Refugium Macro algae competing with Corals

[bif24701]

A post I have seen about macro algae absorbing nutrients gave me a thought.

In a ULNS, would there be an advantage to turning off the Refugium light during peak display tank lighting hours? Would this allow the corals to maximize the available nutrients in the water? Or do corals absorb nutrients 24/7, and have them on the ready for zooxanthellae when they become active?

After doing a lot of other reading into lighting periods I have reduced my lighting other than peak periods to very low intensity, just enough for illumanated display. I have a 1 hour warm up period where my light gradually increase to peak in just one hour and remain at peak for 6 then quickly reduce to minimum. This again is I order to keep my corals well feed without waste and feeding algae in the display.

Thoughts?

 

[Heather w]

I try to replicate the existing parameters outside. I leave the tank light on longer as it gets darker here but unfortunately it also gives the other algae the the same energy. I am heavily bioloaded with green and caulpera algae in my refugium that as long as I keep it trimmed back keeps my neusance algae manageable. The green hair algae is another demon entirely. Stuff is kryptonite!! As long as your refugium is working properly it is using the nitrogen and other nutrients to grow itself, keeping it out of the tank. You do need to cut that back from time to time to stimulate a growth spurt, which will again keep the undesirable out of your display tank. Just a thought

 

[Heather w]

And leave your refugium on 24/7. That's your first line of defense. Bio-filtration. The whole display tank needs total dark. Just like being on a Reef

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

A post I have seen about macro algae absorbing nutrients gave me a thought.

In a ULNS, would there be an advantage to turning off the Refugium light during peak display tank lighting hours? Would this allow the corals to maximize the available nutrients in the water? Or do corals absorb nutrients 24/7, and have them on the ready for zooxanthellae when they become active?

After doing a lot of other reading into lighting periods I have reduced my lighting other than peak periods to very low intensity, just enough for illumanated display. I have a 1 hour warm up period where my light gradually increase to peak in just one hour and remain at peak for 6 then quickly reduce to minimum. This again is I order to keep my corals well feed without waste and feeding algae in the display.

Thoughts?

I do not think we know (at least I have not seen) when either corals or algae absorb N and P relative to the light cycle.

 

[bif24701]

I do not think we know (at least I have not seen) when either corals or algae absorb N and P relative to the light cycle.

Interesting. I have read that you believe that algae doesn't necessarily need a down time. So I keep my fuge lite 24/7. I could experiment with the photo period some I guess to see if there is any reason not to run them 24/7.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Interesting. I have read that you believe that algae doesn't necessarily need a down time. So I keep my fuge lite 24/7. I could experiment with the photo period some I guess to see if there is any reason not to run them 24/7.

One good reason is it cheaper to run less than 24/7.

 

[Heather w]

I don't know if corals absorb what and when. I keep my lighting this way so my fish can rest and have conditions they may have if they were still in a Reef. I keep my refugium lights on all the time so my green algae grows constantly feeding on the "bad stuff" so it stays in the refugium and not in my tank

One good reason is it cheaper to run less than 24/7.

Comparatively speaking, with all we spend on our tank. It's a minor expense

 

[bif24701]

My fuge light is just a simple 5500k LED flood light, grows like crazy. Keep it on 24/7 also. My nutrients run pretty low, so I do worry about keeping them well feed some times.

 

[locito277]

I always kept my lights on 24/7 yrs ago plan on doing same. Ow

 

[Heather w]

My fuge light is just a simple 5500k LED flood light, grows like crazy. Keep it on 24/7 also. My nutrients run pretty low, so I do worry about keeping them well feed some times.

On everything a week I "hand feed all my corals phyto Kent with my long squeezy. And I have a full dosing system my husband has finally gotten completely set up. I have fish too. I have my nasty Slime Disease on the run and I ramped and scrubbed all my green algae off. I lost a lot of sps but the live rock is still live. I was worried I would kill it trying to get rid of the GHA.

 

[bif24701]

On everything a week I "hand feed all my corals phyto Kent with my long squeezy. And I have a full dosing system my husband has finally gotten completely set up. I have fish too. I have my nasty Slime Disease on the run and I ramped and scrubbed all my green algae off. I lost a lot of sps but the live rock is still live. I was worried I would kill it trying to get rid of the GHA.

Looks ok now.

 

[Heather w]

Today is the first day I have looked at my tank healthy in weeks. Battling the slime disease was a horror. I finally found out how to treat it and rasped all the GHA off. It was SO GOOD to wake up to this tank this morning! You have no idea. I am so happy I can just look at it without worry.

 

[mcarroll]

Or do corals absorb nutrients 24/7

I do not think we know (at least I have not seen) when either corals or algae absorb N and P relative to the light cycle.

This is not unknown, but it may vary depending on circumstances and the coral you're talking about. Corals are eminently adaptable to what food is available, from dissolved liquids to particulate matter....but not everything (light, nutrients, flow) is going to be available equally at all times and in every locale, right? Each combination requires a somewhat different adaptation.

Start here: (repeat from another thread – give the links a read!)

"Nitrogen cycling in corals: the key to understanding holobiont functioning?"
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2015.03.008

Along with the earlier link (repeated below again), these two articles make a good combo!

"Uptake of dissolved free amino acids by the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillate"
http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.012807​

 

[bif24701]

This is not unknown, but it may vary depending on circumstances and the coral you're talking about. Corals are eminently adaptable to what food is available, from dissolved liquids to particulate matter....but not everything (light, nutrients, flow) is going to be available equally at all times and in every locale, right? Each combination requires a somewhat different adaptation.

Start here: (repeat from another thread – give the links a read!)

"Nitrogen cycling in corals: the key to understanding holobiont functioning?"
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2015.03.008

Along with the earlier link (repeated below again), these two articles make a good combo!

"Uptake of dissolved free amino acids by the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillate"
http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.012807​

I'll read through these. It's not as it my corals (acro, monti, zoas, acans, hammers) seem to be starving, for what I can tell (limited) they are doing well. I am however aware that my system is somewhat limited in nutrients, or so I thought. I just pulled about 3-4 gallons of Cheato from my Refugium. So I do have nutrients, just want to ensure that my corals get exactly what they need when they need it, the rest is taken up by my export systems (skimmer, NOPOX, MarienPure, Cheato, filter sock, carbon and GFO).

When I first moved/reset and improved my system it was starved. Things are looking so much better. The respiration of corals though can apply to so many other things also. Like feeding, additives, amino acids dosing, ect.

 

[bif24701]

Here are some questions:
Light does stimulate uptake of Inorganic nitrogen and amino acids in some corals. However I have heard that macro algae can produce free amino acids, have you heard this?

 

[mcarroll]

In fact, I believe that's where many/most/all of the free aminos come from....but I haven't been able to research this yet. Algae are indeed "leaky".

 

[bif24701]

So from what I see there is potentially a benefit to leave the macro algae dark during the display peak hours to increase available ammonia and nitrate. Is that what you concluded?

 

[mcarroll]

Quite possibly.

I know it's unnatural for there to be no dark period.

But I don't know much about when and how much algae leak.

Try digging around a bit with scholar.google.com and see if you can come up with some more info. (And post if you do! )

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

So from what I see there is potentially a benefit to leave the macro algae dark during the display peak hours to increase available ammonia and nitrate. Is that what you concluded?

Just do that.
And are you really running a fuge w all the chem too?

 

[bif24701]

Sure a good fuge has many benefits.