Randy Holmes-Farley
Reef Chemist
View BadgesStaff member
Super Moderator
Excellence Award
Expert Contributor
Article Contributor
R2R Research
My Tank Thread
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2014
- Messages
- 67,516
- Reaction score
- 63,963
Reef Chemistry Question of the Day [HASHTAG]#185[/HASHTAG]
Many people grow macroalgae in reef tanks in an effort to reduce nutrients (especially nitrate and phosphate), and it can be a successful method. I use it, along with other methods.
The exact ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus in macroalgae reflects what it took up from the water. This ratio depends not only on the species involved, but, in some cases, on the concentrations of nutrients available to it since they can take up somewhat more N (nitrogen) or P (phosphorus) when more is available.
The species effect alone can alter the relative amounts of N and P by more than a factor of two, but the values are typically clustered reasonably close together because most of the biochemical molecules of life that contain N and P are similar in different species, such as proteins, DNA, RNA, phospholipids, etc.
In typical macroalgae grown in the ocean, which ratio below is closest to the average weight ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus atoms (N) found in the macroalgae?
A. 1:20
B. 1:1
C. 20:1
D. 200:1
Good luck!
.
Many people grow macroalgae in reef tanks in an effort to reduce nutrients (especially nitrate and phosphate), and it can be a successful method. I use it, along with other methods.
The exact ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus in macroalgae reflects what it took up from the water. This ratio depends not only on the species involved, but, in some cases, on the concentrations of nutrients available to it since they can take up somewhat more N (nitrogen) or P (phosphorus) when more is available.
The species effect alone can alter the relative amounts of N and P by more than a factor of two, but the values are typically clustered reasonably close together because most of the biochemical molecules of life that contain N and P are similar in different species, such as proteins, DNA, RNA, phospholipids, etc.
In typical macroalgae grown in the ocean, which ratio below is closest to the average weight ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus atoms (N) found in the macroalgae?
A. 1:20
B. 1:1
C. 20:1
D. 200:1
Good luck!
.