Test tube Beneficial Bacteria

[jetajockey]

I was talking to my professor and he said that the nitrification process happens under anaerobic conditions. Hes a very knowledgable man. phd from Harvard and one of the nations leading AIDS/HIV researchers, his name is Harry Kestler if anyone is interested.

But I'll be sure to look more into this, I'll bring it up to him and if I fail to have growth I'll put it in an aerobic incubator

From what I gather (could always be wrong, lol), denitrification happens under anaerobic conditions, nitrification happens under aerobic conditions. Nitrification is the process of converting ammonia->nitrite->nitrate, while denitrification converts nitrates to gas, hence the poo smell from tanks with large organic breakdown in the substrate.

That's why the sponge filter squeezing works to transfer BB, a filter sponge, filter media, bio wheel, etc, is one of the best aerobic areas for bb to grow.

You should read up on some of Dr tim's work, he posts here sometimes.

 

[Rbishop]

Doc Tim...the creator of Bio-Spira...now out on his own with his version...

 

[Slappy*McFish]

From what I gather (could always be wrong, lol), denitrification happens under anaerobic conditions, nitrification happens under aerobic conditions. Nitrification is the process of converting ammonia->nitrite->nitrate, while denitrification converts nitrates to gas, hence the poo smell from tanks with large organic breakdown in the substrate.

That's why the sponge filter squeezing works to transfer BB, a filter sponge, filter media, bio wheel, etc, is one of the best aerobic areas for bb to grow.

You should read up on some of Dr tim's work, he posts here sometimes.

Agreed.

 

[rtbob]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Avant Garde]The following is a excerpt from an article written by Carl Strohmeyer The entire article can be found at http://americanaquariumproducts.com/Nitrogen_Cycle.html. Besides this article there are many others. I really liked his in-depth article on aquarium water chemistry as well as the article on Redox Potential.

Begin excerpt:

There's a lot of confusion among aquarists about nitrifying bacteria. This is due in large part to the recent emergence of a wide variety of bacterial products claiming to be nitrifying aids. Most of these products actually contain species of Heterotrophic bacteria from the genera Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Escherichia, and others (as these bacteria are much easier packaged with a reasonable shelf life under normal conditions/room temperatures).
True nitrifying bacteria are Autotrophic and considered to be those belonging to the family Nitrobacteraceae whose energy sources are derived from the chemical conversion of ammonia to nitrite, or, nitrite to nitrate (Autotrophic bacteria are organisms that produce complex organic compounds from simple inorganic molecules). They require oxygen, utilize mostly inorganic (without carbon) compounds as their energy source, and require carbon dioxide (CO2) for their source of carbon. In the case of the Nitrobacteraceae these energy sources are derived from the chemical conversion of ammonia to nitrite, or, nitrite to nitrate.
The desired Autotrophic aerobic bacteria of nitrifying bacteria are present everywhere (e.g., in the air), oxygen and at least some moisture is present (not in areas void of oxygen) (reference: 3). It is important to note that although the desired nitrifying species of bacteria are “all around us”, they do not readily store in sealed oxygen free containers (dying rapidly without oxygen), and it takes some time for the sparse air born nitrifying bacteria to populate an aquarium or pond, so do not expect these bacteria to “magically” populate your aquarium overnight, even a re-started aquarium will need to be re-populated (please see cycling methods further down in the article).

End Excerpt.
[/FONT]

 

[drdud]

Really interesting stuff. I am not a biology buff. Physics makes more sense to me. However, this is how I have believed this 'bio-magic' works. I don't know the names of the bacteria and I probably will botch up most of the correct terms, so bear with me. In more common terms:

The "cycle" we discuss is the decomposition of ammonia from fish excrement and decomp of left over food. The ammonia is a source of 'food' for benefical bacteria that consumes the ammonia and 'farts' nitrites. Nitrites are then consumed by other bacteria that 'farts' nitrates. Nitrites are less toxic then ammonia and nitrates are less toxic then nitrites. This is a benefical process to naturally reduce the toxin in the tank to a controllable level. This happens in an environment with oxygen (aerobic) which is why a wet/dry filter works so well (bio-wheels and bio-balls in sumps). ALSO, the nitrate is a form of fertilizer which is why CWOGUNNER's potho plants thrive.

In the absense of oxygen (anerobic), other bacteria will consume biological material. This occurs in substrates (and human large intestines) and results in the bacteria 'farting' hydrogen sulfide ('sewer gas'). This stuff is very toxic and really smells bad. Did you every wonder where all the bubbles come from when you stir up your sand?

So, in practical terms, is Ballyhoo growing the stinky gas bacteria in the anerobic chamber? Or do I have a misconception? Not sure which is "nitrification" and "de-nitrification" but I think that may be where the source of the question is.

ANYWAY...... Please keep us posted on the cultures. Interesting stuff.

 

[Just Prince]

Doc Tim...the creator of Bio-Spira...now out on his own with his version...

Tetra has a shelf stable formula of bio spria as well worked for me.

 

[KarlTh]

From what I gather (could always be wrong, lol), denitrification happens under anaerobic conditions, nitrification happens under aerobic conditions. Nitrification is the process of converting ammonia->nitrite->nitrate, while denitrification converts nitrates to gas, hence the poo smell from tanks with large organic breakdown in the substrate.

That's why the sponge filter squeezing works to transfer BB, a filter sponge, filter media, bio wheel, etc, is one of the best aerobic areas for bb to grow.

You should read up on some of Dr tim's work, he posts here sometimes.

Indeed. Ballyhoo's professor must be confused - it's hard to imagine how NH3 --> NO2 --> NO3 could occur in anaerobic conditions - where would the oxygen come from?

 

[jetajockey]

Well she did say anaerobic, which is part of the nitrogen cycle, just on the tail end and isn't often seen in home aquaria due to lack of proper substrate.

If you want to grow the stuff that 'cycles' the tank then it needs to be in an oxygen rich environment with the proper toxins to feed on.

 

[jbradt]

Well she did say anaerobic, which is part of the nitrogen cycle, just on the tail end and isn't often seen in home aquaria due to lack of proper substrate.

If you want to grow the stuff that 'cycles' the tank then it needs to be in an oxygen rich environment with the proper toxins to feed on.

Agreed. The cultures should have oxygen for the nitrification process.

 

[drdud]

Indeed. Ballyhoo's professor must be confused - it's hard to imagine how NH3 --> NO2 --> NO3 could occur in anaerobic conditions - where would the oxygen come from?

Yea. The oxygen has to come from somewhere. I think Ballyhoo's professor is talking about the other decomp equations.

Ballyhoo - since you have access to some pretty cool stuff, how about growing cultures outside of the anaerobic chamber, too. The science part of this hobby is really cool. Science in action.