sixty_reefer
5000 Club Member
The third nutrient is my theoretical thinking on nutrients and understanding of aquarium stability and balance.
The third nutrient or Carbon is a nutrient that not often talked about and little is known of its function and effects to the other Nutrients in reef aquaria, not much is know to what effects the abundance or limitation of carbon could do to our aquariums inhabitants.
In this thread I intend to share my view on how all nutrients are connected and influenced by each others in a way that can affect the over all reef aquarium stability and balance.
In my thinking, at any point in time a balance reef aquarium would have Tree nutrient present at all times.
Carbon
Nitrogen
Phosphates
Many times seen as C : N : P
The presence of this three building blocks Nutrient is what allows our reef aquariums to sustain life in addition with trace and other elements like Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium.
The availability of C : N : P in a aquarium is much different from the residual Nutrients that we can test for, we can analyse the water for residual nitrates and phosphates although we can’t analyse the water for carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus availability in our aquariums. The reason why is that the availability of C : N : P it’s in is raw many forms like fish waste, uneaten food, macro and micro algae’s die off etc..
Only after all have been transformed and processed by our microbes and tank inhabitants we can test for what’s not been used by our reef aquaria organism, this comes in the form of residual nitrates and residual phosphates also referred in the hobby as parameters.
Meaning that what we test daily is what our reef aquariums are not utilising, this could be the reason why we all can have different ranges of residual parameters and still achieve similar end results, I personally find them as not important as the availability of C : N : P in my opinion.
How I understand the limitations in C : N : P Availability of nutrients, limitations means if one of the nutrients is absent.
P limits N and C
That may cause N and C to be in abundance
N limits C
That may cause C to be in abundance
How do I understand abundance in C : N : P availability of nutrients, abundance means if one of the nutrients is in excess
C abundance
May cause N and P to be limited
C and N abundance
May cause P to be limited
Knowing the basics of abundance and limitations we may be able to interpret the limitations and abundance of those nutrients using our residual parameters to have a vague idea of what’s happening at the C : N : P availability of nutrients level.
Residual of phosphates in connection to P
Phosphates decreasing
It may mean P is starting to be less available
Phosphates at zero
It may Mean that P may not be available in the aquarium
Phosphates increasing
It may Mean P is starting to build up in our aquariums
Residual of Nitrates in connection to N
Nitrates decreasing
It may mean N is starting to be less available
Nitrates at Zero
It may mean that N is not available in the aquarium
Nitrates increasing
It may mean N is starting to build up in our aquariums
With the above theoretical information I believe it’s possible to have a more detailed understanding of the word “balanced” and “stable” allowing the end user to understand what’s happening in a aquarium on the nutrient level that can’t be tested for at present time.
The information above can avoid many to do common mistakes and avoid many from complete disaster.
Anecdotally and in my opinion, events were carbon becomes in abundance could be the root cause for dinoflagellates and Cyanobacteria to bloom in our reef aquariums, events of abundance of carbon could theoretically allow for more dissolved co2 to be in abundance and allow pest algae to grow out of control.
The reason I believe not all of us are experiencing negative effects from high carbon abundance events, may simply be that not all aquariums have the algae spores, dinoflagellates cells or Cyanobacteria present.
I strongly believe that with the above theoretical thinking, I can now see the meaning of stability and balance with a different understanding of how nutrients could be working for me and if I loose my balance I can have a vague idea how I lost it and how I could regain it.
I now have a vague idea that I shouldn’t change my habits wend I’m feeding my tank as that could cause me to lose the balance.
I now know that I shouldn’t deprive my tank from nutrients if I was trying to remove a undesirable pest algae from my aquarium.
I now know that I should take it slow if doing any major changes to my aquarium nutritional needs.
I now know that if my aquarium nutrients are indicating a decrease in N or P that I need to work to bring them back up to avoid a possible high C event.
I now know that residual parameters are just a number and I should let my tank do it’s thing as long as they are in a acceptable range.
