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Biofilm Question


Nuthatch

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Today I put a piece of cholla wood in my tank, and I am wondering how long it will take to grow biofilm for the shrimp?  Once it has finished sinking I'm going to position it partly beneath the moss for ease of access.  Just in case I get lucky & any (possible) babies survive the CPDs (potential) predation.  :)

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Wikipedia describes 'A biofilm is any group of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other on a surface.' Therefore beneficial bacteria and the microorganisms in GlasGarten Bacter AE both create biofilms.

 

Take your pick Nuthatch :)

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So if I read that right, the biofilm has been growing since about the first hour it went in there?  Do the shrimp eat the biofilm, or the stuff that the film catches?  Very interesting stuff- thanks for the link!

First minutes organic monolayer is formed to create a sticky surface for bacteria to hold on to, after the reversible and irreversible attachment stages the biofilm start to form within hours/days depends on the environment/ nutrients level. 

 

 

I will quote this final stage from the link above:

" ...

The final stage in the irreversible adhesion of a cell to an environmental surface is associated with the production of extracellular polymer substances or EPS. Most of the EPS of biofilms are polymers containing sugars such as glucose, galactose, mannose, fructose, rhamnose, N-acetylglucosamine and others.

 This layer of EPS and bacteria can now entrap particulate materials such as clay, organic materials, dead cells and precipitated minerals adding to the bulk and diversity of the biofilm habitat. This growing biofilm can now serve as the focus for the attachment and growth of other organisms increasing the biological diversity of the community."

 

I believe shrimp eats whatever trapped in that EPS, it takes as much it can pull out of that sticky mass.

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