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Originally Posted by jhale  |  | | | |
that has to be the most boring read of my life, i rather retake my physical chem class!!
but from the first article Eric Borneman states
"Coral reef food sources, then, are largely produced by the ocean. Bacteria, detritus, phytoplankton, zooplankton, small benthic fauna, mucus, and dissolved organic and inorganic material of various types and sizes are what comprise the majority of food on a coral reef"
as for nutrients like phosphate and nitrate...
"Bacteria and phytoplankton are also extremely proficient at removing this material. All these organisms are quite valuable to our captive reef communities. They not only "purify" water by the utilization of nutrients, but also are all part of a beneficial food web, both in coral reefs and in aquariums."
but he also claims that the highly efficent proteinskimmers now will remove pretty much all the bacteria and plankton in our systems....how true is that statement?
He "realize this is contrary to the advice that many others may offer, and it may sound like a reversal of thought and progression over the past year's trends towards increasingly efficient protein skimmers. However, I feel today's powerful skimmers are certainly able to provide adequate nutrient removal to maintain aquariums with very low nutrient levels without running "around the clock.""
and according to Eric, the best water to keep your tank at a baseline is with routine waterchanges.
So does that mean less skimming and more water changes??
"We may never be able to duplicate the coral reef, but we can get closer and closer as we learn more about closed systems and the natural communities."
thats the basic idea i got out of the first article
