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Thread: Metrics of success

  1. #21

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    Re: Metrics of success

    Thanks for sharing the link

  2. #22

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    Metrics of success

    Scrubbers can not be undersized as such, nor oversized, only in relation to feeding/nutrients.

    The alk consume will increase dramatically, from own experience. Algae will let trace elements be left in the water, but will consume other minerals at extreme rates.

    Iodine is a dead end. You have to decide between what I wrote previously.

    I can add pictures in the morning. Green carpet with bubbles covering the sandbed and some rockstructure.

  3. #23

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    Re: Metrics of success

    Quote Originally Posted by SantaMonica
    You need to read some reef studies. Benthic algae is the largest biomass on any reef, besides bacteria, and in combination with phyto on deeper reefs (over a few meters) it approches it's 90% level of all biomass. Coral reefs should be called Algal Reefs. The studies I read show that benthic algae do the majority of the filtering when the depth is less that about 10 meters.
    This is not correct, healthy reefs are not algae dominated. Yes, the vast majority of the energy input to the reef is via photosynthesis of algae, but this energy is rapidly moved up the various food trophic levels to the top predators. The algae is constantly grazed keeping its physical biomass very low in relation to other organisms.
    Counterintuitively, a physical biomass pyramid on a healthy reef is top heavy with most of the biomass in the top predators, all this fuelled of course by all that energy being produced by the algae being continually eaten.
    Only unhealthy reefs look like the algae overgrown over nutrient loaded aquaria that a lot of people own.

  4. #24
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    Re: Metrics of success

    Regarding DOC.

    Seachem Purigen absorbs DOCs and it does it visibly (it starts off a light yellow colour and turns brown as it absorbs).

    I have had a small sachet of it in my system for the last 2 months and it's hardly changed colour, so I assume that I don't have much DOC.

    Not very scientific or precise but it does give an indication of whether you have elevated DOCs or not.


    Other than that my scrubber is producing loads of algae (just had a 10 day drained harvest of 340 grams), but I'm still getting loads of GHA in my display (this has been happening for 2 or 3 months now). I've tried pulling it out, turned off half my lights (for a month), feeding little, got a Sea Hare (I think it ate itself to death after a month, it's dead anyway), emerald crabs, but still the stuff keeps growing. All water parameters are perfect, no nitrate or phosphate detectable (with Salifert tests). No missing fish or coral deaths. Lots of coraline growth. And oddly, the tank's Alc requirement has dropped off dramatically in recent months (I'd have thought that increased algae growth would increase Alc consumption).

  5. #25

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    Re: Metrics of success

    I have been toying with the idea of purigen for like 8 months. Could never bring myself to pay as much as they want for it. When I run out of carbon though, this time I may spring for it.

    My situation must be not as common. I don't have any algae in my display tank and didn't have it before I started using the ATS. My refuge and sump are now full of all sorts of algae including the screen. Last night I put a new reflector on one side, MUCH better and added another 42w bulb on the other side. So, now one side has 2 42w bulbs and the other has one. I will see how this works out. I may even just go to having a one sided screen. In fact, I have so little algae growing in the DT that I can't keep very many snails. I see dead limpet's all the time and margarita's die within a month or two. I have one turbo snail that I am getting ready to pull out some time soon because it is getting too large. (I brought it up from Mexico this summer.)

    Anyway, I am going to see how things work out in the long term. The only reason I wanted to do the ATS was to replace my crummy skimmer. I figured for how little it pulled out that it could easily be replaced. The chaeto isn't growing that well right now so I assume that ATS is competing and it is not even growing much turf algae at all yet. I increased the water flow a little more again last night too. I think that the 3-4" sand bed with rock sitting on top and the 230lbs of rock with only 80 gallons of water and the denitrification that is happening in the 1st chamber of the sump is probably nearly enough on its own to keep nitrates low and the phosphates are probably so low they are limiting coral growth.

    Time will tell I suppose. For now though, the SPS and LPS grow like crazy. Softies kind of stopped growing in my tank 8 months ago. I did add some new zoas a few months back that have grown well. We will see. I do like zoas but if the worst case is that my SPS and LPS take over, I don't think that is a bad problem to have.

    Brandon

  6. #26

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    Re: Metrics of success

    Viruses, including bacteriophages Most of the biomass in the ocean is made up of viruses–Zimmer (2006). They attack and kill bacteria, archaea and other micro-organisms, which releases the dead's cell contents, adding to the carbon-based material in the water, and they are able to manipulate the evolution of other microbial life in the ocean in remarkable ways. There are more than 5,000 different types of viruses in 100 ml of seawater, and more than 1,000,000 in a kilogram of sediment (Rowher 2009).

    Just to give an idea of the variety of life in natural seawater, would these be found in equivalent aquarium water I wonder?

  7. #27
    kotlec's Avatar
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    Re: Metrics of success

    For now though, the SPS and LPS grow like crazy. Softies kind of stopped growing in my tank 8 months ago.
    I am observing exactly same paradox. SPS grow but not all softies. Some leathers are doing wonderfully. Zoas and especially mushrooms are looking really bad . I would even say they are melting. Zoas melting from the leg so to say. They fall of rock and go swimming. That was not the case when tank was new though. Water parameters , that I can measure all are ok. That makes me feel frustrated. Would like to find solution and hope this discusion can bring things closer to it.

    Quiz :
    What is needed for softies that is not needed by SPS ?
    Or
    What is bad for softies , that wount harm SPS ?

  8. #28
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    Re: Metrics of success

    Strange, my mushrooms, Zoas, polyps, and leathers are doing great in my 10G. However the leather frag I put in my 40G (from the 10G) didn't do good, so I put it back in the 10G and its extending up a bit now after not being open for about a month. All the others in either tank look comparable, just the tiny leather frag didn't like the 40G so I am going to wait until grows a bit and switch it again.
    150G. Reef/Mix
    125G. 3 Regular Oscars/1 Jack Dempsey
    75G. 20+ Africans
    40G. Fish/Reef. Algae Scrubbers on ALL my SW
    10G. SW Fish/Reef.
    10G. SW Hospital/new fish quarantine/pod breeder tank
    6 stage RO/DI system 200 GPD.

  9. #29
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    Re: Metrics of success

    Ding ding din. We have winner :

    Seems like I found where it was ...

    ATS has nothing to do here (as many of you already knew ). I found that my ph test was veeeeery unacurate. After I bought electronic one I found my ph at 7.5 After I started correcting it, rollercoaster has begun. ph-alc-cal-mag and over again. Now all is more or less close to what I want and overall things look much better over my tank.

    To have success you surely need right ph among others. What surprises me is that softies are most sensitive in this case.

  10. #30

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    Re: Metrics of success

    Interesting. I suppose I will to begin checking that. I haven't ever had issues with my PH before and I kinda stopped testing it.

    Thanks for the reply.

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