#1 WHAT IF I TOLD YOU... Ammonia is causing your algae problems?

[Belgian Anthias]

I'm not sure if you realize that your links are not readily available to the public. Do you have another source to view the information at?

One just has to register for entering the Makazi Baharini wiki. If an action denied page is shown there should be a link on it to the registration page. One just has to register once. A login code is send to the email entered at registration. Registration just needs a user name and working email .

 

[Belgian Anthias]

No one says substrate is aerobic or anaerobic, it's a medium for bacteria to attach, congregate, just like bacteria on our hands will attach and multiply. That's why we need to wash them when possible. There's conditions in substrate, depending on fluid flow, type substrate,type fluid,etc.... which ORP determines which type of bacteria will thrive.

ORP reading will not tell much about the DO content in biological active water and the pathway used by bacteria. ORP reading is the result of many reactions in the water column after all reactions have taken place. The ORP condition in the water column will not determine the pathway followed by different types of bacteria, attached to a substrate or being part of microbial mat, although the one will influence the other.

 

[Lasse]

Sulfammox? Because I do not believe in passive nitrification

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Supertanker]

Now I am seriously confused. I am new to this, my tank (125 gallon) is about six weeks old. I have no fish, a mushroom toadstool, two zoanthid colonies, two torches, a duncan, a small GSP, three shrimp, six emerald crabs, and two sea hares. I am experiencing a major hair/string algae outbreak (hence I got the crabs and the hares). I consistently measure ammonia 1-2x weekly for the past few weeks and it is always ZERO. Nitrates are around 15. How can there be ammonia fueling such growth if I can't read it? And in the end are you just saying clean my tank?

 

[Hermie]

Now I am seriously confused. I am new to this, my tank (125 gallon) is about six weeks old. I have no fish, a mushroom toadstool, two zoanthid colonies, two torches, a duncan, a small GSP, three shrimp, six emerald crabs, and two sea hares. I am experiencing a major hair/string algae outbreak (hence I got the crabs and the hares). I consistently measure ammonia 1-2x weekly for the past few weeks and it is always ZERO. Nitrates are around 15. How can there be ammonia fueling such growth if I can't read it? And in the end are you just saying clean my tank?

Ammonia gets quickly utilized by the nearest organisms. How is the flow in your tank? Is there a Sump?

 

[Turbo's Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

I am new to this, my tank (125 gallon) is about six weeks old.

you're still in the reef cycle - see #15 here: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/eb/

 

[brandon429]

Supertanker

Another practice involves hand guiding your tank, manually cleaning it and refusing all early invasions, so that you don't purposefully seed your tank with items that sometimes do not go away.
As your tank matures, becomes coated in coralline and coral flesh, that work slows and nearly stops, the cruise control you want is delayed. The busy part is at the start

vs just simply cleaning out the early stringy algae, which is better than farming it on purpose, there are cheat kill methods that make the plant die independent of your water tests/params, such that no excuse exists that can permanently invade your tank with strains of things that might not follow the eventually-go-away rule

The common thought is you let what invades you come, amass, and hopefully go as nature wills

not as your investment dollars will, but as happenstance to whatever may come

and another practice involves this never occurring

we make our tanks accessible from the start, expecting guiding like we expect dandelions in the spring out front, and guide them out if we want the lawn

*this thread here has some similarities to the methods I use to be 100% invasion free start to finish in reefing, this thread advocates seeking out cloudy waste, detritus, and removing it since its on-site degradation is a major feed component in most reef tank invasions.

 

[Supertanker]

Thank you all for this wisdom. I learned a lot today...

 

[Belgian Anthias]

And you mean that this is a wrong use of the word aerobic and anaerobic?




As I understand - it is an active sludge reactor and the substrate for the bacteria is sludge with a sludge age of more than 20 days. It is not a bacteria plankton but bacteria that form biofilms at sludge aggergations as I understand.

@Jomama I think you will find these two references readable. And it is only to click - and it will opens for your reading. first reference, second reference

Sincerely Lasse

Is it allowed to use protected information ( all rights reserved) as a reference with a link to share the publication to the world or must one credit the publisher by refering to @ 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0966-842X(03)00181-1?

 

[Belgian Anthias]

I can see why ANAMMOX isn't in our aquariums, if it were, and was the only source to dissimilative ammonia and nitrites, there would be no nitrates. End product be N2. If it is in our aquarium hard to detect.

