Do diatoms prefer ammonia or nitrate?

[Miami Reef]

Can diatoms thrive off ammonia if nitrates are undetectable?

 

[sixty_reefer]

Most micro algaes would prefer ammonia over nitrates as it requires less energy to assimilate, nitrates have to be converted back to ammonia to be used.
My phytoplankton culture grows much faster with organic fertiliser over a nitrate based fertiliser.
Most dinoflagellates grow much faster once nitrates get depleted as ammonia will be the main source of nitrogen present. Dinoflagellates are always present in most of our systems although they don’t often bloom over high nitrates.

 

[Dan_P]

Can diatoms thrive off ammonia if nitrates are undetectable?

What ammonia are you referring to?

 

[Miami Reef]

What ammonia are you referring to?

Ammonia/ammonium from fish food.

 

[Spare time]

Most micro algaes would prefer ammonia over nitrates as it requires less energy to assimilate, nitrates have to be converted back to ammonia to be used.
My phytoplankton culture grows much faster with organic fertiliser over a nitrate based fertiliser.
Most dinoflagellates grow much faster once nitrates get depleted as ammonia will be the main source of nitrogen present. Dinoflagellates are always present in most of our systems although they don’t often bloom over high nitrates.

Where did you read they have to convert nitrate back to ammonia? I haven't heard that outside Tropic Marin's sales pitch. Not disagreeing, I just haven't seen actually papers on that but have heard it on here once or twice in regards to zooxanthellae and have been hoping someone could link it to me

 

[Miami Reef]

I actually see a few places on google that diatoms prefer nitrate over ammonia:

“Diatoms -- unicellular organisms -- have long been known to science, but their overwhelming appetite for nitrate is a new discovery made in a global survey.”​

Diatoms with a surprising appetite for nitrate discovered

Diatoms – unicellular organisms – have long been known to science, but their overwhelming appetite for nitrate is a new discovery made in a global survey.

www.sciencedaily.com

“Diatoms are nitrate (NO3-N) opportunists but can also use ammonium (NH4-N).”

Reducing nutrient increases diatom biomass in a subtropical eutrophic lake, China–Do the ammonium concentration and nitrate to ammonium ratio play a role?

Response of aquatic organisms to eutrophication have been well reported, while less studies are available for the recovery of eutrophic lakes followin…

www.sciencedirect.com

If the above is true, then it goes against what I’ve read about algaes preferring ammonia over nitrate.

 

[Garf]

Can diatoms thrive off ammonia if nitrates are undetectable?

Can I ask “Why ?”

 

[Miami Reef]

Can I ask “Why ?”

I have a zeovit-style tank with ULN, and I want to grow diatoms as a way to outcompete undesirable organisms. I just wanted to know if diatoms will be limited in nitrate.

My nitrates are showed 1ppm in my Red Sea nitrate Pro test kit, but I think it might be lower now.

My corals look happy and they are starting to color up the way I want them to.

 

[Dan_P]

Ammonia/ammonium from fish food.

OK.

I was wondering. iI ammonia is not making it to the autotrphs to be oxidized to nitrate, where is it going and is it even available to diatoms. My assumption is that no nitrates does not mean rapid nitrate consumption but rapid ammonia consumption.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

In both cases of "undetectable" ammonia or nitrate, diatoms may still get plenty of N. I do not know how low it has to be for them to be N limited.

 

[Garf]

I have a zeovit-style tank with ULN, and I want to grow diatoms as a way to outcompete undesirable organisms. I just wanted to know if diatoms will be limited in nitrate.

My nitrates are showed 1ppm in my Red Sea nitrate Pro test kit, but I think it might be lower now.

My corals look happy and they are starting to color up the way I want them to.

Pretty sure most folks could grow diatoms with the addition of silicates.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

In both cases of "undetectable" ammonia or nitrate, diatoms may still get plenty of N. I do not know how low it has to be for them to be N limited.

Won’t they just fix nitrogen from the air?

 

[Garf]

I think 1 ppm nitrate is more than enough for diatoms (and everything else), silicates, silicates, silicates, lol

 

[Miami Reef]

I think 1 ppm nitrate is more than enough for diatoms (and everything else), silicates, silicates, silicates, lol

Yes. I do dose silicate. I am getting good diatom growth.

I microscoped these as diatoms.

Diatom growth on powerhead

Diatom on glass

fish eating diatoms.

I only wondered because I’m slowly lowering my nitrates and wanted to know if there was a limiting level. Thanks for the answers guys!

 

[Garf]

if there was a limiting level

Doubt it, if your putting any food into a glass box.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Yes. I do dose silicate. I am getting good diatom growth.

I microscoped these as diatoms.

Diatom growth on powerhead

Diatom on glass

fish eating diatoms.

I only wondered because I’m slowly lowering my nitrates and wanted to know if there was a limiting level. Thanks for the answers guys!

Out of curiosity, what microscope do you have?

 

[Miami Reef]

Out of curiosity, what microscope do you have?

AmScope M150C-PS25 Compound Monocular Microscope, WF10x and WF25x Eyepieces, 40x-1000x Magnification, LED Illumination, Brightfield, Single-Lens Condenser, Coaxial Coarse and Fine Focus, Plain Stage, 110V, Includes Set of 25 Prepared Slides https://a.co/d/8JB8d3y


This is the exact one I have. I purchased it October 5, 2021

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

AmScope M150C-PS25 Compound Monocular Microscope, WF10x and WF25x Eyepieces, 40x-1000x Magnification, LED Illumination, Brightfield, Single-Lens Condenser, Coaxial Coarse and Fine Focus, Plain Stage, 110V, Includes Set of 25 Prepared Slides https://a.co/d/8JB8d3y


This is the exact one I have. I purchased it October 5, 2021

Oh, cool.
I definitely need binocular and/or digital display... I'd go blind screwing up my eyes looking through that single eyepiece

 

[sixty_reefer]

Where did you read they have to convert nitrate back to ammonia? I haven't heard that outside Tropic Marin's sales pitch. Not disagreeing, I just haven't seen actually papers on that but have heard it on here once or twice in regards to zooxanthellae and have been hoping someone could link it to me

I’ve learned from a MIT professor on YouTube it’s a hour and a half of boring stuff for most.

will this do?

Checking your browser - reCAPTCHA

quote from the paper:

“photosynthetic eukaryotes, nitrate assimilation is performed by two transport and two reduction steps: First, nitrate is transported into the cell, then a cytosolic Nitrate Reductase (NR) catalyzes nitrate reduction to nitrite, which subsequently is transported into the chloroplast, where the enzyme Nitrite Reductase (NiR) catalyzes its reduction to ammonium”

 

[sixty_reefer]

@Spare time

this is another one

quote:


Plants absorb nitrogen from the soil in the form of nitrates and ammonium ions. Ammonium ions and nitrates are absorbed by the plants via their respective transporters.

Nitrate after absorption is transported to the leaves and gets reduced to ammonia. Further, ammonia is converted into amine groups of various amino acids.

Nitrogen Assimilation - NEET Biology Notes

Nitrogen is a constituent of important biomolecules such as nucleic acids, proteins and is essential for sustaining life. Learn more about nitrogen assimilation only at BYJU’S.

byjus.com