OP
OP
Today, I had an awesome opportunity to visit Ryan (Chummingham's Reef) one of my great reefing friends!
It's always a pleasure to see his set up. I was able to try out my magic concoction on his system and see the results, very promising
. I also snagged some amazing pieces from the Doctor himself!
These photos were taken immediate after dipping so they look a bit beat up, but boy did I feel like a kid in a candy shop
Chummingham's Reef Something Sinister Grafted Granulosa, excited to add another grafted smooth skin to my collection! The deep maroon and green/yellow swirls make this one really easy on the eyes lol
Tyree Pink Lemonade, it's probably been a decade since I bought a piece of pink lemonade. It was one of my first collector acros, an incredibly sentimental Acro.I just had to add it back to the collection. Such a great classic, and I think Ryan's is the most yellow pink lemonade I've seen!
Chummingham's Reef Hippie Juice, I'm absolutely floored by this thing! Just WOWOWOWOWOW! It's like a much nicer vivid's confetti, but like all nice things in this hobby it means that this thing grows slow
Chummingham's Reef Great White Bull, this one reminds of the classic RMF Red Devil Nasuta. Now imagine if the red devil was bright yellow and blue!
Just for some further insight, my trials have changed how I view nutrient control/management. Would you believe me if I told you that my system fluctuates ~ .6 ppm of phosphates?? This is within one day and without the use of GFO! Last night after dosing my concoction my Hanna Phosphorous checker could not calculate the value because it was too high. Today, the phosphate measures at .166 ppm.
My nitrates are also at an astounding 74 ppm today. This particular system has a tendency to run higher nutrients, but is capable of lowering them at an extremely fast rate. Bear in mind that my system has a very high biomass and is packed with established acropora colonies.
Most of my recent photos came from the system where the Nitrate = 74ppm and Phos = .166
So you can be the judge about whether what I'm doing is "right" or "wrong".
It really goes to show that numbers are just numbers and that they cannot be relied on solely to address ailments in your system.
I think that people misunderstand the mechanisms behind "high nutrient" systems. I treat "high nutrient" systems as systems that are capable of metabolizing and processing an extreme amount of FOOD. A "high nutrient" system should be able to convert an immense amount of food and nutrients into biomass. Just having high residual N and P is not akin to having a "high nutrient".
I do not think that long term exposure to high levels of N or P is a good thing for corals (perhaps some), but the conversion of high levels of N or P into a bioavailable form is a great thing! How do we do this? By leveraging bacteria!
Let's think about why we dose N and P in the first place. We commonly dose N and P in order to chase better coral coloration/health. This is directly related to the nutrition that the coral receives, whether through photosynthesis or through prey capture. I presume that the corals get the majority of the N and P they need through the prey that they capture and ingest from their polyps and not directly through osmosis or absorbing through their tissue, but I could be wrong. Would it not make sense that their main form of ingestion is through the polyp and not through the tissue?
Our ultra-filtered systems oftentimes can register near 0 values of N and P. This makes N and P a limiting factor in our reef tanks.
Now think about what that does to the microbiome. Competition becomes extra fierce when resources become extremely scarce. This creates an ecological niche for opportunistic organisms to exploit. This could explain why we experience rtn or weird algal issues in established systems when we drop our nutrients suddenly. The microbiome is instantly starved and destroyed, leading to a chaotic episode of ecological succession.
If it were only as simple as having high N and P for coral success, then a brand new system that is mid-cycle would be best for corals. But it's not! The key is the robustness and curation of the microbiome. A brand new system does not have the necessary microbiome to support SPS corals and that's why so many people lose their first sps coral and continue losing them until their tank magically "stabilizes".
Eventually the system is inoculated with enough beneficial bacteria/coral mass that the system is able to compete against pathogenic microbes and withstand major stress events.
By creating an environment that is conducive to the growth of beneficial microbes we are directly feeding our corals and amplifying competition to compete against pathogenic microbes.
My method attempts to mimic the nutrient surges that corals experience in the wild. By leveraging probiotic bacteria and enzymes to "digest" particulate foods, aminos, and trace elements I am essentially gut loading bacteria which are then easily captured by the corals. The unconsumed bacteria will serve to reinforce the tank's population and ward off unwanted microbes.
