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Your Reef Aquarium-Oriented Reading List!


mcarroll

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On 10/22/2019 at 1:04 PM, jservedio said:

While some of his stuff is out of date by now, all of his articles on chemistry are great and backed up by hard data.

Worth noting that Randy is a bonafide five-star chemist, not biologist.  It's only on the biology where his stuff occasionally (and forgivably) falls down.....even stuff from 2002 is predominantly still EXCELLENT in 2019 with this one caveat. 

 

Randy and Craig Bingman (but not in that order) are basically who taught me reef chemistry before I ever had a tank...I was a sponge to Craig's USENET posts (among others) back in the day.  (This post has a list of some of his web articles: https://www.reeffrontiers.com/threads/craig-bingman-articles.26537/)

 

When USENET was finally overrun with spambots and They successfully "flushed us out" of the real internet and onto newfangled "world wide web", I found some of Randy's articles....web forums have never compared well with USENET, but Randy's articles were a saving grace!

 

FYI, your ISP probably still provides a USENET server for you, if you want to check it out....prolly have to ask your ISP for the details though....otherwise Google Groups (second link above) is the only way (I know) to see it on the web.

 

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Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies by Dr. Gregory Skomal. It was somewhat outdated, and you’ll find most of the same information online, but it’s a really comprehensive look at saltwater reef keeping and builds a good foundation of beginners knowledge! The maintenance schedule he lays out for people is really helpful as well.

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11 hours ago, Prezpreston said:

it’s a really comprehensive look at saltwater reef keeping and builds a good foundation of beginners knowledge

This comprehensiveness is what I like about books in general!  👍  It leaves the reader some solid questions they know they need answers for.  That's good.

 

Online tends to leave the reader with a pile of half-baked ideas then sends them off to start a tank thinking they know something. 👎  A noob thinking they know something is bad.

 

Books and online together make an excellent resource though!

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I might buy this book: Nano-Reef Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Reef Systems Under 15 Gallons by Chris R. Brightwell

 

Has anyone read that yet?  I haven't read too many reef books, most of my hobby info comes from the Internet or personal experience.

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FYI, I picked up a hardback edition of Innes classic "Exotic Aquarium Fishes" (1935) to add to my collection.  

 

It always amazes me how solid the information really is in these old books....the biology hasn't changed after all, only our perspective on it. (So maybe I can stop being amazed?)

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A couple new books in the collection:

 

First, Light & Photosynthesis in Aquatic Ecosystems by Kirk:

image.png.b37789bf4284d4a180c214c10efcfd43.png

Strangely (to me at least) not one mention of phosphates.  Somehow I was hoping there'd be something there.  It'll be good on other fronts though!

 

Also, 

OCEANOGRAPHY.thumb.jpg.dfc9e0873a669c11aec5c7b9fae67047.jpg

 

I went straight to the index for info on phosphates (PO4) and was not disappointed.  

 

The second index reference for phosphates contained this:

image.png.899dc8f194b6b8f26c9dfc708ad9c8c0.png

 

A few comment from my first glance into the book...

  • ~0.3 µM of PO4 is about 0.03 ppm.  Yes, it's stated there as a MINIMUM level.
  • Most species can grow at N and P levels 29 times higher than the ocean's MAXIMUM values!!
  • I think 1.8µM of SiO2 is about 0.11 ppm SiO2.

 

This book is loaded with great charts and data.....can't wait to dig further in.  Still waiting on the 1st Edition copy to arrive...want to compare this section with the first edition.

 

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I missed pointing out that it also says:

  • [minimum PO4 levels do] not occur in the oceans since N is exhausted before P falls to this level.

!!!

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7 hours ago, mcarroll said:

I missed pointing out that it also says: [minimum PO4 levels do] not occur in the oceans since N is exhausted before P falls to this level.

