The Nitrogen Cycle

[TMAllen]

Let's try this one more time. I don't worry much about this but I have a background in biology, zoology and botany. I have a basic fish keeping book with this graphic. It might help.

 

[Sgooosh]

Let's try this one more time. I don't worry much about this but I have a background in biology, zoology and botany. I have a basic fish keeping book with this graphic. It might help.
View attachment 132874

my old science teacher had one of these, it was for aquaponics.
lovely graphic

 

[Tank Sinatra]

You can’t argue with science. Or maths. Or Mums.

 

[Sgooosh]

You can’t argue with science. Or maths. Or Mums.

especially mums

 

[TMAllen]

my old science teacher had one of these, it was for aquaponics.
lovely graphic

It covers a lot of questions! And, it's a graphic which means that it is going to appeal to folks who like maps.

 

[Sgooosh]

It covers a lot of questions! And, it's a graphic which means that it is going to appeal to folks who like maps.

it is also beginner friendly, rather than just talking about bacteria and chemicals, would be commplicated for a beginner kid

 

[itiwhetu]

But some of us vacuum all the fish waste out and replace it with fert. pellets. What the heck !!

 

[Colin_T]

Fertiliser doesn't encourage harmful disease organisms like fish poop does

 

[TMAllen]

But some of us vacuum all the fish waste out and replace it with fert. pellets. What the heck !!

Or, some of us, well me, syphon everything out and rely upon the fact that we save tank water to clean out the innerds of the filter. I don't know. It's a mixed bag. I had a 20 gallon community fresh water tank in 1965 with live plants. It was a ton of work. I loved it but at 10 years old, I needed some cooperation from my parents and, well, they didn't like the water spills and stains on their danish modern furniture or the carpet. Well, things work out the way that they do. If I'd have had fert pellets back when I had live plants, that might have helped. I no longer have them. I have 4 nano tanks and none have plants and each is specie specific. I provide whatever my visual diagnosis will provide me with for each tank. I don't know, - I'm not a veterinarian with a specialty for exotics like fish. I'm not a veterinarian at all. But, I like watching these beautiful animals in a world that suits them, each world. I suspect that the biggest issue is the size of the aquaworld - the smaller, the easier to solve a problem BUT the more the problem can escalate. Then the bigger the aquaworld, the bigger the aquaworld, the slower the problem can escalate but the harder to solve the problem. It's a series of choices.

 

[TMAllen]

it is also beginner friendly, rather than just talking about bacteria and chemicals, would be commplicated for a beginner kid

That was the point. If anyone thinks that they'd like to know more about this, this graphic might give them the vocabulary and launching pad to investigate more. I didn't mean to insult anyone. But, really...I am currently a member of some 17 different aquarium groups and the largest number of questions seems to come from those who have larger tanks and not the knowledge to manage the water parameters.

 

[TMAllen]

Fertiliser doesn't encourage harmful disease organisms like fish poop does

True.

 

[itiwhetu]

I have never seen a diagram of the nitrogen cycle with vacuuming fish waste out as part of the cycle

 

[TMAllen]

Fertiliser doesn't encourage harmful disease organisms like fish poop does

You and I have spoken, oh wait, we have not spoken, about dehydrated tubifex worms. Taenia proglottids get transmitted in poop - I'm also a member of a Marine Biology consortium and the current thing is how certain protozoan pests manage to migrate to fresh water fish from shore birds - hint, it's all in the poop. This is a genuine concern. As far as anyone that I can find knows, dehydration works to deactivate worm pests. Not so for protozoans. And, it's not just fish - mammals are at risk. 12 years ago, my husband and I adopted a 2 year old cat from our local humane society and she was sent home with us with a drug regime: Azythromycin for another 3 weeks - Zythromax TM, and the only use for this drug in felines is to treat coccidia. What I think is that if you have an established tank, and you've monitored what goes in and out, you can be reasonably safe. And, another point, if you don't grow living plants, you avoid this issue altogether. Of course, there are diet and environment enrichment issues with not growing live plants. I guess you have to pick your poison: To do, or not to do.