Belgian Anthias
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Sulphur must have been very important in forming the oceans as there is a lot of it, mostly present as sulphate. But this sulphate content seems not to be very important for keeping reef aquaria as salt mixes do vary a lot in sulphate content. https://reefhub.pl/test-of-marine-salts/
Elemental sulphur is only present in very small amounts in the aquarium although in the ocean it is present everywhere, sometimes in huge amounts, as at the coastline of Chilli where several million tons are present on the bottom of the sea, playing an important role in the nitrogen and carbon cycle in the ocean.
What is the role of sulphur in a reef aquarium? How important is sulphur for the nitrogen cycle?
In a normal nitrifying biofilm +- 40% of the population has an anaerobic pathway, living in the oxygen minimum zones and anoxic zones, occupied recycling and renewing the biofilm. In the nitrifying biofilm, heterotrophic denitrification is limited due to the limited availability of anoxic zones and of the availability of organic carbon in those zones. Autotrophic denitrification is limited due to the limited availability of usable sulphur in the oxygen minimum zones and anoxic zones.
It is known that if a nitrifying biofilm grows on elemental sulphur more than 90% of the NH4 reduced by nitrification may be removed as nitrogen gas. By providing elemental sulphur as substrate a nitrifying biofilter may produce very little nitrate but a lot of nitrogen gas. This way the nitrogen is effectively removed . The process responsible for this is BADES, Biologaical Autotropic Denitrification on Elemental Sulphur.
Just by providing some elemental sulphur the aquarium system is able to close the nitrogen cycle!
True or false?
Elemental sulphur is only present in very small amounts in the aquarium although in the ocean it is present everywhere, sometimes in huge amounts, as at the coastline of Chilli where several million tons are present on the bottom of the sea, playing an important role in the nitrogen and carbon cycle in the ocean.
What is the role of sulphur in a reef aquarium? How important is sulphur for the nitrogen cycle?
In a normal nitrifying biofilm +- 40% of the population has an anaerobic pathway, living in the oxygen minimum zones and anoxic zones, occupied recycling and renewing the biofilm. In the nitrifying biofilm, heterotrophic denitrification is limited due to the limited availability of anoxic zones and of the availability of organic carbon in those zones. Autotrophic denitrification is limited due to the limited availability of usable sulphur in the oxygen minimum zones and anoxic zones.
It is known that if a nitrifying biofilm grows on elemental sulphur more than 90% of the NH4 reduced by nitrification may be removed as nitrogen gas. By providing elemental sulphur as substrate a nitrifying biofilter may produce very little nitrate but a lot of nitrogen gas. This way the nitrogen is effectively removed . The process responsible for this is BADES, Biologaical Autotropic Denitrification on Elemental Sulphur.
Just by providing some elemental sulphur the aquarium system is able to close the nitrogen cycle!
True or false?
