Saltwater bacteria in freshwater?

[Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics]

I got some Caribsea substrate that’s meant for reef tanks and I’m going to use it for a lake tanganyika tank and it says it’s coated in beneficial bacteria, would that same bacteria survive in a freshwater environment? Or will it die?

Edited May 22, 2023 by Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics

[nabokovfan87]

My gut tells me that it won't be an issue.  You can rinse the sand well to remove as much of any of that liquid as well.  The organisms that colonize saltwater are different than freshwater and would simply not survive without the salinity.  The other thing to keep in mind is that you're likely going to have very high PH in that tank due to the coral in the substrate, if it is there.  For your use case, I wouldn't be worried too much, but you may need to have a bit longer cycling time or extra rinse time for that substrate. 

Rinse it, toss it in a bucket with a lid for a bit, even dry it out, and then go from there perhaps is the best route.

[nabokovfan87]

Looks like Graeme has a project that might be helpful for you:

 

Edited May 22, 2023 by nabokovfan87

[RennjiDK]

On 5/22/2023 at 12:27 AM, Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics said:

I got some Caribsea substrate that’s meant for reef tanks and I’m going to use it for a lake tanganyika tank and it says it’s coated in beneficial bacteria, would that same bacteria survive in a freshwater environment? Or will it die?

Some, if not all of the caribsea live marine substrates are packed in saltwater. It would be idea to rinse it thoroughly before use if you plan to plant in it. As for your question, it depends on which specific substrate, but the nitrifying bacteria are the same (not the only bacteria in the package) and they will most likely survive.