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RE: Moving....
Micah Keith Monroe writes:
I have also heard that the nitrogen cycle breaks down at around 5.0. Can
anyone clear this up?
I posted earlier this week that nitrification does continue, at an ever
diminishing rate as the pH scale goes down below 6.2, listing a paper which
I believe is Prakasam et al., 1974: Proc. 29th Ind Waste Conf. Purdue Univ.
pp. 497 - 509, though I don't have access to it at the moment.
The major factor in the diminishing rate is most probably the lack of
available bicarbonate (alkalinity) which is used by both the nitrosomonas
and nitrobacter in their conversion of Ammonium (NH4+) to Nitrite (NO2-) and
then to Nitrate (NO3-). Ammonium and Ammonia (NH3 - the very toxic stuff)
are relationally balanced in relation to pH and temperature with more
Ammonium present at lower pH.
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