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Re: Bacteria in a new Substrate



I do save some mulm from the filter and/or gravel.
Simply wash off your filter media or gravel-vacuumings
into a bucket, let it settle for a while, pour off the
water, and save the "mulm". I keep some in a gallon
milk jug (wet) in the garage (don't put a lid on it).
It doesn't get a noticeable odor unless you stick your
nose in the jug, and makes great houseplant
fertilizer. You can use it to innoculate a new tank,
but for that I would recommend putting a dirty filter
cartridge or sponge from an active tank. This way, you
don't have the "mulm" running around your tank, 99% of
it stays stuck in the sponge or filter media, but it
gives the bacteria a starting point to multiply from. 

> What would happen if the wet gunk from the filter
was dried
> and safed? Would
> the bacteria (in another form) survive? How long?
> My tanks produce quite a bit of this stuff and it
would be
> neat to have it
> available when setting up a new tank to kick-start
the
> substrate. Cheap too.
> 
> Thoughts?
> 
> Michael Eckardt
> near Waterloo, Ontario


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