My experience with feeding acros has always been so-so. I just never know if they eat any of the large particles found in most coral foods. However, when I dose my concoction the majority of acros will instantly display their mesenterial filaments. I think that this is a feeding response due to the massive influx of easily accessible prey. The next day I notice plump polyps on my acros and the tissues appears to be more voluminous.
This paper notes that elevated nitrates and phosphates "did not cause significant mortality". It was the elevated levels of DOC's that led to the most coral mortality.
This "suggests that high levels of DOC rapidly disrupt the balance between the coral and its associated microbes. In support of this hypothesis, Kuntz et al. (2005) showed that continual exposure to elevated DOC leads to an exponential increase in coral mortality... This could disrupt the balance between the different Bacteria, possibly leading to overgrowth of a member of the community and subsequent coral mortality. Another possibility is that enrichment of a subset of the community allows these Bacteria to outcompete other Bacteria that could have important defensive (i.e. antibiotic production) or metabolic roles (i.e. carbon or nitrogen fixation)."
So let me interpret this, and apply my rationale.
In our closed systems, equilibrium cannot be attained without OUR direct input. It is the nature of closed systems to favor one extreme or another when there is not direct human intervention. Our systems are extremely volatile and require our diligence to maintain smooth operation.
Also, a lot of the biological processes that occur in our tanks are not visible to the human eye and are influenced by a myriad of other reef chemistry factors that we may not fully understand yet. We also know that corals prey and can "farm" bacteria with their mucus. Through routine usage of my concoction I believe that I am controlling my DOC levels and promoting beneficial microbial growth while keeping the pathogens at bay.
So, it could be plausible that over time there could be a major stress event that occurs in our system, resulting in a reshuffling of the microbiome. Their are also so many things out of our control that can influence our systems health too! Poor air quality, dirty hands, dirty equipment, dirty rags, seasonal changes, there are so many factors that can influence the microbial life in our tanks. Even if these bacterial populations reach a healthy equilibrium in our tanks, it is only a matter of time before a stress event creates a catastrophe.
This disturbance could lead to pathogenic bacteria dominating your system and causing you endless headache as you scramble to figure out why you can't keep anything alive. I believe that the routine dosing of probiotic bacterial strains could alleviate this issue drastically by maintaining microbial and nutritional stability. This is a proactive approach towards maintaining microbial stability. If the beneficial bacterial population is always high then there leaves no room for opportunistic microbes and pathogens to take root. The probiotic bacteria continually consume the DOC in our water and it is our job to continually provide the proper nutrition to these bacterial colonies so that they can keep the nasties away. My method aims to culture probiotic bacteria in a separate container allowing them to proliferate and absorb nutrients. Once administered to the system you are no longer polluting your tank by putting in a bunch of decaying particulate foods, but instead feeding a rich bacterial blend loaded with nutrients that corals easily capture.
If you were experiencing a major stress event and were dosing probiotic supplements it is plausible that you could reinforce the microbiome until the stress event passed resulting in minimal losses, but this is just a theory at the moment. I don't have any concrete proof, but I have had more success at fighting RTN and the coral stabilizing after the skin sloughs off. Probiotics might be a more efficient and more environmentally conscious alternative to antibiotics!
www.sciencedirect.com
This article discusses the effects of high nitrate and phosphate and its effect on Euphyllia. It does not mention much about the DOC content in the water but shows the effects of limiting N and P. Euphyllia aren't exactly acros, but there could be a similar result observed.
Continual usage of my concoction has resulted in extreme calcium demands and I have had to supplement additional calcium. Growth has also become visble on all of my acros and stunted pieces have started to regrow. I think this is evident from my calcium demands suddenly skyrocketing. The alk is kept relatively stable through dentrification and my calcium reactor and kalk. Acros are no longer growing at a snails pace and colors have improved immensely! The acros have developed thicker tissue and exude a brilliance that was not present prior.
Again this is my experience so far, please don't go out of your way to try my methods as I am still working on refining the process. However, if you want to add any valuable input or insight or are curious about anything please feel free to discuss on this thread or PM me. This is only the tip of the iceberg!
