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Ammonia is the energy source for Beneficial Bacteria
Which is which?
In one of my Youtube videos i was talking about Ammonia reading and being able to measure that. However, what should we do with the readings?
In other words, we may know from a cycling process that ammonia is present in the water column and throughout the cycle, there will be a peak in Ammonia. When there is beneficial bacteria to convert the ammonia that is in the water column, it will then be converted to Nitrite and eventually to Nitrate.
The beneficial bacteria is the catalyst to convert the harmful ammonia to less harmful nitrite and eventually to nitrate.
While we can measure the ammonia reading, we can’t really measure beneficial bacteria, or can we? We are able to know if a tank is colonized with beneficial bacteria by measuring Ammonia. If Ammonia reading is 0 then we can safely “assume” there is beneficial bacteria present.
While we are not able to measure the number of beneficial bacteria in the tank we can however measure the surface area or Meter square available in the tank surface for bacteria colonization.
Porosity
We can consider measuring porosity of filter media such as pads/substrat/ media/ etc to give an indication of how much surface area is potentially available for beneficial bacteria to colonize.
Many manufacturer market their product based on “Great Surface Area” but how great is great?
Hence to get an indication of what surface area are in filter media and sponges:
| m2/L | |
| Powerhouse S Soft | 1620 |
| Powerhouse M Soft | 1030 |
| Powerhouse L Soft | 800 |
| Poret Sponge 10ppi | 899 m2/m3 |
| Seachem Matrix bio | 700 |
| Biohome Ultimate | 680 |
| Eheim Substat pro | 450 |
| Sera Siporax | 270 |
While this post is not about which media is better for which purpose, as this can be found in other online information.
The table provides an indication of how much potential growth of beneficial bacteria at a given ammonia level.
Why does it matter
There are many ways to get to Rome and what i’m trying to share in this post is about ammonia vs beneficial bacteria.
Do you have sufficient beneficial bacteria to shorten the duration of an ammonia spike. There are many causes of ammonia spike, it can be a dead shrimp, can be an over dose of bacteria products and other things. So it is not the ammonia spike that is scary but the duration of the spike that should be looked into.
Reason being is that if the tank have insufficient beneficial bacteria than the ammonia spike will be rather long in duration until the current beneficial bacteria have multiply to cope up with the given ammonia before the spike goes back down.
In other words, it doesn’t mean having a higher porosity filter would mean higher beneficial bacteria count, but it does mean that the potential for higher beneficial bacteria count is possible.
For example if you are using 1600 m2/L filter media vs 400 m2/L both will have beneficial bacteria of the same level if the ammonia level is kept the same. However, as we all know that shrimp breed and with more shrimplet the colony grow giving rise to higher ammonia. If there is insufficient space for more beneficial bacteria to grow than the tank will have hit it’s max capacity.
On the other hand if the ammonia level continue to rise due to more bioload, on the 1600 m2/L filter media, it will then continue to colonize new beneficial bacteria to upkeep with the ammonia changes.
Technically while we measure ammonia, we should also measure the duration of such a spike because the longer the spike the more damage it will do. Now with porosity given in another light, you can now look at why large area of sponge like HMF are working so well because of the large surface area.
If you are a filter media person, you can consider using filter media of good porosity to ensure high surface area. While they do clog up eventually, it is noted that a 10% change in filter media in 6-12 months can be considered to ensure new beneficial bacteria get colonize as sometimes the soil and dirt get stuck in the pores of the filter media rendering them less efficient.
With the thoughts behind porosity vs ammonia, it is important to discern the difference and that ‘getting by’ is ok but having an abundance will be beneficial in the long term. In other words, a larger potential area for beneficial bacteria to colonize is advantageous as you get into the more tricky shrimps.
Ammonia is your best friend
Ammonia is your best friend in the aquarium because they are the food source for beneficial bacteria to colonize and continue to colonize. The higher the ammonia source the higher the POTENTIAL the growth of beneficial bacteria depending on the surface area. If there is very low surface area such as using 1L of soil for 100L as filter media, than the beneficial bacteria will be much lesser compare to the same with a large surface filter media.
We can prevent ammonia spike by having good water parameters both hard and soft value. Also we can reduce possibility of ammonia spike by not adding too many products into the tank to ‘mix’ it up. The lesser we add, the better and more stable it will be. The more products you add, the less likely you will know what is causing the trouble.
While there are many products on the market, it is important to discern the difference and once the tank is stable, i only use a product to enhance shrimp gut health which is optional.
