Phytoplankton as a nutrient export method

[Bioloco (EasyReefs)]

I run 10K color spectrum in all of my display tanks. I assure you, phytoplankton will grow in these systems.

Hi buddy!

Please don't misunderstand me, I have no doubt that phytoplankton grows in your system. Due to my training and work at EasyReefs, I am familiar with the cultures of both microalgae and bacteria.

What I am trying to explain, based on our experience and bibliography (no doubt you already know what I am going to say now but I am exposing it for the less formed reader) is that when you culture a microorganism (algae or bacteria) and change the conditions of the cultive, it needs an adaptation time in which its growth is reduced or canceled, until it adapts its metabolism and reaches a certain concentration of cells in the cultive that allows it to grow exponentially. When you add a live culture to the aquarium, this live strain encounters new growth chemistry, new lighting and temperature conditions, high competition for resources and predators. In the end, the strongest grows, which is usually a "wild" strain already integrated into the aquarium that takes advantage of the new resources coming from the dosage of the culture. The issue with all this is that for there to be a withdrawal of nutrients there must be the creation of biomass and the production of biomass by the phytoplankton that we add in those first moments is very little (or none). On the other hand, the photosynthetic organism that grows must generate enough biomass to assimilate the nutrients added due to possible contamination of the culture medium (if applicable), the nutrients from the added microalgae that are not consumed and degraded (which is always a high percentage) and the nutrients added by the feeding and excretion regime of fish and corals (and other microorganisms). In short, phytoplankton grown directly in the aquarium has a nutrient fixation task that it is rarely able to withstand to become the main nutrient removal system in our aquariums and if we achieve this we would be talking about a completely water aquarium green. It is to be understood that this nutrient removal process is only a complement to the aquarium's filtration system.

I did not want to go into the topic of the cycle/accumulation of organic phosphate or the final destination of the biomass produced because it is a topic for new posts.

By the way, I am very happy to see that the Jaubert system is still being talked about. I have been a user of this system and also without skimers since 1999. I find it to be an excellent system when it is carried out well.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Hi buddy!

Please don't misunderstand me, I have no doubt that phytoplankton grows in your system. Due to my training and work at EasyReefs, I am familiar with the cultures of both microalgae and bacteria.

What I am trying to explain, based on our experience and bibliography (no doubt you already know what I am going to say now but I am exposing it for the less formed reader) is that when you culture a microorganism (algae or bacteria) and change the conditions of the cultive, it needs an adaptation time in which its growth is reduced or canceled, until it adapts its metabolism and reaches a certain concentration of cells in the cultive that allows it to grow exponentially. When you add a live culture to the aquarium, this live strain encounters new growth chemistry, new lighting and temperature conditions, high competition for resources and predators. In the end, the strongest grows, which is usually a "wild" strain already integrated into the aquarium that takes advantage of the new resources coming from the dosage of the culture. The issue with all this is that for there to be a withdrawal of nutrients there must be the creation of biomass and the production of biomass by the phytoplankton that we add in those first moments is very little (or none). On the other hand, the photosynthetic organism that grows must generate enough biomass to assimilate the nutrients added due to possible contamination of the culture medium (if applicable), the nutrients from the added microalgae that are not consumed and degraded (which is always a high percentage) and the nutrients added by the feeding and excretion regime of fish and corals (and other microorganisms). In short, phytoplankton grown directly in the aquarium has a nutrient fixation task that it is rarely able to withstand to become the main nutrient removal system in our aquariums and if we achieve this we would be talking about a completely water aquarium green. It is to be understood that this nutrient removal process is only a complement to the aquarium's filtration system.

I did not want to go into the topic of the cycle/accumulation of organic phosphate or the final destination of the biomass produced because it is a topic for new posts.

By the way, I am very happy to see that the Jaubert system is still being talked about. I have been a user of this system and also without skimers since 1999. I find it to be an excellent system when it is carried out well.

I hear what you are saying and I can agree for most strains. But a good strain of Tet is the dandelion weed of the golf course... not a lot of effort for adapting to the DT. But what ever the out come is for any added Phyto, until it is removed from the tank either biologically or by mechanical filtration it will take up nutrient’s.
So again, will it make a dent in your nutrient level? That depends on the amount of existing nutrients vs. the amount of phyto you have in your tank at any giving time.
I think you are thinking about it too antiseptically and not practically in a real world situation.

 

[Subsea]

I hear what you are saying and I can agree for most strains. But a good strain of Tet is the dandelion weed of the golf course... not a lot of effort for adapting to the DT. But what ever the out come is for any added Phyto, until it is removed from the tank either biologically or by mechanical filtration it will take up nutrient’s.
So again, will it make a dent in your nutrient level? That depends on the amount of existing nutrients vs. the amount of phyto you have in your tank at any giving time.
I think you are thinking about it too antiseptically and not practically in a real world situation.

Bingo!

An experiment outdoors to adjust tilapia to full strength salt water went astray and I wound up with a 30G tank of green water. For 3 months, I continue adding f/2 fertilizer and liquid seaweed concentrate as I pour in gallons of wild phyto every other day To tanks inside.

 

[Subsea]

Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and the Reef Aquarium: an Initial Survey, Part II

Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. Ken and Kelly continue to report on their work on Total Organic Carbon and how it relates to the reef aquarium.

reefs.com

Getting back to Abe’s video, Ken Feldman research highlights the carbon component on his research paper on carbon dosing reef aquaria using protein skimmers to export.

Bacterial Counts in Reef Aquarium Water: Baseline Values and Modulation by Carbon Dosing, Protein Skimming, and Granular Activated Carbon Filtration

What are the bacteria populations in the water column of reef tanks, and how does that value compare with bacterial counts in authentic reef water? Does carbon dosing indeed increase water column bacteria populations (i.e., is growth carbon limited)? Does mechanical filtration (protein skimming...

reefs.com

“On this point, it is apparent that if TOC levels can be monitored to assay the effects of one skimmer (the H&S A200 in this case), then they can be monitored to measure the impact of different types of skimmers operating on an experimental tank. In addition, these types of experiments also can be used to probe more directly and quantitatively the TOC removal capabilities of Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) that was hinted at in the tank #2 vs. tank #3 comparison. These types of experiments might allow, for the first time, a quantitative evaluation of skimmer and, independently, GAC performance which is divorced from the hype and misinformation that seems to surround these areas of marine aquarium maintenance/equipment. These experiments are ongoing and results will be reported in due course.”

 

[DrDirt]

Depends on the environment and the organism. In studies in the ocean, iron is sometimes limiting, and when it is not, then whether N or P is limiting at a single location can depend on the organism.

In this study, for example, 8 of 9 macroalgae species studied were nitrogen limited, and one (codium edule) was phosphate limited:

Wayback Machine

Thanks, Randy. I stand corrected. Nitrate is a typical limiting nutrient in marine environments, whereas phosphates are a typical limiting nutrient in freshwater environments.

 

[Subsea]

@

Thanks, Randy. I stand corrected. Nitrate is a typical limiting nutrient in marine environments, whereas phosphates are a typical limiting nutrient in freshwater environments.

A regional agriculture lab analyzed Gracilaria Hayi grown in 150G Rubbermaid tubs outdoors:

N to P ratio was 30 to 1
Surprisingly, Na to P was 120:1

Plant Analysis - Ward Laboratories, Inc.

www.wardlab.com