Sorry for bold text. No control

I must dissepoint you as ANAMMOX may take place in any aquarium. ANAMMOX was found in the coral holobiont.
Different types of bacteria have a different max duplication rate and ANAMMOX are very slow growers, a lot slower as AOB , AOA and CONAMMOX (Nitrospira) . They also need anoxic conditions . ANAMMOX may be found where a lot of AOA are active. They are only active when other ammonia users are not able to compete. I have no doubt they may be found if looked for. And ANAMMOX do produce some nitrate as an end product.

1 NH4 + + 1.32 NO 2- + 0.066 HCO 3- + 0.13 H +
→ 1.02 N 2 + 0.26 NO 3- + 0.066 CH 2 O 0.5 N 0.15 + 2.03 H 2 O.

 

[Lasse]

Is it allowed to use protected information ( all rights reserved) as a reference with a link to share the publication to the world or must one credit the publisher by refering to @ 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0966-842X(03)00181-1?

Do not know what you mean. First link is to an open homepage, second link is to Research Gate and the article is uploaded by the author of the article and the third is from semanticscholar.org . All three have open access. You need not even to log in in order to get access to the articles

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Belgian Anthias]

Passive nitrification?

In bio-reactors where simultaneous nitrification and denitrification is induced the stage of nitrate may be omitted partially or completely, but for this a reactor is needed and good management. The nitrification and denitrification ratio can be optimized to become 6/6. Accurate carbon addition is needed. Difficult to manage.

In a normal active nitrifying biofilm, in a normal bio-filter or the aquarium, simultaneous nitrification and denitrification takes place at +- 6/1 ratio, Autotrophic denitrification is responsible for +- 1/3 of the denitrification rate. Without doing a thing!
When providing sulphur and calcium carbonate as a base and substrate the ratio may become 6/3 . For this one must put some sulphur on the bottom of the tank , make an effort.
Using BADES columns the ratio of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification may become 6/5,9. No reactor or management needed.


For managing the nitrate level and keep it at the desired level, BADES rolls are put into an open refuge. No reactor needed.

Ammonium is reduced to N2 within the BADES rolls. Only a bit nitrate will enter the tank. The final result is what ANAMMOX may do, but it is done better ( less nitrate) and a lot faster.

Ammonia will not be able to cause any algae problems, now and in the future. The bio-load may increase without ammonia or nitrate will become a problem. The ammonia reduction capacity can easily be adjusted to the needs.

Such bio-filters are very effective and one may overdo it. That is why keeping on a nitrate level of +- 2ppm is advised .

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Ammomox, OMZ,

I must dissepoint you as ANAMMOX may take place in any aquarium. ANAMMOX was found in the coral holobiont.
Different types of bacteria have a different max duplication rate and ANAMMOX are very slow growers, a lot slower as AOB , AOA and CONAMMOX (Nitrospira) . They also need anoxic conditions . ANAMMOX may be found where a lot of AOA are active. They are only active when other ammonia users are not able to compete. I have no doubt they may be found if looked for. And ANAMMOX do produce some nitrate as an end product.

1 NH4 + + 1.32 NO 2- + 0.066 HCO 3- + 0.13 H +
→ 1.02 N 2 + 0.26 NO 3- + 0.066 CH 2 O 0.5 N 0.15 + 2.03 H 2 O.

Lasse sent me links to papers showing its everywhere.

 

[Thaxxx]

Yet another prime thread example of the blind leading the blind. Uhhhh. Get confused much? Any new reefer entering this thread is going to say F@%$ it! Before they even begin. Do you smell that? It's egos burning.

 

[Reeftang]

so does it make sense that if my scrubber stripped my tank of nitrates that it will cause gha to grow in the dt?

 

[madlos123]

PLOT TWIST: If you kept freshwater planted tank in the past or currently you already got red pilled lol

 

[Daddy-o]

Sorry, my lack of a chemistry degree and limited attention span have me not understanding any of this - but have fun!!

 

[NashobaTek]

@Dcal this is another one

 

[Dcal]

@Dcal this is another one

too many pages lol
but thank you ill def take a look

 

[brandon429]

neat thread. overall I thought this thread had some good original ideas from Fish. I wouldn't attribute algae issues in 2021 as much different than those discussed a few years ago here.