Green Water and Algae Scrubbers

[Floyd R Turbo]

Recently, someone gave me a bottle of Green Water to try out. I have no idea what this stuff is, really, so I'm hoping someone can enlighten me. From what he told me, it's basically algae that filter feeders like sponges love. What I am wondering is if Algae Scrubbers provide the same thing.

[SantaMonica]

It's dead phytoplankton. Some non-photo gorg's eat it. Copepods eat it.

[Floyd R Turbo]

Actually Mark Vera was at our Spring Reef/Frag fest and he said that while they do eat it (pods) it actually goes right through them...

Does the Algae screen produce anything similar or comparable to it?

That is, does it offer any benefit in a system with an ATS running?

[SantaMonica]

No

[Floyd R Turbo]

:?: which question were you answering?

I guess what I'm trying to learn is what I could say to / teach the person who gave it to me. If the ATS produces something that is of equal benefit, then that's yet another thing you don't need (green water) and I'd like to learn why/how.

[SantaMonica]

Green water is just food particles, with lots of N and P. It's just like adding liquid coral food.

[Floyd R Turbo]

Ok, good to know.

The funny thing is that he told me to start by adding 1mL per 20 gallons about every other day. I for some reason remembered him saying 1 ounce. So I added like 6 fluid ounces on Sunday and Tuesday last week before it dawned on my that I might have got it wrong. Basically about 300x the normal dose, and the phosphates on Friday were 0.09 (the lowest I've ever read them on the Hanna meter) and Nitrates were rock solid 0 on Salifert low-range. So that didn't have a negative impact on the nutrients, or would that be because the test kits don't test for that? What was it that kits test for again - inorganic?

[SantaMonica]

All the nutrients you test for are inorganic. Your scrubber is just absorbing them faster than the phyto put them in.

If you want to feed your corals, you don't want phyto... you want zooplankton like rotifers or blended oysters.

[Floyd R Turbo]

So what is the purpose of people adding Green Water to their tanks?

I guess if the G.W. just becomes food for the algae screen, then it's pretty much a waste. I've tried searching online for it, but when you google "green water" all you get is a ton of posts from people complaining about their tank water begin green with algae.

He mentioned that it would cause the sponges in the system to really start growing. But what else is it good for?

[SantaMonica]

Not much else. It's a lot of nutrients for little benefit. If I'm going to add N and P, I want it to feed the corals.