How many Noodles for AR620T tank....

[axokeeper]

How many noodles will my tank need? It didnt have them when I got it (second hand) and I have no idea of how many to get?

[kiwiplymouth]

The more the merrier.

Go for as many as you can fit in the filter without restricting the flow rate.

[ryanjury]

Noodles aren't really needed at all, they provide good surface area for lots of good bacteria to grow but this good bacteria will still grow in the filter wool (ever wonder how sponge filters work with no noodles?) gravel etc.. I am yet to see anyone come up with a formula for how many good bacteria you actually need (they gradually grow anyway) or how many good bacteria various medias can actually hold, and it would be very hard to work out as it would depend on so many variables..

If you really wanted to get some just get them from where ever you can get them, if they are old and manky just boil them to make sure they are sterile.. Another option is to goto a garden centre (or lake taupo) and get small pieces of pumice and use that.

[kiwiplymouth]

The reasons why I have said "the more the merrier" is for the following reasons.

1) You may have a bare bottom tank. IE No gravel

2) You may replace all of your filter wool each week .

3) You may not be using a sponge filter.

You need as much surface area as possible to cultivate a permanent colony of beneficial bacteria that wont be effected by water changes or filter cleanings

[ryanjury]

For sure they are a good thing to have But I have plenty of bare bottomed heavily stocked (and heavily fed) bare bottomed tanks filtered with air powered bubble filters with only fiilter wool with no issues at all, so I would definitely argue that they aren't needed at all..

[smidey]

it may be you can get away with not having them but it will be an advantage having them?

[phoenix44]

Yes definitely an advantage to have them. Gives you more room for error, and there is a LOT of room for error in this hobby

[kiwiplymouth]

For sure they are a good thing to have But I have plenty of bare bottomed heavily stocked (and heavily fed) bare bottomed tanks filtered with air powered bubble filters with only fiilter wool with no issues at all, so I would definitely argue that they aren't needed at all..

And so do I

But we both have a few years of experience up our sleeves.

I am merely suggesting that axokeeper (who I assume is fairly new to fishkeeping) should try to keep as much media as possible in the filter.

[ryanjury]

I would love to setup some tanks one day and do a comparison and see how much difference they actually do make.

The bacteria will only build upto the bio load of the tank so it is not like adding 100kg of noodles will give you more bacteria and then therefore more room for error, it will just provide more area for the bacteria to grow but the same amount will grow as before.

It is my belief that the filter wool can provide more than enough media for the good bacteria to grow on.. As it works really well for me even when things go wrong, but I am yet to prove this and do use noodles in my canister filters on bigger tanks.

I think this is an interesting discussion, has anyone seen any scientific research that has been done on it (not backed by manufacturers)?

[kiwiplymouth]

I assume that you are talking about biological filtration only?

Axokeeper may find this site informative http://www.aquariumpros.com/articles/bi ... ypes.shtml

[livingart]

I assume that you are talking about biological filtration only?

yes i would assume that also

[Jennifer]

As with any media, it is all about surface area for colonisation by denitrifying bacteria and available oxygen to support that bacteria. Just about any media or surface will be colonised by the bacteria. The benefits of noodles or other similar types of substrates is that they are:

1. Not as easily blocked by detritus (unlike wool and sponges which are relatively easy to clog which then limits available surface area);

2. Have relatively protected areas for colonisation (unlike sponges and wool which must be rinsed heavily or replaced when clogged and unlike tank surfaces that are frequently and cosmetically cleaned).

Obviously breeding and grow-out tanks are not heavily cleaned except for gross detritus so the populations of bacteria will be high all over the tank which aids in processing nitrogenous waste. For the average fishkeeper with a display tank and routine cosmetic cleaning, having noodles in the filter will provide a safeguard in case bacterial populations are lost from other areas of the tank.

[Deepsound]

What kind of inhabitants for your tank, Axokeeper ?

[Edit] I mean : big polluters ?

In a pretty same tank, with inhabitants like rasbora maculata (30) I use 1 L of noodles and 1 L of JBL Micromec (kinda white pellets made from sintered glass. They say it's about 1500m²/l colonisation surface).

I have 7cm of Manado and sand as base substrat (it helps too).

[Love Animals]

As a beginner fishkeeper with a AR620 tank I would definitely get noodles. As said on here you could do without them but the larger the surface area for your good bacteria the better, don't think you can ever have too many good bacteria. I had old mixed with new noodles and it took (with 5 zebra danios as my cycling fish) a good 2 weeks for the tank to come right. I put a layer of noodles in both the left and right compartments in the top of tank. On the left (where the rod is that pushes the water into the top area) I had noodles then a layer of white filter sponge than layer of black filter sponge. I only used the black sponge because we have bore water and our water is a little hard. On the right side I had noodles and two layers of white filter sponge. Hope that helps.