Answer:- The three forms of nitrogen in an aquarium are
1. Nitrate NO3-
2Nitrite NO2-
3. Ammonia NH3
Step-by-step explanation:
- The waste products produced by fishes is broken down into ammonia which is highly toxic for the fishes present in the aquarium.
- The nitrogen cycle takes place in the aquarium to convert this toxic ammonia into lesser toxic forms.
- This nitrogen cycle proceeds to convert ammonia into nitrite and then nitrite into nitrate. This means the cycle is ammonia——>nitrite——> nitrate.
- This conversion takes place with the help of several bacteria which establish a colony in the filter bed of the aquarium in the presence of ammonia .Then these bacteria help to finally convert ammonia to nitirite and then to nitrate.
- The bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite are oxygen loving bacteria called as Nitrosomonas. The nitrite so formed is less toxic as compared to ammonia.
- The conversion of nitrite to nitrate takes place by the bacterial species called as Nitrobacter . The nitrate thus formed is harmless for the aquarium fishes at low levels.
Thus, in this nitrogen cycle we can see that there are three different forms in which nitrogen is present- ammonia, nitrate and nitrite.