- Natto bacteria for probiotic health
other than that, i personally do not add nitrifying bacteria or other things after every water change. The only thing i would add is Natto bacteria occasionally for good gut health.
Can read more here regarding no requirement for nitrifying bacteria after every WC: https://www.tfhmagazine.com/articles/freshwater/nitrifying-bacteria
Isn’t Soil Porous too?
Yes the active soil we use for example Tropica and ADA soil are porous in nature since they’re clay and soil but the porosity of the soil if use in large quantity per L of water such as 1L of soil per 16L of water and having it up to 100L of water in the tank would house quite a lot of soil which then i believe can get away from having filter media.
However, any lesser soil would generally mean the porosity vs ammonia may be insufficient to begin with. Hence, it is important to note that if soil is use as a filter media it should also be considered the amount of soil use to per L of water. A general rule is the tank have to be at least 100L with 80L being filled with water. Meaning 1L of soil to 16L of water or 5L of soil. That is then sufficient as a media and buffering.
If there are lesser porosity or surface area for beneficial bacteria to colonize, the cycle will take a long time hence using soil solely for the tank as filtration and in small quantity will not be beneficial to the entire ecosystem.
Probably can get away with the more hardy shrimps but as we advance to more challenging type, every single detail matters.
Why change can bring improvements
Process improvements
While it may be difficult for change as it requires work and action, but change by itself if for the better helps in the long term.
Tank reset:
While we know we have to reset our tanks sooner or later, eventually some even put off the tank reset and convince themselves it will last another month or 6 months or a year. I think there are no best way to shrimp keeping, as long as the breeding continues i think it will be great. However, many a times soil depletes it’s buffering capacity if using the thin soil method at a rather quick time frame. A reset between 8-12 months is something to consider.
It will also help clear up all the debris, filters and re-create a better place for the shrimps again.
Infrastructure:
While we progress on with the hobby it’s always good to learn new things, new method to improve the current process, this will help save you time and energy. For example, water change process and also keeping things simple on the air system.
The more time it is to create that new infrastructure in the beginning will certainly help with saving more time in future.
De-cluttering:
Have you wonder why some breeder’s setup is so neat and tidy and very pleasing to the eye? Yes they have make it simple by decluttering their space and also the tank setup.
Hobbyist vs Commercial and what’s the inbetween?
In general a telltale sign between a hobbyist and a commercial breeder is the tank setup. In general, a hobbyist would have more resources to allocate for a few tanks vs a commercial breeder.
The in between is like me where i have both hobbyist setup and commercial setup for the sole purpose of bringing in good shrimps and of cause to share it with friends in the hobby.
During this process i have also learn more about the differences on the shrimp adaptability, while the more hardy ones can take more ‘beating’ the more sensitive ones still require special attention.
Keep growing
I think when we stop growing and learning, we stop progressing, be it for shrimp hobby or life, it’s quite the same. Hence, i ask myself, when do people stop growing and learning? Esp. When we are going through the rat race, the mindless repetition of spending hours and than go back home and not pursue your dreams. A quote
“Do not go to work for 8-10 hours a day and go back home and not work on your dreams. You are not tired, you uninspired”
Even small steps towards your goal would be great if we keep doing it everyday for 1 hour, in a year we are better than we are before with 365 hours put in.
I have seen many procrastinating about change and the work they have to do, putting it off to tomorrow, and tomorrow didn’t come. For me it is straight forward, there is no one day, it is because there is only Monday to Sunday. One day doesn’t come in, some day doesn’t come in.
Also the fear of failing is too great for some, but without failing you are not even learning. Some don’t and never will learn because they are too afraid to take that first step. When they fall, they forgot how to stand up. Like a child, when they’re learning how to walk, they fall very often until they are able to walk on their own.
The older we get, the more we forgot the basic in life to always stand up when we fall if not we will never walk. We started ‘rationalizing’ about things but ultimately anything that prevents you from being greater isn’t rationalizing.
Live fully, die empty.
Introduction of the Hwa Bacter
Why use bacteria?
Appreciate all the feedback and comments on the content i have created and shared so far, it is certainly awesome to get great feedback on it. While rare to share openly information, i think there should be a depositary where all the information are gathered together to educate the shrimp hobby.
coming back to today’s post on Hwa Bacter, and it took me a good 4 years before i actually share this information because i didn’t had sufficient data to back them up and also haven’t been a religious user of bacteria products.
