Nature Wonders in the Newly Installed Aquarium - Jim E Quarlis

The aquarium is a wonderful recreation of the natural aquatic environment. It permits us to bring the wonders of this otherwise inaccessible landscape and its astonishing creatures right into homes for enjoyment and study. It has taken centuries, of trial and error for man to steadily improve his ability-y to successfully keep tropical fish alive and healthy through proper and well understood maintenance. Today virtually every aquatic environment of earth has been successfully recreated. As more and more high tech materials and equipment are use, we often forget the factor most responsible for maintaining this delicate recreation of nature's balance. Whatever equipment we employ it still the billions of invisible microorganisms that carry out the lion share of the work. The work of keeping a pure aquarium environment for sustaining the specimens we enjoy is performed 24 hours a day by creatures we cannot see and too often ignore.

As new hobbyists, the first lesson we learned involved the problems associated with cycling a new tank. After experiencing the tragic loss of our first aquatic pets, it was we never forgot. For as long as we continued with hobby we have learned to accept the inevitable and irrefutable doctrine that new tanks will experience a lethal rise-first in ammonia and then nitrite. Regardless of what procedures or products we employed, the result was always the same. For several weeks or even months, our new aquarium would remain an unsuitable habitat for any of the specimens we wished to enjoy. The problem is commonly known as " New Tank Syndrome." (NTS).

One day, after initially accepting this doctrine and tolerating for over twenty years, I finally asked why? With all the advances made in made in aquarium science and with our increasing successes in breeding even difficult species of fish, why were we having so much difficulty with two common species of nitrifying bacteria?

As an undergraduate in college, we often conducted laboratory experiments using a wide range of bacterial species. So long as they were provided with their basic environmental requirements, there was never much of a problem in establishing and maintaining actively breeding cultures. After all, bacteria are not the most complex or intelligent of animals. Well anyone who know me will tell you that once I encounter a problem, like a brick wall in my way I will keep running into it until I find my way around it!

I reasoned that we as hobbyists we were over looking some basic environmental requirement that was restricting the growth of the nitrifying bacteria. I used the computer to look up as much information as I could find on the Internet about NITROSOMONAS BACTERIA.

The articles found dealt with very specific characteristics. A representative title, included:

"Physiological effect of long-term energy-source deprivation on the survival of a marine chemolithotrophic oxidizing bacterium."

If researchers were publishing data on such specialized aspects of Nitrosomona, the basic environmental conditions required for the successful establishment and survival of these bacteria must be known and has been documented.

Strange But True

Until recently, most of the information about nitrosomonas has remained hidden in the more professional published data. And the hobbyists has not been exposed to any real detailed information to any extent. The intent of this article is to help disseminate what has been learned about these vital aquarium Inhabitants.

Hobbyists spend millions of dollars annually on bacterial products for establishing and maintaining a healthy biological filter in their aquariums. There isn't a healthy aquarium in existence that does not support billions of these organisms. Most successful hobbyists are avid readers of information on the latest developments in aquarium science and the environmental requirements of the specimens they choose to keep. Very little is written, read, or generally known about these critically important bacterial members of our aquarium communities.

For those new to the ( NTS) problem here are the three bacteria that are importance to the aquarist. The rest of you can review these and it won't hart a thing.

Heterotrioguc
the most common type of bacteria which consume complex hydrocarbons ( organic waste) and produce very toxic ammonia.

Nitrosomnas
Bacteria which consume ammonia as their sole energy source and produce toxic nitrite.

Nitrobacter
Bacteria which consume nitrite and produce relatively harmless nitrate.

The most common form of bacteria in the aquarium is called heterotrophic bacteria these bacteria like fish and invertebrates eat complex organic compounds (called Organics). Complex organic compounds enter the aquarium in the form of fish food and later in the form of fish waste. Fish, invertebrates and heterotrophic bacteria all produce ammonia, the principle end product of their metabolism, as waste. Heterotrophic bacteria are ubiquitous to the environment. They are everywhere and reproduce at astonishing rates. Many heterotrophic bacteria can double their population every 20 minutes.

There are two types of nitrifying bacteria of importance in aquarium maintenance. The first group, called Nitrosomonas (also referred to as ammonia oxidizers) convert the extremely toxic ammonia into nitrite. The second group, called Nitrobacter (also referred to as nitrate oxidizers) convert the toxic nitrite molecules into much less toxic nitrate.

Over the years many different approaches have been used to establish the required populations of beneficial bacteria in new aquariums. The simplest approach is to just let the aquarium cycle itself over time on its own without the use of any special products or procedures. The major drawbacks to this procedure are the large number of fish, which are literally sacrificed during this process, and the seemly endless period of time required. Using the approach, several months may be required before ammonia and nitrite levels fall to safe levels. To expedite this process, numerous chemical and biological products and procedures have been use with varying degrees of success. Not all work well some not at all.

To keep your fish alive and healthy you must learn to keep your filter alive and healthy.