Question and my journey from a new comer

[Angrybeaver]

Anyways don't mind me. I tend to come off as if I know everything...when this is going to be a new addition to my wheel house

 

[Essjay]

The nitrate eating bacteria rarely grow in aquariums as there is too much oxygen.

Plants do help keep nitrate low. Aquatic plants prefer ammonia as their source of nitrogen and they take up ammonia faster than bacteria. Plants turn ammonia into protein not nitrite so with no nitrite, no nitrate is made in the tank. Where tap water has low nitrate, plants help keep nitrate low.
It's where tap water has high nitrate that the fish keeper has to find an alternative. As NannaLou said, terrestrial plants with their roots in the aquarium will take up nitrate. Then there are chemical means such as nitra-zorb filter media, Pozzani filters to remove nitrate from tap water, and RO water to dilute the amount of nitrate.

 

[NannaLou]

I was late on doing research and could have saved myself the trouble if I decided to do all of this BEFORE I took ownership of the tank

Lots of us become ‘experts’ while trying to sort out a muddle caused by poor research, or not even knowing what we should try and research!

Is there a point to plants if you are trying to develope the anaerobic bacteria I keep hearing about that eats the nitrates and turns it into nitrogen gas which just exchanges when air does.

I’ve just had a really quick look, but I’m not sure I understand enough about anaerobic to make a comment…someone else will come along and answer that one for you

 

[Essjay]

The bacteria which we usually think of in tanks are aerobic bacteria - they use oxygen to make energy. The progression
NH3 -> NO2 -> NO3
is adding oxygen (the O in the chemical formula) from that dissolved in the water.

The bacteria which carry out the conversion of nitrate to nitrogen gas are anaerobic and they remove oxygen from nitrate rather than use oxygen gas in order to make energy
NO3 -> N2
Here oxygen is removed from nitrate.

Our tanks tend to be well oxygenated. Fish need oxygen, plants need oxygen. Most of us don't have places in our tanks which have little or no oxygen, so there's nowhere for the anaerobic bacteria to grow. There are filter media which claim to have spaces inside where oxygen gets depleted so the bacteria can grow, but as I have never used them, I can't say from personal experience whether they do or not. Those who have used them can maybe tell us their experience.


[Even if I could grow anaerobic bacteria in my tank, there isn't any nitrate to feed them. My tap nitrate is virtually zero, and with a lot of floating plants, the ammonia made by the fish is taken up by the plants so there's no nitrate made in my tanks]

 

[Rocky998]

I’m not certain that that is how the Nitrogen cycle works…. My understanding is that you grow one set of bacteria to break down the Ammonia and the result of that action is Nitrites. A second set of bacteria break down the Nitrites to give Nitrate and that is removed by water changes and some emergent plants consume Nitrate (pathos, peace lily, bamboo…). @Essjay will be able to confirm this for me.

I don’t know about glow fish, but I have learnt recently that lots of other fish really colour up when they are in planted tanks as they feel more secure…might be worth a bit of reading and see if that theory will follow through to glow fish..

I just broke it down in the simplest of forms and I know I left some things out... I know all that

 

[Essjay]

It is always better to explain that it is bacteria which convert ammonia to nitrite then that nitrite to nitrate rather than saying nitrite eats ammonia etc. That way it gets across the need to grow bacteria

 

[Rocky998]

I think he just worded it differently. Than you were use to. So it isn't the nitrites that actually eat ammonia, but they are the byproduct of that process. The same goes for nitrates to nitrites.

Then you have this new concept I keep hearing about which is anaerobic bacteria converting nitrates to nitrogen which then leaves your ecosystem as air exchanges

No, nitrites "eat" the ammonia, nitrAtes are the bi-product that "eat" the nitrites

 

[Rocky998]

Is there a point to plants if you are trying to develope the anaerobic bacteria I keep hearing about that eats the nitrates and turns it into nitrogen gas which just exchanges when air does. Looks like you need a big filter with plenty of flow for this though along with something like biohome ultimate which can support it (5lbs is about $100)

This might just be snake oil that is floating around this community, but if it is actually a viable option then outside of looks and preference is there much reason to go live plants?

For a fish in cycle you need to keep ammonia down whether it be daily water changes or heavily planting the tank... By heavily planting it you wont have to do AS MANY water changes during the cycle.

 

[Essjay]

Nitrite doesn't eat ammonia. Ammonia is converted into nitrite by bacteria. Similarly nitrite is converted into nitrate by bacteria.

They are actively converted by living things, it's not one chemical pulling the conversion. After all, for a long time during a fishless cycle there is a lot of ammonia and no nitrite, so there's no nitrite to eat ammonia yet it is still (finally!) converted into nitrite.

 

[Essjay]

For a fish in cycle you need to keep ammonia down whether it be daily water changes or heavily planting the tank... By heavily planting it you wont have to do AS MANY water changes during the cycle.

This is very true

And water changes are needed to keep nitrite down as well.

 

[Angrybeaver]

My poor little setup. It needs more work and a much better filter, but I might just get a good HOB filter to handle the short term

 

[NannaLou]

View attachment 147362

My poor little setup. It needs more work and a much better filter, but I might just get a good HOB filter to handle the short term

I like a more natural looking tank, but this is still attractive - and I expect the children love the colours and movement

I think all tanks are a constant journey to “Perfection”…whatever that might look like

 

[Angrybeaver]

I like a more natural looking tank, but this is still attractive - and I expect the children love the colours and movement

I think all tanks are a constant journey to “Perfection”…whatever that might look like

Yep, I have 4 year old twins... so they were the inspiration for going colorful and fun. I personally would have been more likely to go more natural.

 

[Rocky998]

Yep, I have 4 year old twins... so they were the inspiration for going colorful and fun. I personally would have been more likely to go more natural.

I understand... At that age most of us want big colorful things. And we dont care if its natural lol. I personally LOVE the natural jungle look

 

[Angrybeaver]

So anyone have experience with the aquael ultramax 2000 or the fluval 406/407?

Not liking what I am seeing about the 4th and up eheim reviews.