Nitrosomnas bacteria.

[esoxlucius]

We are led to believe that BB in the aquarium are all over the place, every underwater surface. And the size of the colonies are determined by the amount of available "food". Pretty basic stuff.

Nitrosomnas are the first stage bacteria in the nitrogen cycle once ammonia starts showing up in a new aquarium. Once the ammonia has been "processed" to nitrite we then have Nitrobacter to process the nitrite to nitrate. Although more complex than my description, I think I've laid out the bare bones of the process pretty well, as I understand it anyway.

But then I started thinking a little, not always a good idea, lol. But it led me down a bit of a rabbit hole and I can't find my way out on this one!!

What if the aquarium we are referring to is heavily planted. Planted to such an extent that any available ammonia produced by the inhabitants is gobbled up pretty damn quick by the plants. So....no food source for our first stage bacteria, meaning no Nitrosomnas can actually be present??

Theoretically, this surely means then that in an heavily planted tank the nitrogen cycle can't even start, not from a Nitrosomnas perspective anyway???

Taking it a step further, is it possible then that, in a heavily planted tank, there isn't any nitrifying bacteria present at all, or very very few, due to the non existent, or very limited food source??

Surely this theory can't even be remotely correct? It flies in the face of everything we've ever known regarding BB in the aquarium.

I must be missing something.

RD. neutrino .

 

[HUKIT]

My understanding has always been the bacteria population density will be in direct relation to the availability of nutrients for them, in this case NH4 and NO2. In a healthy, heavily planted tank the plants will suck up any NH4 before the bacteria really has a chance at it. I'd therefore say that the bacteria population in heavily planted tanks is almost next to nothing when compared to a non-planted tank.

 

[Dwalton98]

I'm a fan of this website and he gives his opinion on cycling a planted tank.

Cycling a Planted Aquarium

It is difficult to cycle a planted aquarium, requiring a HUGE amount of patience.

aquariumscience.org

 

[Conchonius]

Imagine the situation in a forest, with beetles and caterpillars eating the same leaves as larger herbivores. Sometimes there are exceptional circumstances, like a locust swarm wrecking everything and leaving the larger herbivores to starve, but unless something catastrophic happens both groups can survive despite having the same food source. It's pretty rare that a species completely extirpates another.

I'd expect something similar to happen in the planted tank. There'd be less bacteria than a completely unplanted setup, but it's unlikely that the ratio will be 100% plants:0% Nitrosomonas (or vice-versa). Maybe something like 80:20?

Also, my understanding is that Nitrosomonas is quicker to "secure its meal" compared to plants, since nutrient exchange is made at cell surfaces and bacterial surface/volume ratio is greater than plants. So even in a densely planted tank there would always be some nitrifiers to go around.

 

[RD.]

Surprise: 1 organism responsible for nitrification instead of 2

My apologies if this has already been posted here. Surprise: One organism responsible for nitrification instead of two Date: November 26, 2015 Source: Radboud University Summary: It could never be found until recently, in a fish tank a few floors below a university microbiology department...

www.monsterfishkeepers.com

 

[RD.]

As you can see, that topic didn't get a lot of attention back in 2015 when I posted it. IMO there is still much that has not been fully understood by science when it comes to the bacteria found in a closed system such as an aquarium.

 

[esoxlucius]

Well that thread was certainly short and sweet, lol.

It doesn't look like I'm going out of my mind just yet then! It looks like I've made a valid observation.