Terrible Advice Tuesdays: The Natural Ammonia Reducer
Terrible Advice Tuesdays: Nitrates eat ammonia.
The rest of the story: Look out! Chemical compounds have morphed into biological organisms that consume other compounds! AAHHHH!!!
Ammonia (NH3) is a chemical compound that is digested by bacteria during the first step of the nitrogen cycle. Nitrate (NO3) is a chemical compound that is the end result of the 3-step nitrogen cycle. Without ammonia, you’ll never get nitrates, but nitrates have no bearing on ammonia during the nitrogen cycle.
Also, the chemical makeup of nitrates makes for a stable compound that has no interest in interacting with ammonia.
If you want to lower ammonia, you’ll need bacteria, ammonia absorbing media, or a water change to do it, not nitrates.
Browse the Store! Questions?
This story had to of originally came from a pet co aquatics MANAGER! Lol
That would be the perfect process there lol
jasonandsarah..actually a Facebook group!
Reminds me of an old saying…”Stand for something or fall for everything”!!!!
Such a party pooper you are Mark,
haven’t you heard of live Nitrates, they love to eat Ammonia as the little buggers swim around, c’mon get with the program, it would be so convenient, where do these idiots get their ideas of bio-chemistry from, a kids story book.
Pierre…facebook saltwater groups where the “experts” hang out!
More than likely whoever wrote this is confused about a bacterial process called Anammox which stand for ANaerobic AMMonia Oxidation.
In certain anaerobic conditions with sufficient ammonia and nitrate present a special group of bacteria will oxidize the nitrate. The bacteria that do this were first discovered in saltwater exhibits at the Seattle and Shedd Aquariums.
Thanks Dr Tim, all BS was based on some factoid at one time….