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Post by angelminx on Mar 6, 2015 14:28:14 GMT -5
Hi Carl,
I've heard that nitrifying bacteria will not function below a certain pH (I think it was something like 6.2). Yesterday I read an article in my March '06 AFM, that talked about the Glowing Coral Barb Barbus jae, (from Cameroon--I think they're all still wild-caught), that said they have an upper pH limit of 6.0, but do better in the low 5 range. How do you keep the tank biologically active in a case like this? Just wondering.
Angelminx
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Post by Carl on Mar 6, 2015 16:01:24 GMT -5
Hi Carl, I've heard that nitrifying bacteria will not function below a certain pH (I think it was something like 6.2). Yesterday I read an article in my March '06 AFM, that talked about the Glowing Coral Barb Barbus jae, (from Cameroon--I think they're all still wild-caught), that said they have an upper pH limit of 6.0, but do better in the low 5 range. How do you keep the tank biologically active in a case like this? Just wondering. Angelminx First I would question whether or not this fish cannot be adapted to a higher pH, as I have been told this over the years about numerous fish only to find over the years this to be 100% UNTRUE. The bigger danger of pH I have found is movement up or down rapidly, not careful adjustment As for the other part of this question; the nitrogen cycle can re-establish at pH levels under 6, but there is a different mechanism that IMO is still not clearly understood "The results presented in this paper clearly show that autotrophic nitrifying bacteria have the ability to nitrify at a high rate at low pH and in the presence of only a negligible free ammonia concentration, suggesting the presence of an efficient ammonium uptake system and the means to cope with low pH."Reference: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC525248/The above reference in cited in the "Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle" article in the nitrification section: www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Nitrogen_Cycle.html#nitrificationCarl
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Mar 6, 2015 17:58:04 GMT -5
Great question and interesting answer. Thanks for sharing with the group.
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Post by angelminx on Mar 9, 2015 2:20:27 GMT -5
Thanks for the info, Carl . I know you've mentioned Discus being kept/bred in higher pH than is normally advocated, but since they have "been around" in the hobby for a long time, and the Glowing Coral Barbs, were "new" at the time, I figured they hadn't had a chance to adapt to "normal" water parameters, so might present a special circumstance, thus inspiring my question. Angelminx
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