Question on phyto and nutrient control

[SaracensRugby]

Learn something every day in this hobby, 8 years in.

I was reading last night and "discovered" that phyto can help reduce unwanted algae through the process of it using NO3 and PO4 for their lifecycle. Given all of the benefits to the inhabitants to the tank, and reduction in NO3/PO4, why isn't phyto talked about more as a more natural tool to reduce NO3/PO4, versus binding agents or other products that come in bottles?
Cheers!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

if you are using a skimmer (and I think majority are), then the skimmer will pull it out faster than it can be of benefit to the system.

I do add phyto to my softie tank which has no skimmer, and that tank has no algae at all except coraline. It looks better than my main tank which is heavily filtrated, so maybe there is something to the phyto theory after all.

 

[jda]

Phyto was MORE of a rage in the 2000s than Triton, Moonshiners and all of the current fads today are combined. I think that most of what you are reading and posted work out better on paper than they do in the tank. As mentioned above, the tank is just not hospitable enough for phyto to have a lifecycle and act in this manner. The fad/usage died down as people just did not see the benefits of this. Some still used phyto to feed corals, microfauna, etc. but even when they quit that the stuff still did fine.

Algae doesn't even need no3 at all and only a small trace of po4 and can probably get phosphorous from other places. If you did limit nitrogen (not nitrate) and phosphorous (not phosphate) to where macroalgae could not grow, the phyto also would not be able to and likely your corals too.

 

[DaJMasta]

It either gets removed (as said) or consumed (there are a ton of filter feeders in any mature tank) in short enough order that it won't multiply to any sufficient degree to use up nutrients in a notable way. Phyto blooms in the ocean because it can be away from a lot of that and thanks to very high intensity light, in a closed, recirculating system, it sort of has no chance.

There are other benefits, like microfauna and filter feeders abundance, but as someone who in the long term fed 300 mL of live culture a day to a 170 L tank, it doesn't lower your nutrients, it just raises your phosphate and salinity.

 

[SaracensRugby]

Interesting, perspective helps so thanks for filling in the gaps!!
I may try it in my 20 gallon coral qt tank, that has no real filtration outside of a sponge to catch detritus, just to experiment since all I do are water changes on that tank.
It sounds like if I did want to try it on my DT (315 gallons with another 100 over 2 connected sumps), I would have to turn off my skimmer and UV. I have a ton of pods, so not sure feeding them does anything. I have a couple macro algae’s in qt; so will try that natural way first to reduce NO3/PO4.

Thanks all!

 

[Lavey29]

I agree with the above posts. I dose phyto feast daily but mainly just for my filter feeders, microfauna, pods, etc... the ocean has an endless amount of phytoplankton available for them 24/7 so I try to make sure my tank has some daily.

 

[ninjamyst]

Cuz phyto is expensive to buy every few weeks and culturing it is more hassle than most people would like