The Ammonia Cycle And Your Aquarium

What is the Ammonia Cycle?

The ammonia cycle - better known as the nitrogen cycle - is an essential part of the environment. In nature, ammonia is a product that is given out by organisms during their excretion process. However ammonia is toxic, and it is very hazardous to the ecology to leave it lying as it is in the environment. Nature itself takes care of things though. There are some bacteria present in the environment such as nitrosomonas and nitrosococcus that can reduce the ammonia to nitrites. Nitrites are solids with the general radical -NO2, but the problem is, even nitrites are toxic, especially to grazing animals. Nature again helps; another species of bacteria called the nitrobacter convert the nitrites into harmless nitrates, with radicals -NO3. The conversion of ammonia into nitrites and then into nitrates is called as ammonification.

But the process does not stop here. Denitrifying bacteria are involved in the environment, which convert all the residual nitrites and the nitrates into the free atmospheric form of nitrogen. In this form, the gas is released into the environment. Later this nitrogen will be fixed back into the soil, and then taken by plants, and then by animals, and the whole cycle with continue again.

Thus the ammonia cycle actually involves the circulation of nitrogen from the organisms to the environment and then back from the environment to the organisms.

Why is Ammonia Cycle Important in an Aquarium?

Most fish and other aquatic organisms are ammonotelic, i.e. they give out ammonia directly as their excretory product. This ammonia collects in the fish tank and, among other things, it might increase the basicity of the fish tank (which means the pH value will be increased). Any change in the pH value of the fish tank is obviously quite harmful to the inhabitants of the tank.

That is the reason why the ammonia produced in excess within the aquarium must be effectively removed. Hence, ammonia cycle becomes important.

How is Ammonia Cycle Maintained in the Aquarium?

The easiest way to keep your ammonia cycle going on in the aquarium is to introduce bacterial cultures into the water. One of the best ways to do this is to add a biological medium such as live rock or a biological bed. Sponge filters can be introduced in the fishless tank first on a biological bed and then allowed to live in the tank for about two to three days. This will promote the growth of the necessary bacteria required for the ammonia cycle. Later on, the fish can be introduced one after the other. It is necessary to bring in the fish one at a time, because that will allow the bacteria to get accustomed to neutralizing the pH value increase in the tank.

Some aquarists help in the ammonia cycling by actually adding some pure ammonia before they put the fish in. When such ammonia is added, the microorganisms within the tank will cycle this ammonia first, and so the cycle will already have set in before the fish are introduced.

There are ammonia cycling pumps available too, all of which work on different principles. If the number of fish in your aquarium is low, then replacing the water periodically could also be a good attempt at ammonia cycling.

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