Water Quality
- Thread starter jaws7777
- Start date
You know I've heard and kinda had issues with stopping using the probiotics. I think it may out compete the natural bacteria. Which then has to build up to your biology causing ammonia and nitrite spikes
Doesnt compete with aerobic bb ive missed doses in the past and never saw a rise in ammonia.
I'm not sure if the Rid-X would harm the nitrate filter, a lot of the bacteria in Rid-X are designed for anaerobic applications (Septic tank isn't oxygen rich), though it might take up valuable real estate on the bio media while you're waiting for the nitrate eating bacteria to form. Not sure how much overlap there is between Rid-X and the desireable nitrate stuff though
Some of the products have both types of bacteria. Just wondering since you see a huge reduction right away, what is happening to the stuff you currently have / can normally cultivate? Is it being outcompeted for nutrients? it seems the stronger stuff has either a shorter life span or can not reproduce as you continually have to dose to keep up with the results. I've had a mini cycle after quitting microbacter 7. I weaned my system off pdb so no issue that I can remember. I just wonder about these things sometimes. I have a lot of info and a lot of people I know are in the "field" of biology of one sort or another. Trees, reptiles, common house hold pets, farm animals, water treatment, wet land conservation (birds) no fish though. They have all given me their two cents worth but some info contradicts....anyway it will be interesting to see what systems are being built and what ones work better and to discuss why we think that is.
This is a concern i have as well. What happens when you stop dosing the bb in a bottle ? Drop off ? None at all ?
When you weaned your system off the bb in a bottle do you feel the normally cultivated bb had a large enough colony to keep on chugging ?
According to the literature it has a wide range of heterotrophs and autotrophs .. nitfrifying and denitrifying.. topping up encourages re seeding of most efficient types of bacteria.. the only reason I can see for a crash would be if phosphates dropped to zero .. for example if you were using phosphate removal agents at the same time .. if not a range of bacteria will be encouraged by dosing and when stopping the most successful colonies will become dominant whether this translates into the most efficient for this purpose is another question .. including heterotrophs will simply speed up break down of organic matter .. denitrifying bac are facultative so dosing with them may encourage in the short term an increase in nitrate removal ..(if dosing with carbon this may be more long term) and dosing with nitrifying will encourage stability and diversity in ammonia to nitrite to nitrate cycle colonies
