how does ammonia cycle a tank?? sorry im a beginer.
As minx says, this is probably all covered in the beginners section article...
Ammonia is the "food" for the first species (Nitrosomonas) of chemolithoautotrophic bacteria (litho literally means "eaters of rock!") in our biofilters. This species eats the ammonia (NH3) and produces nitrite(NO2) which is then eaten by our second species (Nitrospira) and turned into nitrate(NO3) which we then remove from the tank via weekly water changes.
Fish respiration gives off ammonia as well as CO2 (unlike with mammals) and in fact this source of ammonia is usually the largest ammonia source in the tank I believe. Fish waste, excess fish food and plant debris make up the other 3 main ammonia sources. These organic materials are broken down into ammonia by "heterotrophic" bacteria that are different from the bacteria we grow in our filters.
Ammonia, even in small amounts, causes permanent gill damage, shortening the life of the fish or causing death. In nature, gill ammonia is swept away by millions of gallons of fresh water. Nitrite(NO2), even in tiny amounts, attaches to the fish blood hemoglobin, destroying it and resulting in suffocation, the usual first symptom of which is nerve and brain damage but again resulting in shortened fish lives or death. The concentrations where these problems begin in earnest vary greatly by species but a general "turning point" rule of thumb is at 0.25ppm of either substance, ammonia or nitrite(NO2.)
A "biofilter" (any layers of large-surface-area materials in the filter on which the two species of bacteria have formed biofilms) is an amazing tool for the aquarist, rapidly clearing the water of the two primary toxins day in and day out so that fresh water does not have to be changed daily. Since any given biofilter will grow its bacterial colonies to a size that matches the ammonia output in the aquarium, we can pre-"cycle" the filter by artificially supplying the equivalent of a large fish population (5ppm ammonia concentration) for a couple of months until the colonies are large and robust, at which point they will be able to handle any reasonable fish load that is introduced to the aquarium.
~~waterdrop~~
