No Algae? How Is This Possible?
- Thread starter sundog101
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Nitrate and Phosphate are difficult to removed because they are the most basic elements of some water. When they are taken into biomass or used by algae, corals, or Bactria they are bound. When algae is eat by the fish some of it is bound to organic waste that can be filtered out before it breaks down into its inorganic most basic form again. The algae or bacteria also can me removed via filtration or algae harvesting.
Randy Holmes-Farley
Reef Chemist
Staff member
Super Moderator
Excellence Award
Expert Contributor
Article Contributor
R2R Research
My Tank Thread
Yes, algae eating fish and other organisms are an excellent choice. I had great success with a foxface dealing with a caulerpa infestation.
OP
OP
sundog101
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2014
- Messages
- 994
- Reaction score
- 656
The first thing you hear when dealing with algae is "what are your nutrient levels?" So if nutrients are under control, would you add more herbivores to control algae? (not talking about an outbreak)
Limiting nutrients like po4 and no3 only slows algal growth. Even on a reef. So yes addIng herbivores will get rid of it temporarily. On a natural coral reef, sea urchins and parrotfish are the two major algae controllers.
jason2459
Not a paid scientist
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2015
- Messages
- 4,668
- Reaction score
- 3,197
Reefs are heavily populated with herbivores of all types compared to the number of carnivores.
Algae grows great on my ATS and I like harvesting algae of any kind in some way. Besides regular nutrient controls I will always have a foxface of some kind, snails, and urchins. My tank is heavy on the herbivore/omnivore side as well. 4 Tangs, 1 Foxface, 3 dwarf angels, pair of clowns, 3 urchins, a few turbo snails, several various other snails, a few hermit crabs, and a bazillion pods of various kinds. Algae doesn't stand a chance in my tank though I do think a healthy tank should be able to grow algae.
A magnificent foxface and carbon dosing was my one two punch in defeating bryopsis.
Algae grows great on my ATS and I like harvesting algae of any kind in some way. Besides regular nutrient controls I will always have a foxface of some kind, snails, and urchins. My tank is heavy on the herbivore/omnivore side as well. 4 Tangs, 1 Foxface, 3 dwarf angels, pair of clowns, 3 urchins, a few turbo snails, several various other snails, a few hermit crabs, and a bazillion pods of various kinds. Algae doesn't stand a chance in my tank though I do think a healthy tank should be able to grow algae.
A magnificent foxface and carbon dosing was my one two punch in defeating bryopsis.
OP
OP
sundog101
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2014
- Messages
- 994
- Reaction score
- 656
Alright, do I have this right? Algae is going to get energy/food from light, which is a given in a reef tank (other than 3 day blackout). The more nutrients, the faster the algae is going to grow.
So in a higher nutrient tank, you have to make sure herbivores are in balance with the amount of nutrients in the tank.
So in a higher nutrient tank, you have to make sure herbivores are in balance with the amount of nutrients in the tank.
swensos
Active Member
When I had freshwater tanks, you didn't fight the algae; you kept the nutrients and light in balance so the plants would out-compete and starve the algae (which is the same reason we use chaeto reactors/refugiums). I was just reading about how corals have evolved to outcompete algae on the reefs.
So maybe that's a difference. Newer tanks don't have the critical biomass of corals to outcompete the algae for the nutrients. Once you have a critical mass of corals that are growing steadily, the algae can't get a grip.
So maybe that's a difference. Newer tanks don't have the critical biomass of corals to outcompete the algae for the nutrients. Once you have a critical mass of corals that are growing steadily, the algae can't get a grip.
The cleanest tank i saw was a substrate free tank. 180 gallons. Live rock in the middle. Metal halides.
His skimmer was 5 ft tall beckett. He ran ozone. He ran carbon and rowaphos which he changed every two weeks always. Water change every two weeks.
Apparently carbon/ozone/skimmer can remove 100% of doc.
His skimmer was 5 ft tall beckett. He ran ozone. He ran carbon and rowaphos which he changed every two weeks always. Water change every two weeks.
Apparently carbon/ozone/skimmer can remove 100% of doc.
Randy Holmes-Farley
Reef Chemist
Staff member
Super Moderator
Excellence Award
Expert Contributor
Article Contributor
R2R Research
My Tank Thread
Not necessarily. Even with an unlimited supply of every possibly chemical nutrient, other factors limit growth, such as lighting, flow, etc.
BUT, often, there is one chemical nutrient that is limiting the growth. Let's assume for the moment, it is iron. When it is limiting growth, it really doesn't matter high much more of other nutrients (say, nitrate or phosphate) you add, because the algae can only grow at the rate determined by the hardest to take up nutrient (in this case, iron).
So to have problem algae, you necessarily have enough of many different chemicals. Take away any one of them and you can begin to limit growth.
Randy Holmes-Farley
Reef Chemist
Staff member
Super Moderator
Excellence Award
Expert Contributor
Article Contributor
R2R Research
My Tank Thread
Sure. Do you want to? All photosynthetic organisms need it.
