When you hear the word germs, some people may immediately think of bacteria.
While certain pathogenic microorganisms are very dangerous, there are also many types of beneficial bacteria – in fact, without them, life on Earth as we know it probably wouldn’t exist, and recirculating aquarium systems probably wouldn’t exist either.
Even the largest aquariums contain a relatively small amount of water, so biological waste materials can quickly build up, some of which can be deadly toxic. Fish tank They are livestock and need to be managed.
This can be achieved by regular water changes, although frequent water changes for large tanks can be time consuming and probably a bit expensive.
This is where certain bacteria can make aquarium maintenance much more manageable: these beneficial bacteria convert toxins into less harmful substances or ingest them and eliminate them through their own metabolic activity.
Here are some important tasks that beneficial bacteria perform:
Aquarium bacteria aid in the nitrogen cycle
Aquarium animals such as fish release ammonia through their gills directly into the tank water, causing ammonia levels to spike, with potentially fatal consequences.
Such losses (usually a complete crash) are particularly common in immature systems (i.e. “new tank syndrome”). The nitrogen cycle is therefore arguably the most important role that beneficial bacteria play in an aquarium ecosystem.
This is actually a two-part process: one species (e.g. Nitrosomonas) oxidizes the highly toxic ammonia to fairly toxic nitrite, and the other species (e.g. Nitrobacter) oxidizes the nitrite in the aquarium to less toxic nitrate.
Both freshwater and saltwater aquarists use the term “cycling” to indicate that the resident population of nitrifying bacteria has become large enough to keep ammonia concentrations below detectable levels.
The quickest and most reliable way to start the cycle is to inoculate the aquarium with live nitrifying bacteria. Dr. Tim’s® Aquatics Live Nitrifying BacteriaThese products can also be used after water changes or when adding new fish.
Now, just because nitrates in your aquarium aren’t that toxic doesn’t mean you don’t have to worry. On the contrary, nitrates can be harmful to animals in very high concentrations (over 50 ppm), as well as act as fertilizer for unwanted algae.
Nitrate levels can in most cases be kept in check by regular water changes, but again, there are some good aquarium bacteria out there that can save you a lot of effort.
These are known as denitrifying bacteria. Denitrifying bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas as part of the process of anaerobic respiration. They typically require an organic carbon source for energy and an oxygen concentration of less than 10 percent.
Beneficial bacteria keep your aquarium clean
Various particles and dissolved organic matter can add an unsightly yellow tinge to the water and foul the aquarium by forming piles of debris and debris at the bottom of the tank.
Again, water changes can help reduce the amount of waste. Activated charcoal is often used to remove large amounts of dissolved organic matter. However, bacteria in the aquarium can (you guessed it!) make this task much easier for the aquarist.
This job is usually assigned to obligate aerobic heterotrophic bacteria. Unlike autotrophs, which can make their own food, heterotrophs must eat some organic carbon.
These microorganisms can absorb excess nitrates and phosphates as well as organic matter. Some aquarists intentionally additionUse organic carbon (using a variety of liquid or granular bacterial baits) to aid in nitrate/phosphate removal.
Aquarium purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB) can also be used here for the same purpose, but they live in anaerobic areas such as sandy bottoms.
PNSB not only purifies water and consumes detritus (hence its popular name “sludge eater”), it can also bioassimilate nitrates, and even acts as a powerful probiotic.
Creating a microbial utopia
Besides using inoculants, aquarists can also keep populations of good bacteria high by providing the perfect habitat for the bacteria.
This is easy to do with high surface area “biomedia.” These materials are durable, non-toxic, and highly porous. The best ones come in block form that can be easily stored within your sump or filter components.
These media not only provide vast living spaces but also allow for synergistic relationships between different types of microorganisms.
For example, nitrifying bacteria can colonize the outer aerobic portion. The nitrates they produce flow into the deeper anaerobic pores of the medium, where they can be easily captured and metabolized by denitrifying bacteria.
The Need for Good Bacteria
Not all bacteria are bad, some are necessary for a healthy aquarium environment.
Put some good bacteria in there with a quality live inoculant and you can be sure they’ll always be there. Even better, give them a great home to live in. This small investment of effort will foster a large, healthy and diverse community of beneficial microbes.
Culture in large quantities. Good bacteria cannot be overfed and turn into harmful bacteria. The more bacteria you can culture, the less time you’ll have to spend cleaning and changing the water.
Kenneth Wingerter
Featured Image: vgajic/E+ via Getty Images
