Does beneficial bacteria benefit from waterchanges

Porcupine Reefer

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I have been dosing brightwells carbon for a few weeks now, and did dose PNS probio but haven't recently. I haven't done a waterchange in awhile because I thought that as I was doing carbon I would eventually see nitrates and phosphate go down due to the beneficial bacteria growing, but does the bacteria benefit from water changes, my nitrate and phos have been consistent without change so far, does benefical bacteria take a long time to grow?
 

Pistondog

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Takes some time for carbon dosing to kick in, be patient.
Fyi, you might dose vinegar or vodka or both.
Nitrates more than phosphates, but both.
 

Lavey29

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Well water changes help reestablish proper tank parameters which is beneficial to everything in your tank. I've heard carbon dosing takes awhile to build up enough bacteria to begin lowering nitrates.
 

Tired

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Water changes are to remove excess nutrients, eliminate contaminants, and replace minerals which are used up by corals. As a general rule, if none of those things needs to be done, you don't need to do a water change.

That said, nitrates and phosphates are used up by algae, macroalgae, and coral. The beneficial bacteria we worry about in our reef tanks are the ones that process ammonia into nitrates.
 

RoseQuatics

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Water changes are to remove excess nutrients, eliminate contaminants, and replace minerals which are used up by corals. As a general rule, if none of those things needs to be done, you don't need to do a water change.

That said, nitrates and phosphates are used up by algae, macroalgae, and coral. The beneficial bacteria we worry about in our reef tanks are the ones that process ammonia into nitrates.
I think OP is referencing the bacterium that uptake nitrate and phosphate via carbon dosing as opposed to the bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrate.
 

Timfish

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There's a whole lot more going on in reef systems than just the inorganic forms of nitrogen wand phosphorus we can test for. Water changes are needed to reduce labile and refractory DOC as well as microbial stuff. Reasearch shows adding labile DOC, aka carbon dosing, benefits algae microbiomes far more than coral microbiomes and has the potential to promote pathogenic shifts in coral microbiomes. Here's a data bomb if you want to look at some of the research.


Maintenance of Coral Reef Health (refferences at the end)


"Coral Reefs in the Microbial Seas" This video compliments Rohwer's book of the same title (Paper back is ~$20, Kindle is ~$10), both deal with the conflicting roles of the different types of DOC in reef ecosystems. While there is overlap bewteen his book and the video both have information not covered by the other and together give a broader view of the complex relationships found in reef ecosystems


Changing Seas - Mysterious Microbes


Microbial view of Coral Decline


Nitrogen cycling in hte coral holobiont


BActeria and Sponges


Maintenance of Coral Reef Health (refferences at the end)


Optical Feedback Loop in Colorful Coral Bleaching


DNA Sequencing and the Reef Tank Microbiome


Richard Ross What's up with phosphate"
 

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal

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There's a whole lot more going on in reef systems than just the inorganic forms of nitrogen wand phosphorus we can test for. Water changes are needed to reduce labile and refractory DOC as well as microbial stuff. Reasearch shows adding labile DOC, aka carbon dosing, benefits algae microbiomes far more than coral microbiomes and has the potential to promote pathogenic shifts in coral microbiomes. Here's a data bomb if you want to look at some of the research.


Maintenance of Coral Reef Health (refferences at the end)


"Coral Reefs in the Microbial Seas" This video compliments Rohwer's book of the same title (Paper back is ~$20, Kindle is ~$10), both deal with the conflicting roles of the different types of DOC in reef ecosystems. While there is overlap bewteen his book and the video both have information not covered by the other and together give a broader view of the complex relationships found in reef ecosystems


Changing Seas - Mysterious Microbes


Microbial view of Coral Decline


Nitrogen cycling in hte coral holobiont


BActeria and Sponges


Maintenance of Coral Reef Health (refferences at the end)


Optical Feedback Loop in Colorful Coral Bleaching


DNA Sequencing and the Reef Tank Microbiome


Richard Ross What's up with phosphate"

So in your opinion/interpretation, does traditional carbon dosing do more harm than good?
 

