Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle - Cycling Methods - Ammonia & Nitrates

2/18/2017 AquariumNitrogenCycle|CyclingMethods|Ammonia&Nitrates
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NITROGENCYCLEANDAQUARIUM&PONDCYCLING
HowtheAquariumNitrogenCycleWorks
SectionsIncluded:
TheInternetsmostindepth/updatedNitrogenCycle (7)MethodsofAquariumCycling:
article!! Including*FishlessCycling
*SeasonedMedia
FrequentlyAskedQuestions/Answers *FishFood
*PureAmmonia
(1)Introduction *RawShrimp
(2)WhatisNitrogen *CyclingProducts
(3)NonNitrogenwastes *SaltwaterCycling)
(4)Nitrification(IncludingNitrifyingBacteriaandan (8)Maintainingahealthynitrogencycle
AmmoniaChart) (9)WhattodoforhighAmmonia&Nitrites,&
(5)DeNitrification Nitrates
(6)BioFiltration (10)References&Downloadablepdfofthis
Including*UseofMedicationonBioFiltration) article

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ByCarlStrohmeyer
Updated10/30/16
INTRODUCTION:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Nitrogen_Cycle.html 1/30
Pleaseclickonthepictureforabetterview,of
aBASICexplanationofthe"AquariumNitrogen
Cycle".
Pleaseseeamoreadvanceddiagramfurtherin
thisarticle.
Theaquariumnitrogencycleissimplyputthe
methodbywhichdiffusionfromthegillsofthe
fishandtheirwastes,aswellasother
decomposingorganicmatter(suchasuneaten
fishfood)isconvertedfromAmmoniaor
AmmoniumtoNitritestoNitrates.
ThenNitratesaretheneitherconvertedtofreenitrogen(whichisagasthatwillnotremaininthe
water)byplantsordenitrifyinganaerobicbacteria,oryouremove/loweryournitratesbywayof
regularwaterchanges,orbyusingchemicalabsorbentssuchasPurigen.
Withoutthisprocessgoingoninyouraquarium/pondthekeepingoffishorotherinhabitantswould
benearlyimpossibleasammoniaishighlytoxicinevensmallquantities(ammoniumisnot,butis
quicklyconvertedtoammoniaathigherpH),nitritesarealsotoxicalthoughnotasmuchas
ammonia.Nitratesarenottoxictomostfreshwaterfishexceptinhighamountswithlongterm
exposure(thisisnotthecaseformanysaltwaterinhabitantsthough).
Sowiththisinminditisimportanttohaveanestablishedaquariumnitrogencycleinyour
aquariumorpond.
PleasereadonasthisarticlehasalotofupdatedinformationabouttheNitrogencycle,including
CyclingMethods(andisoneofthemoreaccurateandindeptharticlesavailableontheinternet)!
Ifanysectionisdifficulttounderstand,pleasecontinuereading,asthearticlewillbecomemore
clearafterreadingasawhole,especiallyaftermultiplereadings.Thisisoneofthemostimportant,
yetmostoftenmisunderstoodaspectsofaquariumkeeping,especiallyamongnewbiessotruly
understandingthisprocessisveryimportant,andaswellnotgettingconfusedbythemany
anecdotalstatementsmadeaboutthisprocessisimportantaswell.
WhatisNitrogen?
NitrogenisanelementvitaltoalllifeprocessesonEarth.Nitrogenisveryimportantinour
biosphere,wherenitrogencomprises78%oftheatmosphere,andispartofeverylivingtissue.Itis
acomponentofaminoacids,proteinsandnucleicacids.Withtheexceptionofcarbon,nitrogenis
themostuniversalelementoflife.Lifecouldnotexistwithoutnitrogen.SeeReferenceNote.
Nitrogenisessentialfororganicdevelopmentnitrogenouscompoundsarealsorequiredbysome
organismsformetabolicfunctionsandrespiration.Unfortunately,freenitrogenintheatmosphereis
notinaformthatisusablebyplantsoranimals.Becauseofitsstablestructuralformula,itis
relativelyinertanddoesnotcombinereadilywithotherelements.
Alllivingorganisms,fromfishtoplants,havegreatquantitiesofassimilatednitrogenintheir
tissues.Nitrogenisafundamentalingredientfortheformationofproteinsandnucleicacids.Every
organismyouplaceinyouraquariumaddsnitrogenbasedcompoundsfromfishtocoral,tolive
rock,toplants.
Theintroductionoffoodalsoaddsnitrogen.Deadoralive,theyareorganicmasses,andpossessthe
samenitrogenousattributesasthefish,plants,invertebratesyouaddedtoyouraquarium.
Inorganicnitrogenisaddedtwoways:theatmosphereandnewwater.Atmosphericnitrogen(N2)is
incorporatedintoouraquariumwaterbywayofnitrogenfixingbacteriaandbyCyanobacteria
(bacteriathatobtaintheirenergythroughphotosynthesis)asammonia(NH3).SomeCyanobacteria
fixnitrogengas,whichcannotbeusedbyplants,intoammonia,nitrites(NO2)ornitrates(NO3).
Nitratescanthenbeutilizedbyplantsandconvertedtonucleicacidsandprotein.
Inorganicnitrogenouscompoundsfromourtaporwellwateralsoenterouraquarium,oftenas
NitritesorNitrates.ReverseOsmosiscanremovemuchofthis.
Formoreabouttapwater,pleaseseethisarticle:
WhatshouldIknowabouttapwaterformyaquarium?FromChlorineandChloraminesto
Phosphates
SomeTypesofBacteriaImportanttotheNitrogenCycle
OneofthemostimportantbiologicalconversionsinvolvesthetransformationofN2intoaform
readilyavailableforplants.
Specializedbacteriathatliveinsoil(Rhizobium)havethecapabilityofconvertingN2intoNH3
(ammonia)achemicalthatplantscanabsorbthroughtheirroots.Ammoniacanbeusedto
synthesizeaminoacids(Rhizobiabacteriarequireaplanthostastheycannotindependentlyfix
nitrogen).TheprocessofconvertingN2+3H2>2NH3iscalledNitrogenfixation.Thebacteriathat
performthistaskareanaerobic(nooxygenrequired).Theypossesstheenzymenitrogenase,
necessarytocatalyzethisreaction.Certainplantsdevelopanaerobicnodulesontheirrootsthat
containthenitrogenaseproducingbacteriasuchassoybeans.
AswellBlueGreenAlgae(actuallyCyanobacteria)canfixnitrogenandoftenlivesymbiotically
withsomeplantssuchisthecasewiththetinyaquaticAzollafernfoundthroughoutthetropical&
temperateregionsoftheworld.
Nitrifyingbacteriachangeammonia(NH3)ORammonium(NH4+)tonitrite(NO2)thentonitrate
(NO3).Thisisthemostimportantaspectofthenitrogencycleinanaquarium&pondandwillbe
discussedindepthasthisarticleprogresses.
Denitrifyingbacteriaconvertnitratetonitrogen(N2)gasorHydrogensulfideundercertain
conditionsinaquariumsorponds.Denitrifyingbacteriaareanaerobic,meaningtheyareactive
whereoxygenisabsent.Thisprocessisalsoimportanttoaquariums&ponds(especiallymarine
reefaquariums)andwillbediscussedindepthasthearticleprogresses.
Reference:HydrogenSulfideabiproductofanaerobicdenitrification
AnotherlargegroupofbacteriaareActinomycetesthatgrowbranchingfilamentouscells(hyphae)
likefungi.TheseHeterotrophicbacteriaareactiveathighpHlevels,aregenerallygrampositive
andaerobic.Actinomycetesarecommoninsoilandareresponsibleforthecharacteristicsmellof
freshlyturnedhealthysoil.Actinomycetesdecomposelargeorganicsubstrates/compoundsthatare
hardtodecomposesuchascelluloseorChitinfoundinexoskeletonsofcrustaceans.
Fungi/SaprolegniaaremoreimportantindegradingthesecompoundsatlowpH.
Reference:Fungus,SaprolegniainAquariums,Ponds
OTHERORGANICWASTE
Ithinkitisimportanttoexplainthatnotallorganicwastecontributestothenitrogencycle,(hence
highammonia,etc.).Theimportanceofknowingthisisthatcertainorganicsmayhavelowamounts
orNOnitrogencontainingcompounds,socontrollingtheadditionofhighcontentnitrogencontaining
compoundscanbeimportantinkeepinglowernitratesinestablishedaquariumsorlower
ammonia/nitritesinlessestablishedaquariums(oraquariumsthathavehadtheirbiocycling
processinterrupted).
Allplantandanimalscontainproteins(aminoacids)andlipids,ofwhichvaryingamountsofnitrogen
atomsarecontaineddependingonthemoleculeinquestion.
HOWEVERsugars,carbohydrates(starches)andmostfats(fatsareaformoflipids,generally
withoutnitrogenatomsthough)donotcontainnitrogenatomsandthereforeCANNOTdirectly
contributetothenitrogencycleofyouraquariumorpond(bacteriathatfeedontheseoilscan
multiplyandindirectlyaffectammonia/nitrites/nitrates).
Aswelldifferentanimalandplantmatterhavevaryingamountsofnitrogencontainingmolecules
(withplantsingeneralcontaininglessthananimals).Thefewlipidsthatcontainnitrogenatoms
generallyhavefew,andareoftenlessofafactoraswell.
Itisnoteworthythatwhilethesethesesugars,carbohydrates,andfatsdonotcontributetothe
nitrogencycle,thesedocontributetotheaquariumbioload,albeittoalesseramountthannitrogen
containingorganics.
See:AquariumBioLoad
Withthisinmind,morefishequalsmorenitrogencompoundsreleasedintoanaquarium/pond,as
wellhigherproteinfoodssuchasshrimpwillalsoaddmorenitrogencompounds.
Whileplants,evendecomposingplantsgenerallyreleasefewernitrogenbearingcompoundsthana
decomposingfishorfishwaste.Socontrollingthesemoleculesviafishnumbersvs.plantnumbers
anddietisimportantevenforanestablishedaquarium(soastocontrolnitrates).
Hereareafewchemicalformulasforexample:
*Glycerolabasicsugarandacentralcomponentofmanylipids:C3H5(OH)3
*Glucoseacommonsugar:C6H12O6
*alphaLinolenicAcid,afatShortchainomega3fattyacid:
CH3CH2CH=CHCH2CH=CHCH2CH=CH(CH2)7COOH
*Psychosine,alipidintermediateinthebiosynthesis:C24H47NO7
*Leucine,anessentialaminoacid(protein):C6H13NO2
Furtherreference:http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/mole00/mole00027.htm
NITRIFICATION:
Whenanorganismdies,nitrogenismovedfromplant
oranimalintotheinorganicchemicalammoniabythe
processofbacterialdecay.Ammoniaisalsoproduced
bybacteriainthebreakdownofprotein.Thisprocess
iscalledMineralizationandistheendresultofthe
metabolismoffood.
However,ammoniaisproducedfrombothmetabolism
andmineralization.Thedecomposition
(mineralization)processproduceslargequantitiesof
ammonia(NH3)throughtheprocessof
ammoniafication.
Heterotrophicmicrobes(organismsthatrequire
organicsubstratestogetitscarbonfortheirgrowth
anddevelopment)utilizetheorganiccompoundsof
decomposingmatterastheircarbonsource.Ammonia(NH3)isthebyproductofthisconsumption.
Theprocessofnitrogencyclewasoncethoughttobeacompletelinearprocess,howevernewer
scientificevidence(2008)indicatesotherwise.
Newerresearchindicatesthattherearethreemoredynamicprocessesinvolvedinouraquarium
nitrogencycle,inparticularmarineaquaria.
IhavenoticedthisinmymanybothanecdotalobservationsaswellastestsIhaveperformedwhere
manyvariableswerechanged,especiallyduringtheestablishmentofanewtanksbiofilter(adding
plantsearlyonbeingone),sothisnewsciencebasedtheoryreallyhelpsexplainthis:
Ammoniumoxidationbyaparticulargroupofmicroorganisms,thearchaeabacteria
(AOA)
ThisincludestheNitrosopumilusmaritimus,whichwasisolatedfromthewaterofaquarium.