This point has me thinking about today's current, common, nutrient recommendations.  Just from reading forums, I would conclude that targets of 2 to 5 ppm of nitrate, and 0.03 ppm of phosphate would be ideal.  I also see that you are a proponent of higher phosphate levels.  But as we know, high phosphate and nitrate levels (maybe coupled with high levels of organics) can lead to excessive algae growth.

 

So now I'm re-reading the following from Randy Holmes-Farley (and I'm a little surprised how low his nitrate recommendation is):

Quote

Nitrate

Nitrate is an ion that has long dogged aquarists. The nitrogen that forms it comes in with foods, and can, in many aquaria, raise nitrate enough to make it difficult to maintain natural levels. A decade or two ago, many aquarists performed water changes with nitrate reduction as one of their primary goals. Fortunately, we now have a large array of ways to keep nitrate in check, and modern aquaria suffer far less from elevated nitrate than did those in the past.

 

Nitrate is often associated with algae, and indeed the growth of algae is often spurred by excess nutrients, including nitrate. Other potential aquarium pests, such as dinoflagellates, are also spurred by excess nitrate and other nutrients. Nitrate itself is not particularly toxic at the levels usually found in aquaria, at least as is so far known in the scientific literature. Nevertheless, elevated nitrate levels can excessively spur the growth of zooxanthellae, which in turn can actually decrease the growth rate of their host coral.

 

For these reasons, most reef aquarists strive to keep nitrate levels down. A good target is less than 0.2 ppm nitrate. Reef aquaria can function acceptably at much higher nitrate levels (say, 20 ppm), but run greater risks of the problems described above.

 

There are many ways to reduce nitrate, including reducing the aquarium's nitrogen inputs, increasing nitrogen export by skimming, increasing nitrogen export by growing and harvesting macroalgae or turf algae (or any other organism of your choice), using a deep sand bed, removing existing filters designed to facilitate the nitrogen cycle, using a carbon denitrator, using a sulfur denitrator, using AZ-NO3, using nitrate absorbing solids, and using polymers and carbon that bind organics. All of these methods are described in more detail in a previous article.

Which has me wondering about people's current target level of nitrate (between 2 and 5 ppm).  When I started, many people considered 10 ppm of nitrate acceptable.

 

I feel that these higher nitrate recommendations might have something to do with trying to prevent cyanobacteria.  As we know, cyano can utilize nitrogen from the atmosphere, so it might have an advantage (in nitrate poor environments) over competition that cannot.  Therefore, keeping nitrate levels slightly elevated might help competing organisms.

 

But it's my thought that organics plays a large role in cyano blooms (certainly more than high inorganic nutrient levels).  So just maybe it's preferable to keep phosphate elevated, and nitrate and organic levels depressed. :unsure:

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13 hours ago, seabass said:

But it's my thought that organics plays a large role in cyano blooms (certainly more than high inorganic nutrient levels).

You'll be interested to note that while I sampled section 9.1.6.4 above, the section on inorganic nutrients, the very next section (9.1.6.5) is "Organic Factors".

 

The material there is intriguing.  For example the first sentence: "Phytoplankton growth will not take place unless minute amounts of specific organics are available." 

 

The book talks really straight like that about light as well.

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13 hours ago, seabass said:

But it's my thought that organics plays a large role in cyano blooms (certainly more than high inorganic nutrient levels).  So just maybe it's preferable to keep phosphate elevated, and nitrate and organic levels depressed. :unsure:

I really think this is it.

 

I can't recall which offhand, but one of the articles on my blog in the nutrient section talks clearly about how low nitrates is very favorable because (I paraphrase) it keeps the coral-algae engine running cooler.  The risk to "running the engine hotter" is exceeding the supply of phosphate....something easily done in the wild where corals already have an established balance where they (or their holobiont) supply N up to the levels that the environment will support, phosphate-wise.  That has to do with lots of factors from water exchange to upwelling to pollution et al.

 

We bomb our systems with lots of phosphates on a daily basis, so running out *should be* exceedingly unlikely....except for so-called modern reef keeping methods.  LOL.

