Using Lava Rocks
For
Denitrification
in Aquariums and
Fish Bowls |
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Every freshwater
aquarium and
fish bowl should
contain the
appropriate
amount of Lava
Rock, which
provide the
ideal living
environment for
beneficial
denitrifying
bacteria. These
bacteria will
greatly improve
the quality of
the water. |
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Click here now to buy a bag of Denitrifying Lava Rock, like one shown just above .These lava rocks are very porous, which allows the aquarium water to diffuse through the rocks. As the water passes through the rocks, beneficial nitrifying bacteria consume all the oxygen in that water to produce an anaerobic environment inside these rocks.
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In this anaerobic environment denitrifying bacteria consume nitrate and produce oxygen and nitrogen. More than 40-parts-per-million of nitrate in aquarium water is not good for most types of fish and aquatic invertebrates like crabs, shrimps, and lobsters. These lava rocks are the best way to remove the nitrate. |
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Shown above, a beautiful Gold Line Corydoras Catfish swimming between some pieces of lava rock on the bottom of one of our aquariums. We have lava rocks like these in all of our aquariums and fish bowls. |
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Lets Start over at the Beginning. |
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You feed the fish in your aquarium or fish bowl, and much of that food is converted into ammonia in the fish's waste. Ammonia is very toxic to fish and must be removed. Beneficial nitrifying bacteria combine ammonia and oxygen in the water to produce nitrite, which is still very toxic to fish but usually not as toxic as ammonia. So this is an improvement in the water quality! |
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Next another type of beneficial nitrifying bacteria combine that nitrite with more oxygen to produce nitrate, which is still toxic to fish in concentrations of more than about 40-parts-per-million, but less toxic than the nitrite. So this is another improvement. |
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As aquarium water diffuses through Lava Rocks beneficial denitrifying bacteria convert the nitrate to oxygen and nitrogen, which are both harmless, and thus completes the process of converting very toxic ammonia to non-toxic oxygen and nitrogen. |
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For a Long Time ... |
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Many aquarists, including the Bailey Brothers, were told that nitrate dissolved in aquarium water was harmless to fish, but we have now learned this is not true. Nitrate in concentrations above 40-parts-per-million is harmful. The best way to control nitrate is to have the right amount of lava rock in your aquariums and fish bowls. |
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Where do you put the Lava Rocks? |
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The Lava Rocks must be in the aquarium water. You can use them as ornaments. They look natural and pretty good. They do not need to be in an aquarium filter. |
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Will any old Rocks Work? |
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No! Rocks may contain insect sprays and other toxins that are very poisonous to fish. Some types of rock, including many types of lava rock, contain minerals that are not good in aquariums. Even if the rock is non-toxic, it also needs to be porous. Most Lava Rocks are porous. The Lava Rocks shown at the top of this page have been carefully chosen and tested to produce many good results and few bad results. Of course, as with any natural material, something could occasionally go wrong. |
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Can the Nitrate get too Low? |
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Yes! If the concentration of nitrate in aquarium water gets very low, yet another type of bacteria can begin to produce hydrogen-sulfide, which is extremely toxic to fish. So ideally it is probably best to try to keep the concentration of nitrate between about 20 and 40-parts-per-million. |
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How to Test for Nitrate? |
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We use Aquarium Water Test Strips, shown in the picture just above. They are rather inexpensive, seem to be pretty accurate, and are quick and easy to use. Just take a small strip out of the container, dip it in aquarium water, and the colors on the strip indicate the amounts of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and the pH of the water. Click here to learn more about these Aquarium Water Test Strips. |
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If your Nitrate goes too Low. |
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If you test for nitrate, using the Aquarium Water Test Strips, and the reading is below 20-parts-per-million, we recommend removing some of the lava rocks, then wait a few days and test again. If the nitrate is still below 20-ppm, remove some more of the lava rocks. Adjust the amount of lava rocks in your aquarium until the nitrate is between 20 and 40ppm of nitrate. This is really kind of fun, not much work, and will greatly improve the water quality in your aquarium. |
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Lava Rocks in a Fish Bowl? |
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Yes! Every fish bowl should have a nice piece of Lava Rock, which is kind of decorative and will greatly improve the water quality in the fish bowl. One piece of Lava rock is usually enough. Just like with an aquarium, you should test the water in the fish bowl with Aquarium Water Test Strips, then adjust the amount of Lava Rock, which may require you to break a piece of Lava Rock into smaller pieces and put a smaller piece of Lava Rock back in your fish bowl. It doesn't take much Lava Rock to reduce the nitrate in a fish bowl to a safe concentration. |
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The advertisement, shown below, links to
this advertiser's web site. |
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Lava Rocks in a Pond? |
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Yes and no. First test the water in your pond, using Aquarium Water Test Strips, mentioned above on this page. If the test strips show nitrate is below 20-ppm or above 40-ppm, you should take action.
Above 40-ppm you should add some Lava Rocks to grow the beneficial denitrifying bacteria that will remove the nitrate. Below 20-ppm you should investigate or seek help with your pond's water quality. Because with very low levels of nitrate another type of bacteria may start to produce hydrogen-sulfide, which is very toxic to all fish. |
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Lava Rocks in Saltwater Aquariums? |
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Probably not. Saltwater aquariums usually have other ways of dealing with nitrate, such as deep sand beds. |
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Click
here to hear
the special
discussion by Tom and Nevin Bailey about
denitrification of aquarium water. |
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Click
here to hear
the special
discussion by Tom and Nevin Bailey about aquarium
water quality. |
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The advertisement, shown below, links to
this advertiser's web site. |
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Click
here
to verify our "PayPal Reputation",
which shows we have been selling on PayPal since 2002,
and we've sold items to thousands of satisfied customers.
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Holliday Gift Idea
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PayPal Gift Certificates
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Click on
the orange button, just below, to buy
a PayPal Gift Certificate for
someone, who loves pet fish.
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About our Fish Photographs ...
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Almost all the photographs and videos, shown on this web site, were taken
by us in our aquariums of our fish. Compare the healthy,
beautiful, energetic fish in our beautiful aquariums to the
fish in our competitors pictures. Their fish often look thin
with clamped fins and poor color.
We buy the highest quality fish, produced by the best fish
farms or caught by the best collectors of wild fish, then we take incredibly good care of our fish in our beautiful aquariums. If you compare the pictures on this site to our competitors pictures, you can instantly see, our fish and aquariums are better!
;^ }
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How
to Customize
this Page
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o
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