<"Same for me"> .In my opinion, it's one of those things that gets way overblown in theory with little application to actual aquarium keeping. Aquarium lights are of a reduced spectrum compared to sunlight ( most lack significant UV radiation) and have a reduced intensity. If there really is no shade, biofilms will create some.
The suggestion is that the bacteria involved in nitrification are light sensitive and <"photoinhibition can limit nitrification">. You mention this in <"algae and algae spores in filter?">Bacteria will grow without light, it will also grow with light. Not really sure what you're asking.
I guess this question is too vague, I don’t know what bacteria are good, nor could I grow them even if I wanted too 😂 what I wondered is whether there could be some that could help with aquarium stability and high grow better with some light than not.
What @Simon Cole says. I'd guess that you get a much more varied microbial community with added light, and as fair as I'm concerned <"diversity brings stability">.In a biofilm, algae are the producers, and they provide organic molecules to consumers (bacteria and other microbes). They also remove nutrients from the water column, and function to provide a matrix of polysaccharides supporting the microbial assemblage, allowing it to attach to hard surfaces.
Obviously plants are relevant to nitrification. As for the light argument, wouldn’t much of the substrate not be exposed to any light… some people are a bit ridiculous😂Hi all,
The suggestion is that the bacteria involved in nitrification are light sensitive and <"photoinhibition can limit nitrification">. You mention this in <"algae and algae spores in filter?">
It has been used as an argument for why only the filter bacteria count in nitrification, because the filter is the only place that is dark.
It would be fair to say that I'm less than convinced by this as an argument, but unfortunately I've had a lot of correspondence (<"much of it fairly abusive">) telling me that it is one of the (many) reasons why plants are obviously irrelevant to nitrification and that they actually limit nitrification because plants need light and having a light inhibits bacterial nitrification.
What @Simon Cole says. I'd guess that you get a much more varied microbial community with added light, and as fair as I'm concerned <"diversity brings stability">.
cheers Darrel
You would be amazed, a lot of traditional "fish keepers" are still very ill disposed towards plants.Obviously plants are relevant to nitrification. As for the light argument, wouldn’t much of the substrate not be exposed to any light… some people are a bit ridiculous😂
Actually, it's the other way round.In a biofilm, algae are the producers, and they provide organic molecules to consumers (bacteria and other microbes). They also remove nutrients from the water column, and function to provide a matrix of polysaccharides supporting the microbial assemblage, allowing it to attach to hard surfaces.
I've been reading about bacteria a few days ago. I might be wrong, but I thought the main reason that nitrifying bacteria grow faster in the filter is because of the filter media (porous media=more surface area).Hi all,
The suggestion is that the bacteria involved in nitrification are light sensitive and <"photoinhibition can limit nitrification">. You mention this in <"algae and algae spores in filter?">
It has been used as an argument for why only the filter bacteria count in nitrification, because the filter is the only place that is dark.
It would be fair to say that I'm less than convinced by this as an argument, but unfortunately I've had a lot of correspondence (<"much of it fairly abusive">) telling me that it is one of the (many) reasons why plants are obviously irrelevant to nitrification and that they actually limit nitrification because plants need light and having a light inhibits bacterial nitrification.
What @Simon Cole says. I'd guess that you get a much more varied microbial community with added light, and as fair as I'm concerned <"diversity brings stability">.
cheers Darrel
Well it sort of matters.Nitrifying bacteria are autotrophs, so it doesn't matter if there's light or not, right?
Check out <this article> because it talks a bit about the impact of light on nitrifying bacteria and it was only published two months ago
That is an interesting paper. Forced aeration is one of the <"major costs in waste water treatment">, so there are financial benefits if you can just use light and microalgae <"to supply your oxygen">.........The consortium of microalgae and nitrifying bacteria has attracted attention owing to its advantages, such as energy- and cost-efficiency in terms of using only light irradiation without aeration. .......
In nitrification <"dissolved oxygen is the parameter that really matters">, but it doesn't really matter <"how you top it up">.The prime metric in nitrification isn't actually the ammonia concentration, it is the dissolved oxygen level. As you have water with greater amounts of organic pollution its Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) increases, BOD values range from clean water at below 5 mg/l dissolved oxygen up to about 600 mg/L in raw sewage. Water is fully saturated with oxygen at about 10 mg/L, so you can see that you would need to continually add oxygen for nitrification to occur. Sewage works do this via the <"Activated Sludge"> process (below).
A bit of both really, a suitable environment and a constant flow of oxygen (and potentially ammonia) rich water. In nearly all cases microbial nitrification isn't restricted <"by lack of surface area">, it is restricted by lack of oxygen.I might be wrong, but I thought the main reason that nitrifying bacteria grow faster in the filter is because of the filter media (porous media=more surface area).
They can. In a planted tank you have the rhizosphere, <"a zone of fluctuating REDOX values"> surrounding the growing root. Roots are <"leaky structures">, sloughing off carbon rich cells and leaking oxygen and organic compounds into the root zone.I also thought that nitrifying bacteria can be found everywhere in an aquarium system (rock, substrate, etc.). That's why the most important thing in a SW aquarium is the live rock. Because of all the bacteria and microorganisms on it.
Several years ago I conducted an experiment. It showed that nitrification initiated and run invariably with or without any filtration, just in silica sand. Now I'm running all my tanks without filtration (just with pumps to make water flowing and venturi to increase/maintain O2 and CO2 content) and I can clearly detect nitrification by measuring nitrogen directly or by pH move in response to dosing either ammonium (pH drop) or nitrates (pH rise).I'm willing to bet that <"any established planted tank"> contains multiple sites where nitrification (and denitrification) occur, with the <"microbial assemblage fine tuned"> to the prevailing oxygen and fixed nitrogen supply.
It depends how you define "beneficial", personally <"I'm keen on cyanobacteria">, but I understand that view isn't universal.Light is not necessary for the growth of beneficial bacteria, as light can limit the growth of bacteria.