Adeninetriphosphate?

[radiata]

Randy,

There's a bacterial product made by Acquamarine ("Phosphate Eliminator") that says it reduces phosphates to adeninetriphosphate. What is adeninetriphosphate? I would guess that using this product will make the adeninetriphosphate accumulate in my system. Should I care, or is it locking up the phosphates up some how so they won't be released back into the system?

Thanks in advance,
Bob D.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

These are simply bacterial cultures that such up some phosphate as they grow (at least that is what appears to me to be the case). This may or may not be a desirable way to reduce phosphate. I prefer to grow and harvest macroalgae as they do not float free in the aquarium, nor do they reduce O2 (as the bacterial cultures can).

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is one of thousands of organic biochemicals that organisms use that contain phosphorus. It is actually a very important one as all organisms use it as an energy storage molecule. It is a high energy molecule, and is easily brokwn down into phosphate and ADP (adenine diphosphate) plus some extra energy for the organism.

This is adenosine triphosphate:
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/A/ATP.gif

from

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/A/ATP.html

This article is a more recent article of mine on phosphate, and it mentions the many forms of phosphorus in aquaria:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2002/chem.htm

[radiata]

Randy,

What would you guess is the size (in microns?) of the bacteria that are utilizing phosphate to produce the adenosine triphosphate?

These bacteria seem to have a short life span if one must keep adding them to the system. Do you think they're consumned (along with the bound phosphate) by other organisms, or, do they just die and release phosphates back into the system?

Thanks again,
Bob D.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I do not know specificially which ones are most involved here, but bacteria are typically a couple of microns, although some are much smaller (a few tenths of a micron) and some much larger (many microns and larger).