sixty_reefer
5000 Club Member
We all wondered for many years why do we get nuisance algae wend all our residual nutrients are in range, many ponder on why zero nutrients makes us susceptible to dinoflagellates and why Cyanobacteria can occur after a dead snail. And why most often we see them starting to bloom on the sand bed and rock.
for some time I’ve also pondered on what could trigger all the above and now I believe that we may well be a step further close to the route cause of all our nightmares nuisances.
it seems that if we look in detail to all nutrients conditions that trigger all this species to bloom is ammonia, yes the dreaded ammonia I thought that I wouldn’t have to worry about it any longer and now it seems that ammonia is the simple cause of all common nuisance.
“ugly stage”
the so called ugly stage is just a phase of a system that hasn’t yet developed a strong bacterial population, as soon as the light go on many photosynthetic organisms start competing with bacteria for ammonia, including diatoms the very first nuisance once limited by silica the ammonia gets redirected to green nuisance algae often and so on. The more we add to the system during those first months the more chances of introducing a organism that can thrive on ammonia.
“ the zero nutrients”
this is fairly commonly observed with folks trying to battle nuisance algae intentionally limiting a system by phosphates or nitrates, unaware that depleting a system from nitrates or phosphates will actually increase ammonia in the system and allow the algae to bloom with a revenge, yes most nuisance algaes love ammonia so much that many professionals algae growers go through gallons of it a year ammonia does makes your algae growth explode.
The reason ammonia becomes more available under depleted nitrate or phosphates environments is primarily due to limitations to the nitrifying heterotrophic beneficial bacteria that was responsible in oxidising ammonia until it become limited, in the absence of any of the 3 nutrients heterotrophic bacteria becomes dormant and will only wake up from it if all 3 nutrients are available again in the water column. Meanwhile the system ammonia will be redirected elsewhere often to nuisance green algae, Cyanobacteria or dinoflagellates depending on which is present at the time.
not all systems will have this nuisances blooming under zero nutrients this is due to a system having a strong nitrifying population, this bacteria can only become limited by ammonia usually and by the time it requires to process ammonia, meaning you could theoretically run a zero zero nutrients although your set up would have to be build and run with that in mind.
“Why the sandbed and rock”
That’s were all organic matter gets trapped usually, the first stage of the decomposition of organic matter is the release of ammonia it’s no surprise that we often see them starting from there assimilating all the ammonia before it reaches the water column, colonising those surfaces will be like laying on a plate full of food. Ever wondered why increasing the flow near the sand bed can be helpful sometimes with Cyanobacteria?
there is more to it although I believe we got enough to start a healthy debate on the subject and if ammonia is indeed the culprit in all our nuisances would implementing methods that reduce ammonia help us through a bad situation I’ve looked at the nutrient effects agains many of the common nuisances and I believe they all work at reducing ammonia, two that come to mind is silica dosing for dinoflagellates.
Are they competing for space or are they competing for ammonia?
Another common method is the organic carbon dosing, they say sugar based is best, sugar is also used to increase the autotrophic nitrifying bacteria that is very efficient at transforming ammonia. Meaning that excess ammonia can cause us troubles and methods to reduce ammonia can take us out of almost any issue with the nuisances mentioned above and others.
for some time I’ve also pondered on what could trigger all the above and now I believe that we may well be a step further close to the route cause of all our nightmares nuisances.
it seems that if we look in detail to all nutrients conditions that trigger all this species to bloom is ammonia, yes the dreaded ammonia I thought that I wouldn’t have to worry about it any longer and now it seems that ammonia is the simple cause of all common nuisance.
“ugly stage”
the so called ugly stage is just a phase of a system that hasn’t yet developed a strong bacterial population, as soon as the light go on many photosynthetic organisms start competing with bacteria for ammonia, including diatoms the very first nuisance once limited by silica the ammonia gets redirected to green nuisance algae often and so on. The more we add to the system during those first months the more chances of introducing a organism that can thrive on ammonia.
“ the zero nutrients”
this is fairly commonly observed with folks trying to battle nuisance algae intentionally limiting a system by phosphates or nitrates, unaware that depleting a system from nitrates or phosphates will actually increase ammonia in the system and allow the algae to bloom with a revenge, yes most nuisance algaes love ammonia so much that many professionals algae growers go through gallons of it a year ammonia does makes your algae growth explode.
The reason ammonia becomes more available under depleted nitrate or phosphates environments is primarily due to limitations to the nitrifying heterotrophic beneficial bacteria that was responsible in oxidising ammonia until it become limited, in the absence of any of the 3 nutrients heterotrophic bacteria becomes dormant and will only wake up from it if all 3 nutrients are available again in the water column. Meanwhile the system ammonia will be redirected elsewhere often to nuisance green algae, Cyanobacteria or dinoflagellates depending on which is present at the time.
not all systems will have this nuisances blooming under zero nutrients this is due to a system having a strong nitrifying population, this bacteria can only become limited by ammonia usually and by the time it requires to process ammonia, meaning you could theoretically run a zero zero nutrients although your set up would have to be build and run with that in mind.
“Why the sandbed and rock”
That’s were all organic matter gets trapped usually, the first stage of the decomposition of organic matter is the release of ammonia it’s no surprise that we often see them starting from there assimilating all the ammonia before it reaches the water column, colonising those surfaces will be like laying on a plate full of food. Ever wondered why increasing the flow near the sand bed can be helpful sometimes with Cyanobacteria?
there is more to it although I believe we got enough to start a healthy debate on the subject and if ammonia is indeed the culprit in all our nuisances would implementing methods that reduce ammonia help us through a bad situation I’ve looked at the nutrient effects agains many of the common nuisances and I believe they all work at reducing ammonia, two that come to mind is silica dosing for dinoflagellates.
Are they competing for space or are they competing for ammonia?
Another common method is the organic carbon dosing, they say sugar based is best, sugar is also used to increase the autotrophic nitrifying bacteria that is very efficient at transforming ammonia. Meaning that excess ammonia can cause us troubles and methods to reduce ammonia can take us out of almost any issue with the nuisances mentioned above and others.
