Controlling the Concentration of Ammonia Is One of the Biggest $\to$

Essay

Controlling the concentration of ammonia is one of the biggest problems in maintaining a healthy fish aquarium. Ammonia, which is highly toxic to fish because it interferes with their uptake of oxygen, is formed from wastes excreted by the fish, uneaten food, and decaying plants. Beneficial bacteria oxidize the ammonia to nitrate, which is not highly toxic to fish in low to moderate levels. Complete and balance the following reaction equation describing the oxidation of ammonia to nitrate in basic solution.
NH₃(aq) + O₂(aq) $\to$ NO₃^-(aq)