Timfish

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So in your opinion/interpretation, does traditional carbon dosing do more harm than good?

I haven't found any research showing adding labile DOC, aka carbon dosing, is beneficial for corals. This paper shows even the DOC from corals when concentrated has severe negative effects and was reiterated be Ken Feldman in his first article on Total Organic Carbon. (A telling comment on how some researchers view labile DOC is heard by Rebecca Vega Thurber, in the question and answer section of the above posted video, "A microbiological View of Coral Decline" refer to "carbon burden or load" (@ 1:02:16) as a possible requirement for larval corals to become infected.) Since Kline's research was done there's many more paper showing how labile DOC kills corals. It can promote pathogenic shifts in coral microbiomes causing various diseases and it can kill by causing bacterial blooms in coral microbiomes that literally suffocate the coral. This later one has the additonal suport of research showing heterotrophic bacteria are able increase thier numbers useing refractory DOC as an additional source of food with the use of labile DOC (counter intuitively degraded reefs were found with NO DOC, labile or refractory).

Two issues that don't seem to be known or considered is coloration is not indicative of a healthy coral and the role of sponges in moderating DOC. Unfortunately it's become dogma for many that brightly colored corals means "healthy" and I've seen very little consideration given to what actually may be healthy, see my post, #59, here. Some sponge species can process labile DOC 1000X faster than the bacteria in the water and convert some of it into Dissolved Inorganic Carbon, DIC, most of which is in the form HCO3 or bicarbonate (and it seems it's anybodys guess what carbon dosing is actually doing when dosed). Unfortunately, sponges that feed off labile DOC have also been shown to differentially process DOC from algae and from corals creating feedback loops that support algae shifts on reefs.

As I see it, the only DOC we want in a reef system is what corals produce themselves. Water changes are needed to reduce micriobial populations and labile DOC letting corals produce and promote what is beneficial for them and to reduce the refractory DOC that heterotrohpic bacteria can use to proliferate.

The links I posted above for Rohwer's book and video are the best place to start to understand these processes better. Here's an additional data bomb if you still want to dig deeper into the science after studying his links. :)

Feldman's links:

Total Organic Carbon Pt 1

Total Organic Carbon Pt 2

Protein Skimmer Performance, Pt 1

Protein Skimmer Performance, Pt 2

Elemental Analysis of Skimmate

Bacterial Counts in Reef Aquarium Water



Indirect effects of algae on coral: algae‐mediated, microbe‐induced coral mortality

Influence of coral and algal exudates on microbially mediated reef metabolism.
Coral DOC improves oxygen (autotrophy), algae DOC reduces oxygen (heterotrophy).

Role of elevated organic carbon levels and microbial activity in coral mortality

Effects of Coral Reef Benthic Primary Producers on Dissolved Organic Carbon and Microbial Activity
Algae releases significantly more DOC into the water than coral.

Pathologies and mortality rates caused by organic carbon and nutrient stressors in three Caribbean coral species.
DOC caused coral death but not high nitrates, phosphates or ammonium.

Visualization of oxygen distribution patterns caused by coral and algae

Biological oxygen demand optode analysis of coral reef-associated microbial communities exposed to algal exudates
Exposure to exudates derived from turf algae stimulated higher oxygen drawdown by the coral-associated bacteria.

Microbial ecology: Algae feed a shift on coral reefs

Coral and macroalgal exudates vary in neutral sugar composition and differentially enrich reef bacterioplankton lineages.

Sugar enrichment provides evidence for a role of nitrogen fixation in coral bleaching

Elevated ammonium delays the impairment of the coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis during labile carbon pollution
(here's an argument for maintaining heavy fish loads if you're carbon dosing)

Excess labile carbon promotes the expression of virulence factors in coral reef bacterioplankton

Unseen players shape benthic competition on coral reefs.

Allelochemicals Produced by Brown Macroalgae of the Lobophora Genus Are Active against Coral Larvae and Associated Bacteria, Supporting Pathogenic Shifts to Vibrio Dominance.

Macroalgae decrease growth and alter microbial community structure of the reef-building coral, Porites astreoides.