N.maritimusischemoautrophic:asamatteroffactitgrowswithbicarbonateastheonly
sourceofcarbonsinceorganiccarboninhibitsitsgrowth.ThesebacteriumconvertNH4+in
NO2(greenlineindiagram)
Theanaerobicreductionofnitratestoammonium(DNRA)
TheDNRAreactionisfoundinanoxicsediments.ThisinvolvesbacteriaoftheThioplocaand
Thiomargaritaspecies.Theyareabletoreducenitratetoammoniumpassingthroughnitrite
asanintermediarycompound(bluelineindiagramtotheaboveleft)
Theanaerobicoxidationprocessesofammonium(ANAMMOX)
ANAMMOXbacteriaarecapableofoxidizingammoniumtogaseousnitrogen(N2)byusing
nitriteaselectronacceptor,insteadofoxygen(orangelineinthediagram)
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BacktothemoreBasic/TraditionalExplanation:
Ammonia,initsneutralstate,existsasammonium(NH4+).Ammonium(NH4)is
formedbytheprotonation(theadditionofaProton(H+)tothemolecule.
DuringthisprocessofprotonationNH3(whichisabase)convertsintoaweakacid(an
acidwhichhasthetendencytolose,or"donate"ahydrogenion,alsoknownasa
BrnstedLowryacid.ThistendencytodonateahydrogenionishowNH4converts
backtoNH3aspHrises.ProductssuchasPrimeblockthisprocess,maintainingthe
extrahydrogenion.
PLEASENOTEthatproductssuchasPrimeorAmquel+shouldnotbeoverusedduring
theinitialcyclingprocessofanaquariumorpond(usesparinglyasperdirections,no
morethanonceper24hours).
ProductResource:SeaChemPrime
Ammoniaisassimilatedinmorethanoneway.Plants(suchasHornwort)andalgaecan
assimilateammoniaandammoniumdirectlyforthebiosynthesis.
Theremainingbulkofdecomposedbyproductsareutilizedbybacteriainaprocesscalled
nitrification.FortunatelyAmmoniadoesnotlastlonginahealthyaquariumenvironment.
NitrifyingbacteriasuchasNitrosomonasquicklybreakdownammoniaintolesstoxicNitrite(NO2).
Duringthisprocess,specificspeciesofnitrifyingbacteriastriptheammoniumofitshydrogen
moleculesasanenergysource.
Oxygenmoleculesarethenaffixedtothestrippednitrogen,formingtheoxidenitrite(NO2).
Anothergroupofbacteria(similartoNitrobacterinfunction)utilizetheenzymenitriteoxidasethat
isthenresponsibleforconvertingnitriteintonitrate(NO3).Thisnitratecaneitherbeusedbyplants
asanutrientsource,orcanbefurtherbrokendownintonitrogengas(N2)throughtheactivityof
anaerobicbacteriasuchasPseudomonas.
Itshouldbenoted,thatwithoutoxygen(nitrificationisanoxidativeprocess),noneofthisprocess
cantakeplace.
Whatarenitrifyingbacteria?
There'salotofconfusionamongaquaristsaboutnitrifyingbacteria.Thisisdueinlargeparttothe
recentemergenceofawidevarietyofbacterialproductsclaimingtobenitrifyingaids.
Mostoftheseproducts(alldryproductsinparticular)actuallycontainspeciesofHeterotrophic
bacteriafromthegeneraBacillus,Pseudomonas,Escherichia,andothers(asthesebacteriaare
mucheasierpackagedwithareasonableshelflifeundernormalconditions/roomtemperatures).
Althoughafewbetter"sealed"(forshelflife)cyclingproductssuchasSeaChemStabilitycontain
facultativebacteriawhichcanliveinbothoxygenandnonoxygenenvironments(afurther
explanationisprovidedlater).
ProductResource:Stabilitywithencapsulatedoxygen
AutotrophicBacteria
TruenitrifyingbacteriaareAutotrophicandconsideredtobethose
belongingtothefamilyNitrobacteraceaewhoseenergysourcesare
derivedfromthechemicalconversionofammoniatonitrite,or,nitriteto
nitrate(Autotrophicbacteriaareorganismsthatproducecomplexorganic
compoundsfromsimpleinorganicmolecules).
Theyrequireoxygen,utilizemostlyinorganic(withoutcarbon)compoundsastheirenergysource,
andrequirecarbondioxide(CO2)fortheirsourceofcarbon.InthecaseoftheNitrobacteraceae
theseenergysourcesarederivedfromthechemicalconversionofammoniatonitrite,or,nitriteto
nitrate.
ThedesiredAutotrophicaerobicbacteriaofnitrifyingbacteriaarepresenteverywhere(e.g.,inthe
air),oxygenandatleastsomemoistureispresent(notinareasvoidofoxygen).
Itisimportanttonotethatalthoughthedesirednitrifyingspeciesofbacteriaareallaroundus,
theydonotreadilystoreinsealedoxygenfreecontainers(dyingorgoingdormantwithoutoxygen
tothepointoflongperiodstorevive)ittakessometimeforthesparseairbornnitrifyingbacteria
topopulateanaquariumorpond,sodonotexpectthesebacteriatomagicallypopulateyour
aquariumovernight,evenarestartedaquariumwillneedtoberepopulated(pleaseseecycling
methodsfurtherdowninthearticle).
Someammoniaoxidizingbacteriacanrevivemorequicklythanothers.
After342daysofammoniastarvation,theAOBN.europaea,wasshowntohaveanimmediate
responsetotheadditionofammoniaasmeasuredbynitriteproduction,withoutinitialprotein
synthesis.
Reference:MolecularAnalysisofAmmoniaOxidationinNaturalEnvironments
Whilethesenitrifyingbacteriahavebeenshowntobegramnegativemyresearchandthatofmy
mentor(Dr.JohnHerzog)haveshownthesebacteriatoreacttogrampositivetreatmentssuchas
Erythromycinandnotasmuchtogramnegativeantibiotics(suchasKanamycin).
Thereasonforthisobviouscontradictionoffactsisunknownhoweveroneexplanationgiventome
is:"biofilms(viaexcretionofexopolymericsubstances)areabletoinhibittheefficacyofantibiotics.
Oneofthevariablestheresearchhasdiscoveredisthattheageofthebiofilmshasadirectbearing
ontheirabilitytoinhibitantibioticpenetration.Inaddition,anygivenbiofilmmayinhibitonetypeof
antibioticwhiletheywillnothaveasimilareffectanadifferentantibiotic".
Forthisreason,aquariumkeepersneedtobecarefulwhentreatingwithmedicationsthatare
primarilygrampositivesuchasErythromycin(Maracyn),Ampicillin,orPenicillin.Ihavealsofound
TetracyclineHydrochloridetobeharshonnitrifyingbacteriaaswell.
Iwillalsonotethatmostantibioticscanbeharshonanewlyestablishedbiofilter,soplease
considerthisfactwithatankunder8weeksofage(unlessseededwithestablishedfiltersfrom
anotheraquarium).
From:TheKribErythromycinvsBlueGreenAlgaeashortarticle:
"AlthoughtheinstructionsonthepackagespecificallystatethatMaracyndoesnotaffect
NitrosomonasandNitrobacterbacteria(thoseresponsibleforthenitrogencycleinthetank),I
immediatelynoticedariseinammonialevels.Thedepletionofnitrifyingbacteriabyerythromycinis
alsoreportedin\cite{Dixo92}."
Anotherpointofdisagreementaboutthesebacteria,basedonmyassertionsincemostaquarium
diseasesaregramnegative(especiallymarine),diseasessuchasVibrio,Columnaris,Pseudomonas,
AeromonasandtheirresultingtreatmentwithantibioticssuchasKanamycinorNitrofurazone(which
areprimarilygramnegative)willNOTinterferewiththenitrifyingcyclingprocesswhenused
correctly.
AnothercommonlyusedproductforaquariumIchinfestationisMalachiteGreen,despitesome
commonanecdotalcommentsMalachiteGreen,aswellasCopperSulfateDONOTaffectnitrifying
bacteria(pleaseseereferencesbelow).
Seethisarticle:AquariumMedicationsPart3,MalachiteGreen
Wehaveammoniaoxidizersandnitriteoxidizersinbothfresh&saltwater:
NitrosomonasRelatedofwhichN.europaeaismostprevalent(SW),
Nitrosococcus(SW)
NitrospiraRelatedBacteria,whichN.marina&N.moscoviensisarethemostprevalentfor
bothNOB&AOB(FW)
Nitrococcusmobilis(SWnitriteoxidizers)
Nitrospina(SWnitriteoxidizers)
KEY:
AOB="AmmoniaOxidizingBacteria"
NOB="NitriteOxidizingBacteria"
Speciesofmarinenitrifyingbacteriaaredifferentfromthosethatpreferfreshwater,andyet,are
verycloselyrelated.
HeterotrophicBacteria
HeterotrophicBacteriaareanorganismthatrequiresorganicsubstratestogetitscarbonfor
growthanddevelopment.Somearestrictlyaerobic,butmanyarefacultativeanaerobes(theycan
surviveineitherthepresenceorabsenceofoxygen).
HeterotrophicBacteriaaregenerallyfoundinmostoverthecounteraquariumcyclingproducts
(especially"SludgeRemovers")duetotheirportabilityandquickactivity.
Heterotrophscanbeeithergrampositive(ex:Bacillus)orgramnegative(ex:Pseudomonas)which
inthecaseofPseudomonasmanygramnegativeaquariumtreatments(suchasKanamycin)canbe
effectiveagainstPseudomonaswhilenotharmingtrueAutotrophicnitrifyingbacteria.
Anotherpointisgrowth(whichiswhyHeterotrophicbacteriaarefavoredforcyclingproducts)
nitrifying(Autotrophic)bacteriawilldoubleinpopulationevery1524hoursunderoptimalgrowth
conditions.Heterotrophicbacteria,ontheotherhand,canreproduceinaslittleas15minutesto1
hour.
Unfortunatelyresearchhasshownthatuptoonemilliontimesmoreoftheseheterotrophicbacteria
arerequiredtoperformacomparablelevelofammoniaconversionthatisattainedbytrue
autotrophicnitrifyingbacteria,inpartduetothefactofHeterotrophicBacteriatoconvertmany
organicsintofood.
TheuseofonlyHeterotrophicBacteriatocycleanaquarium(orpond)canresultinabio
environmentthatdoesnotcontainthenecessaryAutotrophicnitrifyingbacteriatorapidlyadaptto
changesinbioloadeitherfromaddedfish,wastes,orsimilarthusoftenresultinginsuddenspikes
inammoniaornitriteswhentheseHeterotrophicbacteriacyclingproductsarenotaddedinatimely
orregularschedule!Theotherdangeriscloudywater.
ForthisreasonproductsthatcontainonlyHeterotrophicBacteriasuchas"HagenCycle"oreventhe
popularEcoCompleteplantedsubstrateSHOULDBEAVOIDEDinsomeaquariums!Asasidenote,in
ahealthyestablishedaquarium,theuseofEcoCompletelikelywillnothaveamajorimpactonthe
aquariumbiofilter,howeverifthebioloadisincreasedsuddenlyafteruse,thiscouldleadtocloudy
waterorspikesinammonia.
LowpHandNitrificationImportant
ItisalsonoteworthythattheprimarynitrifyingbacteriaareaffectedbypH.
NitrificationinvolvingAOB&NOBbacteriaisdifferentatpHlevelsofabove7.0versusbelow6.0.
ToxicAmmonia(NH3)changestoammoniumunder6.0andammonium(nontoxicNH4)switches
backtotoxicNH3over7.0
Whatisimportant,isnitrificationratesarerapidlydepressedasthepHisraisedabove7.0frompH
levelsunder6.0untilthenitrificationprocessreestablishesitselfatthehigherpH
Thecauseofthischangeinthenitrificationprocessisstillnotclearlyunderstood.
From:HighRateNitrificationatLowpHinSuspendedandAttachedBiomassReactors
"(i)thefeedingsolutioncontainedonlyinorganicsaltsandnodirectorganicsubstratetosupport
substantialheterotrophicgrowth"
Fromtheabovearticleandquote,IwouldpostulatethatachangeinHeterotrophicbacteriaalong
withpossibleRedoxReactionsorlackthereof(alowpHbelow6.0isveryoxidizingwithlittle/no
reductionwhichforthisreasonaloneisnotahealthyenvironment.
Aswell,Autotrophicbacterialadaptationsmaybepartofthisprocessandwhythereisan
interruptioninnitrificationfromchangesinpHandbetweenNH3&NH4.
