Lasses Dream Build

[Lasse]

Some fish pictures

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Sincerely Lasse

 

[a hill]

The last two weeks have been different up here in Gothenburg. The normal winter here during the last 10 years have been snow for a couple of days and temperatures around 0 degree Celsius otherways rain and windy weather. This year - both cold and snow have shown up for a prolonged period. We live on a ridge and can look out over the valley below - the last mornings with clear, cold weather and snow all over have been spectaluare.

Down in the valley - you can find one of Sweden's largest rivers - the Göta Älv. It is coming from Sweden's largest Lake - Lake Vänern. We can´t see the water because of al buildings around the river - but we can see the ship´s passing by. During winters like this - one of Sweden's ice breakers are situated in the Göta Älv - Vänern area - ice breaker Ale

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She is short, wide and high and a spectacular view when its passing by in the valley. We always try to spot these events. Ale is a old norse god, male but ships are always a she

outside without ice breakers -

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Inside - maybe with an icebreaker in my hand

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Sincerely Lasse

My jaw rarely drops.

I think it dropped to the basement, there is a hole in the desk and the floor!

Wow.

Now I need a week to read from the start.

Wow.

-Andrew

 

[Lasse]

My jaw rarely drops.

I think it dropped to the basement, there is a hole in the desk and the floor!

Wow.

Now I need a week to read from the start.

Wow.

-Andrew

Thank´s a lot

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

I have done some trials with the new Hanna LR nitrate checker and yes - it seems to work rather good even if Hanna not want to tell the magnitude of nitrite interference. I hope that I will be able to investigate this further on - I have ordered some NO2 standards.

Many of us run in concentrations above 5 mg/L nitrate and therefore Hanna have developed a dilution method. I have try that and it is tricky. If you use RODI water to dilute with - you result will be too high and if you use newly mixed saltwater - it looks like it will be interference of other compounds. I have get results that´s not is likely with that dillution method. However - I do in an other way now. If I get an overread (> 5 mg/L) I assume that the colour answer is linear to the concentration. I simply suck up 5 ml (or whatever) from the overreading sample mix with 5 ml RODI water. Calibrate the checker with 10 ml RODI water and place the diluted sample in the meter and do a short press and the checker will do a direct reading. Multiply with 2 - and voila - I have a result.

I did this when I send in a test to a company that have developed a way of analyse nitrate in saltwater without nitrite interaction. I did analyze the same water with Hanna - get a reading of 5.05 mg/L NO3. The lab analysed concentration was 4.85 - fair enough - IMO. Test from the show no nitrite - no interference in my sample. My own nitrite analyse (Hanna ULR nitrite-N marine checker) show a value of 0.02 mg NO2/L. I´m rather sure that my real NO3 was between 4 and 5 mg/L NO3 at that time.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

Its a lot going on here. Since some months ago i have had some problem with cyanobacteria mats forming on my GSP - not on the green but on the flesh of the coral. The stone corals and the clams has developed very good - the last days I have notice that my consumption of alkalinity are around 0.6 - 0.8 dKH a day.

I have try to learn how to operate my Hanna UL nitrate checker in order to get good readings. Still - I have not get any clue how much NO2 readings interact with the Hanna. For the moment - I await a nitrite standard and I will start to figure out how much interference NO2 will give. Have been using Hanna ULR nitrite marine checker and I get a steady reading of around 0.02 ppm NO2 in my water. Last Oceamo test was in line with the Hanna but not so much inline with my nitrite checker - or - my show 0.02 ppm and Oceamo show 0. My Hanna read steady around 5 ppm and I have did some test if I get a overread how to handle this. The best method I found out is to take 5 ml of the overread sample. Take 1 test tube with 10 ml RODI water and make a zero - take out 5 ml of that sample and fill up to 10 ml with the 5 ml overread sample. Short press and read. Last I did a comparison my first sample read 5 mg/L - the 50 % diluted tube show 2.52 - far enough. The reading seem to be rather linear. For me - this work better compared with Hannas own dilution schedule.

I have run my oxydator rather hard - 12 % and three catalysts for some months. I did a comparison with my more than 4 years without a WC, never any cleaning, running refugium, heavy feed and many fish. Never have used active Carbon. RODI water to the right - my aquarium water to the left. A weak yellow colouring but the water is 4 years old in a heavy biological system. Rather good IMO

Well - no more whining - everything else looks good

FTS of a soon 5 years old aquarium

From left side

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Fish

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Sincerely Lasse

 

[chema]

Hi Lasse: great picts, congratulations! Those clams are insane. However, I'm worried about your fish. Such a a huge amount of growth is leaving almost no space for them to swim (LOL).