Macroalgal extracts induce bacterial assemblage shifts and sublethal tissue stress in Caribbean corals.

Biophysical and physiological processes causing oxygen loss from coral reefs.

Global microbialization of coral reefs
DDAM Proven

Coral Reef Microorganisms in a Changing Climate, Fig 3

Ecosystem Microbiology of Coral Reefs: Linking Genomic, Metabolomic, and Biogeochemical Dynamics from Animal Symbioses to Reefscape Processes


Because sponges are essential players in the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycle(s) on reefs here's some links to research done with them.

Element cycling on tropical coral reefs.
This is Jasper de Geoij's ground breaking research on reef sponge finding some species process labile DOC 1000X faster than bacterioplankton. (The introduction is in Dutch but the content is in English.)

Sponge symbionts and the marine P cycle

Phosphorus sequestration in the form of polyphosphate by microbial symbionts in marine sponges

Differential recycling of coral and algal dissolved organic matter via the sponge loop.
Sponges treat DOC from algae differently than DOC from corals

A Vicious Circle? Altered Carbon and Nutrient Cycling May Explain the Low Resilience of Caribbean Coral Reefs

Surviving in a Marine Desert The Sponge Loop Retains Resources Within Coral Reefs
Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen are quickly processed by sponges and released back into the reef food web in hours as carbon and nitrogen rich detritus.

Natural Diet of Coral-Excavating Sponges Consists Mainly of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC)

The Role of Marine Sponges in Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles of COral Reefs and Nearshore Environments.

And since we're discussing favorable and not so favorable bacteria here's a paper looking at how different corals and polyps are influencing the bacteria in the water column.
Aura-biomes are present in the water layer above coral reef benthic macro-organisms
 

Crustaceon

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5ml per day in a 125g is basically nothing. Maybe that'll work in a 125g with a single damselfish but it didn't work in my 120g total system. For reference, I was dosing 20ml of diy nopox per day plus enough P04 to keep it at .08ppm. I had around 15, 2" sized fish in that system.
 

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal

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I haven't found any research showing adding labile DOC, aka carbon dosing, is beneficial for corals. This paper shows even the DOC from corals when concentrated has severe negative effects and was reiterated be Ken Feldman in his first article on Total Organic Carbon. (A telling comment on how some researchers view labile DOC is heard by Rebecca Vega Thurber, in the question and answer section of the above posted video, "A microbiological View of Coral Decline" refer to "carbon burden or load" (@ 1:02:16) as a possible requirement for larval corals to become infected.) Since Kline's research was done there's many more paper showing how labile DOC kills corals. It can promote pathogenic shifts in coral microbiomes causing various diseases and it can kill by causing bacterial blooms in coral microbiomes that literally suffocate the coral. This later one has the additonal suport of research showing heterotrophic bacteria are able increase thier numbers useing refractory DOC as an additional source of food with the use of labile DOC (counter intuitively degraded reefs were found with NO DOC, labile or refractory).

Two issues that don't seem to be known or considered is coloration is not indicative of a healthy coral and the role of sponges in moderating DOC. Unfortunately it's become dogma for many that brightly colored corals means "healthy" and I've seen very little consideration given to what actually may be healthy, see my post, #59, here. Some sponge species can process labile DOC 1000X faster than the bacteria in the water and convert some of it into Dissolved Inorganic Carbon, DIC, most of which is in the form HCO3 or bicarbonate (and it seems it's anybodys guess what carbon dosing is actually doing when dosed). Unfortunately, sponges that feed off labile DOC have also been shown to differentially process DOC from algae and from corals creating feedback loops that support algae shifts on reefs.

As I see it, the only DOC we want in a reef system is what corals produce themselves. Water changes are needed to reduce micriobial populations and labile DOC letting corals produce and promote what is beneficial for them and to reduce the refractory DOC that heterotrohpic bacteria can use to proliferate.