SincetypicalrealworldaquariumenvironmentsinvariablyaregoingtocontainHeterotrophic
bacteria(fromfishfoodwaste,etc.)andthesetestsseemedtolockouttheseHeterotrophic
bacteria(usingonlyammoniumchloride),thisbacteriummightbepartofthecause.
FurtherpH/NitrificationInformation:
Duringthenitrificationprocesscarbonatesareusedbytheaquariumorpondtocounteracids
producedduringnitrification(orotherorganicbreakdown),howeverwithoutanadequateKH(even
forAmazonRiverFishsuchasDiscusorGermanRams),subtleorevensuddenchangesinpHcan
occurthataffectsthenitrogencycle
References:
AquariumChemistrypH
KeepingalowpH/KHcanbeadoubleedgedswordwherebyasimpleproceduresuchasawater
changewithslightlyhigherpHwatercanresultinanimmediateconversionofammonium(NH4)to
deadlyammonia(NH3)withdisastrousresults.
ThislowpH,poornitrifyingenvironmentalsoeasilyallowsforthegrowthofpathogenic
Fungi/SaprolegniaandadepressedRedoxbalance.
SeeReferences:
Fungus,SaprolegniainAquariumsorPonds
AquariumRedoxBalance
FurtherReferencesforthePreviousSection:
1.Affectsofchemicalsonthebiofilter
2.autotroph
3.http://faq.thekrib.com/begincycling.htmlorhttp://www.cs.duke.edu/~narten/faq/cycling.html
4.Whatarebacteria?
5.My"Testsandobservations"wereviaaquariumswithnew&establishedbiofiltersaswell
withvariousfilters(theseincluded,UnderGravel,Canister,Sponge,Fluidized,HangOnand
combinationsthereof).Onetestshoweddestructionofbiofilterswithinoneweekwiththeuse
ofErythromycin,howeverlargermoreefficientbiofilterssuchasFluidized,Sponge,and
Canistershowedlessdestructionandaquickerrecovery.
Afewkeypointsaboutammonia:
AmmoniaintheformoftoxicNH3commonlyfoundinaquariumsfromwastes(Animaland
plant)willconverttoNH4(whichismuchlesstoxic)inapHofaround6.4orless.
Thesymptomsofammoniapoisoningcanoftenappearasadiseaseoractuallyallowa
diseasesuchasAeromonasinfectionstoestablishinthefishunderstressfromammonia
poisoning.Themostcommonsymptomofammoniapoisoningisrapidrespiration(oftennear
thesurface),followedbyflaredorabnormallyredgills.Prolongedexposuretoevenmoderate
levelsofammonia(ornitrites)canresultinfindeteriorationandlossofcolor.Thisis
noteworthy,asmanyaquaristswilltreatforfinrotorotherdiseaseswhentheproblemis
eitherdirectlyammoniapoisoningoraresultofammoniapoisoning.Suchtreatmentswill
usuallyfailandoftenmakethesituationworseasdumpinginmedicationstosolvean
ammoniapoisonissuewilloftenexacerbatetheproblemfurther(theuseofproductssuchas
PrimetoxicammoniareducerareOKasatemporarysolutiontotheproblemofhigh
ammonia)
Surfaceagitationcancausesomeammoniaionstoevaporate,butnotquicklyenoughtobe
significanttoahealthyaquarium.Theammoniacommonlyfoundinaquariumsshouldnotbe
confusedwithammoniacarbonateusedincookingwhichmorereadilyevaporatesnorshould
anaquaristconfusetheprocessofevaporationinacoolingsystemcommonlyusedinRV
refrigeratorswhichheatstheammoniaforevaporationandcooling(thissystembasically
worksbyheatinganhydrousammoniatoevaporateitthentheammoniacondensesandcools
andtheprocessstartsoveragain).
ToxicNH3ammoniacanberemoveordetoxifiedbyproductssuchasPrime,AmmoLock,or
Amquelbutthisisashorttermsolutiontoproperbiofiltration.
ItisNORMALinahealthyaquariumwithanestablishednitrogencyclefortheammonialevels
tospiketo.25ppmandoccasionallyto.5duetogenerallynormaloscillationsinthebioload
oftheaquarium.ThisisduetothefacttheAutotrophicnitrifyingbacteriadonotimmediately
respondtothesechangeswastesinthewatercolumn.
DENITRIFICATION:
Denitrificationistheprocessbywhichmicroorganismsconvertnitrate(NO3)tonitrogengas(N2).
Intermsoftheglobalnitrogencycle,denitrificationservestobalancenitrogenfixationbyremoving
fixednitrogen(ratherthansupplyingit)tothebiosphere.
Mostdenitrifyingbacteriaareheterotrophic(suchasParacoccusdenitrificansandvarious
pseudomonads),utilizingorganiccarbon,hydrogenorhydrogensulfideaselectrondonorandnitrate
aselectronacceptor.Theelectrondonorisoxidized(toCO2,waterorsulfate)andnitrateis
contemporaneouslyreducedtodinitrogengas(N2).
Denitrifyingbacteriarequireasourceofreductant(energy)andasourceofoxidant(nitrate).
Reference:AquariumRedoxBalanceReductant
Thisprocesscantakeplaceinanenvironmentofverylimitedoxygenbyanaerobicbacteria.This
processismorecommoninMarineaquariaandtakesplaceinfine#00sand,liverock,or
aquariummud.
InfreshwateraquariumsthisprocessoftenproducespotentiallydangerousHydrogenSulfide,butby
maintaininganoxygenlevelabove1ppm,thiscanbeavoided.Plantsrootsaregreatfor
maintainingthisbalanceofoxygeninthegravelforproperNitrateremovalbyallowingverysmall
amountsofoxygenintothesubstratewhichpromotesnitrogenreductionoversulfurreduction
(whichoccursinsubstratewith0oxygen).
Asageneralization,aerobicnitrificationtakesplaceinthetop12
inchesofsubstrate(deeperincoursersubstrate,ormoreshallowin
finesand).Whilenitrogenfixinganaerobicbacteriaoxidizenitratesin
anareaof24inchesofsubstrate(againdeeperforcoursemedia,
moreshallowforfinesand).FinallySulfurfixinganaerobicbacteria
thatproducehydrogensulfidesgenerallyliveinsubstrateover34
inchesindepth.
Thisgeneralizationcanverybysubstratesize,amountofplantrootsanddepththereofaswellas
howdeepcertainworms,copepodsdigintothesubstrate.Useofairlinedeepundersandbedsover
56inchesthatproductsverylimitedandcontrolledbubblescanallowformoredenitrificationwhile
furtherlimitingsulfurreduction.
Thepicturetotheleft/abovedisplaysthisgeneralizationwhereaerobicnitrification,anaerobicde
nitrification,andanaerobicsulfurreducingoccursbasedonsubstratedepthandsubstratesize(fine
tocoarse).Pleaseclicktofurtherenlarge.
Itisalsonoteworthythatmanypremiumaquarium/pondcyclingaidsorwastedigesterssuchas
SeaChemStabilityorAPIPondCarePondZymecontainanaerobicheterotrophicbacteriaandcanbe
usefultoaddduringspikesinthebioloadofanaquariumorpondtoaidinnitratereductionand
lowerincidenceofHydrogenSulfideproductionfromdecayingorganicwastes(whichcanalsoaffect
waterclarityandalgaeblooms).
TheproductionofHydrogenSulfideinaquariums(bothsaltandevenmoresofreshwater)isa
controversialsubject,oftenwithunclearanswersastowhetheranaerobicdenitrificationis
beneficialinfreshwaterduetothePOSSIBLEproductionofHydrogenSulfide.
Withthemostcurrentresearch(althoughadmittedlynotconclusiveinmyview),youCANhave
anaerobicdenitrificationandNOThavedangerouslevelsofHydrogenSulfideproduced.Atelltale
signofHydroSulfideproductionisblackareasinthedeepareasofsandorsubstrate,whether
freshwater,marine,orespeciallyponds.TherotteneggodorisanothersignalthoughasHydrogen
Sulfidelevelsintheairincrease,researchhasshownthathumansolfactorysensestendtoblockout
thesmell.
OnekeytoallowdenitrificationwithoutproductionofHydrogenSulfideistoallowsomeoxygen
penetrationofthesubstrateandaswell.Insaltwateraquariums,worms,copepods,etcoftenhelp
performthiswork.Infreshwater,plantrootsachievethiswellandalsoremoverawammoniaas
wellasnitrates.
Carefulvacuuming(orevensubstratestirring)canalsohelp,althoughinadeepsandbedexcessive
"deep"vacuumingcanreleasehydrogensulfidethatwouldotherwisebeharmlesslytrappedinthe
deepestareas(generallyover4inches).
FurtherResources
1.HydrogenSulfideproductioninanaerobicDeNitrificationforAquarium/PondNitrate
Removal
2.AquariumAnswersNitrates
3.AquariumBioload
BIOFILTRATION:
Naturecanpackalotofbacteriaintosmallplaces,whichistotheadvantageoftheaquarist.For
bacterialgrowth,allthatisrequiredisammoniaandoxygenatedwater.Thisisthebeginningofthe
nitrogenprocessandthegrowthofbacterialcolonies.
Waterwillfollowthepathofleastresistance,soifyourfilterorgravelhasabuildupofnon
nitrifyingbacterialslimeorispackedtotightly,nitrificationwillnotbeachieved.
Relativelynewscientificevidenceshowsnitrifyingbacteriatobestickyandadherestothesurfaces
likeglue(usingexopolymericsubstances),soagitationoffiltermediawhenrinsing(notapwater),
orvacuumingofgravelwillnotdestroythesecolonies.
Thisiswhywaterexchangesbetweenanestablishedaquariumandanew(nonestablished)
aquariumusuallyareineffectiveforcyclingaquariums,whychangingwaterduringcyclingwillnot
harmthebacteria(maybeonlycutbackonfoodforthebacteriainthewatercolumn),andwhy
themythofUVSterilizerskillingbeneficialbacteriaisjustthat,amyth.
Rememberyouneedoxygen(57ppmdissolvedoxygen)andalotofsurfaceareaforbacterial
colonies.Wet/dryfilters,spongefilters,ceramicmedia,andlooselypackedupperlayersofgravel
areallsourcesforbacterialaccumulation.Ifthereisnotadequatesurfaceareainoxygenatedareas
filtermediaorgravel,nitrificationwillbepoor.
HowevertheoxygenaspectiswhereoldanecdotalinformationhasresurfacedontheInternet.
BesidestheBioWheelDIYbiofiltershavepoppedupinInternetforumsandvideos(thesehave
beenaroundbeforeinsomeformoranotherlongbeforetheInternet).
Theonlyproblemwiththeseideas,ascleverastheymayseemisthattheyoperatesunderthe
falseassumptionthatanaquariumcannotsupplyadequateoxygentoafiltersuchasaCanister
Filter,SpongeFilter,orFluidizedFilter.
ThissaidIfthisweretrue,whywouldSpongeFiltersandFluidizedfiltersbeatBioWheelsin
headtoheadteststhatincludedresponsetoincreasedwaste?Aswellsuch"biofilters"cannot
maintainanaerobicfiltrationnecessaryinmarinereefaquariums(norcanSpongeorFluidized
either,butthesearenotsoldforthisaspectoffiltrationeither).
Asnotedearlier,BioWheelsareverypopular,butinmytestsinmy
maintenancebusinesstheyareVASTLYoverrated.Theytendto
accumulatehardwaterdepositsandstopandevenwhentheyare
workingmytestshaveshownlittledifferenceinaquariumswhen
theyareremovedascomparedtoSpongefiltersorFluidizedFilters.
OthersuggestionsincludePreFiltersandliverock/liverockcrumbles
sumpfilters(inMarineAquariums).
Reference&ProductLinks:
BioWheelsReview
HydroSpongeAquariumFilter
TMCV2PremiumFluidizedSandBedAquariumFilter
FilterMaxPremiumPreFilters
Canisterfilterscanalsobegoodsourcesfornitrificationaslongasthepropermediaisused(such
asceramicringsORBETTERvolcanicrockorSeaChemMatrix)andthemediaisnotpackedtootight
andisrinsedregularly.
