Randy Holmes-Farley
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My Tank Thread
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I thought I'd start a discussion of where I see the future frontiers of reefkeeping.
Obviously, there will be technological advances in areas that we currently have some understanding of, such as ways to create light, flow, dose, measure, build aquascapes, control nutrients, control temperature, and even build aquariums.
What I'm focusing on here are certain aspects of the reef ecosystem that surround and impact our cherished organisms, but which we have a relatively poor understanding of at the moment.
Listed in the order that I think a much improved understanding of the field will come in the future, these are my thoughts:
1. Specific wavelengths of light
2. Trace elements
3. Organics
4. Bacteria
5. Viruses
1. Issues relating to light are probably the closest in the above list to becoming understood, but there's a long way to go to claim a full understanding of how light wavelength, intensity, and timing impacts the growth, color, health, and reproduction of all of the organisms we keep. Are there specific wavelengths at specific intensities for specific times that can be used to enhance certain aspects of these organisms (say, pigments to produce certain colors) and how is that best applied? Can it be provided by a single wavelength at times when the appearance of the tank is not important? Or some combination of wavelengths? Does wavelength and intensity impact other processes, such as allelopathy/toxin production? Growth of microalgae vs growth of macroalgae or coral? Growth of dinos vs growth of green algae?
2. Trace elements. ICP has been used for decades on reef aquaria to measure the total amount of each element, but has only been widely available in the past few years, and ICP only begins to scratch the surface of understanding trace elements in a reef tank. Each trace element can often take multiple forms (e.g., Fe++ and Fe+++), and those forms might or might not be complexed to any of a huge variety of organic and inorganic compounds. All of those aspects impact bioavailability/toxicity. Even for a well studied system such as iron in the ocean for a specific single organism, it is often not understood which form is actually taken up by the organism, and in some cases, it may reflect only a very tiny fraction of the total forms of the element present. Many things we do in a reef tank will impact the forms of trace metals. Any oxidizer (e.g., ozone, hydrogen peroxide, Lugols, etc.) and any reducer (e.g., vitamin C) will impact the relative amounts of, say, Fe++ and Fe+++ in the water.
We have a lot to learn as to what ranges of concentrations and types of each trace element are needed and/or desirable for any given organism. And we have lots of organisms. Do we always want our organisms to have "enough", or are there reasons to make them work harder to take them up? Can we control pests such as dinos or problem algae by trace element control without undue harm to organisms we like to keep? Which elements? How?
3. Organics are almost completely a dark area of reek keeping. There are a few studies of total organic carbon in the water and how certain processes such as skimming impact them, but to think that tells the story is akin to saying you understand the human diet based only on the number of calories you eat each day. There are vast numbers of organic compounds in a reef aquarium (dosed, in foods, or naturally created in situ). Some are foods, some are toxins, some impact the bioavailability and toxicity of trace metals, some bind to calcium carbonate surfaces and prevent abiotic precipitation, and the list goes on. Ways to study organics are not generally hobbyist studies, and even scientists studying the ocean have a poor understanding of all of the organics present and how they all go through various cycles.
4. There are vast numbers and species of bacteria in the ocean, and we can extrapolate that they are by far the most numerous organisms in our reef tanks (with the possible exception of viruses if you consider them organisms). How do these bacteria impact reef tank health? Nutrient and trace element cycling? Even colors of corals. At present, we know little more than some estimates of bacterial populations in the water itself, and some scientific studies of bacteria on corals. How do they impact reef aquarium systems? Can we control bacteria? Or at least keep them within certain desirable ranges?
To understand these issues to any significant degree is pushing pretty far into the future. At the moment, hobbyists can do little to understand the numbers and types of bacteria in their aquaria, and how their husbandry techniques impact them. Bacteria dosing products may help some processes, but how and why exactly? What species? How long do they persist in reef tanks? Why not longer?
5. There is almost nothing we know less of in a reef tank than the huge numbers of viruses present. In the ocean, viruses far outnumber bacteria. What are they doing in our tank? Are some problems we experience due to viral infections? Do corals, sponges, snails, tunicates, sea cucumbers, crabs, etc. get viral infections? Why wouldn't they? If viruses do nothing more than impact the bacterial populations, that in itself is a big issue. IMO, this is a very far future issue.