The links I posted above for Rohwer's book and video are the best place to start to understand these processes better. Here's an additional data bomb if you still want to dig deeper into the science after studying his links. :)

Feldman's links:

Total Organic Carbon Pt 1

Total Organic Carbon Pt 2

Protein Skimmer Performance, Pt 1

Protein Skimmer Performance, Pt 2

Elemental Analysis of Skimmate

Bacterial Counts in Reef Aquarium Water



Indirect effects of algae on coral: algae‐mediated, microbe‐induced coral mortality

Influence of coral and algal exudates on microbially mediated reef metabolism.
Coral DOC improves oxygen (autotrophy), algae DOC reduces oxygen (heterotrophy).

Role of elevated organic carbon levels and microbial activity in coral mortality

Effects of Coral Reef Benthic Primary Producers on Dissolved Organic Carbon and Microbial Activity
Algae releases significantly more DOC into the water than coral.

Pathologies and mortality rates caused by organic carbon and nutrient stressors in three Caribbean coral species.
DOC caused coral death but not high nitrates, phosphates or ammonium.

Visualization of oxygen distribution patterns caused by coral and algae

Biological oxygen demand optode analysis of coral reef-associated microbial communities exposed to algal exudates
Exposure to exudates derived from turf algae stimulated higher oxygen drawdown by the coral-associated bacteria.

Microbial ecology: Algae feed a shift on coral reefs

Coral and macroalgal exudates vary in neutral sugar composition and differentially enrich reef bacterioplankton lineages.

Sugar enrichment provides evidence for a role of nitrogen fixation in coral bleaching

Elevated ammonium delays the impairment of the coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis during labile carbon pollution
(here's an argument for maintaining heavy fish loads if you're carbon dosing)

Excess labile carbon promotes the expression of virulence factors in coral reef bacterioplankton

Unseen players shape benthic competition on coral reefs.

Allelochemicals Produced by Brown Macroalgae of the Lobophora Genus Are Active against Coral Larvae and Associated Bacteria, Supporting Pathogenic Shifts to Vibrio Dominance.

Macroalgae decrease growth and alter microbial community structure of the reef-building coral, Porites astreoides.

Macroalgal extracts induce bacterial assemblage shifts and sublethal tissue stress in Caribbean corals.

Biophysical and physiological processes causing oxygen loss from coral reefs.

Global microbialization of coral reefs
DDAM Proven

Coral Reef Microorganisms in a Changing Climate, Fig 3

Ecosystem Microbiology of Coral Reefs: Linking Genomic, Metabolomic, and Biogeochemical Dynamics from Animal Symbioses to Reefscape Processes


Because sponges are essential players in the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycle(s) on reefs here's some links to research done with them.

Element cycling on tropical coral reefs.
This is Jasper de Geoij's ground breaking research on reef sponge finding some species process labile DOC 1000X faster than bacterioplankton. (The introduction is in Dutch but the content is in English.)

Sponge symbionts and the marine P cycle

Phosphorus sequestration in the form of polyphosphate by microbial symbionts in marine sponges

Differential recycling of coral and algal dissolved organic matter via the sponge loop.
Sponges treat DOC from algae differently than DOC from corals

A Vicious Circle? Altered Carbon and Nutrient Cycling May Explain the Low Resilience of Caribbean Coral Reefs

Surviving in a Marine Desert The Sponge Loop Retains Resources Within Coral Reefs
Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen are quickly processed by sponges and released back into the reef food web in hours as carbon and nitrogen rich detritus.

Natural Diet of Coral-Excavating Sponges Consists Mainly of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC)

The Role of Marine Sponges in Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles of COral Reefs and Nearshore Environments.

And since we're discussing favorable and not so favorable bacteria here's a paper looking at how different corals and polyps are influencing the bacteria in the water column.
Aura-biomes are present in the water layer above coral reef benthic macro-organisms
I'll take next week off to read all this and get back to you, lol!
Seriously though, thanks for all the info :face-blowing-a-kiss:
 

Timfish

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I'll take next week off to read all this and get back to you, lol!
Seriously though, thanks for all the info :face-blowing-a-kiss:

Thumps up emojii 50.png Well, I've been collecting those links for a couple decades so take two weeks.
 

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