See:SeaChemMatrix
BioFiltrationduringuseofMedicationsinAquariums:
Duringtheuseofmedications,inparticulargrampositiveantibiotics/antimicrobialsyouraquarium
(orponds)importantaerobicnitrifyingfilterbedmaybedamagedoroutrightdestroyed.However,
themajorityofaquariumfishdiseasesaregramnegative,sousingmedicationssuchasKanamycin
aremuchlesslikelytodamageyouraquariumsbiofilterbedwhenusedproperly,includingwater
changespriortoeachtreatment.
SeeexpandedinformationaboutKanamycin:AquariumMedicationsAntibiotics,Kanamycin
Sometimesitisnecessarytotreatwithwidespectrum(mixedantibiotictreatments)orstronggram
positiveantibioticssuchasErythromycinforunknownproblemsordiseasessuchasStreptococcus
orEyeInfections.
InthiscaseIstronglyrecommendhavingseveralseeded(seasoned/aged)biofilters/mediasuch
asspongefilters,grids,foaminserts,evengravelinhighflowareastoaddtotheaquariumunder
treatmentevery34days(allthewhilemonitoringammonialevels),withonefinalplantofthis
seasonedfiltermedia2daysafterthelasttreatment.Aswell,theuseoffacultativebiobacterial
aidsduringtreatmentarestronglysuggested.
ProductssuchasSeaChemStabilityshouldbeaddedapproximately12hoursaftereachmedication
treatment/dosingtoaidinmaintainingyourbiofilter.
FurtherReferenceInformation:
AquariumMedicationsAntibiotics,Erythromycin
Streptococcus,EyeInfections
Althoughsystemictreatmentofadisplayaquariumisoftennecessary,whenpossible,treatmentin
aquarantinetankwillavoidtheaboveprobleminthefirstplace.
Pleaseseethisarticleforfurtherinformationaboutmedications:Aquarium
Medications/Treatments
SUMMARYOFLEVELS
Inhealthyaquariumammoniaandnitritesshouldbeat0ppmInahealthyfreshwateraquarium
Nitratesshouldbe1550ppm(below15ppmisnothealthyforplantedfreshwateraquariums).
InahealthySaltwaterfishaquariumnitratesshouldbebelow40ppm.InahealthyMarineReef
aquariumnitratesshouldbebelow20ppm(orevenless,manyreefkeepersaimforlessthan10
ppm).
METHODSOFAQUARIUMCYCLING:
FISHLESSCYCLING
Manyassociatefishlesscyclingwiththepureammoniamethod,howeverfishlesscyclingisANY
methodthatdoesnotintroducefishimmediatelyoruntiltheaquariumhasgonethruthenitrogen
cycle.Inotherwords,theammoniaandnitriteshavegoneupthenbackdownwhichcantakefrom
10toaslongas45daysdependingonmethodtanksizeandtemperature.Iwillnotethatmethod
one(ifdoneproperly)rarelyresultsinanammoniaandnitritespike,thisiswhyitismypreferred
methodWHENpossible.
IdoNOTrecommendaddingstarterorcyclingfishtostartyournitrogencycleforeither
freshwaterorsaltwater.
Finally,beforeIjumpintodifferentcyclingmethods,Iwouldliketonotethattestingyourand
keepingajournalofyourwaterparametersduringthecyclingprocess(aswelllateron,butnotat
asfrequentofintervals)isimportantinmyopinionandwillhelpyounotesubtlechanges.The
frequencyisamaterofpreference/experience,butIwouldrecommendatleasteveryotherdayfor
beginners(generallymoreadvancedaquaristscanrecognizesignsandperformcyclingasaroutine
thatrequireslesstesting).
Thesetestsincludethemoreobviousammonia/nitrite&nitrate,butalmostasimportantisthe
testingofKH/pHascarbonatesareusedupduringthecyclingprocessandthiscanresultinpH
dropsthatcanseriouslyslowthegrowthofnitrifyingbacteria.
Referenceforfurtherinformation:AquariumChemistry
[1]SeasonedFilterMedia:
Mypreferredcyclingmethodistotransferfiltermedia.
SpongesworkwellasAutotrophicnitrifyingbacteriatendtoclingto
spongemediainhighquantitiesandspongemediaiseasilytransferred,
althoughfloss,ceramicmedia,volcanicrock,etc.arealsofinefroman
establishedaquariumandpossiblyalongwithsomegravel,then
introducethefishSLOWLYafter37days.
Seeproductlinks:NiroxCeramicbiologicalmedia&Volcanicrock
BiologicalAquariumandPondFilterMedia
Themethodofaddingagedor"seasoned"mediaismuchfaster(you
stillhavetotakeitslow,butthiswiththismethodsomefishcanand
shouldbeintroducedimmediately),andprovidesallthenecessary
bacteria,theonlynegativeisaddingdiseasepathogenstoyour
aquarium,butIhaverarelyencounteredthisproblem.Topreventthis
transferofdiseasepathogensandparasites,onlyuseamediasource
wherenonewfishhavebeenaddedin30days,ALLwaterparameters
aregood,andifpossiblehasUVSterilization(althoughnotnecessary).
Itisalsoimportanttonotewiththismethodthatyoudonotrinsefiltermedia/gravelpriorto
additiontothenewtank(especiallynotwithtapwaterwhichcankillthenitrifyingbacteria).Itis
importanttoNOTrinsesoasretainsomeoftheorganicsnecessarytofeedthebacteria,
especiallywhilefisharenotpresent.ItshouldalsobenotedthattrueAutotrophicnitrifyingbacteria
secreteagluelikesubstance(asnotedelsewhereinthisarticle)thatallowthebacteriatoclingto
filtermedia/surfaces,somerelysqueezingspongesorsimilarwillNOTaddmanyofthesebacteria
toyouraquarium.
Iffisharenotaddedbefore37days,Isuggestaddingasmallamountoffishfoodtofeedyour
growingbacterialcolonies.Iwillalsonotethatthe37daysseemsabitvague,howeverthiscan
varyduetotemperature,amountofbacterialseed,andotherfactors,soIwouldnotbeoverly
concernedabouttheexacttimingasIhaveaddedfishassoonas2daysandaslongasoveraweek
withnoproblems.
Formarinetankstheuseofseasonedorcuredliverockservethispurposequitewell.
IrecommendthismethodevenmorewithMarinetanksusingseasoned(cured)liverockand/orlive
sandaswellasfiltermedia.InMarinetanksIstillprefertoaddedagedmedia(notessential,but
stillbetter)alongwith12lbs(2.24.4kg)CUREDliverockpergallon(approx.4liters).
Thismethod(addedmedia)willgiveyoumoreinstantbiobacterialcoloniesandthisismethodthat
isusedbyfarthemostbytheprofessionalaquariummaintenancecommunity(whichneedsfaster
moresureresultsfortheirclients),despitetheinternetpopularityofthenexttwocyclingmethods.
Alsokeepinmindthatmanypathogenssuchaspseudomonasareusuallypresentinahealthy
aquarium,butwhenfisharestressed,thefishareinpoorhealthduetopoorfeedingandlackof
properminerals,and/orwaterconditionsarelessthandesirablethesepathogenswillbe
opportunisticandcauseadiseaseinthefish.
WeusedthismethodforourAquariumMaintenancerouteforyearsandneverlostafishto
Ammoniaornitritepoisoning,anddiseasetransferwasminimal.
Itshouldalsobenotedthatwhendoneproperly,youwillrarelyseeammonialevelsrisepast.50
ppmintheagedmediamethod.
Aproductthatdoesnotnecessarilyhelpspeedupthecyclingprocessitself,butdetoxifiesthe
ammoniaandnitritesduringthisprocess,allowingforlessstressonfishwhileleavingthe
ammonia/nitritesstillbioavailabletonitrifyingbacteriaisPrime.
Seeproductlink:"SeaChemPrime"
Asanegativetotheagedbiofiltermedia,thissimplymaynotbepossibleforanewaquarium
ownerwhohasnofriendstoobtainagedfiltermediaorifonedoesnottrustaFishStores(oreven
afriend)aquariumhealthforobtainingaged/seasonedfiltermedia.Inthiscase,Iwouldrecommend
oneofthenexttwomethods.
Furtherseasonedmediacyclingmethodtips
Anammoniaspikeisnotuncommonwiththeuseofseasonedmediafortheretobeanammonia
spikewhenmorefishareadded,oftenthisspikemaytakeaseveraldaysdependingontheamount
offishaddedaswellasthebioloadthattheseasonedmediahasgrowntohandle.
Generallythisisnottoomuchofaconcern,buttheuseofPrime,cuttingbackonfeeding,and
definitelyplacingtheadditionofanyotherfish"onhold"untilthenitrifyingbacteria"catchup"with
thenewbioloadaregoodpractices.
Asanexampleofwhathappens(andthisisNOTscientific,justananalogy):
Ifsayyouaddedaspongefilterfroma20gallontankthatisfullyseededtoanother20gallontank
thatisbrandneworrestartedafterbleaching.
ThisseasonedSpongefilterforthesakeofargumentcarried50%ofthebioload,intheoryyou
couldonlystockthisnewtankto50%.
Iftheseasonedfilteronlycarried25%ofthebioloadfromthetankitwasremovedfrom,thenyou
couldonlyinitiallystockthenewtankto25%initially.
Ishouldnotethatwiththeuseofseasonedfiltermedia,generallythenitrifyingfiltermediawill
quicklycolonizetherestofthetank,sowaiting68weekstoaddmorefishisrarelynecessary(at
leastIhaveneverobservedthisinmanytrialsusingseasonedfiltermedia).
[2]AmmoniaMethod
Anothermethodisfishlesscyclingwhereunscentedpureammoniaispouredintotheaquarium.
Add35dropspergallonpureammonia)soastobringyourammonialevelto34
ppm.
Thenrepeatthisafewtimes,eachtimewaitingfortheammonialeveltogetback
to"safe"before.
Continuetoaddammoniaintotheaquariumuntiltheammonialevelgoestozero
within812hoursaftertheammoniaisputin.Aswellthenitritesshouldalsocomedownand
staydownat0.
Thisprocessusuallytakesabout36weeksfortheaquariumtocycle(whenyourammoniaand
nitriteshavedroppedto0).
However,pleasecheckyourammoniapurchasebyshakingthebottleatthestore,ifitfoamsor
bubbles,ithasdetergentsandshouldnotbeused.
Thismethodisgrowinginpopularity,howeveritisnotwithoutafewdrawbacks.
Herearesomeplusesandminusestothismethod
*Thismethoddoesnotaddactualbacteria(andisnotreallyanyquickerthanthemethodbelow:
addingfishfoodtoafishlessaquarium)andbecausehumannatureistowanttoaddfishsooner
thanthe36weeksittakesforthismethod.
*Itisstillnotasquickasmypreferredmethodabove(seededmedia,gravel,sand,liverock).
*Thismethodisespeciallydangerouswhenusedwithliverockand/orsandthathavealreadybeen
addedastheammoniawillkillmeorganismsthatresideinliverockaddingevenmoreammonia
andpollutiontoyourtankthusdefeatingthereasonforthismethod.
*Asapositive,ifpatiencecanbeobserved,thismethodisverysafewhenoneconsidersthe
possibilityofdiseasepathogenintroductionfromtheagedmediamethod(nomatterhowremotethe
risk).
*Thepureammoniamethodalsohasapositiveoverthefishfoodmethodinthatthereisnoriskof
Saprolegnia(mold)introductiontothenewaquarium(althoughtherawshrimpmethodisofvastly
higherriskforthisthanthefishfoodmethod).
*Withboththisandthedissolvedfishfoodmethod,additionofanymedicationsduringthecycling
processcanandmostoftenwillinterruptcorrectestablishmentofabiofilter
[3]FishFoodMethod
Anothermethodisthegradualadditionoffishfoodtoanotherwiseempty
aquarium(nofish).Thiscanbeaveryeffectivemeansofcyclingthatis
preferredbymanyexperiencedaquarists.Thismethodtakesaboutthesame
timeasthepureammoniamethod(26weeks,usuallyabout3).
Thisismypreferredmethodwhenagedbiomediaisnotavailable(not
everyonehasafriendorhelpfullocalfishstoretogivethemsomeaged
media).
TheonlyriskofthefishfoodmethodisthepossibilityofSaprolegnia(mold)growingonrottingfish
foodwhichcanbecomepathogenictonewfishthatwillbeintroducedlater.Thisiseasilyavoided
withafishflakefoodbypowderingitbetweenfingersbeforeintroductiontotheaquarium(shaking
fishflakefoodinacupofwatercanalsoaccomplishthis).
