Riddle me this reeferman!

[spanko]

Use the following as a base line:
29 gallon tank setup for 1.5 years. Running with ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels undetectable
35 lbs. of rock 25% of which was originally cured live rock and the balance Tufa dry rock.
The question is if a person was to remove 25% of this rock and replaced it with 25 lbs. of new dry tufa rock of approximately the same size and weight as what was removed, how long would it take for the nitrifying bacteria take to populate the new rock to the previously needed level of required bacteria.
The reason I am asking is if a person wanted to create a new scape and wanted to do it with tufa rock to a predesign outside of the tank could it be done without much disruption to the biofiltration of the tank by replacing 25% at a time. Then doing the next 25% some where down the road.

 

[reefkprz]

8 weeks minimum for just bacteria but you are better off waiting longer to allow microfauna to move over to the new rock, say 6 months.

 

[privatejoker]

If you have sump put the new rock in there for a couple of months (6 months) then change it out. Or you can put the old rock in the sump and put the new in the display.

 

[spanko]

Thank you. WOW! I was not expecting anything longer than about 2 weeks or so just to repopulate to previous level. My thought was that even though the rockwork removed and replaced was 25% it is really something less than that in bacteria needing replacement because the bacteria resides on all hard surfaces, walls, floors, sumps, pumps etc.

 

[reefkprz]

bacteria has a life cycle though just like every thing else, and it populates and spreads by going into a planktonic stage then resetteling on new surfaces, then it has to grow/mature and start again. just having established rock while helpful in seeding the new stuff wont speed the life cycle of bacteria. it will increase the amount that settles and starts to grow but if you want to do this with no risk of an ammonia spike the longer you wait the better.

 

[reefkprz]

think of it this way, a shipment of live rock needs to be cured for 6-8 weeks generally before it is capable iof handleing the waste it itself is producing and that still has a bunch of living bacteria already on it, your starting with no bacteria whatsoever on your new rock. bio films continue to form well after a "cycle" has ended gaining poulation and density in bacterial colonies.

 

[florida joe]

You also have to factor in the amount of nutrients you are adding to your tank with the now diminished bio filter. Obviously you cannot feed in the same manor with your taxed system with out risking a spike. So IMO it would be a fine line you have to follow feeding enough to encourage maximum nitrifying bacteria growth while maintaining a spike free tank if you are looking for the fastest growth

 

[reefkprz]

great point joe

 

[florida joe]

Originally Posted by reefkprZ
http:///forum/post/2682149
great point joe

Thanks Reef coming from you it is something I appreciate

 

[spanko]

I was always of the opinion (hee hee) that these bacteria, let's not talk microfauna for a moment, multiply at a pretty quick rate. So I guess the question would be does anyone know the gestation period or division period or however these multiply of the nitrifying bacteria? I guess considering there is enough nutrient breakdown in the tank to feed the population.
Think in terms of adding a fish to this tank. You have increased the bio-load but for the most part you do not see a detrimental spike because you bio filter adjusts rather quickly to compensate.
Or am I totally off base here?

 

[florida joe]

Henry I personally have never seen a time line on the growth of nitrifying bacteria I would think that there are just to may variables involved to have a specific rate of growth.
I do think and this is just my opinion that when we establish a bio filter and it matures in our tanks that the bacteria survive under a wide range of nutrient availability. And as long as the introduction of a new fish does not in fact cause our tanks to experience a nutrient load that surpasses that upper limit for the established bio filter we would not see a spike