High nutrients with no algae?

[Sundog]

This is more of a general algae question. Ive asked on other forums and can't seem to get a clear answer (if there is one lol). So what I'm wanting to figure out is how to run a higher nutrient system with out getting nuisance algae. I've seen many tanks that run 10+ ppm no3 and close to 1 ppm po4. Why doesn't nuisance algae show up? Even if there is appropriate filtration, you still have nutrients in the water. Why does algae not grow? When ever my nutrients start to rise, algae shows up. Other tanks run way higher nutrients with no nuisance algae. Are nutrients just being exported before they are used?

[SantaMonica]

Because they usually have very high coral coverage. The corals exude stuff to fight off algae on themselves, and they might even put enough stuff into the water to keep algae off of the rocks and sand.

[Sundog]

Hmm I never thought of that. Most people always tell me " I don't have algae in my display because it grows where I want it to (ats/refugium)". I understand that it is growing there, but you still have nutrients that are in the water, so what stops algae in the display from growing? I'll have to do some research on how corals affect algae growth. Thanks!
Sorry if this is in the wrong section, but I figured I would ask here since you guys are the algae experts.

[markstrimaran]

6500k day light spectrum, grows zero algae in my attached fry refugium. 671650/50 acetic marine coral light, grows enough in my display to keep every thing green.
Santa Monica's GEM 660nm red leds, grow it like crazy.

[SantaMonica]

If algae grows in a fuge/scrubber and not in the display, this is of course what you want, and the reason is that the photosynthesis in the fuge/scrubber is stronger and pulls nutrients away from the display.

Sort of like tug-a-war, with 20 guys on each side, but only a 2 inch thick rope. The rope might not look like much mass or force, and it's barely moving, but there could be a ton of force actually pulling on each side.

And if there is a scrubber and fuge, then the scrubber would usually out-pull the nutrients away from the fuge/macros/chaeto. This include chaeto reactors, since they don't do anything to increase photosynthesis like GHA scrubbers do.

[Sundog]

[QUOTE]Sort of like tug-a-war, with 20 guys on each side, but only a 2 inch thick rope. The rope might not look like much mass or force, and it's barely moving, but there could be a ton of force actually pulling on each side.
/QUOTE]

Could you explain this a little more? Do you mean that nutrients can be in the water, but nuisance algae can't grab hold of them? Thanks!

[SantaMonica]

There can be a lot of nutrients but they are being pulled away rapidly by something, so you don't measure much of them. A fast flowing river might only measure 6 inches deep, but flow a million gallons a minute.