Thisriskisrelativelysmallandbasicallynonexistentwhenyouuseaneasilyliquefiedfishflake
food.ThisunfortunatelyisNOTthecasewiththerawshrimpmethod(recommendedbyafew
poorlyresearchedsites).
4ppmisatypicalfishlesscyclingtargetwhetherusingthefishfoodmethodorammonia.Higher(7
ppm)orlower(3ppm)isalsofineforhealthybacterialcolonygrowth(basedonmineandothersin
themaintenancecommunitiesexperience).
Regardlessoffishlesscyclingmethodchosen,thebioloadisalwaysgoingtobeinflux(higheror
lower).Whenhigherisneeded,nitrifyingbacteriadoubleinpopulationin18to24hours.Whenless
areneeded,theydiebackandareconsumedbyeachother.
*pleasenote,thatwithboththisandthepureammoniamethod,additionofanymedicationsduring
thecyclingprocesscanandmostoftenwillinterruptcorrectestablishmentofabiofilter
[4]Otherfishlesscyclingmethods
Thereareothermethodsoffishlesscyclingbeingrecommendedorusedhoweveronemethodbeing
pushedontheinternetby"cut&paste",anecdotalwebsitesandforumsistheuseofRawShrimp
howeverthisisarecycledidea(whichincludedtheuseofsilversides,frozenshrimp,andevendead
feederfish)andhasreappearedontheinterneteventhoughitwasdebunkedintheearly1990's!
Idonotrecommendthismethod,notbecauseitdoesnotworkforcycling,butbecauseitmayalso
allowaSaprolegniainfectiontogetstartedinyournewaquarium(orattheveryleast
heterotrophicbacteriawhichisnotadesirablenitirfyingbacteriaasdiscussedearlier).
Saprolegniaisamold(oftencalledafungus)thateasilygetsafootholdindecayingnitrogenous
mattersuchasrawshrimpandIhaveseenthismanytimesinmyexperiments.Evenafterthe
sourceofSaprolegniagrowthisremoved,thesecondaryzoosporeswhicharetheprimarymodeof
pathogenictransmissioncanremain,evenafterlargewaterchanges/vacuumings.
AnewtankistheworsttimetohaveaSaprolegniainfectiongetstartedasthisiswhenfishare
oftenmuchlessresistanttodiseaseduetothestressorofanewtankenvironment.
Ishouldnotebackwhenthismethodwasmakingitsroundsinpopularitythatitworkedfinein
manyinstancesandwitha100%waterchangeandvacuumingofgravelcanreducethisriskeven
further,howeversomeriskstillremainsaspermymanytestsofpathogensandaspertheoften
misunderstoodlifecycleofSaprolegnia.
PleaseReferenceforfurtherinformation:SaprolegniainAquariums
Anothernote/pointisthateventhefishfoodmethod(asnotedearlier)canallowforSaprolegniato
getafootholdinanaquariumiffoodissimplydumpedintoanaquarium,makingthismethodnot
anybetterthantheRawShrimporSilversidesmethodasitsdecaywillalsoattractSaprolegnia
(orheterotrophicbacteria),somakesuretoliquefyfishfoodpriortoadditiontoyouraquarium
whenusedforcycling.
Asafinalpoint,thisarticlehasasectiondealingwithwaterchangesandtheiraffectonpathogens
orsimilar:AquariumDiseasePreventionSection1,Cleanliness
[5]CyclingProducts
Therearemanyproductsforcyclingavailabletoo,butmostinmyexperience/testsdo
notworkwellwiththeexceptionofSeaChemStability,Fritz#7or#9,MicrobeLift
NiteOut,DrTim'sOne&Only,&possiblyBioSpira.
ProperlycaredforBioSpira(continuousrefrigerationisamust,aswellshelflifeisstill
short)orthenewerFritzZymeTurboStart#700(Freshwater)&#900(saltwater)can
beeffectiveasthesearelivealbeitveryfragileAutotrophicbacteria.
ThekeyforBioSpiraandFritzTurboStartispropercare,theshelflifeisshortand
bothmustbestoredbetween34Fand40F.Inmyopinion,theFritzproductisbetter
sinceitissolddirectwithbettercontrolofshelflife,refrigeration,andshippingtothe
endcustomer.
Fritzalsohasalessconcentratedlivenitrifyingbacteria,#7and#9,thatdoesnot
requirerefrigerationandhasamuchlongershelflife.
SinceshippingoftheTurboStarthasitsrisks,especiallyinwarmweatheraswellastheeaseof
forgettingtorefrigerateoncereceived,IprefertheFritz#7(freshwater)&#9(saltwater)even
thoughlessconcentrated.
ProductResource:FritzZyme#7fromAAP
ItisalsonoteworthythatmanyIknowintheaquaticcommunitysuchasothersinaquarium
maintenanceprofessionaswellasaquaticforumshavenothadallthatgoodofresultsintestswith
BioSpira,possiblyduetopoorstorage,etc.
MostotherproductsareHeterotrophs,whichcannottrulycycleanaquariumandareatbestuseful
forspikesinbioloadsofestablishedaquariums.
Reference:BioLoadinanAquariumorPond
Anotherproblemwithmanycyclingproductsisduetothefactthataerobicnitrifyingbacteriacling
tomediaandgravel(thishasbeenPROVENscientifically)anddonotworkwhilesuspendedin
water.Alsopoorstorageandshelflifeundoubtedlyplayaroleaswell,andpropersincestorageand
handlingcannotoftenbewellverified,thisexplainstheoftenmixedresultsespeciallywithBioSpira.
Itshouldalsobenotedthatmanyfreshwaterproductsgenerallycannotbeusedinsaltwaterorvice
versa,althoughIhavenothadthisproblemwithStability.
LiquidCycleandStressZymearejustpreservedbacteria(mostlyHeterotrophs)thataremore
usefulforoverfeedingorotherbiooverloadsinanestablishedaquarium(asaerobicbacteria
neededfornitrificationdonotstorewellinliquidformatroomtemperaturewithoutoxygen).
HonestlyinmytestsCycleorStressZymearereallyonlyusefultoaidinbreakdownofexcess
wastesfromoverfeeding,poorfiltration,etc.(Cyclecanalsobeusedasanaidtoorganic
breakdownwhilewaitingforyouraquariumNitrogenCycletogetstartedfromothermeanswhen
fisharepresent).
TheHeterotrophicBacteriawithintheseproductscanaidinthedecomposingofexcessorganic
wastehowevertheyarebasicallyuselessforactuallyseedinganaquariumandthisisaFACT.
TetraSafeStartisanothernewerproduct,thatmakesmanyclaims,butwithoutanyrealproofto
date(aswellpreviousexperiencewithmostoftheirproductsoverthelast3decadesleavesme
withLITTLEtrustofanyproductwithaTetraLabel).
Thatsaid,IknowafewpersonsItrustthathaveusedthisproduct(Ihavenot)withpoortofair
results(thoughbetterresultsthanCycleorStressZyme).Thesetestswerenotcontrolledthough,so
thesearemoreofanobservation.
AnotherproductonthemarketbyaVERYreputablecompanySeaChem,isStability.SeaChem
claimsthistobeasynergisticblendofaerobic(includingencapsulatedoxygenAutotrophs),
anaerobic,andfacultativebacteria.
Topurchase,see:SeaChemStability
WhatSeaChemprovidesisanautotrophicnitrifyingbacteriathatwouldnormallyshutdownand
becomedormantuntiloxygenandammonia/nitriteagainbecomeavailablethatnormallytakes
considerabletimetorevive(theycanlastforyearsinthisstate),thatreviverelativelyquickly.
Inthemeantimethequickactingfaculativebacteriatemporarilyactastheagentsofnitrification,
howeverfacultativebacteriaareNOTtheprimarybacteriaofnitrificationandaremostly
HeterotrophsofwhichIdiscussedthedifferencesearlierinthearticle,souseofthisproductfor
cyclingishelpful,itshouldnotbeusedasacrutchforaddingfishtooquickly.
DrTim'sOne&Only&MicrobeLiftNiteOutaresimilar,bothwith"labdeveloped"aquarium
nitrifiersthatcanbestoredatroomtemperatureinsealedbottles(althoughIpersonallydoNOT
recommendDr.Tim'sforreasonsofbusinesspractices).
OnemajorpositiveoftheseproductsoverotherproductssuchasStressZymeorMicrobeLiftthat
alsoemployHeterotrophsisthatitssynergisticblenddoesnot"dump"theseintotheaquarium/pond
thustakingoveranytruenitrifyingAutotrophsthatmaybepresent,thusitallowsforestablishment
ofyourbiofilterwhileitalsotakescareofimmediateandslowlyreleasednitrogenouswastes
('MicrobeLiftNiteOut'issimilartoStabilityasitisprimarily'aerobicencapsulatedoxygen'
Autotrophs).
MyrecommendationinthepastasitpertainstoStability&theothersimilarproductsistouseitas
anaidincyclingofnewaquariumsor(better)asaboostwhenthebioloadofanaquariumsuddenly
jumpsforwhateverreason,NOTaprimarywaytocycleyouraquarium.
HOWEVER,anewstudythatAAPhassponsored,hadresultswithacontrolledtestwhereStability
beatevenFritzZymeinresults,somethingevenIdidnotexpect,butthisiswhereaSCIENCE
BASEDEXPERIMENTTRUMPSOBSERVATIONEVERYTIME!
Hereisalinktothisstudy,pleasenotethatthedatarecordsareverywelldocumentedandthereis
nofudgingofdataaswellasissocommontoday'spoliticallyandcorporatelydrivenscience!
Experiment1CycleAids:Fritzvs.SeaChem
Ifanynonrefrigeratedcyclingproductistobeusedinanaquarium,asInotedearlier,Stability
wouldbethefirstchoiceIwouldrecommendforanaquariumthatalreadyhasfishandis
encounteringcyclingproblems(whetheranestablishedaquariumthathadaspikeinbioloadfor
whateverreasonoranewertankthathadasetbackforwhateverreason).
Morebluntly,Stability,alongwithPOSSIBLY"MicrobeLiftNiteOut",&"DrTim'sOne&Only"arethe
bestnonrefrigeratedaquarium/pondcyclingproductsavailable.HoweverIstillhavetoquestionall
theseproductswhenitcomestostorageclaims,asthereareoftenvariablessuchasheatthatare
beyondthecontrolofthemanufactureranddistributionmethods.
QuotefromafishforumabouttheuseofStability,Cycle,StressZyme
Ican'tsayenoughaboutSeachem'sStability.Itisamiracleworker.Istarteda45literEclipsetank
justafterChristmas,anditneverstabilized.Infact,after7weeks,theammoniahadrisentowell
pastthe8.0ppmonthetestcard.Theguysatthelocalfishstorecouldn'tbelieveanythingwasstill
aliveinthere,thefishguystoldmetouseheavydutydosesofCycletoclearuptheammonia,but
twoweekslaterwithnochange,Idecidedtoscrapthewholesetupandstartover.
Iwaitedaweektoputthefishbackin.Within24hours,theammonialevelhadclimbedtwocolors
onthechart,andIhadn'tevenfedthefish!Exasperated,Iwentonlinetofindasolution.ifoundlots
ofrecommendationsforBioSpira,andIwouldhaveprobablygottenitifthestorehadnotbeenout
ofit.TherewasonlyonebottleofStability,Itookithomeandaddedittomyquicklyclouding
water,andwithin24hours,80%ofthecloudinesswasgone.
Within36hourstheammonialevelhaddroppedtoalmostnormal.Icouldn'tbelievemyeyes!After
usingahalfabottleofCycleover2weekstonoavail,(dittowiththeStressZyme)thisStability
camealongandfixedwhatnooneelseseemedtobeableto!Iamonehappycamper,andIwould
recommendStabilitytoeveryone!MaireS
*NoteWithanycyclingproduct(especiallythemoreprovenproductssuchasFritzTurboStartand
Stability),itisbesttoaddtheseproductsonlywhenfoodintheformofrawammoniaorfish
wasteispresentsomyrecommendationistowaitadayortwoafteraddingfishortoaddpure
ammoniaimmediatelypriortotheseproducts.
*"Dry"CyclingProductstherearemanypoweredcyclingproductssuchasAPIPondZymeand
theaquarium"EcoBioBlock".
