ELECTRONICAL LARVICULTURE NEWSLETTER ISSUE 81

1 JUNE 1999


AMOUNT OF NITRITE/NITRATE PRODUCED OUT OF AMMONIA

Date: 13 May 1999

From: Nancy Lightowler <nlightowler@lbaop.org>

To: <AQUA-L@killick.ifmt.nf.ca>

QUESTION:

I am looking to calculate the amount of nitrite and nitrate that is created from each gram of ammonia in a closed system. I want to do this on paper. I have figured out how much ammonia is produced from each kg of feed.

Nancy A. Lightowler

Aquarium of the Pacific

Water Quality

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COMMENTS 1:

This is not exactly what you are looking for, but... for each 0.25 grams of nitrogen added to a closed system, 1.1 grams of nitrate are produced by nitrification.

Reference:

Wachtel, H., 1973. Aquarium Ecology

Lee Newman

Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre

<Lee_Newman@bc.sympatico.ca>

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COMMENTS 2:

based on molar calculations:

NH4+ + 1.5O2 + 2HCO3 --> NO2- + 2 H2CO3 + H2O

NO2- + O2 --> NO32- + H2O

Dr. Mark Powell

Lecture, School of Aquaculture

University of Tasmania

P.O. Box 1214

Launceston, Tasmania

Australia 7250

Tel: +61/3/632.43.813

Fax: +61/3/632.43.804

Mark.Powell@utas.edu.au

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