moomimmy
New Member
I'm not exactly new to keeping aquariums but my roommate and I are disagreeing on how to maintain the bioload in our saltwater tank. We recently finished cycling and furnishing our very first seahorse tank, and I know these guys have a weak immune system so I want to make sure I'm not leaving them susceptible to any type of bacterial infection, and I want to remove any uneaten frozen mysis shrimp after they're done eating rather than leaving them in the tank. We're already keeping the temperature fairly low around 70-72° F just in case.
However, my roommate is stalwart about leaving the food in there for a few days as it helps feed the beneficial bacteria to keep the nitrogen cycle going. I've been letting him do so because the water consistently stays at 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite with minimal nitrate, meaning that there is indeed enough bacteria to keep everything going. He says that if he takes it out, the bacteria will starve and some of them will die.
He's more experienced with keeping aquariums than I am, so I'm deferring to him right now, but I can't help but worry that leaving the food in there will encourage not only the beneficial bacteria, but also unwelcome bacteria that might hurt our future seahorses. I thought that thawed mysis shrimp decomposed fairly quickly within just a few hours of being added to the tank, but my roommate says it doesn't do so for a few days. I have a hunch that we already have a surplus of bacteria to handle the bioload thanks to some (seahorse compatible!) shrimp and fish already in there, and letting some bacteria starve as a consequence of removing the food will not affect the ammonia and nitrite levels of the tank, as the remaining bacteria should still be feeding off of the bioload that the fish will be outputting into the water anyway. We have a good amount of live rock and filter media.
Do you guys have any advice on how to approach this and whether my roommate's method is safe? I really don't want to risk it with the new seahorses we'll be ordering soon, so I'd rather take out any uneaten frozen food shortly after adding it rather than leaving it in like my roommate insists. But, he's still more experienced than I am, so I'm worried that I might also be wrong on this.
However, my roommate is stalwart about leaving the food in there for a few days as it helps feed the beneficial bacteria to keep the nitrogen cycle going. I've been letting him do so because the water consistently stays at 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite with minimal nitrate, meaning that there is indeed enough bacteria to keep everything going. He says that if he takes it out, the bacteria will starve and some of them will die.
He's more experienced with keeping aquariums than I am, so I'm deferring to him right now, but I can't help but worry that leaving the food in there will encourage not only the beneficial bacteria, but also unwelcome bacteria that might hurt our future seahorses. I thought that thawed mysis shrimp decomposed fairly quickly within just a few hours of being added to the tank, but my roommate says it doesn't do so for a few days. I have a hunch that we already have a surplus of bacteria to handle the bioload thanks to some (seahorse compatible!) shrimp and fish already in there, and letting some bacteria starve as a consequence of removing the food will not affect the ammonia and nitrite levels of the tank, as the remaining bacteria should still be feeding off of the bioload that the fish will be outputting into the water anyway. We have a good amount of live rock and filter media.
Do you guys have any advice on how to approach this and whether my roommate's method is safe? I really don't want to risk it with the new seahorses we'll be ordering soon, so I'd rather take out any uneaten frozen food shortly after adding it rather than leaving it in like my roommate insists. But, he's still more experienced than I am, so I'm worried that I might also be wrong on this.
