I have a tank that is about 1/2 way through the cycle. I heard someone on a post here say that plants cannot use nitrites, that it can be toxic to them. I have been doing a little research, and there is a great deal of conflicting information about it. Anyone have any opinions, or experience with putting plants in a tank in the middle of a nitrite spike?
Plants and Nitrites
- Thread starter livingword26
- Start date
While nitrites are toxic to plant cells it won't harm the plants as they will quickly convert the nitrite to ammonium using the enzyme Nitrite Reductase. Plants will not use Nitrites as a nitrogen source. You can test this by doing a fishless cycle with plant and you will not notice any nitrite consumption until the Nitrite -> Nitrate bacteria start developing.
For more information consult.
Lambers, H., Chapin, F. S. and Pons, T. L. (1998) Plant Physiological Ecology. Springer, New
York. ISBN 0-387-98326-0
For more information consult.
Lambers, H., Chapin, F. S. and Pons, T. L. (1998) Plant Physiological Ecology. Springer, New
York. ISBN 0-387-98326-0
Is "Reductase" something the plants can easily produce themselves? If so, then even though they cannot assimilate nitrite, they still consume it, though they break it down first. Do I understand this correctly?
The enzyme is present in the plant's cells and created by the plant. It is used when nontoxic Nitrate is reduced to NH4+ however plants need to actively transport NH4+ and NO3- into their cells in order to use them which requires energy. Without this active transport those ion's can't easily get into the plant cell. Any little that does make it passively through the cell membrane will be clipped by the nitrite reductase.
Plants do not expend energy to transport Nitrite into their cells and therefore don't use it as a Nitrogen source because it is toxic. Plants only have the enzyme as part of a two step process of converting nontoxic nitrate into nontoxic ammonia.
Plants do not expend energy to transport Nitrite into their cells and therefore don't use it as a Nitrogen source because it is toxic. Plants only have the enzyme as part of a two step process of converting nontoxic nitrate into nontoxic ammonia.
Yup this is correct. Nitrite is toxic to plant cells but since they don't actively uptake it, the low concentrations present will not harm the plants during the cycle.