Looking forward to any comments...
Happy Reefing!
Obviously, there will be technological advances in areas that we currently have some understanding of, such as ways to create light, flow, dose, measure, build aquascapes, control nutrients, control temperature, and even build aquariums.
What I'm focusing on here are certain aspects of the reef ecosystem that surround and impact our cherished organisms, but which we have a relatively poor understanding of at the moment.
Listed in the order that I think a much improved understanding of the field will come in the future, these are my thoughts:
1. Specific wavelengths of light
2. Trace elements
3. Organics
4. Bacteria
5. Viruses
1. Issues relating to light are probably the closest in the above list to becoming understood, but there's a long way to go to claim a full understanding of how light wavelength, intensity, and timing impacts the growth, color, health, and reproduction of all of the organisms we keep. Are there specific wavelengths at specific intensities for specific times that can be used to enhance certain aspects of these organisms (say, pigments to produce certain colors) and how is that best applied? Can it be provided by a single wavelength at times when the appearance of the tank is not important? Or some combination of wavelengths? Does wavelength and intensity impact other processes, such as allelopathy/toxin production? Growth of microalgae vs growth of macroalgae or coral? Growth of dinos vs growth of green algae?
2. Trace elements. ICP has been used for decades on reef aquaria to measure the total amount of each element, but has only been widely available in the past few years, and ICP only begins to scratch the surface of understanding trace elements in a reef tank. Each trace element can often take multiple forms (e.g., Fe++ and Fe+++), and those forms might or might not be complexed to any of a huge variety of organic and inorganic compounds. All of those aspects impact bioavailability/toxicity. Even for a well studied system such as iron in the ocean for a specific single organism, it is often not understood which form is actually taken up by the organism, and in some cases, it may reflect only a very tiny fraction of the total forms of the element present. Many things we do in a reef tank will impact the forms of trace metals. Any oxidizer (e.g., ozone, hydrogen peroxide, Lugols, etc.) and any reducer (e.g., vitamin C) will impact the relative amounts of, say, Fe++ and Fe+++ in the water.
We have a lot to learn as to what ranges of concentrations and types of each trace element are needed and/or desirable for any given organism. And we have lots of organisms. Do we always want our organisms to have "enough", or are there reasons to make them work harder to take them up? Can we control pests such as dinos or problem algae by trace element control without undue harm to organisms we like to keep? Which elements? How?
3. Organics are almost completely a dark area of reek keeping. There are a few studies of total organic carbon in the water and how certain processes such as skimming impact them, but to think that tells the story is akin to saying you understand the human diet based only on the number of calories you eat each day. There are vast numbers of organic compounds in a reef aquarium (dosed, in foods, or naturally created in situ). Some are foods, some are toxins, some impact the bioavailability and toxicity of trace metals, some bind to calcium carbonate surfaces and prevent abiotic precipitation, and the list goes on. Ways to study organics are not generally hobbyist studies, and even scientists studying the ocean have a poor understanding of all of the organics present and how they all go through various cycles.
4. There are vast numbers and species of bacteria in the ocean, and we can extrapolate that they are by far the most numerous organisms in our reef tanks (with the possible exception of viruses if you consider them organisms). How do these bacteria impact reef tank health? Nutrient and trace element cycling? Even colors of corals. At present, we know little more than some estimates of bacterial populations in the water itself, and some scientific studies of bacteria on corals. How do they impact reef aquarium systems? Can we control bacteria? Or at least keep them within certain desirable ranges?
To understand these issues to any significant degree is pushing pretty far into the future. At the moment, hobbyists can do little to understand the numbers and types of bacteria in their aquaria, and how their husbandry techniques impact them. Bacteria dosing products may help some processes, but how and why exactly? What species? How long do they persist in reef tanks? Why not longer?
5. There is almost nothing we know less of in a reef tank than the huge numbers of viruses present. In the ocean, viruses far outnumber bacteria. What are they doing in our tank? Are some problems we experience due to viral infections? Do corals, sponges, snails, tunicates, sea cucumbers, crabs, etc. get viral infections? Why wouldn't they? If viruses do nothing more than impact the bacterial populations, that in itself is a big issue. IMO, this is a very far future issue.
Looking forward to any comments...
Happy Reefing!
