- Joined
- Feb 14, 2019
- Messages
- 1,730
- Reaction score
- 2,021
I had a 20gal long packed full of large and rapidly growing paly colonies that would go from 15ppm nitrate to less than a trace in about two weeks. If I flipped my skimmer on the time cut in half. The amount of nitrogen fixation by soft corals is rather amazing. The problem is that if I didn't keep those levels high corals suffered. SPS handled the nutrient roller coaster better than many softies.
Algae, and this includes symbiotic xooenthalae in corals can consume ammonia if its present, but I was under the impression the process was metabolic limited. More ammonia wont make hard corals grow faster. They just consume it because it's less of work to metabolize than nitrate. Remember that nitrate and ammonia exist in trivial amounts in the ocean. The higher levels of these substances in our tanks is not a normal environment.
Algae, and this includes symbiotic xooenthalae in corals can consume ammonia if its present, but I was under the impression the process was metabolic limited. More ammonia wont make hard corals grow faster. They just consume it because it's less of work to metabolize than nitrate. Remember that nitrate and ammonia exist in trivial amounts in the ocean. The higher levels of these substances in our tanks is not a normal environment.