TheseareagainonlyHeterotrophs(duetothedryingprocess)andtheseproductsarebestused
duringtimesofbiostressorfor"sludgecleanup"(oftenfollowedbyawaterchange).
Theseproductsshouldnotbeusedonaregularbasis,otherwisenaturalhealthynitrifyingbacteria
willbe'outcompeted',resultinginanunstableaquariumorpondnitrogencycle.
PLEASEreferencethisarticleformoreinformationtobackupwhatIamsaying:
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/bacterialh.html.
[6]MarineAquariums
SeasonedLiveRockisanexcellentwaytojumpstartyourmarinetanknitrogencycle.
ByseasonedImeanliverockthathasbeeninahealthyestablishedmarine/saltwateraquariumat
least6weeks,andmorepreferably8plusweeks.Becarefulofbuyingsocalledliverockforanew
aquariumthatjustarrivedatyourlocalretaileroronline.
Thisliverockshouldlikelyalsohavesomefoodforthe
nitrifyingbacteriaaswellashealthycoloniesofNitrosococcus,
Nitrospira,&Nitrococcusnitrifyingbacteriaintheouterareas
whereoxygenatedwatercirculationcanreachthesebacteria.It
isimportanttokeepgoodcirculationaroundyourliverockwith
apowerheadorpropellerpumponceintroducedintoyournew
aquarium.
ProductResource:SeioReliableHighPerformancePropeller
AquariumPump
Iwouldpointoutthatlivesanddoesnotaddnitrifyingbacteriainsignificantamountstohelpjump
startyournitrogencyclenearlyaswellasliverockduetothefactofoxygendepthpenetration.
Alsoitshouldbenotedthatthesehighpricedbagsoflivesandcommonlysoldprimarilycontain
HeterotrophicBacteriawhichareNOTtheprimarybacteriaofnitrification.Truenitrifying
AutotrophicBacteriawillNOTlivelong(orgouselesslydormant)inasealedbagsothebestyou
willgetoutoftheseprepackagedlivesandbagsissomedenitrifyinganaerobicbacteriawhichin
myopinionisnotworththepriceandoneisbetteroffjustbuyingdry#00oolitesandformuch
less.
Thisisnottoadvocateagainstadeepsandbed,farfromit,butonlytostatethattheprimary
objectiveforthisisforanaerobicbacteriawhichresultsinNitratecontrol(notammonia/nitrites).
*AlsotheuseoflivesaltwaterisNOTbasedinanyrealscientificevidencesincenitrifyingbacteria
secretegluelikesubstancetoadheretosubstancessuchasliverockandaregenerallynotfoundin
realquantityinthewatercolumn.
*FinallyIwillnoteastodifferentcyclingmethodsIhaveusedthesedifferentmethodsinmy
Aquariummaintenanceandresearchbusinessincontrolledtestsandstillfoundthattheadded
media/sand/gravel/seasonedliverockmethodworksfastestandwiththebestresults,althoughI
havealsohadgoodresultswiththismethodcombinedwiththefishfoodmethod(donotcombine
withthepureammoniamethod).
*EffectofplantsonAquariumCycling:
Asmentionedearlier,manyplantssuchasHornwortalsoremovenitrogenouswaste.
IusuallydonotaddalltheplantsIdesireuntiltheaquariumisfullycycled(regardlessofmethod
used),whichisusually23weeks.
Theplantswillhelpcarrythewasteloadvs.anaquariumwithoutplants,infactinaheavilyplanted
aquarium,itisquitecommonfortheplantstoremoveallnitrogenouscompoundsbeforebacteria
canactuponthese,thusneutralizinganybacteriabasedbiofilter.
Ipersonallyliketoseeatleastsomebacteriaestablishitselfbeforeafullloadofplantsareadded
(butthereareotherswithhavenoproblemwithsuchamethod).Havingplantsinthebeginning
doeshelpkeepthedangersofammonia(NH3)orNitrites(NO2)frombuildingtotoxiclevels,which
allowsforaquickeradditionoffishtoyouraquarium.
Whatheavilyplantedaquariumkeepersshouldbeawareofisthatiftheplantssuddenlyshutdown
theirphotosynthesisandallnutrientuptake,thiscanresultinsuddenammoniaspikes.Thisincludes
lightfailures,medicationorcertainmedicationcombinations,oranyotherfactorthatneutralizes
plantbiofunctioning.Forthisreason,havingaseededbiofilter,evenifinanotheraquariumthat
canbemovedoverisimportant.TheAAPHydroSpongeFiltersareexcellentforsuchause.
CyclingSummary:
Waterchangesarehelpfulduringcycling,whetherfishlessorwithmethodssuchasseasonedfilter
mediathatallowforfishtobepresent.Thisisapointthatisoftenmissedduetoinaccurate
informationthatisstilldisseminatedaboutloweringbacteriainthewatercolumnorinthegravelby
performingwaterchangessinceaerobicAutotrophicnitrifyingbacteriasecreteagluelikesubstance
(pleaseseethesectionnearthebeginningofthisarticle:Biofiltration).
AtestnotedbyamemberofEverythingAquatic(unconfirmed)showedthatatankthathadsmall
waterchangesperformedcycledfasterbyoneday.(Hehad2tanksbothfishlesscycledfrom
scratch,usingammoniadropssamedoseinbothtanks.Onetankheleftaloneotherthandosing
ammonia,theotherhemaintainedlowerammonialevelswithwaterchanges).Thisshouldbetrue
foranycyclingmethodandthesewaterchangesshouldbeperformimmediatelybeforethe
introductionofanycyclingproduct,ammonia,seasonedmedia,fishfoodpuree,etc.
Anexplanationoftheseresultsisprobablyduetothefactthatwaterchangescanimproveoxygen
levelswhileremovingorganicwastedecomposition,bothofwhichhelpAutotrophicBacteriaout
competeHeterotrophicBacteria.
Pleasealsonotethatwhatevermethodyouchoosetocycleyouraquariumfromagedmedia,pure
ammonia,orBioSpirathatifyourfishareexposedtohighammoniaandnitritesforanyprolonged
period(over24hoursinmyopinion),thesefishcanandwillsufferpermanentgilldamagethatwill
causefutureproblemswithdiseaseresistanceandevenoverallaquariumhealthasthesefishmay
becomeastartingpointforopportunisticinfections,whichisanotherreasonthateitheradding
generousamountsofseasonedfiltermediawhilefisharepresentorsimplywaitinguntilthe
tank/pondiscycledisbestforthehealthoffishthatmaybesubjectedtohighammonia/nitrites.
Anotherimportantpointastotheuseofcyclingproducts,whetheritbeCycleortheoverlytouted
BioSpiraoftenaquarists(evensocalledexperts,andIhavetoadmittobeingguiltytothisat
timesmyself),willbaseanopiniononwhetheraproductormethodiseffectiveorisnoteffective
onnoncontrolledobservations.
LetmegiveanexampleIfyouaddedfishtoanoncycledaquarium,thenstartedaddingCycleto
thisaquariumandnoticedimprovedfishsurvivalandlowerammonia/nitritesyoumightassumethat
thisproductiscyclingyouraquarium,thiswouldbeawrongassumption!
Hereismyexplanation,theHeterotrophicBacteriacontainedinCyclewilldecomposesomeofthe
organics,thusloweringinitialammoniaoutput,butthisisnotactuallyseedingyouraquarium
becauseassoonasyouceaseusingthisproductyourammoniawillgorightupduetothelackof
Autotrophicnitrifyingbacteria.
ThiscanalsoevenbesaidaboutBioSpiraasitishighlypossiblefortheAutotrophicbacteriatodie
off(orgouselesslydormant)leavingtheHeterotrophicbacteriabehind(theHeterotrophicbacteria
survivemuchlongerinasealedcontainer)givingthecasualobservertheimpressionthatthe
productisperforminganactionitisnot.EventheuseofproductssuchasPrimeorAmquelPlus
(whichIhighlyrecommend)willgiveasimilarimpressionbylimitingthetoxicsideeffectsof
ammonia/nitritewhilebeingused,buttheseproductsdonotactuallycycleyouraquariumeither!
Ofcoursemyexamplealsoshowswheretheseproductscanbeusefulaswell,justdonotdependon
themforcycling.Imightalsomakethepointthatbyeitheremployingfishlesscyclingoragedfilter
media,thisshouldnevercomedowntotheuseofsuchproducts(unlessyourbiofilterhasbeen
disruptedbytheuseofgrampositivemedications,extended,powerfailures,etc.).
WHATTODOFORHIGHAMMONIAORNITRITES(whenFisharealready
present):
Stepstotemporarilyimprovehighammoniaproblems(emergencyammoniapoisoning
procedures)
Followedbystepsforamorepermanentsolution
*Changeanywherefrom20%50%watereveryotherday(oreveneverydayinseverecases)
untilyouatleastreachanammoniaornitritelevelof1ppmorless(0iswhatyouwant
eventually).
TheuseofPrimeorAmquelPlusimmediatelyaftereachwaterchangeisstronglysuggested.Also
keepinmindthatforexample2.0ppmammonia,followedbya50%waterchange,youarestillat
1.0ppm(whichiswhythePrime/Amquel+suggestion).
Hereareafewsuggestedwaterchangeamountsbasedonammoniareading(pleasenotetheseare
suggestions,notfacts):
4.0orhigherupto50%perday
2.04.0upto50%everyotherdayor25%50%perday
1.02.025%everyotherday
under1.01020%everyotherday
(Pleasenotethatammonialevelsfluctuatingfrom.25to.50arequitecommon,especially
withhigherbioloads,orduringtreatments.Majoractionstocorrectammonialevelsunder.50
ppmshouldnotbetakenratherincreasedmonitoring,useofPrimeorAmquelPlus,and
additionalsmallwaterchangesisgenerallywhatiscalledforwithammonialevelsunder.50
ppm)
HOWEVER,makesurethat100%waterchangesareNOTperformed,evenwithsmallBettabowls.
IhaveperformedMANYtestsovertheyearsthatshowedconclusivelythatammoniaspikeswould
occurassoonas1dayaftera100%waterchange.
PleaseReadthisarticleformore:
AquariumCleaningMethods(Bowls)
BeawarethatifyouraquariumhascopiousamountsofdecompositionintheabsenceofcorrectKH
BufferslikelywillresultinalowpH.ApHunder6.5willconvertmuchofyouraquariumammonia
tonontoxicNH4allthewhileslowingthenitrogencycleandthusnaturalremovalofammonia.
SoasuddenlargewaterchangethatchangesthepH,canresultinmoretoxicNH3ammonia.
Thisisnottosaythatwaterchangesarebad,buttosaylargewaterchangesintankswithpoor
buffering,highorganicpHreducingorganics,withacripplednitrogencyclecaninitiallycausemore
harmthangood.
Simplymakesureyourbufferingiswhereitshouldbe,usewaterchangesofnomorethan50%,
usePrime(orsimilarproducts),anduseSeaChemStabilitywhenammoniaishighandnecessitating
waterchanges.
Reference:AquariumChemistryKHBuffering
*UseSeaChemPrime(removeschlorine/chloramines,detoxifiesammonia&nitrite)orAmquelPlus
ortoalesserextentmanyotheroldergenerationAmmonia/NitritedetoxifierssuchAmmoLock,or
Amquel.TheseproductsdonotremoveammoniatheychangetheammoniafromhighlytoxicNH3to
lesstoxicAmmonium(NH4).
HoweverIshouldnotethatwiththeexceptionofPrimeorAmquelPlus,mostammonialocking
products(suchasAmmoLock)dojustthisanddonotallowforthebioavailabilityofammoniato
nitrifyingbacteriaandthereforecontinuedusecancausecessationofthenitrogencycle.
Pleasenotetheammoniawillstilltestafterusingtheseproductsasmosttestkitsdonot
differentiatebetweenammoniaandammonium(ionizedammonia),withtheexceptionbeingthe
SeaChemAmmoniaAlertTest.
SeeProductLink:SeaChemAmmoniaAlertTestsONLYtoxicammoniaNH3
PrimeorAmquelPluswillkeeptheammoniumsafely"bound"evenifthepHclimbs(whichwould
otherwiseconvertNH4toNH3).Theammoniumisstillavailablefornitrifyingbacteriatoconsume
andthereforePrimewillnotinterruptthegrowthofhealthybiobacterialcoloniesastheionized
ammoniaandnitritesarestillavailablefornitrifyingbacteria.
