It was cycling through the tank all the while.
The main way amino acids entered the system was through fish food. Atmospheric nitrogen was fixed into ammonia by Azotobacter in the growth medium; other sources of ammonia were fish wastes and ammonified uneaten food. Nitrification has two steps: ammonium/ammonia into nitrite and nitrite into nitrate. The nitrate is then assimilated by the plants, which convert said substances into amino acids and get denitrified by Micrococcus denitrificans. This produces nitrogen gas, which gets fixed by Azotobacter.
Had we not removed our dead fish, there would be a large amount of ammonia- toxic to tankmates- from ammonification.
The main way amino acids entered the system was through fish food. Atmospheric nitrogen was fixed into ammonia by Azotobacter in the growth medium; other sources of ammonia were fish wastes and ammonified uneaten food. Nitrification has two steps: ammonium/ammonia into nitrite and nitrite into nitrate. The nitrate is then assimilated by the plants, which convert said substances into amino acids and get denitrified by Micrococcus denitrificans. This produces nitrogen gas, which gets fixed by Azotobacter.
Had we not removed our dead fish, there would be a large amount of ammonia- toxic to tankmates- from ammonification.