It's always a pleasure to see his set up. I was able to try out my magic concoction on his system and see the results, very promising
. I also snagged some amazing pieces from the Doctor himself!These photos were taken immediate after dipping so they look a bit beat up, but boy did I feel like a kid in a candy shop
Chummingham's Reef Something Sinister Grafted Granulosa, excited to add another grafted smooth skin to my collection! The deep maroon and green/yellow swirls make this one really easy on the eyes lol
Tyree Pink Lemonade, it's probably been a decade since I bought a piece of pink lemonade. It was one of my first collector acros, an incredibly sentimental Acro.I just had to add it back to the collection. Such a great classic, and I think Ryan's is the most yellow pink lemonade I've seen!
Chummingham's Reef Hippie Juice, I'm absolutely floored by this thing! Just WOWOWOWOWOW! It's like a much nicer vivid's confetti, but like all nice things in this hobby it means that this thing grows slow
Chummingham's Reef Great White Bull, this one reminds of the classic RMF Red Devil Nasuta. Now imagine if the red devil was bright yellow and blue!
Just for some further insight, my trials have changed how I view nutrient control/management. Would you believe me if I told you that my system fluctuates ~ .6 ppm of phosphates?? This is within one day and without the use of GFO! Last night after dosing my concoction my Hanna Phosphorous checker could not calculate the value because it was too high. Today, the phosphate measures at .166 ppm.
My nitrates are also at an astounding 74 ppm today. This particular system has a tendency to run higher nutrients, but is capable of lowering them at an extremely fast rate. Bear in mind that my system has a very high biomass and is packed with established acropora colonies.
Most of my recent photos came from the system where the Nitrate = 74ppm and Phos = .166
So you can be the judge about whether what I'm doing is "right" or "wrong".
It really goes to show that numbers are just numbers and that they cannot be relied on solely to address ailments in your system.
I think that people misunderstand the mechanisms behind "high nutrient" systems. I treat "high nutrient" systems as systems that are capable of metabolizing and processing an extreme amount of FOOD. A "high nutrient" system should be able to convert an immense amount of food and nutrients into biomass. Just having high residual N and P is not akin to having a "high nutrient".
I do not think that long term exposure to high levels of N or P is a good thing for corals (perhaps some), but the conversion of high levels of N or P into a bioavailable form is a great thing! How do we do this? By leveraging bacteria!
Let's think about why we dose N and P in the first place. We commonly dose N and P in order to chase better coral coloration/health. This is directly related to the nutrition that the coral receives, whether through photosynthesis or through prey capture. I presume that the corals get the majority of the N and P they need through the prey that they capture and ingest from their polyps and not directly through osmosis or absorbing through their tissue, but I could be wrong. Would it not make sense that their main form of ingestion is through the polyp and not through the tissue?
Our ultra-filtered systems oftentimes can register near 0 values of N and P. This makes N and P a limiting factor in our reef tanks.
Now think about what that does to the microbiome. Competition becomes extra fierce when resources become extremely scarce. This creates an ecological niche for opportunistic organisms to exploit. This could explain why we experience rtn or weird algal issues in established systems when we drop our nutrients suddenly. The microbiome is instantly starved and destroyed, leading to a chaotic episode of ecological succession.
If it were only as simple as having high N and P for coral success, then a brand new system that is mid-cycle would be best for corals. But it's not! The key is the robustness and curation of the microbiome. A brand new system does not have the necessary microbiome to support SPS corals and that's why so many people lose their first sps coral and continue losing them until their tank magically "stabilizes".
Eventually the system is inoculated with enough beneficial bacteria/coral mass that the system is able to compete against pathogenic microbes and withstand major stress events.
By creating an environment that is conducive to the growth of beneficial microbes we are directly feeding our corals and amplifying competition to compete against pathogenic microbes.
My method attempts to mimic the nutrient surges that corals experience in the wild. By leveraging probiotic bacteria and enzymes to "digest" particulate foods, aminos, and trace elements I am essentially gut loading bacteria which are then easily captured by the corals. The unconsumed bacteria will serve to reinforce the tank's population and ward off unwanted microbes.