Sincemosttestkitswillstillshowtheammonia/nitritesattheSAMElevelasbeforetheadditionof
Prime/Amquel+,restassuredthisisinanontoxicionizedformthatisstillbioavailableto
Nitrobacteraceaebacteriathatareforminginyourfiltermedia/gravel.
HereismoreinformationaboutPrime:
"ThedetoxificationofnitriteandnitratebyPrime(whenusedatelevatedlevels)isnotwell
understoodfromamechanisticstandpoint.Themostlikelyexplanationisthatthenitriteandnitrate
isremovedinamannersimilartothewayammoniaisremovedi.e.itisboundandheldinaninert
stateuntilsuchtimethatbacteriainthebiologicalfilterareabletotakeaholdofit,breakitapart
anduseit.Twootherpossiblescenariosarereductiontonitrogen(N2)gasorconversionintoa
benignorganicnitrogencompound".
See:
SeaChemSupportAND"AquariumAnswers:AquaticWaterConditioners"formoreinformation.
*Addacyclingaid,suchasSeaChemStabilitywhichinterferestheleastwithestablishmentofa
healthybiofilterinyoursubstrateorfiltersasitprovidesbothAutotrophicandHeterotrophic
bacteriaaswell,unlikecompetingproducts,thebacteriaemployedbyStabilityarenonsulfurfixing
andwillnotproducetoxichydrogensulfide.
*Addsalt(NaCl)thisisapopularmethodfor"nitritepoisoning"andshouldbeaddedat1
tablespoonper5gallonsto1teaspoonpergallondependinguponfishsensitivities.Theadditionof
saltwillpreventmethemoglobinthatformsinthebloodduetonitriteexposurefrombuildingup.
SaltcanbecombinedwithPrimeorAmquelPlus,howeverfrommyexperiencethesaltmethodis
notnearlyaseffectiveasPrimewhenusedbyitselfandcancausestresstocertainfishsuchas
ClownLoaches.
*Forhighammoniaornitriteexposure(commoninfishshippedfromlongdistances),theuseof
MethyleneBluein30minutebathsisveryeffectiveandalsocounterstheeffectsofmethemoglobin
inthebloodbyincreasingthehemoglobinoxygencarryingabilities.
Seeproductlink:KordonMethyleneBlue,forammonia,nitritepoisoning
*Itisalsocommonforammoniaand/ornitritespikesaftermovingortransferringanaquarium.
Donotbetooalarmedwithtemporaryspikesof1ppmorless.Howeverlongtermspikes,
especiallyhigherppm,maymeanthetransfer/movewasnotconductedproperly.
UnlessanUnderGravelfilterisused,substrateisoftenapoormeansofbeneficialbacteriatransfer
BestistoatmostmildlyrinseindechlorinatedwaterahighcapacitybiofiltermediasuchasAAP
HydroSpongeFilters,FSBFilters,Matrix,LiveRock(orLRcrumbles),orvolcanicrockfroma
canisterfilter,etcandtransferthisinashighamountsaspossibletoavoidanaquariumrecycle.
AlsobewareasperspongefiltersthatthemajoritynowsoldareChineseknockoffs(exampleDeep
BlueSpongeFilters)thathaveonly1/5thebiocapacity,sodonotcountontheseifusedforbio
transfer.
Stepsforalongtermsolutiontolowerammonialevels
*Add"seasoned"bybiomediasuchasspongeorfilterfiberfromanotherhealthytanktokickstart
yourbiofiltration.
Ifatallpossible,thiscandoMUCHatloweringyourammonia/nitrites,especiallyiflargeamountsof
seasonedbiofiltermediafromothertanksareadded(6weeksplusinageisbest).
*AddfiltermediawithhighabilitiestomaintainnitrifyingbacteriasuchasVolcanicRock,Ceramic
BioMedia,andespeciallySeaChemMatrix
Seeproductlinks:
VolcanicRock,Biologicalandmechanicalfiltermedia&
SeaChemMatrix,Highporositybiomedia
*Considerzeoliteinthefilterstoabsorbsomeoftheammonia(FRESHWATERONLY!).
ProductResource:AmmoChipsZeolite
*UseofchemicalabsorbentssuchasSeaChemPurigenplacedinafilterorotherhighflowareas
(evenplacedinabagatthebaseofaspongefilter).
ProductResource:SeaChemPurigen
*Cutbackonfeedinganddonotusefishfoodshighinnonaquaticproteins,whicharemostlyun
digestiblebyfishandaddtoyourammonia.
Formoreaboutproperfishfoodingredients.
Pleaseseethisarticle:QualityFishFoodwhatingredientsareneededforproperfishnutrition,
growthandhealth.
Toexpandonthispointammoniahasnitrogeninit(hencethe"N"inNH3)andsodoALLproteins
(whereascarbohydrates/fatsdonot),sofeedingfishfoodshighinproteinsorindigestibleproteins
duringanepisodeofhighammoniacanbeaMAJORfactorinhighammonialevels.
*IncreasepHslowlyandmoreimportantlyKH,asapHbelow7.0slowsthegrowthofnitrifying
bacteria(asstatedearlierinthisarticle).
ThisisoftenaproblemwithkeepersofDiscusandGermanRams,sometimesunbeknownsttothe
fishkeeperwhoislosingtheirvaluablestock.
*IncreaseBioFiltration
Whilethismayseemobvioustomany,frommymanyyearsofaquariummaintenanceaswellas
answeringquestionsinemailsandforums,itisapointmanyunfortunatelymiss(oftenduetobeing
soldinadequatefilters).
Thisisamuchmorecommonproblemwithbowl/smallaquarium
filters,asmanybuypoorlydesignedundergravelfilterswithsmall
carbon(&sometimesafewgrainsofzeoliteadded)underthe
mistakenbeliefthesecanremovemuchammonia/nitrites,whichin
controlledtestsareveryinadequate.
BetterwouldbeaSpongeFilter.InfactaSpongefilter(alarger
model)wouldevenbeagoodadditiontoalargeraquariumthathasa
largebioloadbutislackinginbiofiltration.
ReferenceSpongeFiltration,forfurtherinformationaboutthehigh
aerobicbiofiltrationabilitiesofspongefilters.
Productlink:ATIPremiumAquarium,PondSpongeFilter
Forevenbetteraerobicbiofiltration,IstronglysuggestFluidizedSandBedFilterswhichhave
superiorbiofiltrationtothepopularEheim2080ortheFluvalFX5filters.
Reference:AquariumFiltrationFluidizedSandBedFiltersReview
Thebottomline,regardlessoftanksize,increasingbiofiltrationisoftenamustforlongterm
ammoniaremoval,whetheritbeaspongefilter,acanisterfilter,oradditionalfilters.
*Althoughasexplainedearlierthatproductssuchas"Cycle",or"StressZyme"arenotgood
choicesfor"kickstarting"youraquariumorpondnitrogencycle(inotherwordsusedasabiological
cyclingproduct),theyDOcontainHeterotrophicBacteriathancanatleastconsumesomeofthe
organicwasterwhileyournitrogencycleisstillintheprocessofestablishingitselforreestablishing
itselfifthebiofilterhasbeeninterruptedbygrampositivemedications(assumingfisharepresent,
otherwiseIwouldnotusethem).
ThebestchoiceherewouldbeSeaChemStabilityasitseemstodothebestjobfortheamountused
andhastheleastinterferenceonreplacingtrueAutotrophicnitrifyingbacteria.
Thenegativeofusingmanyofthesetypesofproductsduringthistime,isthatunlikePrimeor
AmquelPlus,theseproductsWILLremovenutrientsfromthewatercolumnnecessaryforayour
trueAutotrophicnitrifyingbacteriatoestablishthemselves,thusdelayingthecyclingprocesses.
WHATTODOFORHIGHNITRATES:
Althoughnotgenerallytoxic,highnitratesover50ppmcanstuntfishgrowthandleadtohealth
issuesiffishareexposedtohighnitratesforanextendedtimeinfreshwater.
Insaltwaterthesameholdstrueforfish,butwithmanyinvertebrates,especiallycoraland
cephalopods,nitratesabove20ppmcanbedeadly(phosphatesarealsoaproblemwithmanyreef
inhabitants).
Pleasenotethatthesesuggestions/pointsareNOTanexhaustivelist,pleasefollowthelinksatthe
endformorecompleteinformation.
SeaChemPrimeaswellasAmquelPluswillneutralizetheNitratebutisnotalongterm
solutiontohighnitrateproblems.
Performawaterchangeusingagravelvacuumtoremovenotjustdirtywater,but"mulm"
thatwilldecomposeandenterthenitrogencycleandeventuallybecomenitrates.
ThiscanbeaparticularproblemwithUnderGravelFilters(UGF),decomposingorganicdebris
willtendtobuildupunderthefilterplate.ForthesefiltersIrecommendoccasionally
removingthelifttubesandplacingasiphonintotheopeningandremovingasmuchorganic
debris(mulm)aspossible.
EvenwithoutUGF,poorvacuumingprocedures(ornoneatall)cancontributetohightohigh
nitrates.Makesuretovacuumaroundandunderornamentsaswell,althoughbecareful
aroundliveplantroots.
TheEheimSludgeRemoverVacuumisalsoahelpfultoolforaquariumsunder75gallonsto
removedecomposingorganicsbetweenwaterchanges.
SeeProductlink:EheimSludge&DetritusExtractorBatteryGravelVacuum
Properfiltrationandmaintenance
Makesureandregularlyrinseindechlorinatedorusedaquariumwater(nevertapwater)
yourbiofiltermedia.Thisincludesbioringsandballscommonlyfoundinwetdryfiltersand
canisterfilters.
Aswellasspongefilters,ceramicmedia,oranyothermediathatisnotchangedinthefilter.
Thisisespeciallyimportantwithfiltersthattendtobecome"nitratefactories",whichinclude
inmyexperience(ANDtests)tobeCanisterFilters,WetDryfilters,andEmperorFilters.This
isnottosaythesefiltersarebad,itisjustimportanttonotignoreproperlycleaningthese
filterseventhoughtheirlargecapacitymakesitveryeasytodo.
IwillhoweveraddthatforreeforplantedfreshwateraquariumsIdonotrecommendthe
aforementionedfiltersunlessonesubstitutesliverockcrumbles,volcanicrock,orSeaChem
Matrixforbioballsandceramicmedia.
Seeproductlinks:
*VolcanicRockFilterMedia
*Matrixwithmacroporestosupportdenitrifyingbacteria
Thereasonbehindthisisthatbioballsalthoughexcellentforaerobicnitrificationonlycontain
bacteriaontheoutersurfacesandthusareNOTcapableofsustaininganaerobicdenitrifying
bacterianecessaryfornitrateremovalasthesebacterialiveonsurfaceswherelittleoxygen
penetrates.
SeaChemMatrix&LiveRockcrumbles/scraparecapableofcontainingthesebacteria
necessarydeepinsidetheirpores(asisvolcanicrock,althoughnotquitetothesamelevel).
Ihaveseennitratesinfreshwatergodownbysimplychangingfiltersystems(theoverall
healthoftheaquariumimprovedaswell).
Unfortunatelyoflate,wet/dryfiltershavemadearesurgenceinpopularity,especiallywiththe
popularityofthehighlyoverratedEShoppesWetDryFilter.Thefactsarethesefiltermightbe
excellentatnitrifcation,theyarebynaturenitratefactoriesandmytestshaveproventhis
overandoverduringmyyearsofaquariummaintenance.Evenchangingoutthebioballs
oftendoesnotfullysolvingtheproblem,butreplacingtheentirefilterwithacanisterfilter
filledwithMatrix,VolcanicRockorsimilarthenrunningaFluidizedFiltersuchastheTMC
#1000FSBfilterdidinfactsolvethenitrateissues(alongwithbalancingbioloads).
AnotherexampleofafilterIhavechangedoutwithnotableimprovementswouldbeby
removinganEmperor400andreplacingitwithacombinationSpongefilterorFluidizedFilter
System.
Addaquaticplantstofreshwaterespeciallyhornwort.
Forsaltwatersomegreenalgaewillperformthistaskaswell(thisiswhyIdonotremoveall
mygreenalgaeinthemarineaquariumsImaintain).SaltwaterCaulerpaAlgae(whichlooks
likeaplantperformsnitrateremovalreasonablywell).
