Do high Nitrites hinder Nitrobacter growth?

[Japtastic]

I have around 5-6ppm Nitrites during a cycle and am wondering if this kind of level hinders or stops Nitrobacter growing/reproducing or what level does stop them?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I've not seen evidence that it does (nitrite is strongly detoxified in marine systems relative to freshwater due to competition for binding sites by chloride) and I would be leary of any "evidence" that was being extrapolated from fresh water.

I am also not sure that we know what species of nitrite oxidizing bacteria are even present in typical reef tanks. There are lots of them present in the ocean.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

For example, folks are still studying this in 2017:

Major role of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in dark ocean carbon fixation.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29170234

"Single-cell genomics and community metagenomics revealed that Nitrospinae are the most abundant and globally distributed nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in the ocean. "

 

[Japtastic]

Thanks for the reply, Randy. Glad to hear you haven’t seen any evidence against high Nitrites being a problem. I know it’s the bacteria that takes longest to colonise so will just give it some time.

 

[Lasse]

A couple of years ago - there was some scientific articles that claim that free NH3/NH4 could block the second stage of the nitrification process (NO2-> NO3). However - at least in one case that I work with - it do not seems to be like that. In spite of high NH4 levels - a high rate of full nitrification take place at the nitrification line.

High levels of NO2 will not hinder the growth of the bacteria in the second stage of nitrification - instead the second stage need NO2 in order to work. Its the differences in energy levels between NO2 and NO3 the bacteria use as energi source. Without NO2 - there is nothing to convert and gain energy from.

Sincerely Lasse