Mariculture on Steroids

[Subsea]

I recently read a news release from Texas Aquaculture society, where retired “Agri Life” Professor Tzachi Samocha scolded shrimp farmers for using fish meal as a carbon source in aquaculture.

Instead, use carbon dioxide & photosynthesis to produce glucose which is an organic carbon source. @Dana Riddle said the same thing on Advanced Aquaria in his articles on coral nutrition, but in a differrent way: “Photosynthesis is where the organic & the inorganic world come together”.

Because I strive for a minimalist approach to my reefkeeping hobby, I keep things simple. We are a carbon based planet. Thermodynamics 101 says matter can neither be created nor destroyed, which means carbon is in constant flux between the athmosphere, ocean and calcium carbonate limestone in a complicated relationship called Dynamic Equilibrium.

I have found that by enhancing gas exchange allowing carbon dioxide to travel both ways, depending on environmental parameters, it is relatively easy to maintain a mixed garden reef tank using Dynamic Equilibrium to manage carbon. This is why I like algae filtration. Triton Method did not invent algae filtration, the Chinese have been using it for > 2000 years.

 

[Ranjib]

interesting. I am not an expert on this, but I think theres a paradigm shift between thermodynamics and photosynthesis. The photo capture process in explained by quantum mechanics law (if i recollect correctly), while all my thermodynamics exercises (in academics ofcourse) involve solving statisitical mechanics (Newtonian theory based) equation.
None of this contradicts your assumption or technique, but I am curious if one paradigm can explain both world. Quantum mechanics does allow creating matter from energy straight. Its rather complicated affair to compute (solve schrodinger equation or a simpler approximate like density function theory) for anything other than very small (few atoms) or very large (galaxies) system. There are distinct boundaries where these paradigms are applicable, but i never saw one approach to explain the whole process. You may use statistical mechanis based things to investigate photosynthesis (like most empirical observation... e.g. temperature) but thats different. That does not explain how photons get captures in chemical energy/forms.. thats QM

 

[Subsea]

interesting. I am not an expert on this, but I think theres a paradigm shift between thermodynamics and photosynthesis. The photo capture process in explained by quantum mechanics law (if i recollect correctly), while all my thermodynamics exercises (in academics ofcourse) involve solving statisitical mechanics (Newtonian theory based) equation.
None of this contradicts your assumption or technique, but I am curious if one paradigm can explain both world. Quantum mechanics does allow creating matter from energy straight. Its rather complicated affair to compute (solve schrodinger equation or a simpler approximate like density function theory) for anything other than very small (few atoms) or very large (galaxies) system. There are distinct boundaries where these paradigms are applicable, but i never saw one approach to explain the whole process. You may use statistical mechanis based things to investigate photosynthesis (like most empirical observation... e.g. temperature) but thats different. That does not explain how photons get captures in chemical energy/forms.. thats QM

Abraham Lincoln once said that an expert was someone who traveled 50 miles to give an opinion. In those days, it took more than a day to travel that distance. Today, with the stroke of a keyboard, we travel 176K miles per second, at the speed of light.

When I was at the Texas Maritime Academy taking Quantum Mechanics at the undergraduate level, we still had slide rules. Your references to statistical analysis are very vague to my Bachelor of Science Sheepskin in Marine Engineering. @Ranjib, pardon my humor, you probably have more degrees than a thermometer. I stole that from @Paul B.

I am a hands on, operations geared person. However, I enjoy understanding the theory of not only how but why it works. To understand why in the marine enviroment is very complex. I will quote two PHD scientist in this hobby. Ten years ago on a hobby forum, @Randy Holmes-Farley once told me that biochemistry was complicated: “We put a man on the moon 50 years ago, yet we can’t cure cancer today.”
Bob Goemans, NNR proponent, spoke at the second MACNA conference that I went to in Pittsburg. I meant him and had a drink with @Dana Riddle and was a friend to Anthony Calfo. Goemans said of reefkeeping in general, “It’s not rocket science, it’s more complicated”. Today when I read scientific articles about the “Coral Holobiont” with crosstalk between algae, bacteria and coral; it illustrates how interconnected, interdependent and holistic our reef aquariums are, not unlike the universe. But I digress.

The reference to mariculture on steroids was my use of a calcium reactor and an ammonia drip during photoperiod that has resulted in a 10 fold increase in macro growth each month.

@Scrubber_steve, have you considered using a calcium reactor in front of your ATS. I recently reduced my photoperiod from 16 hours to 12 hours and increased intensity of light.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

@Scrubber_steve, have you considered using a calcium reactor in front of your ATS. I recently reduced my photoperiod from 16 hours to 12 hours and increased intensity of light.

I don't use a calc reactor, but if I did I would certainly feed the scrubber with the co2 rich effluent.

How much nh3 do you dose a day, & did your no3 level increase at all ?

 

[Subsea]

In macro production tanks, I dose 20 ml per 50G per day at the beginning of photoperiod. In my reef tanks, I dose 10 ml per 50G. I never see residual nitrate.