What is that stuff anyway?

[CichlidFan]

So who can tell me what that brown stuff is that gathers in the bottom of my wet dry ?  

Is it beneficial to the NC or is it an after product that should be removed ?

If it should be removed, what is the best way to go about getting it out of the bottom of the wet dry, without damaging the colonies of bacteria on the BioBalls?

Thanks in advance.

CF

[eklikewhoa]

Re: What is that stuff anyway?

Detritus....fish poop.

I siphon the stuff out from time to time, that stuff is what gives you Nitrate readings.

[wesleydnunder]

Re: What is that stuff anyway?

It's probably mulm, which is the end result of the bacterial break down of organics in your tank. You can put some tank water in a bucket and put the bioballs in the bucket to allow you to vaccuum out the mulm in the sump.

It's not the source of your nitrate. Nitrate comes from the nitrifying bacteria in your biological filter.

Mark

[eklikewhoa]

Re: What is that stuff anyway?

.....and that nitrifying bacteria eats poop/leftover foods/etc. which is what makes mulm..... also if youa have a overflow box that is what accumulates in the wet/dry...food that floats on the water surface which is broken up and collected in the sump area. Then since it is just built up leftover foods the nitrogen cycle consumes it and leaves you with high nitrates.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: What is that stuff anyway?

Definition of Mulm

Mulm
From The Aquarium Wiki


Mulm (also called Detritus) is the organic debris that builds up in the aquarium substrate.

Mulm is usually the unattractive dark brown or black material that settles on the substrate of a tank. It is caused by the waste material ejected by the aquarium animals and left over food and decomposing plants.

In a tank this mulm is slowly digested over the months up by the bacteria living there and is broken apart into useful chemicals that plants and other life living in the gravel can absorb.

Whilst non-planted tanks owners often remove this material to keep their tanks clean, it is rich in essential chemicals for plants. So planted tanks owners rarely need to remove it.

It is often said that Mulm causes a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria and fungus. But by a process called competitive exclusion, this can be greatly reduced. By providing vast quantities of safe 'Waste control' bacteria in bottles that out-compete other bacteria for this food source and so the pathogenic bacteria never get a chance to grow to serious amounts.

[CichlidFan]

Re: What is that stuff anyway?

Outstanding .....man I love the internet, google and the fish box, what more can a fellow ask for.....

Thanks you guys...

Steve

[wesleydnunder]

Re: What is that stuff anyway?

The autotrophic nitrification bacterias, nitrosomonas and nitrobacter, don't utilize detritus and other organic wastes as food. Heterotrophs from the genus bacillus and pseudomonas do. Autotrophs can only use the inorganic ammonia and nitrites as foods with the end result being nitrate. Heterothrophs will break down the organic wastes and produce ammonia through a process called mineralization. The resulting ammonia is then processed by the autotrophs.

In the sense that the end result of mulm is nitrate, you're correct. It seemed like your view of the process and the bacterias involved in the process was slightly skewed.

Mark

[eklikewhoa]

Re: What is that stuff anyway?

It's probably mulm, which is the end result of the bacterial break down of organics in your tank. You can put some tank water in a bucket and put the bioballs in the bucket to allow you to vaccuum out the mulm in the sump.

It's not the source of your nitrate. Nitrate comes from the nitrifying bacteria in your biological filter.

Mark

Well according you this post Mark.....It made me think your view of it was "slightly skewed". Here you stated that Mulm had nothing to do with Nitrates but but yet stated that Nitrates came from Nitrifying bacteria in you biological filter.

[wesleydnunder]

Re: What is that stuff anyway?

The ammonia in a tank doesn't just come from organics. It also comes from fish urine and is also excreted from the gills. In my post I stated that mulm doesn't make nitrate, bacteria do. I didn't say mulm had nothing to do with nitrate. The heterotrophs break down the organics into ammonia, then the autotrophs take over. My point in this is that mulm is not the sole source of ammonia in the process, and is therefor not the sole source of nitrate in the tank. Also, it seemed to me from your original post that you were saying mulm makes nitrate. Sorry if I went around the block to get across the street.

Mark

[eklikewhoa]

Re: What is that stuff anyway?

In my initial post I stated that Detritus/Mulm is what gives you Nitrate readings.....not what makes Nitrate.

Yes, it is not the sole source but it does contribute to it and I think that's what CF was asking about....the buildup he had and not how his fish pees in the tank.

[dblondfemme]

Re: What is that stuff anyway?

:?  okay steve.... the brown stuff is mulm which you can either leave in or remove.
That's the short bus answer

[fishlady]

Re: What is that stuff anyway?

8O ......my fishies pee in the tank????
oh my goodnessssss...what a shocker that is to find out....i thought they used their own outhouse.....


seriously......

sounds like this stuff is not too bad huh?.....so you can siphon out the majority of it without hurting the tanks biological makeup?.....

[eklikewhoa]

Re: What is that stuff anyway?

Mark had a very informative post..... In a planted tank the mulm would be inert to some point cause what it releases/made up of the plants would utilize and feed off of....in a normal fish only tank it would contribute to higher Nitrate readings.

IMO/IME it is better to remove said mulm when possible.

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: What is that stuff anyway?

The fish urinate thru their skin, it is the way they expell excess liquids in the body.

I would vaccum out the mulm jsut because it is unsightly, and not to mention a breeding ground for all kinds of poop nasties

[wesleydnunder]

Re: What is that stuff anyway?

The fish urinate thru their skin, it is the way they expell excess liquids in the body.

An interesting way to describe osmoregulation in marine fish. It's just the opposite of freshwater fish, though.

Mark