In nature, what removes hormones

[bobblehead27]

I always here how even in overly planted tanks, where nitrates nitrites and ammonia are all in unreadable levels, you still have to do consistent water changes because of the fish hormones that the plants don't take out. And I get that water is constantly being replenished in nature, but unless the hormones are being evaporated with the water, the hormones are still in there. And just replenishing water will just eventually increase concentration, just as replenishing evaporated water in an aquarium would.
While I understand there is a lot more water per fish in nature, you would still think that over the course of millennia these hormones would add up. Do they just dissipate after a certain amount of time, like chlorine?
Does one species' hormones not affect another's, so it doesn't cause issues?

 

[Deadeye]

Sounds like a job for duanes

I would assume that it eventually does break down. There is also so much water that it still can be so diluted, especially with constant water changes in nature.
Also, there are so many organisms in the wild (some of which that we don’t even know about) that help to do the job of absorbing and breaking down these chemicals far better than any filter.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Aside from a stagnant pond or something like that, water is constantly being changed in nature.

 

[Hendre]

I am assuming that in nature there are various agents (light, microbes) that would break down organic compounds over time. Same deal with tannins, would the oceans not eventually go brown? I assume strong light probably have an influence.

 

[The Masked Shadow]

That is a very good scientific question...for my biology teacher! I would assume some hormones break down. It would be cool to look at aged water with fish in it, and see the difference. Other than that, it is a very hard-to-understand question.

 

[tlindsey]

Aside from a stagnant pond or something like that, water is constantly being changed in nature.

I agree with this.

 

[duanes]

The nitrogen cycle is just one of the many in nature, there is the sulfur cycle (sulfur bacteria), the iron cycle, redux, etc etc, there is the influence of the sun, and UV rays, rain, transpiration, evaporation, and photosynthesis.
We can only scratch a tiny bit of the surface in aquariums with the management of the nitrogen cycle.

 

[Rocksor]

If it's the goldfish study, the hormones in question are gamma-aminobutyric acid that reduces the fish's own body growth and somatostatin which can be used to inhibit growth in rivals.

 

[brianp]

I always here how even in overly planted tanks, where nitrates nitrites and ammonia are all in unreadable levels, you still have to do consistent water changes because of the fish hormones that the plants don't take out. And I get that water is constantly being replenished in nature, but unless the hormones are being evaporated with the water, the hormones are still in there. And just replenishing water will just eventually increase concentration, just as replenishing evaporated water in an aquarium would.
While I understand there is a lot more water per fish in nature, you would still think that over the course of millennia these hormones would add up. Do they just dissipate after a certain amount of time, like chlorine?
Does one species' hormones not affect another's, so it doesn't cause issues?

There are different types of hormones, but all are organic molecules. As such, they would be used as a carbon source by bacteria. In a tank, you could further expedite their removal with water changes and/or activated carbon. They would not evaporate.

 

[the_deeb]

In humans, somatostatin half life is very short - only a few minutes. There are synthetic analogues that are more stable, but even then it’s usually only an hour or two at most.

I would imagine the related hormones have pretty short half-lives in aquatic environments too, so dilution in a larger body of water would prevent accumulation in most environments.