't know how companies have managed to cultivate bacteria in a bottle and have it remain dormant but I would imagine that the fact that they are in a liquid is a key part to how they do it. You can try using the dried up filter pad, but if I were doing that, I wouldn't plan on it speeding up the cycling process.

TedsTank

Well so when a pond dries up and cracks during a drought...is all that bacteria gone and dead? What is that dried beneficial bacterial stuff sold for septic tanks? Do we have a bacteriologist on board this forum?? humm...you have a good point and i thought of that too, but......I agree it dies but doesn't it leave seeds or eggs or what ever multplies it in a dormant condition?

Shawnie

with tss and formerly bio spira , the bacteria is patented to be in a suspended metabolic state until an ammonia source is added to activate and feed it...if there is no source, it will die...hence why adding with fish or food of some kind, is a must...but also, overloading with ammonia as the source for food, can overpower the bacteria...who knows what the patterned formula is, as the companies would be poor if they told us ...having a dried up filter, does two things..starves the bacteria from food as im sure the filter isnt patented at all to be in that state, as well as dries it up like a bad prune..neither of which I would imagine can keep anything alive....

if you google the difference between nitrospira (which is in tetra safestart and formerly biospira and cycle and other products as such claim to have) and nitrobacter(what actually is in cycle and other products) you can see the differences... although ive had a long day, it could be the opposite but you can kinda get the drift LOL

only speaking in terms of aquariums and not droughts on ponds or septic systems doing their job or not...thats over my head and hopefully not literally!

eiginh

The botted bacteria also has a lifespan of less than a year as well such as TSS and Superbac. I wouldn't count on the dried filter foam to start up your cycle but you can prove me wrong

CHoffman

This is a neat link I found
http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/53...scription.html

TedsTank

Yea, I agree but might setup a small tank to test it....interesting science project!!!

omnitheforsaken

That is an AWESOME link you found!!!