I just had a question about what actually happens when you scrub hair algae, diatoms, and other forms of nuisance microalgae off of your rock and glass. Does scrubbing the stuff kill the algae, in which case it turns into nitrates, phosphates, iron, and the other nutrients it fed on? Or does scrubbing it simply disperse the microalgae colonies into their microscopic members, in which case the algal cells live on to find new parts of the tank to perch on.
The question is relevant in regards to having macroalgae, or corals whose zooxanthelae definitely need some nitrate/phosphate. If scrubbing the algae kills it, then its competitors would presumably absorb some of those nutrients. But if it just spreads the microalgae to other parts of the tank, then there's the risk of it perching on said macroalgae, coral, etc.
Thoughts?
The question is relevant in regards to having macroalgae, or corals whose zooxanthelae definitely need some nitrate/phosphate. If scrubbing the algae kills it, then its competitors would presumably absorb some of those nutrients. But if it just spreads the microalgae to other parts of the tank, then there's the risk of it perching on said macroalgae, coral, etc.
Thoughts?