You mention some ciano patches. Have you ever observed dinos linked to the development of ciano?. In the last months I am suffering from some Amphidinium growing on the sand that, if left untouched, ends up developing a layer on top of which ciano begins to grow.

My nutrient levels are OK, unless the Hanna Phosphorus Checker is acting up (is pretty old) and confusing me about the real phosphate levels in the tank. According to the checker they range from 0,05 to 0,1.

 

[Lasse]

Hi Lasse: great picts, congratulations! Those clams are insane. However, I'm worried about your fish. Such a a huge amount of growth is leaving almost no space for them to swim (LOL).

The growth have been insane - especially my Seriatopora species

Back in 15/2 last year

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Today

You mention some ciano patches. Have you ever observed dinos linked to the development of ciano?. In the last months I am suffering from some Amphidinium growing on the sand that, if left untouched, ends up developing a layer on top of which ciano begins to grow.

My nutrient levels are OK, unless the Hanna Phosphorus Checker is acting up (is pretty old) and confusing me about the real phosphate levels in the tank. According to the checker they range from 0,05 to 0,1.

Interesting - I have seen small patches of what I´m think is some Dinoflagellates and also some patches of Cyanobacteria. Nutrients levels - NO3 between 3 and 5 ppm and Phosphate between 0,04 and 0,1. Mostly green on Triton test

I discover something very interesting yesterday (or may have seen something interesting). I just now do some test in order to confirm this.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

clams sept 2018

The same clams today - 2.5 years later but they have change place

Sincerely Lasse

 

[chema]

The growth have been insane - especially my Seriatopora species

Back in 15/2 last year

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Today

Interesting - I have seen small patches of what I´m think is some Dinoflagellates and also some patches of Cyanobacteria. Nutrients levels - NO3 between 3 and 5 ppm and Phosphate between 0,04 and 0,1. Mostly green on Triton test

I discover something very interesting yesterday (or may have seen something interesting). I just now do some test in order to confirm this.

Sincerely Lasse

Then, I think our problems with dinoflagellates and cyano are not caused by 0 nutrients.

What I'm pretty sure is that Dinos produce the layer that cyano finds suitable to colonize, may be because they release some nutrient that cyano takes advantage of, or may be is just a physical question. Cyano can't attach to sand but finds it easier to attach itself to an organic layer of cells and mucus.

 

[Lasse]

I have a new theory according to my problems that I try to test for the moment, I can test this in my aquarium because I have - as it looks like - a very high calcification rate. Between 12:00 and 20:00 my alkalinity drops with up to 1 dKH. From around 8 dKH at 12:00 to 7 dKH at 20:00. It will take some weeks before I know if it can be a valid theory or not.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

Look at this chart. It is my pH, KH and when I´m dosing Core7:3a+b. 3a-b rise the pH - therefore I dose between 20:00 and 12:00. It is dark between 23:30 to 8:00. Max lighting between 15:00 and 20:00. Ramp up between 8:00-15:00 and ramp down between 20:00 and 23:30. This two days I run my light at 100 % as maximum - around 300 Watts in input.

Between 12:00 and 20:00 when I do not dose Core7:3a+b - my system use around 0.7 in dKH - its around 15mg/L HCO3. My system is around 300 L - it means that the system use around 4.5 g HCO3 during this time -> 4,42 g CO3 -> 7.4 gram CaCO3 (limestone). It means that during this time around 7.4 gram limestone (coral skeleton + calcareous algae) is formed. That the pH is stable or raise a little from around 12:00 to 8:00 means that the photosynthesis consume CO2 from the water. In reality the photosynthesis consume some CO2 already from around 9:00 to around 22:00.

But the pH between 109:00 and 202:00 can be seen as a type of constant for the photosynthesis. This example is when I run my lights at 100 % as much.

Now is the question - if I go down 25 % in my light - will the expected lower photosynthesis result in lesser production of CaCO3 between 12:00 to 20:00

Will be continued

Sincerely Lasse

 

[taricha]

That's nifty data.
If you maintained the Alk close to stable, do you think the Alk consumption would parallel photosynthesis, or is it uptaken about the same in the dark?

