Does fish food release nutrients into water column?

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If food has trace minerals then fish don't need to get it from water column. If food doesn't have trace elements then there it won't release it in to water.
 
So, some of you say that uneaten food releases Nitrates, too? I thought Nitrates are only caused by nitrite oxidizing bacteria?
 
jjohnwm said:
What kind of nutrients are you referring to? Various compounds and elements might be considered as nutrients for plants, or nutrients for bacteria, or nutrients actually intended for utilization by the fish (assuming they eat the food).

But I think it's pretty evident that food left uneaten in the water will be releasing all three categories into the water, both by breaking down and also by simple leaching of water-soluble compounds into the water. Flake foods break down quickly, and any soluble compounds they contain will dissolve quickly since the wafers are so thin. And if you doubt that this kind of stuff is getting into your water, just thaw out a chunk of frozen brine shrimp, bloodworms or any other frozen food in a glass of water before adding it to your tank. The solid particles settle quickly, leaving a fairly disgusting broth which will be dispersed into your tank if you feed your fish by the common expedient of just tossing a frozen cube or chunk into the tank. When the food is frozen, cell membranes are ruptured by expanding ice crystals; upon thawing, all that juice is released into the water, no longer accessible to the fish but nevertheless in your water. It's loaded with nutrients, all right...but it's about as beneficial as just peeing into your aquarium.
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So, I SHOULDN'T pee in the aquarium?!? Now ya tell me!
 
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JRM592 said:
So, some of you say that uneaten food releases Nitrates, too? I thought Nitrates are only caused by nitrite oxidizing bacteria?
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One way or another, much or most of the nitrogen in the food (much of it in the form of protein) turns into nitrates, unless you have loads of plants or algae. If it's uneaten the only difference is it bypasses the fish, allowing other processes and organisms to cycle it to nitrates. Another way to put it is none of the uneaten food turns into fish growth and energy, egg production, etc. Instead it feeds microbes, algae, bacteria, Planaria worms, etc.

Leave enough uneaten food in your tank and you too can ask the question: "What are these white worm-looking things in my tank and how do I get rid of them?" :)
 
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Thomas McBride said:
So, I SHOULDN'T pee in the aquarium?!? Now ya tell me!
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I didn't say you shouldn't!

I just suggested that it might not be as good for the tank as you think it might. :)

Besides, there's no need to resort to something so barbaric as actual physical urination and all the embarrassing social stigmata that go with it. Just wait a few months, and I'm sure that API, SeaChem or one of the other numerous subsidiaries of Crazy Chemical Cocktails,Ltd. will bring out a purified/concentrated/stabilized/filtered/sterile synthetic urine product for convenience of use in home aquariums.

Just gotta come up with a catchy name for it and will sell like mad! Something like "PeeChem" or maybe "Whizbang"...no, wait..."UrineLuck"! That's the winner! :)
 
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jjohnwm said:
I didn't say you shouldn't!

I just suggested that it might not be as good for the tank as you think it might. :)

Besides, there's no need to resort to something so barbaric as actual physical urination and all the embarrassing social stigmata that go with it. Just wait a few months, and I'm sure that API, SeaChem or one of the other numerous subsidiaries of Crazy Chemical Cocktails,Ltd. will bring out a purified/concentrated/stabilized/filtered/sterile synthetic urine product for convenience of use in home aquariums.

Just gotta come up with a catchy name for it and will sell like mad! Something like "PeeChem" or maybe "Whizbang"...no, wait..."UrineLuck"! That's the winner! :)
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Some people prefer natural way. It really depends on what a person drinks a day before, beer is really bad, if the person eats some beet roots then the pee can also provide some carotenoids and asparagus can leave a bad smell.
 
skjl47 said:
Hello; I have an unsupported notion but one that seems to fit in my experience. I have pretty much always kept snails in my freshwater tanks. My thinking being it is better for the excess/uneaten food to pass thru the gut of a snail rather than just to rot in the water. We run closed systems and have a partial understanding of the water chemistry with regard to ammonia, nitrate and nitrites. Enough understanding to run tanks well enough if we do sufficient water changes. We have test kits for a few of the compounds commonly found in closed water systems containing live animals. ( I sometimes get the impression we focus on the ones we can test for too much and pretend the rest do not matter.)
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I agree with this, I always keeps a variety of self reproducing snails in my tanks. Anything lower on the food chain that continues to break down uneaten food and waste is beneficial. Plecos, snails, shrimp, plants etc. Obviously what you can keep in a given tank changes depending on stocking but that's why I like self replicating plants and animals so much. You always have more, and you can use different combinations depending on tank setup. I've even gotten to the point where I feel comfortable experimenting because I know if I lose a few plants or snails that it's no big deal.
 
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