THE AEROBIC TANK

This tank contains nitrifying bacteria and allege necessary to convert the levels of ammonia in the water into Nitrates, (NO3). The tank is a 15 gallon sealed container so that it can only allow water in and out, but not air since the only openings are always blocked by the water. Inside the tank it is filled with sponges. These allow a lot of growth space for the bacteria due to great amount of surface area that water comes in contact with. There are three types of bacteria that were directly added to the system, and in preticular this tank. These bacteria's are, Anobenia, Azolla, Nitrosomos and Nitrobactor. These all help in converting ammonia to a form of nitrates that can be used as a food source for the plants. These are all vital in the nitrogen cycle, which is how organisms aquiare the vital nitrogen to build proteins and similarly needed materials.

This conversion of nitrogen is only one step of the cycle. There are three main types of nitrogen, ammonia/ammonium, nitrate, and nitrites. Each form is present or used by a different type of organism, and each form is changed in the process and then another organism gets to use it. Each step in this nitrification cycle leads to more life. For more information see this discripton on the actual nitrogen cycle(not assotiated site)