The only reason why i share this information is because i wanted to give a different perspective of bacteria product and when can and should be use.
Basically why we need to use bacteria such as Hwa bacter and what it actually contain?
Like most of the bacteria product on the market i think we need to differentiate the different type of bacteria and usage.
These are some of the questions i get and i would take this opportunity to share the information.
Nitrifying Bacteria:
This bacteria is essentially to convert Ammonia to Nitrite and then to Nitrate. That is the purpose of this bacteria and they do not mulitply fast under low pH which is normal in Caridina tank. Hence, it takes time for this bacteria to multiply and go through the entire cycling process.
Probiotics (bacillus subtilis)
This bacteria shouldn’t be confuse with the nitrifying bacteria as they have a different purpose. Bacillus subtilis can be understood as probiotics like in human however the ones from Hwa are extracted from the Japanese Fermented Soya Bean also known as Natto. Hence there is a variant of Bacillus subtilis var. natto. In other words the plant base probiotics has a great potential to improve nutritional value to shrimps.
This has long been used for aquaculture with those against the use of antibiotics. There has been many articles regarding shrimp farm (for consumption) where they’re fed with doses of antibiotics to prevent bacteria infection. However, in recent time antibiotic usage has been frown upon and the rise of more natural products to help the long term farming of shrimps. This also help reduce reliance of antibiotic to get a better harvest.
This now being used under the aquarium hobby for some time and being sold in many different name and brands. The Hwa Bacillus subtilis var. natto has undergone quite a lot of refinement over the last few years while we are at it. It is important to note the history of progress on this as the powder used to be gray in color and some were dark brown which is natural since the original color of the Natto is light brown. The extraction process using a normal method which is less costly derived gray powder however over time as we continue to refine the powder it is now white.
Lubao/Kallax ball
This is again a totally different purpose, and shouldn’t be confuse with bacteria powder production of biofilm. The fermentation of the plant base lubao is to extract the best of the properties to form the biofilm for shrimps to feed on.
How to use it
Using the Natto bacteria is certainly more an art than a science because depending on the tank size and number of shrimps, i would always error on the side of conservative. However, before we go into the usage, it is also good to note that in some of the articles regarding Bacillus subtilis in general will prohibit diseases from formation through inhibiting the environment.
For the Natto bacteria, we can consider using them when you have a mature tank after cycling and because there are a lot of ‘food’ or biofilm available, the use of bacteria Natto may not be as efficient. An approach you can consider is when they start feeding pads and once they are able to do so, you can consider feeding them after every water change once a week. Weakly weekly. A small spoon, stirrer plastic spoon or half a stirrer plastic spoon for 20L and a full one with 40L and above. Like i have mentioned, this should be highly depending on the tank volume and number of shrimp. Giving a bit mix into the water after water change for them to consume and then shortly after (an hour or 2) you can resume normal feeding.
Can i use this during tank setup and cycling? Yes you certainly can too and add about 2-3 of the stirrer spoon to startup. I personally haven’t use it to start a tank as i always like to cycle for a long time and only then when the shrimps are in i’ll start it but in general, it’s always weakly weekly.
What if i overdose?
Like all products, overdosing is harmful as your filter may not have the capability to remove them and the sudden surge of powder will clog filters and thus increasing ammonia spike. Hence, if you accidentally put a lot of them into the tank, it is generally best if you remove the shrimp to another tank. Hence, please use all product carefully and as per direction.
I hope this article shed some light on the properties of bacillus subtilis var. natto.
Cheers!
Getting it right
Setting up a breeding tank
Tank size: If you have a 20L/40L or bigger tank, it is important that you cycle the tank a full 40 days based on nitrogen cycle. A bigger tank with higher water volume will have more stable water parameters, the margin of error you are allowed to make is also bigger.
Soil: Now you have got your tank, what soil do i recommend? I still recommend ADA but i know there are other soil out there which can be suitable as well. For example Tropica is another great example of soil that can be use. As long the soil is active and has the capability to lower pH and keep the water soft with consistent buffering throughout the soil life can be considered.