I hope that the future may be more bright and that we may eventually understand nutrition on a different level.
The third nutrient or Carbon is a nutrient that not often talked about and little is known of its function and effects to the other Nutrients in reef aquaria, not much is know to what effects the abundance or limitation of carbon could do to our aquariums inhabitants.
In this thread I intend to share my view on how all nutrients are connected and influenced by each others in a way that can affect the over all reef aquarium stability and balance.
In my thinking, at any point in time a balance reef aquarium would have Tree nutrient present at all times.
Carbon
Nitrogen
Phosphates
Many times seen as C : N : P
The presence of this three building blocks Nutrient is what allows our reef aquariums to sustain life in addition with trace and other elements like Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium.
The availability of C : N : P in a aquarium is much different from the residual Nutrients that we can test for, we can analyse the water for residual nitrates and phosphates although we can’t analyse the water for carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus availability in our aquariums. The reason why is that the availability of C : N : P it’s in is raw many forms like fish waste, uneaten food, macro and micro algae’s die off etc..
Only after all have been transformed and processed by our microbes and tank inhabitants we can test for what’s not been used by our reef aquaria organism, this comes in the form of residual nitrates and residual phosphates also referred in the hobby as parameters.
Meaning that what we test daily is what our reef aquariums are not utilising, this could be the reason why we all can have different ranges of residual parameters and still achieve similar end results, I personally find them as not important as the availability of C : N : P in my opinion.
How I understand the limitations in C : N : P Availability of nutrients, limitations means if one of the nutrients is absent.
P limits N and C
That may cause N and C to be in abundance
N limits C
That may cause C to be in abundance
How do I understand abundance in C : N : P availability of nutrients, abundance means if one of the nutrients is in excess
C abundance
May cause N and P to be limited
C and N abundance
May cause P to be limited
Knowing the basics of abundance and limitations we may be able to interpret the limitations and abundance of those nutrients using our residual parameters to have a vague idea of what’s happening at the C : N : P availability of nutrients level.
Residual of phosphates in connection to P
Phosphates decreasing
It may mean P is starting to be less available
Phosphates at zero
It may Mean that P may not be available in the aquarium
Phosphates increasing
It may Mean P is starting to build up in our aquariums
Residual of Nitrates in connection to N
Nitrates decreasing
It may mean N is starting to be less available
Nitrates at Zero
It may mean that N is not available in the aquarium
Nitrates increasing
It may mean N is starting to build up in our aquariums
With the above theoretical information I believe it’s possible to have a more detailed understanding of the word “balanced” and “stable” allowing the end user to understand what’s happening in a aquarium on the nutrient level that can’t be tested for at present time.
The information above can avoid many to do common mistakes and avoid many from complete disaster.
Anecdotally and in my opinion, events were carbon becomes in abundance could be the root cause for dinoflagellates and Cyanobacteria to bloom in our reef aquariums, events of abundance of carbon could theoretically allow for more dissolved co2 to be in abundance and allow pest algae to grow out of control.
The reason I believe not all of us are experiencing negative effects from high carbon abundance events, may simply be that not all aquariums have the algae spores, dinoflagellates cells or Cyanobacteria present.
I strongly believe that with the above theoretical thinking, I can now see the meaning of stability and balance with a different understanding of how nutrients could be working for me and if I loose my balance I can have a vague idea how I lost it and how I could regain it.
I now have a vague idea that I shouldn’t change my habits wend I’m feeding my tank as that could cause me to lose the balance.
I now know that I shouldn’t deprive my tank from nutrients if I was trying to remove a undesirable pest algae from my aquarium.
I now know that I should take it slow if doing any major changes to my aquarium nutritional needs.
I now know that if my aquarium nutrients are indicating a decrease in N or P that I need to work to bring them back up to avoid a possible high C event.
I now know that residual parameters are just a number and I should let my tank do it’s thing as long as they are in a acceptable range.
I hope that the future may be more bright and that we may eventually understand nutrition on a different level.
