The way I look at it is that the BB is a real time biological model (dynamic and constantly in flux), but we're limited to feeding and testing in spurts. Many people feed 2 or 3 times per week and test less frequently. Others might feed and test twice per day.
BB colonies aren't designed to live that way. Individual bacteria feed, undergo cellular change, live and die constantly. Populations can double in well under 24 hours, and ideally much faster. If they are ready to eat and food has already been consumed, they have to slow down.
Ammonia and nitrites could be consumed faster if there was more BB, but under aquarium conditions where food is sporadic, the existing populations are only large enough to covert a peak load in a reasonably fast time. To convert it faster, there would need to be more BB, but since food drops off after the peak (for 12 hours, 2 days, etc.), there's no need for a bigger population.
If that follows, then the average amount of ammonia added can't be kept constant (at say 3 ppm administered twice per day), if one wants more BB than will normally exist to handle a peak load of 3 ppm. Either more has to be added per day, or the amount added twice per day has to be increased. In the case of tanks with existing fish populations, it would imply always adding ammonia even while feeding fish their normal daily needs.
Unfortunately, adding ammonia also increases risks to the fish, and is counter productive if fish care (and not BB care) is the main objective. So really there's no correct answer to the problem. The maximum amount of BB is based upon conditions that are not ideal for the maximum amount of fish.
This assumes no other constraints of course, and no random fluctuations in protein added, temperature, pH, oxygen, etc., all of which might affect BB growth.
Anyway, that's the way I see it.
BB colonies aren't designed to live that way. Individual bacteria feed, undergo cellular change, live and die constantly. Populations can double in well under 24 hours, and ideally much faster. If they are ready to eat and food has already been consumed, they have to slow down.
Ammonia and nitrites could be consumed faster if there was more BB, but under aquarium conditions where food is sporadic, the existing populations are only large enough to covert a peak load in a reasonably fast time. To convert it faster, there would need to be more BB, but since food drops off after the peak (for 12 hours, 2 days, etc.), there's no need for a bigger population.
If that follows, then the average amount of ammonia added can't be kept constant (at say 3 ppm administered twice per day), if one wants more BB than will normally exist to handle a peak load of 3 ppm. Either more has to be added per day, or the amount added twice per day has to be increased. In the case of tanks with existing fish populations, it would imply always adding ammonia even while feeding fish their normal daily needs.
Unfortunately, adding ammonia also increases risks to the fish, and is counter productive if fish care (and not BB care) is the main objective. So really there's no correct answer to the problem. The maximum amount of BB is based upon conditions that are not ideal for the maximum amount of fish.
This assumes no other constraints of course, and no random fluctuations in protein added, temperature, pH, oxygen, etc., all of which might affect BB growth.
Anyway, that's the way I see it.
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