Ceramic Media And Bacteria Question

[monkey_wrench]

Hi,

I've read that when your ph is acidic ammonia gets converted to ammonium(ionic form), do the bacteria in your filter also eat off ammonium?

Also do you ever have to change your ceramic media and if you do why?

thankss

 

[fatheadminnow]

I do not know much about your first question, but when the pH becomes acidic, below 7.0, the beneficial bacteria in our filters go into a dormant state.

At a pH of 6.6, the bacteria start to drastically slow down the processing of ammonia and nitrite, and anything below that level of pH the bacteria will become dormant, and the bacteria will not process any of the two toxins in the water.

I never heard about ammonia changing to ammonium when the pH becomes acidic, someone else will have to answer that for you. But based on what I know, I would say that the bacteria will not process ammonium. I think by the time ammonia does change over to ammonium (if it does?) that the bacteria will already be in a dormant state.

As for the ceramic media in your filter, you do not change that out.

That is where your beneficial will colonize the most. The only time you would every replace it is if it was some how falling apart, and it could not support the bacteria efficiently.

-FHM

 

[Truck]

they become dormant in an acidic body of water

many run planted tanks with CO2 which will lower PH yet there tanks are still processing ammonia and nitrite.

ammonia in an acidic solution becomes less harmful but can still be processed by the bacteria, and they still operate as normal.
on the flipside, nitrite is more toxic in an acidic solution but is still processed

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, agree with truck and FHM. The A-Bacs like the ammonium state just fine. As truck stated, both species of bacteria will process their input materials regardless of the ionic state, but the overall processing rates do vary with pH.

Ceramic biomedia like ceramic rings and ceramic gravel should last practically forever and many fishkeepers report that they are still using their original stuff. As fathead mentions, if the ceramic eventually crumbles too much, that might be a reason to begin shifting in replacement media in fractional amounts. Biomedia should always be replaced in amounts 1/3 or less of the total, to allow the colonies to rebuild without causing mini-cycles.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[drobbyb]

I've read that when your ph is acidic ammonia gets converted to ammonium(ionic form), do the bacteria in your filter also eat off ammonium?

Yes the bacteria treat it just like ammonia.

 

[monkey_wrench]

awesome thanks for the replys