Filtration question for the old timers

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dhvService

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Feb 1, 2013
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When was biological filtration first described in the hobby?

Backstory... I kept tanks during the 1980s. I had no knowledge then that a nitrogen cycle existed. I don't even recall giving much thought to fish waste. I do remember fish getting sick, and as a result I would get to cleaning the daylight out of everything, including having the filter apart in the sink cleaning it spotless. Needles to say that would always end up in tears. I left the hobby to pursue another one killing beers.

It was not until I picked the hobby back up in 2004 that I learned about nitrifying bacteria. I was so disappointed in myself for not learning about that earlier. I can say however that I did figure out in the 80s that the less I cleaned things the less sickness and death I had to witness.
:duh:

Now here is where I start getting to my point.

Yesterday i started to trace back to the point where I either overlooked or ignored that vital information. I started my investigation in the book myself and everybody else used at that time, yes the Handbook of Tropical Aquarium Fishes by Axelrod and Schultz.
I am really concerned about what I have discovered. The book has over 700 pages the majority to the description of many different species of fish. There is a 20 page chapter on plants. Also a 40 page chapter on tank maintenance, which included 2 pages on tank size, another 2 on water temperature, and one half of a page on filtration. Really, two paragraphs in the whole book on filtration. No wonder the chapter on fish disease is over 30 pages. I guess it was quiet the rage in the 20th century to buy rare and exotic fish only to torture them in fancy glass boxes.

page 96
Filtration
Elaborate systems of filtration have been worked out in various public aquaria. Owing to the great care and difficulties inherent in showing marine fishes and the scarcity of suitable specimens, the New York Aquarium has not contained any marine forms for several years. since it has an excellent filtration system and still finds the job a difficult one, the hobbyist should proceed fairly cautiously.
A filter system is a necessity for a successful marine aquarium. The principles and equipment are the same as for the fresh-water aquarium, but only plastic filters should be used. It is better to use a molded filter than one with cemented joints. If there must be a decision as to whether aeration or filtration should be used, aeration is the more important. Aeration and filtration, as a team, go far toward making the marine aquarium a success.



Thats all the info in the entire 700 page book on filtration. I am not trying to make a statement about this book, I am talking about the hobby in general during the time period this book was in popular use. We did not have the Internet at that time to learn about such things, all we had were these books. Most of did not even have color televisions. And on top of that we had to walk to school barefoot uphill in the snow, both ways.

So I ask you again.. When was nitrifying bacteria first described in the hobby?

Bonus question... Why are people still ignoring this information.

edit: The first page of the chapter on aquarium plants list seven benefits by keeping them, none mention filtration or water purification. The closet they come is "As a conditioner and test of the water. If the water is so raw as to be unable to support plant life, then it is certainly unsuitable for fishes."
 
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Rbishop

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Been keeping FW fish since the mid 70s....and have done regular water changes since I started. Dyna-Flo filters with the "J" tubes....changing floss in opposite filters weekly and the carbon every second change, which was the bacteria media. Most tanks ran on UGF thru gravel beds and a few RUGF. Not sure where I read about it, but the nitrogen cycle has been around for a long time though not really applied well to fish keeping back then.
 

dhvService

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Been keeping FW fish since the mid 70s....and have done regular water changes since I started. Dyna-Flo filters with the "J" tubes....changing floss in opposite filters weekly and the carbon every second change, which was the bacteria media. Most tanks ran on UGF thru gravel beds and a few RUGF. Not sure where I read about it, but the nitrogen cycle has been around for a long time though not really applied well to fish keeping back then.
I hear you brother, the nitrogen cycle has been around for 3 or 4 billion years. How did you become aware of it?

and thanks for the info about the Dyna-Flo filter. I remember working with the j tubes, but could not recall. Now I have enough info to hopefully find more on the Internet.

cheers!
 

dhvService

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I hear you brother, the nitrogen cycle has been around for 3 or 4 billion years. How did you become aware of it?
Sorry Bob, I just had a chance to reread that and it's sounds a bit snarky. Not the intention. I am just curious as to how you discover the concept of biological filtration.
 

Rbishop

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After realizing that transferring décor from old tanks to new tanks being set up seemed to result in fewer deaths, caused me to hit the books and read up on commercial/public water treatment plants and sewage treatment plants. Then connect the dots.
 

discuspaul

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I started keeping fish in the late 1950's when I was a kid, and can recall buying 3 or 4 booklets on aquariums and fish-keeping (but can't remember the names or authors) to prepare myself at the outset. I also regularly frequented 5 or 6 LFS's, and at no time in all my discussions with store owners & clerks did any one ever mention the bio-cycle or nitrifying bacteria. And the only thing ever mentioned in the books was vague references to aquariums needing to be well established in order to successfully keep fish alive and thriving for any length of time. The word was that tropical fish didn't do well until a tank was matured over a month or two. Needless to say, I lost many fish during the first weeks of setting up a new tank, and it wasn't until I had about 6 tanks going for several months each that I managed to keep most of my fish alive & doing well. Then I actually began breeding some fish. It wasn't until the late 70's when I was stationed in Singapore and had a 125 gal tank set up by professional fish-breeders that they cautioned me about adding discus (which I wanted to do) until the tank had been set up for a couple of months with very inexpensive fish in it first. That was my first inkling as to nitrification - but there was still no mention of ammonia or water testing. I still don't remember when 'cycling' a tank first came to my attention, but I seem to recall that it wasn't until around the early 1990's that it clearly became known to me as being a necessary preparation for keeping fish in aquariums.
 

discuspaul

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On top of that, and what I found most interesting, is when I hooked up with Martha Morris in 2010 (A long-time astute discus breeder and simplydiscus.com member), who kindly agreed to edit my illustrated article "Beginner's Guide to Getting Started with Discus" (which is now 'stickied' on several fish forums including this one) - she urged me to include a detailed section on ensuring the discus tank was fully cycled before adding any discus. The reason she gave for that, was that when she spoke over the past quite a few years beforehand, at many seminars on keeping discus, she learned that many 'experienced' ************s who wanted to get into discus, had never heard much about cycling a tank and didn't have a clue as to how to go about it. So I included a lengthy section on how to do that, the fishless way, even though I felt, at first anyway, that it was such a basic necessity that it was kind of 'kindergarten' stuff to include it for potential discus-keepers who had kept other fish before.
 

excuzzzeme

Stroke Survivor '05
I also used the dynaflos (Dynaflo 600) in the mid 70's as well as corner filters and UGF's. I don't recall about having bio-media as such (even though that's what I was using) and had some charcoal in the UGF's. Mainly used wool batting for filtration. Today, I still don't use activated charcoal and like Bob, I alternate filter changes. All my large tanks have dual filters and smaller ones have ceramic bio media.
 

fishorama

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I started keeping fish in the 70's too with those same types of filters. Our first aquarium book was the Golden Guide to Tropical Fish published in 1975, I still have it. It mentions the nitrogen cycle briefly, condition tank to establish beneficial bacteria & the need for monthly water changes. I don't think any lfs mentioned it or if they did we thought they were trying to sell us more stuff. We were much more concerned about pH & getting it exactly "right" for each species, lol, I only rarely check it now.
 

Observer54

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I began in the late 60's and by the early 70's had about 8 tanks, but knew nothing about the N2 cycle, but was successful in spite of it - I can only attribute to careful feeding, under stocked tanks, UGF's, and floating plants. In those days, although it may have been well known on fish farms, there wasn't much info to hobbyists...of course, there was no internet in those days cause it was long before Al invented it. :)
I don't recall exactly when it became well known in the hobby because I left the hobby, then came back in a few years ago.
 
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