where exactly is the "cycle" in a aquarium cycle?

[csr mel]

ok most of us would probably be framiliar with the water cycle where water evaporates condenses and then rains down again in a never ending cycle.

but in an aquarium we call the biological filtering process a cycle as well. where is the cycle in this?

the most i can see is that it is not a cycle but infact a process where ammonia is converted to nitrates which are then converted into nitrites.

so where is the cycle in that? wouldnt it be less misleading to call it a "process"

?

 

[Cheese Specialist]

The cycle is the building up of the bacteria that form the cycle. I think cycle is an approriate word because the waste go through the stages of the cycle that converts the waste into a safe form.

 

[Waterloo Kid]

You could even say this:

Fish - Ammonia - Nitrite - Nitrate - Plant - Fish

there you go. A full cycle!

 

[The-Wolf]

view this site

 

[Helium_Junkie]

a recurring series of events: a series of stages through which an organism tends to pass once in a fixed order <the common cycle of birth, growth, senescence and death

-Dictionary.com

A cycle does not necessarily mean the ending meets the beginning, a cycle implies that the process is repeated. Which in the aquarium it is, constantly.

 

[FrankSlapperinni]

In nature the Nitrogen cycle is a complete one. Nitrogen (Either created by beans, lighting, or other phenomena) from the air is absorbed by plants, and then transfered to the animal that eats the plants, then to the carnivore that eats the animal (losing potency each time), until finally the animal carrying Nitrogen dies , and releases it as organic matter (animal whasts also carry nitrogen). when the matter decomposes, ammonia (NH3) and the less toxic ammonium (NH4+) are produced. Through nitrification, ammonia/ammonium becomes Nitrite (NO2-) and then Nitrate (NO3),
consuming water and releasing hydrogen as the process goes along. Nitrate is then converted either to nitrogen again, or absorbed by the clay in soil.