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Originally Posted by ksfrogman
Then I started to think that all those fish in the sea have to pee/poop, and it goes into the same ocean. Some of the land based animal stuff ends up in the ocean too. So the sushi we eat comes right out of Nature's own toilet bowl. Food for thought.
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You're right! I dabble in keeping a reef tank for a hobby. Basically, the primary nitrogenous waste product that fish and other inverts give off is usually ammonia. Then, if you know anything about the Nitrogen Cycle, ammonia is broken down by bacteria into nitrites. It is then further broken down into nitrates, which are then broken down by anaerobic bacteria, which produces free nitrogen gas and oxygen bubbling up from the sand bed.
Generally, when fish give off waste, because of the vastness of the ocean, it is diluted immediately. However, there has to be a balance of all these chemicals (among many others) for the ocean to sustain life.
Keeping saltwater fish and corals is probably one of the most difficult and frustrating hobbies because if you make one mistake, you could wipe out literally hundreds of dollars worth of livestock.
But when you finally get the hang of it, there's nothing quite like spending a quiet evening at home just watching a mini reef.