My experience with feeding acros has always been so-so. I just never know if they eat any of the large particles found in most coral foods. However, when I dose my concoction the majority of acros will instantly display their mesenterial filaments. I think that this is a feeding response due to the massive influx of easily accessible prey. The next day I notice plump polyps on my acros and the tissues appears to be more voluminous.
This paper notes that elevated nitrates and phosphates "did not cause significant mortality". It was the elevated levels of DOC's that led to the most coral mortality.
This "suggests that high levels of DOC rapidly disrupt the balance between the coral and its associated microbes. In support of this hypothesis, Kuntz et al. (2005) showed that continual exposure to elevated DOC leads to an exponential increase in coral mortality... This could disrupt the balance between the different Bacteria, possibly leading to overgrowth of a member of the community and subsequent coral mortality. Another possibility is that enrichment of a subset of the community allows these Bacteria to outcompete other Bacteria that could have important defensive (i.e. antibiotic production) or metabolic roles (i.e. carbon or nitrogen fixation)."
So let me interpret this, and apply my rationale.
In our closed systems, equilibrium cannot be attained without OUR direct input. It is the nature of closed systems to favor one extreme or another when there is not direct human intervention. Our systems are extremely volatile and require our diligence to maintain smooth operation.
Also, a lot of the biological processes that occur in our tanks are not visible to the human eye and are influenced by a myriad of other reef chemistry factors that we may not fully understand yet. We also know that corals prey and can "farm" bacteria with their mucus. Through routine usage of my concoction I believe that I am controlling my DOC levels and promoting beneficial microbial growth while keeping the pathogens at bay.
So, it could be plausible that over time there could be a major stress event that occurs in our system, resulting in a reshuffling of the microbiome. Their are also so many things out of our control that can influence our systems health too! Poor air quality, dirty hands, dirty equipment, dirty rags, seasonal changes, there are so many factors that can influence the microbial life in our tanks. Even if these bacterial populations reach a healthy equilibrium in our tanks, it is only a matter of time before a stress event creates a catastrophe.
This disturbance could lead to pathogenic bacteria dominating your system and causing you endless headache as you scramble to figure out why you can't keep anything alive. I believe that the routine dosing of probiotic bacterial strains could alleviate this issue drastically by maintaining microbial and nutritional stability. This is a proactive approach towards maintaining microbial stability. If the beneficial bacterial population is always high then there leaves no room for opportunistic microbes and pathogens to take root. The probiotic bacteria continually consume the DOC in our water and it is our job to continually provide the proper nutrition to these bacterial colonies so that they can keep the nasties away. My method aims to culture probiotic bacteria in a separate container allowing them to proliferate and absorb nutrients. Once administered to the system you are no longer polluting your tank by putting in a bunch of decaying particulate foods, but instead feeding a rich bacterial blend loaded with nutrients that corals easily capture.
If you were experiencing a major stress event and were dosing probiotic supplements it is plausible that you could reinforce the microbiome until the stress event passed resulting in minimal losses, but this is just a theory at the moment. I don't have any concrete proof, but I have had more success at fighting RTN and the coral stabilizing after the skin sloughs off. Probiotics might be a more efficient and more environmentally conscious alternative to antibiotics!
Phosphate deficiency promotes coral bleaching and is reflected by the ultrastructure of symbiotic dinoflagellates
Enrichment of reef environments with dissolved inorganic nutrients is considered a major threat to the survival of corals living in symbiosis with din…
Continual usage of my concoction has resulted in extreme calcium demands and I have had to supplement additional calcium. Growth has also become visble on all of my acros and stunted pieces have started to regrow. I think this is evident from my calcium demands suddenly skyrocketing. The alk is kept relatively stable through dentrification and my calcium reactor and kalk. Acros are no longer growing at a snails pace and colors have improved immensely! The acros have developed thicker tissue and exude a brilliance that was not present prior.
Again this is my experience so far, please don't go out of your way to try my methods as I am still working on refining the process. However, if you want to add any valuable input or insight or are curious about anything please feel free to discuss on this thread or PM me. This is only the tip of the iceberg!
