19
Ammonia (chemically abbreviated as NH
3
) is a waste product of fi sh,
which they excrete through their gills and their urine. Ammonia is very
poisonous for all water life and thus it is very important to keep the
ammonia level zero. Fortunately bacteria in the water break down am-
monia into nitrite and subsequently the non-toxic nitrate; these are the
so-called nitrifying bacteria of the families of Nitrosomonas and Nitro-
bacter.
Obviously these bacteria are essential for a healthy aquarium and
pond. The best way to harbour these bacteria is in a biological fi lter.
A new ‘clean’ fi lter needs time to have a suffi cient number of bacteria
to grow inside it. You can give this growth a boost by adding the right
type of bacteria from the moment the biological fi lter is started. For all
types of water, Colombo has the right product with the right bacteria:
Colombo Bactuur for fresh water aquaria and for ponds.
An optimal ammonia content in all types of water is simply 0 mg/l.
When ammonia is 0.5 mg/l or higher, it means that aren’t enough bac-
teria present and thus it is wise to add Colombo Bactuur. Add Colombo
Liquid Filter to your tank or Colombo BiClear to your pond to bind and
detoxify the ammonia. At an ammonia level of 1.0 mg/l, ammonia can
become toxic, and thus it is wise to fi rst refresh 25% of the water. At
ammonia levels of 2.0 mg/l and higher, you should directly refresh 50%
or more of the water until the ammonia level is 0.5 mg/l or lower.