ForsaltwateraquariumsconsideraRefugiumoraProteinSkimmer.
ARefugiumusesplantsinasumpwithstronglightingtoremovenutrientsincludingnitrates.
Proteinskimmersremovenitratesbeforetheyenterthenitrogencycleviafoamrefraction(a
similarideatovacuumingthe"mulm").
PersonallyIhaveusedmanya"lowend"ProteinSkimmerandfindmanyoverrated
consideringtheconstantadjustmentsrequiredandrateofrefractioncomparedtowater
volume.Aswell,Ihavefoundsomemorepriceyskimmershavealsoperformedpoorlysuch
astheRemoraaspertests.
Pleasereference:AquariumProteinSkimmerReviewRemora
Howeverthisisnottosayaproteinskimmerdoesnotwork,theseareusefultoolsinmarine
aquariumsfornitratecontrol,andIjustdonotrecommend"throwingallyoureggsinone
basket"withthesedevices.
AlsokeepinmindthatnotallProteinSkimmersarecreatedequal,sopurchasingatrue
qualityunitisworththeinvestmentsuchastheV2SkimProfessionalSkimmeralongwiththe
purchaseofaOzoneGeneratortofurtherimprovetheeffectivenessofyourproteinskimmer.
Seetheseproductlinks:
*TMCV2O3ZoneOzonizer
*TMCV2SkimProfessionalSkimmer
AveryeffectivecomplimenttoaProteinSkimmerinMarineReefAquariums(&insome
plantedfreshwateraquariums)isNPXBioplasticsMedia.
ThisproducthasbeenproventobeVERYeffectiveforNitrateandPhosphatereductionwhen
usedinaFluidizedFilterorReactor.
Seetheseproductlinks:
*NPXBioplasticsNitrate&PhosphateReducingPolymerMedia*FluidizedSandBedAquarium
Filter
AMudFilterorMudFilter/Refugiumcombinationworkswelltoo.
*BesidestheRefugium,aDSB(DeepSandBed)inabucketworks
well.
Put8"to12"offresh,cleansandina5gallonbucketOoliticsugar
finearagoniteworksbestinmyopinion.
Drillabulkheadaboutaninchortwohigherthanthetopofthe
substrateforthewatertoflowoutfrombackintoyourtank/sump.
Aflowrateof150200gph,justenoughflowoverthesandtokeep
solidsinsuspension,Irecommendprefilteringthewaterfirstto
preventdetritusbuildup.
Thisisaveryeffectivemethod(similartoMudFilters)thatcanbringNitratesdowntonear0.
PleaseseethislinkforaDIYDeepSandBucket/Tankpictureandmoreinformationaboutthis
idea:"DIYDeepSandBucket"
Theuseofpremium"overthecounter"wastedigestersorcyclingaids(suchasSeaChem
Stability)whichcontainheterotrophicbacteriaforwastedigestionandnitrateremoval(these
productsshouldbeusedasanaidandnotdependeduponforalongtermsolutiontonitrate
andorganicdecayproblems).
Pleaseseetheseexcellentarticlesformoreaboutnitratesandnitrateremoval:
"AquariumAnswersNitrates"
"HydrogenSulfideproductioninanaerobicDeNitrificationforAquarium/Pond
NitrateRemoval"
FREQUENTLYASKEDNITROGENCYCLEQUESTIONS&ANSWERS:
WhatistheNitrogenCycle?
Thenitrogencycleistheprocessbywhichorganicproteinbasedwastesareconvertedfrom
toxicammonia,toslightlylesstoxicnitrites,torelativelynontoxicnitrates.
Insomeaquariumorpondsystemsnitratesareconvertedtofreenitrogenorconsumedby
plantsoralgaeorremovedbychemical/organicabsorbents/resinssuchasSeaChemPurigen.
Seeproductlink:SeaChemPurigencontrolsnitratesbyremovingnitrogenousorganicwaste
WhatareOrganicProteinBasedWastes?
OrganicProteinBasedWastesaresubstances/moleculesthatcontainnitrogenthisincludes
Urea,Feces,uneatenfishfood,anddecomposingfishorplantmaterial(fishwouldhavemore
moreproteinsthanplants,thushavingmorenitrogenfuelinghigherammonia,nitrites,and
eventuallynitrates).
WhatarethestagesoftheNitrogenCycle?
*InitialstageThisstartswhenfish,plants,foodoranyorganics(evensmallamountsofair
bornorganics)areintroducedtotheaquarium.Theseorganicsarebrokendownintoeither
ionized(NH3)orunionizedammonia(NH4).
AnyamountofNH3istoxic,howeveramountsunder.05ppmaregenerallynotanissueand
often.0%ppmwillappeareveninhealthyaquariumsintheebbandflowofthenitrogen
cycle.
*SecondStagethisiswhenammonia/ammoniumisconvertedintoslightlylessnitrites
(readingsshouldbestillunder.05)
*FinalStagethisistheconversionviadenitrificationofnitritestorelativelyharmless
nitrates(reefaquariumsshouldhavenitratesunder.05,whileplantedfreshwateraquariums
shouldmaintainhighernitratesforplants)
Howdoesaquariumchemistryaffectthenitrogencycle?
*Maintaincarbonatehardness(KH),especiallywhencyclinganewtank,astheprocessof
cyclingwillusecarbonatesandwithoutadequatecarbonates(KH)yourpHcancrashwhich
willslowtheestablishmentofnitrifyingbacteriaasnitrifyingbacteria.
AspertheNitrificationsection,at6.0basicallyallnitrificationceases!
Furtherresourceinformation:AquariumChemistrycarbonatehardness
Willaddinganyaquariumcyclingaidshelporhinderthecyclingoftheaquarium?
Mostaidssuchas"Cycle"and"StressZyme"areprimarilyHeterotrophicwhichdonotataid
inestablishingtrueAutotrophicNitrobacteraceaeinanaquariumandthuswouldhinderthe
establishmentofahealthynitrogencycle.HOWEVERsometimesastopgapuseofthese
productsthatmaydelayyourcyclingarenecessarytopreventfishdeaths.
BetteristheuseofproductssuchasSeaChemStabilitywhichhaveasynergisticblendof
aerobic,anaerobic,andfacultativebacteriathatismuchlesslikelytohinderyouraquariums
cycling.
BioSpiraorFritzZymeTurboStartarerefrigeratedlivebacteriaproductsthatassuming
100%properrefrigerationcanbehelpfulasacyclingaidoremergencyammonia/nitritespike
treatment.
SeeProductlink:SeaChemStability
Withtheabovesaid,nocyclingaidsuchastheaboveshouldbefullydependeduponfor
establishingyournitrogencycleaslowinitialbioloads,time,andpatienceisstillimportant.
AswelltheuseofcommonHeterotrophicproductsshouldneverbeusedforthepurposeof
establishinganaquariumsnitrogencycle.
HowdoIknowwhenmyAquariumhascycled?
Whenyouarecyclingyouraquarium,youwillwanttomonitoryourwaterparameters.Doing
sowillhelpyoudeterminewhenyouraquariumhascycled.
Typically,whenyourAmmoniaandnitriteshavegoneup,andcomebackdown,your
aquariumhascycled.Thiscantakeanywherefrom10to45days,dependingonthecycling
method,tanksize,andtemperature.
Canaquaticplantssurviveinwaterwithhighammoniaornitrites?
Generallyspeakingyes,butthiscandependuponthelevelandtheplantinquestion.
InfactsomeplantssuchasHornwortcanactuallyhelpremovenitrites,ammonia,&nitrates.
Ihavenotestablishedanyminimum"hardnumbers"wherebysomeplantsmaybekilledby
ammoniaornitritesnorfindanyrealresearchotherthanobservationssimilartomyown.
ThegeneralconsensusisthatmanyplantscanutilizeNH3orNH4(ammonia/ammonium)and
thuscanthenlowernitritesandnitratesto.Howeverno"number"hasbeenestablished
wherebyyoumightburnyourplantsfromhighammoniaornitritelevels.
Somyadvicewouldbedoallyoucantokeepthesenumberslowwithplantsaswellasfish,
andtoavoiddelicateplantsinanuncycledaquarium.
AlsobeawarethatwhileplantssuchasHornwortareagoodtoolforkeepinglowammonia&
nitritelevels,thesesameplantscaninhibittheestablishmentofbeneficialnitrifyingbacteria
inanewtankbyremovingammonia/nitritespriortotheestablishmentofthesebacteria.
CanIsafelyreusesubstrateorbiomediafromanolder"stored"aquarium?
Aslongasthegravelwasstoredinanareawherenochemicalsorfumescameincontact,
thisgravelwillbenodifferentthannewgravel"outofthebag".
DittoforanolderusedspongefilteroranyotherbiofiltermediasuchasCeramicBioRings,
BioBalls,etc.
Thesecanalsobestoredandreused.
Whatisimportantistorinsewellwithcleanwaterbeforereusing.
HowshouldIcleanmyfiltersandchangewatertomaintainahealthyNitrogenCycle?
*Rinsefiltermediainusedtankwaterordechlorinatedtapwatersoastonotkillnitrifying
bacteria.
*Adddechlorinatorswhenchangingwaterover10%.
*DoNOTvacuumalldeadspotsunderliverockinthelivesandofaMarineTankONLY.
(ThiscandestroyanaerobicbacterialcoloniesinMarineTanksneededfordenitrification).
Eventhentryandvacuumonlythetoplayerinopenareasoflivesandinmarinetanks,with
onlyoccasionaldipsintodeepersand(theuseofainchlayerof#3crushedcoralmakes
thisprocesseasierandquitebluntlymakesforbetteraerobicandanaerobicfiltrationsandas
welltrappingofdetritus).
*DoNOTwashgravelortotallychangewater,againthiswilldestroyorhamperestablishment
ofbiobacterialcolonies.
*Rotatefiltermediachangessoastoalwayshaveoldermediawithbacterialcolonies.Ina
HOBfilterwithacartridge,placeasecondcartridgein710daysbeforechangingtheoldone
ofinstallaspongeprefilteronyourHOBfiltersuchasaFilterMaxPreFilter
Pleaseclickonthe"BuyNow"Buttonbelowforapdfformatdownloadableebook(33
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ThiscanbesavedtoyouriBooks,computer,printedforeasyreadingComputer,etc.
PleaseunderstandthisfeecoversthetimetoformatandourfeestoAdobetogeneratethisPDF
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PLEASENOTEYouMUSTclickon"ReturntoAmericanAquariumProducts"attheendofthe
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FURTHERREFERENCES:
1.ChemolithoautotrophicNitriteOxidizingBacteriumNitrobacter
2.RemovalofNitrogenousWasteProductsfromWater
3.NitrospiraLikeBacteriaAssociatedwithNitriteOxidationinFreshwaterAquariabyTimothyA.
Hovanec
4.http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/concepts/soil_biology/bacteria.html
5.http://www.cs.duke.edu/~narten/faq/cycling.html
6.UtilizationofHeterotrophicandAutotrophicBacteriainAquaculture
7.NitrogenisanelementvitaltoalllifeprocessesonEarthWelistthisasaresourceonlydueto
thefactGooglegiveshigherauthoritytowebsitessuchasthis,despitethefactthiswebsite
actuallyusespartofourcontentastheirownwithoutcitingus.HoweverItisnoteworthythat
thisarticleactuallyusedourinformation,asthepublishdateofthiswebsiteis2008whileour
articlewaspublishedontheInternetin2005.
SorryNanoreef.com,thisisouroriginalcontentandanycontentwedousefromothersIS
citedinourreferences,,aswewellknowthestingofplagiarismfromwrittencontentto
picturecontent.
Reference:WikipediaAcademia.edu
Formoreaquariuminformationandarticles(pondtoo),pleasevisitthissite:
Ifyouhavefoundthissitehelpful(orthesistersiteAquarium
andPondAnswers),pleaseconsideradonationtohelpwiththe
100sofhoursofresearchandregularupdatesthatgointothese
articles:
|Nitrateremoval|
|Basic_Aquarium_Principles|Basic_Saltwater|Aquarium_Disease|Aquarium_Lighting|Goldfish_disease|
Aquarium_cleaning|Nitrogen_Cycle|Redox_Potential|ClearPond|Aquarium_Filtration|Aquarium_Medication|
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