anerobic or areobic bacteria?
- Thread starter Hans
- Start date
Yes, I believe so. The beneficial bacteria oxydize the ammonia and nitrite, so they are aerobic. I don't know if anaerobes have the capacity to break down ammonia/nitrite, but the bacteria commonly referred to as the biofilter are aerobic.
HTH,
Jim
HTH,
Jim
Nitrifying bacteria are aerobic, while denitifying (those that degrade fixed nitrogen to a form that can be lost by the environment, i.e. gaseous nitrogen) bacteria are anaerobic. (The enzymes responsible for such conversions are inactive in the presence of oxygen.)
It is worth noting that while oxidation does not always occur via oxygen, respiration using something other than oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor is termed anaerobic. Anaerobic respiration is based on a series of oxidations as well; that is not a criteria conducive for determining whether the process is aerobic/anaerobic. The key is presence or absence of oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor. (Sorry if that got wordy).
It is worth noting that while oxidation does not always occur via oxygen, respiration using something other than oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor is termed anaerobic. Anaerobic respiration is based on a series of oxidations as well; that is not a criteria conducive for determining whether the process is aerobic/anaerobic. The key is presence or absence of oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor. (Sorry if that got wordy).
um.. what?
All I am really asking is what bacteria works better, the kind that grow on bioballs and wheels, or in the gravel?
All I am really asking is what bacteria works better, the kind that grow on bioballs and wheels, or in the gravel?
The nitrifying bacteria will grow on both gravel and on media in filters. They will grow preferentially where there is more of what they need: food and oxygen. That tends to make filter media a preferential place for the bacteria to grow. In reality, though, they probably can be found on just about any surface in the tank that isn't devoid of oxygen.
You're making a mistake, I think, in your belief that a different kind of bacteria grows on the gravel vs. on the filter media. In deep beds of the substrate, you might find other types of bacteria (the denitrifying bacteria mentioned by mome rath) but the bacteria found on the upper surface of the gravel will be the same as those found on the bioballs. We would expect them to be more populous on the biomedia, though, given the constant supply of food and oxygen.
Make sense?
Jim
You're making a mistake, I think, in your belief that a different kind of bacteria grows on the gravel vs. on the filter media. In deep beds of the substrate, you might find other types of bacteria (the denitrifying bacteria mentioned by mome rath) but the bacteria found on the upper surface of the gravel will be the same as those found on the bioballs. We would expect them to be more populous on the biomedia, though, given the constant supply of food and oxygen.
Make sense?
Jim
:duh: