I choose to list this again because of recent conversations about “Old Tank Syndrome”. The post below reinforces what Ken Feldman / Sanjay said in conclusions statement on carbon dosing in reef aquariums.
Bacterial Counts in Reef Aquarium Water: Baseline Values and Modulation by Carbon Dosing, Protein Skimming, and Granular Activated Carbon Filtration
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Ken S. Feldman | Mar 3, 2011 |
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Departments of Chemistry (Ken S. Feldman, Allison A. Place) and Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (Sanjay Joshi), The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, and Route 66 Marine, Gardena, California (Gary White)
@Lasse Join in, when it works for your
Viking Wisdom
@Beuchat said
The concept of tank maturity
The disappearance of algae pests is related to the concept of "mature and stable aquarium". Since I started in the hobby more than 25 years ago, I have heard these two terms all the time, and have always wondered what they really mean. Tank maturity and stability is an emerging quality that has very complex chemical, biological and ecological underpinnings. We can say that aquarium stability is closely related to the stability of the typical parameters that we usually measure, i.e.: concentrations of calcium, magnesium, alkalinity, nitrate, phosphate, potassium, trace elements, etc., but there is something that goes beyond such parameter stability and has a lot to do with the interspecific competition between species of microorganisms and macroscopic organisms that inhabit the aquarium.
When we speak of these "emergent" qualities it is convenient to emphasize that they are based on innumerable chemical and biochemical processes that sustain the metabolism of the organisms that are part of the microcosm. There is absorption and release of nutrients into the water, birth, growth, reproduction, predation and death. Algae, protists and bacteria constitute the first levels of the trophic web, taking care of the recycling of organic and inorganic nutrients in the water column, all of them interacting with each other and with the environment where they live (as an ecosystem itself).
In reference to the concept of
maturity I want to propose a hypothesis, which by definition is something that must be demonstrated to be taken as true. The intention of this article is to generate a debate about it. The hypothesis can be expressed as a series of "requirements" for the attainment of the state of maturity, namely:
- Stability of chemical parameters, as mentioned.
- Stability in light intensity and spectrum.
- Diversity of microorganisms: phytoplankton, zooplankton (copepods, for example), autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria. Diversity is one of the consequences of
stability, as occurs in coral reefs.
- Sufficient" concentrations of nitrate and phosphate in the water so that all species have "food" so that none of them can take advantage due to their metabolism
adapted to "extreme" situations, for example, cyanobacteria that are able to take advantage of the nitrogen dissolved in the water, without the need to directly assimilate
ammonia.
- Real competition between all aquarium organisms, especially microorganisms: bacteria, phytoplankton and zooplankton. This competition could be summarized in several
types:
o Competition for space. This is probably one of the most relevant. Once a surface (live rock, substrate, etc.) is colonized by one species, it becomes more difficult
for another to occupy that spot (therefore newly set up aquariums are so prone to algae pests).
o Competition for inorganic nutrients. The availability of ammonia, nitrate, phosphate, CO2 and trace elements in the water is variable and depends on
consumption and release by organisms. For example, a functional heterotrophic bacterial biofilm will remove nitrate and phosphate on its surface, made
more difficult for algae to assimilate.
o Grazing and predation. Algae are subjected to grazing by zooplankton, for example, copepods feeding on dinoflagellates. Surgeonfish grazing at diatoms and
hair algae on the rocks or tank walls limit their growth.
o Chemical interaction between organisms. I will elaborate on this point in more detail in the next paragraph for clarity. I am convinced that it is the most
relevant factor of them all.