Filtration: Sponge filter, hang on, external cannister, UGF, Uplift, etc. There are a ton of filtration out there that does the one thing: Filtration. Depending on how much time and budget you have, this is certainly the more important aspect in my opinion. Water parameters is the utmost important element in shrimp keeping/breeding and this affect directly to our shrimp. If you have a lot of tanks and want to keep cost down like how Taiwan breeders are doing than 2 unit of dual sponge filter per 100L tank is recommended. If you have a smaller tank and wish to put 2 x dual sponge filter, it is also possible. If you have a slightly higher budget and wish to provide more filtration, the matten filtration and external cannister is a good option. I’m a filter media person ever since i started aquarium hobby 19 years ago. So for my setup, i use a specialize Totto filter which i have mentioned in some of my post, it has the ability to remove nitrate as well. Yes Nitrate. The entire process from breaking down ammonia to nitrite and then onwards to Nitrate and eventually release as Nitrogen into the water column and dissipated. I enjoy having the ability to trust the system and view my shrimp given my very busy schedule, hence i opt for this option. I have tried many types of filter but this method suit my schedule the best. If i have slightly more time i would gone for sponge filter because they are really inexpensive and you have to just wash them in tank water once a month or more depending on how clog up it gets. So ask yourself how much time are you willing to allocate for maintaining the tanks, then it will give you an indication what kind of filter you can use. So far the better filter i have tried are uplift, sponge, cannister, hang on back, permanent UGF (not box) are possible ones.
Keeping it simple
Keeping things simple and focus time on selective breeding than water changes. Water changes need to be done but can be done semi automatically.
While everything can be set the same but the outcome of the cycled tank is going to be different. Every tank is different.
Plants: In one of my post i have mentioned about the types of plants you can use. I would give a summary here that any aquatic plants are suitable however you have to ensure it is contain and not over grown as this is a shrimp tank vs a planted tank. A planted tank has the focus on the plants with shrimp as one of the inhabitants whereas a shrimp tank has focus on the shrimp and plants as inhabitants. I like a lot of aquatic plants and hence i setup planted tank to satisfy my love for plants. For my shrimp tanks, i usually use Taiwan moss and plants such as echinodorus, crypto or buceps. The key to all these is they don’t grow too crazily over time unlike many stem plants that require weekly trimming. We don’t want to be dipping our hands into the tank every few days. Floating plants are fine too to absorb excess nitrate.
Bacteria: Startup bacteria is often sold as to help speed up the nitrogen cycle, however there are a myriad different type of bacteria in the market. While i’m an old school aquarist, i still stick to the very traditional free method of cycling it 40 days. While i have easy access to beneficial bacteria but still i prefer to ensure i don’t speed up things that shouldn’t be sped up. You have a lifetime ahead of you to breed the shrimps well, 40 days in a grand scheme of things is not too long. Understanding the nitrogen cycle is simply to get the beneficial bacteria ready to convert ammonia to nitrite into nitrate.
Cycling: I’ll still put here a minimum of 40 days cycling time, there are ways to improve the speed of the cycling time however the key to stable water parameters is to start the note on the right foot.
Airstone: What? Yes i actually like placing an airstone either to the outlet of the filter to introduce more agitation to the surface thus having a higher O2 exchange. The reason for this is more true for countries where we use cooling methods to cool down the tank. When temperature rises, ammonia become highly dangerous and thus consuming Oxygen, that is also why when there is an ammonia spike fishes gasp for air at the surface, shrimp doesn’t really do that (no indication). This is to help prolong the time for you to diagnose what the issue is (faulty chiller, dead shrimp that was concealed resulting in an ammonia spike, etc. Airstone are inexpensive and last a long time so drop one into every tank can be beneficial.
Food: A newly setup tank will have quite a lot of ‘food’ biofilm in the tank hence there is really not much you need to feed them after the first introduction. However, if you are going to introduce a lot of shrimp (50-100), they can strip off the biofilm in a matter of a day or 2. A good staple food i use is Hwa version 1 which is highly recommended as my main feed. It helps stressed shrimp to get to the food and consume as it has a strong drawing power. While the drawing power is important but more importantly the ingredients are all rounded. When there are a lot of shrimp, it becomes critical to introduce lubao as a grazing material as it has a long time duration in the tank up to 1-2 months per ball (i know some hobbyist use it even longer with no adverse effect – recommended still 1-2 months max). So in this section we listed 2 important word: Drawing power and Time Duration. Whenever i categorize the food and give ratings, i usually use these 2 as a basis for my understanding. Like for example, Moss is a very good ‘food’ as it harbors microorganism and also biofilm and time duration is endless. However the quantity it produces is fairly low. Indian Almond leaf is also another very good one, high creation of biofilm, medium time duration. While you can use a combination of those grazing material it is important to get that checklist tick.