 

But for anyone who can keep phosphates in their system, there's no apparent "cap" on safe nitrate levels.  (I'm sure there is one...it's just not very apparent at levels typically reached, even on the high side.)

 

I think you're right about cyano and organics as well....I've been puzzling over that myself every since I first saw you post that hypothesis of their being linked.  Seemed plausible...and I the more I learn, I think it's the most likely explanation.  Doesn't cover every instance of cyano, but that's OK...I'm sure there are lots of kinds of cyano....seems like the algae we know the least about that is also the most ubiquitous.

 

I think cyano also seems to be related to shifts in bacterial populations....such as when you move pumps around, creating new dead zones, which in turn catch detritus, which grow new bacteria beds, which eventually (if well lit) grow a cyano bed on top. ??  Or maybe they are just generally associated with growths of other bacterial populations, using their unlimited carbons (thx photosynthesis!!) and their bacteria-like multiplication rates to capitalize on larger molecule nutrients on a first come-first serve basis.

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Added a couple more to my shelf:

IMG_1166.thumb.jpeg.8d5436dc147a7d9e0b1b91186235e06c.jpeg

IMG_1165.thumb.jpeg.7cce5aedbc0c3d05a049740d306661e0.jpeg

The Spotte book is HEAVY DUTY.  Exactly what I was hoping for but didn't know it.  Surprised I haven't heard of more people with it over the years....I see the author cited a lot in references.

 

The Emmens book is from the early 1950's.  I love old books like that because they are often very advanced in surprising ways....and they always inform on where the hobby has been, which helps give perspective on where we are today.  Of course the ways that they are not advanced usually stands out as well...and that's an interesting comparison with modern methods too.  There are many ways that we're surprisingly un-advanced today.

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I actually met A. Thiel maybe 10 years or so ago in a LFS in Alpharetta GA. Seemed like a nice guy. Edit: It was before he finished his nano reef book of that gives any clue to when. Ir seems like a long time ago though. 

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On 1/12/2021 at 2:32 AM, mcarroll said:
  • ~0.3 µM of PO4 is about 0.03 ppm.  Yes, it's stated there as a MINIMUM level.
  • Most species can grow at N and P levels 29 times higher than the ocean's MAXIMUM values!!

This might explain why my mixed reef was thriving when my phos consistently was reading .5-.9 on my hanna ULR checker.  I always thought aiming for .03 seemed a little low just based on the fact that things in my tank never really looked better then.

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On 12/5/2021 at 8:47 PM, 1891BroJr said:

I actually met A. Thiel maybe 10 years or so ago in a LFS in Alpharetta GA. Seemed like a nice guy. Edit: It was before he finished his nano reef book of that gives any clue to when. Ir seems like a long time ago though. 

He was a cool cat. Back in the 80s I bought Dupla bioballs from him by the cubic yard .

On 12/6/2021 at 7:19 AM, aclman88 said:

This might explain why my mixed reef was thriving when my phos consistently was reading .5-.9 on my hanna ULR checker.  I always thought aiming for .03 seemed a little low just based on the fact that things in my tank never really looked better then.

Personally, I think it comes down to your live rock density. Tanks that I have that have very dense rock do much better than ones that have less dense rock. I have 2 with dense Tonga and Indo rock and they need just a water change weekly.

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1 hour ago, StinkyBunny said:

Personally, I think it comes down to your live rock density. Tanks that I have that have very dense rock do much better than ones that have less dense rock. I have 2 with dense Tonga and Indo rock and they need just a water change weekly.

Would you mind elaborating the thought process behind this? Not doubting or disagreeing, just genuinely curious the reasoning. Thanks!

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14 minutes ago, aclman88 said:

Would you mind elaborating the thought process behind this? Not doubting or disagreeing, just genuinely curious the reasoning. Thanks!

More internal area for denitrification. The big pieces of Tonga branch are best. It's just a theory. My one leather coral run has open light rock and I'm always fighting hair algae in the damn thing, the other one with the dense rock is clean.

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