ICP Testing

[Alexr54]

My high nutrient but clean tank runs a scrubber that has to be cleaned every 5 days or so. The problem tank is an AIO and only gets occasional floss when I clean the glass or blow rocks off. I figure with nutrients at 0 there no need for extra filtration but I dunno. Its a strange tank and the algae only grows on plastic surfaces like power heads and the acrylic back wall but it grows very well there lol

Ugh. The back glass looks similar to mine. Although you can tell your tank is more mature.
Im really hoping once i add some fish they will help out a bit.

 

[Alexr54]

Quick pic i just took of the new tank with my crappy phone cam. The new tank i am keeping bare bottom.
My old tank has a deep sand bed and does not have a spec of algae except coraline.

You can even see the algae slowly crawling around this tank if you look at it long enough because the snails are full of brown hair algae as well...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I suppose i am more concerned about specific heavy metals and silicates which can absolutely contribute to algae blooms.

What is the evidence that excessive heavy metals contribute to algae problems? All of the photosynthetic organisms wee keep (such as corals or algae) do need many metals (and mostly the same ones as far as I know), but I do not recall seeing the claim that algae will become pests if the levels are raised above what is needed by other organisms. Normally, reefers are trying to avoid high metal levels that become toxic.

Years ago I was starting to get hair algae growing in my macroalgae. Someone suggested adding iron would allow the macro to grow faster than the hair algae. I tried it and it worked.

It is certainly true that diatoms need silicate, and if you have a diatom problem, cutting off the supply of silicate is a good solution. Usually it comes from tap water.

 

[Alexr54]

Here is a quick pic i just took of my older tank. I haven't cleaned the glass in a bit. Its only coraline.
Yep its basically an anemone garden.

 

[Alexr54]

What is the evidence that excessive heavy metals contribute to algae problems? All of the photosynthetic organisms wee keep (such as corals or algae) do need many metals (and mostly the same ones as far as I know), but I do not recall seeing the claim that algae will become pests if the levels are raised above what is needed by other organisms. Normally, reefers are trying to avoid high metal levels that become toxic.

Years ago I was starting to get hair algae growing in my macroalgae. Someone suggested adding iron would allow the macro to grow faster than the hair algae. I tried it and it worked.

It is certainly true that diatoms need silicate, and if you have a diatom problem, cutting off the supply of silicate is a good solution. Usually it comes from tap water.

Im not a marine scientist and wont even begin to claim i am smart enough to talk about that subject in great detail.
Ive been keeping salt water reef aquariums for about 30 some odd years now.
So for me its just from hobbyist experience.

But from things i have read in the past heavy metals like iron. manganese, cobalt, nickel, zinc for example can increase algae growth from the nutrients/trace elements the metals leak out into the water column. Iron especially.

But again, i am no marine biologist (i am only a computer scientist). These are just things i've read and somehow remember from a while ago. There is more data but its my day off and my brain is currently too lazy to even get into that deep conversation about it. :) :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Im not a scientist and wont even begin to claim i am smart enough to talk about that subject in great detail.
Ive been keeping salt water reef aquariums for about 30 some odd years now.
So for me its just from experience.

But from things i have read in the past heavy metals like iron. manganese, cobalt, nickel, zinc for example can increase algae growth from the nutrients/trace elements the metals leak out into the water column. Iron especially.

But again, i am no marine biologist (i am only a computer scientist). These are just things i've read and somehow remember from a while ago. There is more data but its my day off and my brain is currently too lazy to even get into that deep conversation about it. :) :)

I don’t agree. You may find the discussion in the article below useful in this context. It’s basically the principle that providing more of anything to an organism that is getting enough of something does not make it grow faster because something else becomes limiting.

People often think that very high phosphate (1.5 ppm) or nitrate (100 ppm), for example, can make algae grow faster than more moderate levels (say, 0.1 ppm phosphate or 10 ppm nitrate), but that’s not generally true.

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/forget-redfield-liebig-is-the-man.1176/

 

[Alexr54]

I don’t agree. You may find the discussion in the article below useful in this context. It’s basically the principle that providing more of anything to an organism that is getting enough of something does not make it grow faster because something else becomes limiting.

People often think that very high phosphate (1.5 ppm) or nitrate (100 ppm), for example, can make algae grow faster than more moderate levels (say, 0.1 ppm phosphate or 10 ppm nitrate), but that’s not generally true.

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/forget-redfield-liebig-is-the-man.1176/

Very cool info thanks!
There is always more to learn!!

From what i recall the drawbacks of high PO4 and NO3 like that - besides the algae growth, is you can get bad to no growth (retarded growth) from certain coral types, besides die off.
Everything needs the nutrients, we just want the pretty stuff to have it all. This is why i think an ATS is essential. There will be "nuisance" algae, it's about controlling where that algae grows.
Light spectrum is also a huge contributing factor.

I also remember when it was good to have 0 PO4 and 0 NO3. Before everyone started to realize thats what can cause a dinoflagellate outbreak.

In my case i probably just need to wait it out.