The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle Article You've Been Looking For! (SIMPLE)
- Oct 01, 2023
- Anshika Mishra
- 181 0 0
The simplest explanation: The aquarium nitrogen cycle is a chemical process that happens in your tank that converts very toxic fish waste into very toxic form so that your fish can survive in your fish box.
Your fishes breathe ammonia into the tank, which can kill them. The nitrogen cycle simply converts that ammonia into a much less toxic form, keeping the water clean and safe for them to a certain extent.
But, this is why the Nitrogen cycle is so important to understand: without it happening in your tank, your fishes are going to down in case you didn't know, it's a very silent killer. You can't see or smell that your fish are being poisoned.
However, you can ensure that this never happens by making sure this chemical process is happening in your tank.
What is the Nitrogen Cycle?
The nitrogen cycle is the most important piece of information you'll need to understand the fish-keeping lifestyle. Without it, you'll end up quitting before even starting.
Nitrogen Cycle is the process that converts Ammonia to nitrite and then Nitrite to Nitrate. Fish excrete ammonia through their gills as they breathe. Fishes also produce organic waste, which decomposes and contributes to the Ammonia level in your water.
When Ammonia is present along with Oxygen and surface area, bacteria will begin to grow, which we call Beneficial bacteria or BB.
This bacteria is a living organism that needs food, Oxygen, and Surface area to live on. Its food source is ammonia in the tank. Consuming this is how ammonia is removed from your tank water. After consuming this, they excrete another toxic material, Nitrite.
Nitrite is another toxic compound that you don't want in your tank. Once Nitrite is present along with the same Oxygen and surface, another type of bacteria will begin to grow. We also lump these in with the same beneficial bacteria, and they excrete nitrate.
What is Nitrate?
Nitrate is another toxic inorganic compound, but it's not as toxic as ammonia or nitrite. Your fish are going to be happy and thriving in low levels of nitrate. But if they get too high, they can be too toxic and cause stress, which can spiral up to death.
You should ideally have only 40 ppm nitrate.
Removing Nitrate
There are a few ways to remove nitrate from your tank, like denitrification. Another way is to stuff your tank with live plants that consume nitrate. The most common way, however, is water changes.
When you change water, you remove old water that's full of nitrate and add fresh new water that doesn't have nitrates.
Once both these types of bacteria are present in your tank, your tank is cycled, which usually takes six ways. Now, your tank is ready for healthy fish to thrive.
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