Denitrifying bacteria and airstone

[joeyttk]

1. does adding airstone (and hence oxygenating the water) kills off denitrifying bacteria ?

I remember reading somewhere in the marine tank section that people with DSB (or some with gadgets that are hidden from lights and low on oxygen) to help cultivate and maintain denitrifying bacteria to help convert with the bio-cycle


2. on the other hand, there are others who add airstone to speed up the cycling process.

hence the question is to have airstone or no-airstone.

I wanted lemon-finned barbs, which supposedly requires highly oxygenated water. please advise

[Shaihulud]

No it doesn't, a marine tank is more heavily oxygenated than a freshwater tank, with all the heavy water movement, and denitrifying bacteria lives way down in the dsb, if you don't disturb the sand too much, it is fine.Plants are a better form of denitrifying process in a freshwater tank, and i have never seen a freshie set up a dsb in the tank, we all worry too much about anaerobic spot and how it will release toxic gases.

My advice is to provide the oxygen to the fish if they like it, there is no need to worry about the denitrifying bacteria.

[joeyttk]

tks, anaerobic spot ? is that dead area with poor water movement ?

[monkeyruler90]

i think you got your bacteria confused

there is atype of bacteria that live in stagnant water thats low in oxygen that turn nitrogen compounds into free nitrogen gas and complete the nitrogen cycle, hoowever these bacteria rarely live in the freshwater aquarium and require a special reactor thats slow in current, low in oxygen and no light.

the bacteria that we WANT to keep actually works by taking nitrogen compounds and converting them into other forms but not gaseous forms. those Beneficial Bacteria need oxygen in order to survive so adding an airstone would be very good to do.

[joeyttk]

thank u. this really clear it up for me. thanks!