 

[Lasse]

I have seen figures that around 60 % of the calcification happens during light and 40 % under dark conditions. But - what i have indications of now is that the alk consumption does not go down if I run my light at 75 % and not get as high daily pH as before (lower consumption of CO2 - indication of lower photosynthesis). What I want to test is if a lower light intensity (it is the same spectra as before) will

1) withhold the high alk consumption (indirect high calcification)

2) lower the growth of dino and cyanobacteria

I have confirm my alk measurements with Hanna marine alk checker and with Tropic Marine Pro KH test.

I´ll try to confirm night calcification with help of my calcium test Tropic Marine Pro Ca/Mg test. It is not dosed between 20:00 and 13:00.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[taricha]

Cool premise, that maybe photosynthesis can be turned down without affecting calcification.
I suspect the precise answer ought to vary from one Coral species to another.

 

[Lasse]

Cool premise, that maybe photosynthesis can be turned down without affecting calcification

The theory is more that I with 100% intensity is over the saturation point for light harvest. See the char below for the last days

I see pH as a result of the consumption of CO2 with help of the photosynthesis. Best should be to monitoring the oxygen levels but for the moment - I have no probe at home.

When I run in 100 % - the pH curve is rather flat after the end of dosing period (12:00) and get up after 20:00 (next dosing period) The blue is an odd event

The other day - when I got the idea - I was running 100% till around 14:00 - after that 60 %. The consumption of CO was fast depleted and you can see that the pH dipped very much till 20:00 when photosynthesis plus (light intensity was 80 % after 20:00) dosed Core 7:3a+b rise the pH. After around 22:00 only dosing could not maintain the pH and pH drop to at certain level.

Yesterday - I run with 75 % intensity - you can se that photosynthesis + dosing rise the pH between 9:00 and 12:00. After that only photosynthesis balance the CO2 content and the curve is flatten out as at 100 % but at an lower level.. This flat curve indicate for me a steady photosynthesis that consume rather much of the produced CO2 and the CO2 from air. I aim no to monitoring my alkalinity drop between 12:00 and 20:00 for some days and after that lower my intensity till the point that pH start to drop after 12:00. This should be my sweet point and i will compare alkalinity consumption at this pH

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Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

And connected with my dino/cyano - if I can diminish my light intensity with 25 - 30 % with the same growth rate - I take away a lot of energy from them.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

This is my chart the last days - light at 75 % and alkalinity loss of 1 - 0.9 dKH. It means around mg CaCO3/L -> 19*300 = 5,7 mg CaCO3 formed. This very limited investigation indicate that in my aquarium - I have higher calcification rate at 75 % intensity than I have at 100% - less is better

I will try to confirm this further.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[chema]

Hi Lasse: it seems that you have experimentally confirmed photosynthesis saturation and photoinhibition. But I'm not sure about the relationship of that fact with dinos and cyano. Photoinhibition depends on the type of chlorophyll and the other pigments related to photosynthesis. May be that even with the 25% reduction you are still over the photoinhibition limit of the dinos and cyano photosyntetic systems.

 

[Lasse]

Hi Lasse: it seems that you have experimentally confirmed photosynthesis saturation and photoinhibition. But I'm not sure about the relationship of that fact with dinos and cyano. Photoinhibition depends on the type of chlorophyll and the other pigments related to photosynthesis. May be that even with the 25% reduction you are still over the photoinhibition limit of the dinos and cyano photosyntetic systems.

Exactly what I´m try to test out now - will light be limited for cyano and dino growth earlier than most of my corals and clams. I will be at 75 % intensity for a while - adjust the dosing times and try to even out the pH fluctuation (stable CO2 concentrations) When this is working good - I will go down in intensity again.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lasse]

I had to stop my daily measurement yesterday because I got a new outbreak of erysipelas in my leg. Back at the hospital and getting antibiotics direct in the bloodstream. But a measurement at 13:00 yesterday confirm that the pattern is still there.

I did a change just before I leave. Now - I dose Core 7:3a+b between 22:00 and 12:00. I want to see exactly when the balance point between production and import ( by air/water exchange) of CO2 evens out out the consumption by photosynthesis (and by air/water exchange). It seem like it is around 21:00 in the evening. My intensity at that time is around 61 % for the RGB and the blue channels and around 56 % for the white channels.

This is the curve during night. Yes I have a lap top at the hospital

Sincerely Lasse