PNS Yello Sno - nutritional values & general questions

[JamesTh]

Hi,

I’m just in the process of cycling my tank, and I’m thinking ahead a bit and wondering what to feed my corals with. I’ve bought a bottle of Yello Sno, and I now have a couple of questions:

1) can Yello Sno be considered a complete coral food either by itself, or when used in conjunction with ProBio?
2) what are the nutritional values for Yello Sno?
3) will it impact any of the tank parameters at all when I dose it?

Many thanks!

 

[Spare time]

@Kenneth Wingerter

 

[Kenneth Wingerter]

That's a great question, and (believe it or not) the first time anyone has ever asked.

We have not ever had a lab perform an analysis for nutrient, mineral, etc. content.

But more to your point, it shouldn't affect you water chemistry outright in any substantial way; for example, it does not contain any free NO3 or PO4. Of course use (and especially overuse) can add nutrients and organics down the road, much in the same way as most other foods do.

PNS YelloSno is rich in protein, vitamins (particularly B vitamins, including the essential vitamin B12), roughage in the form of chitin, carbs (mainly in the form of polysaccharides), and a broad range of biologically available trace elements. I would however hesitate to say that this food is 'complete' because I don't believe that any one food is complete nutritionally. That's why, for example, any serious hatchery will select not one, but two or three, species of phytoplankton to cultivate and enrich their live feed.

We do like to combine it with ProBio. Firstly, because it contains B vitamin precursors such as PABA, it promotes the growth of the live bacteria in ProBio themselves (Rhodopseudomonas). Also, ProBio contains far more carotenoid pigments, which are highly effective color enhancers and antioxidants. ProBio, being live, also has distinct probiotic effects. Lastly, they are different in particle size; YelloSno 'flakes' may be large enough to see with the naked eye, whereas the live bacteria in ProBio have a cell size of just a couple microns long and about a half micron wide.

I'd add that YelloSno (used in small, say half, doses) can benefit the system even during cycling. Many nitrifying bacteria such as Nitrobacter cannot synthesize their own vitamin B12 and will not grow well without it. YelloSno can be a vital source of B12 during the cycling period, particularly where one uses fishless cycling methods with dry rock (i.e., a more or less sterile starting point). So, this might help even now as you cycle. If you would opt to use PNS Substrate Sauce (our specialized PNSB-based cycling product), it's good to know that YelloSno contains biotin, which is essential for the growth of Rhodospirillum, which is the additional species in that formula.

I hope that helps!

 

[Aubie1983]

Kenneth, how much of the YelloSno would you suggest adding during cycling if you used the PNS Substrate when you started the cycle? Once, twice? and how much?

 

[Kenneth Wingerter]

That would depend upon the conditions in each unique tank of course, but a good guideline would be a quarter dose (0.25 ml/gal) at the onset of cycling (i.e., time of inoculation), and then a second quarter dose after nitrite has begun to appear.

 

[Aubie1983]

10-4, thank you!

 

[Aubie1983]

One more question Kenneth. After cycling you add the second quarter dose after nitrate has begun to appear. Let’s suppose that I don’t add fish, no lights, maybe adding copepods for say 90 days to 2 months after cycle completes. Would you continue to add the quarter dose of yello sno, say bi weekly? Also, now switch to PNS pro bio after cycle completed and dose bi weekly? Trying to keep bacteria alive and thriving while there isn’t much food for them. Thoughts?

 

[Kenneth Wingerter]

One more question Kenneth. After cycling you add the second quarter dose after nitrate has begun to appear. Let’s suppose that I don’t add fish, no lights, maybe adding copepods for say 90 days to 2 months after cycle completes. Would you continue to add the quarter dose of yello sno, say bi weekly? Also, now switch to PNS pro bio after cycle completed and dose bi weekly? Trying to keep bacteria alive and thriving while there isn’t much food for them. Thoughts?

Hi. First thing, I don't know if you meant nitrite instead of nitrate, and nitrate was just a typo, but I'd recommend that second dose as nitrite begins to appear. The reason for that is because some commonly used nitrite oxidizing bacteria (Nitrobacter, for example) cannot synthesize their own cobalamin, and cannot grow without it, and so need an exogenous source of it. Under normal situations, like in the wild, or if using mature live rock/sand, these species get their cobalamin from other microbes (usually some sort of archaea, if I remember right). However, if you're starting a more-or-less sterile tank with dry rock and running a fishless cycle, then cobalamin supplements can help when you're using a certain nitrifying bacterial products, particularly in supporting the growth of those bacteria that convert nitrite into nitrate. As it happens, PNS YelloSno not only is rich in cobalamin, but also contains PABA and biotin, which are essential for the growth of (respectively) Rhodopseudomonas palustris and Rhodospirillum rubrum, the two purple non-sulfur bacteria in PNS Substrate Sauce. YelloSno is thus really meant to feed the whole ecosystem, from microbes to pods to corals (both in terms of nutrition and also particle size).

I don't see any issues with adding it in the manner you propose. Could even help to build a good population of copepods and other beneficial microfauna that you might seed the system with. I'd just watch for signs of pollution; YelloSno is a food, and so it can (like any other food) be overused, especially in a new system. My only advice on that one would be to use it moderately, and also to be ready to reduce the dose if it appears that the system cannot yet cycle that particular influx of nutrients and organic matter. If it's just being used to keep the bacteria alive, very little would be needed (though that little bit can potentially make a big difference).

And yes, you certainly could switch to PNS ProBio (Rhodopseudomonas palustris) at that point, and since it's a live heterotroph, it cannot be overdosed. If anything, larger doses will actually help to clean the tank. In fact, assuming you have some sort of illuminated anaerobic microhabitat in there somewhere, you might even be able to get it to establish a good sized permanent population. Yes, it can survive in the dark, but will grow about half as fast as under optimal light conditions.

 

[Aubie1983]

Thanks so much! Yes, it was a typo

 

[MBruun]

@Kenneth Wingerter
Which type of cobalamin is in yellowsnow and/or preferable for marine aquariums ?
methylcobalamin, Hydroxocobalamin or adenosylcobalamin ?

 

[Kenneth Wingerter]

@Kenneth Wingerter
Which type of cobalamin is in yellowsnow and/or preferable for marine aquariums ?
methylcobalamin, Hydroxocobalamin or adenosylcobalamin ?

Hi, it’s cyanocobalamin.