Dinoflagellates - The documented journey

[Triggerjay]

I am guessing, the closer to the appliance the better?

Jason

[kathywithbirds]

Originally Posted by Triggerjay

Just found what you are talking about (Thanks Woodstock). What SAS did was make an algae scrubber... To purposly grow algae on the mat, then rinse the algae off when it gets populated.. This is a great way to remove nutrients. Same basic concept as a fuge, .. in a fuge, the macro algae grows, absorbing excess nutrients, and then when "harvested" the excess nutrients are removed along with the macro algae.. Not really releated to my problem..
But useful none the less! Thanks!

Jason

Oh! OK. Knew it was to remove nutrients but based on what Prow said I wondered if it was removing some of the nutrients keeping your dinos alive. Couldn't remember WHAT algae he was growing. Thanks, good info!

[kathywithbirds]

Why aren't new posts to this thread showing up on the home page anymore?

[Woodstock]

Originally Posted by kathywithbirds

Why aren't new posts to this thread showing up on the home page anymore?

Fixed

[Triggerjay]

It showed up for me... Woodstock moved the thread for me a few minutes ago, and maybe that was why. Your posts showed as new for me though..

??
Jason

[Triggerjay]

lol, I was a little late. Thanks!

Jason

[prow]

Originally Posted by kathywithbirds

Oh! OK. Knew it was to remove nutrients but based on what Prow said I wondered if it was removing some of the nutrients keeping your dinos alive. Couldn't remember WHAT algae he was growing. Thanks, good info!

huh, what happened?


john, hooked you up with, lowering the temp.

i say no lighting because of the bloomings during the day and die off at night. its allowing the dino's, kinda, to self support themselves. lights off during the day will help the bacteria get to those nutrients by limiting the compition for them(no lights = little dino growth during the day). only for a little while just to help out the bacteria some.


this methane thing made me think how with global warming and all, we might start to see more more tanks running with a lower and lower ph. the air stone placed in a cup outside might not be as effective as before or in the future, the one used to check for eleveated CO2, forgot the test name.

[Triggerjay]

What about injecting oxygen into the sump? What kind of adverse effects would this have? I assume it would raise the PH? I may be way off base here... lol

Jason

[Triggerjay]

Ok, First round of pics. These were taken just after lights came on, at 8:00 am 3-16-2008
The sandbed:

Some of the rock:

And one of my Loc-lines:


Jason

[JWarren]

[quote=prow;418324]

Originally Posted by prow

john, hooked you up with, lowering the temp.

Righto

Originally Posted by prow

i say no lighting because of the bloomings during the day and die off at night. its allowing the dino's, kinda, to self support themselves. lights off during the day will help the bacteria get to those nutrients by limiting the compition for them(no lights = little dino growth during the day). only for a little while just to help out the bacteria some.

OK, this makes sense to me now.

Originally Posted by prow

this methane thing made me think how with global warming and all, we might start to see more more tanks running with a lower and lower ph. the air stone placed in a cup outside might not be as effective as before or in the future, the one used to check for eleveated CO2, forgot the test name.

I fear this is possible, seeing all the reports from oceanographic studies on elevated methane levels in our seawaters and the increase of it's release due to global warming. If we don't find a way to get a handle on all the emissions we produce every year, it will get worse. I don't think it will effect the rate at which CO2 is driven off though. Not anytime soon anyway.

Methane detectors can be placed in the home anywhere and look similar to a smoke detector. Putting it in the room where the gas appliance is, is the best way to get early warning of methane presence.

[Octoman]

I'll be following along, I'm dealing with a bloom of something right now. About 2 weeks ago I tore my rocks down to catch a couple fish and rearranged a bit when I set back up, so I think that has something to do with it.

I have a question. How do you distinguish between dinoflagellates vs. cyanobacteria vs. diatoms (without a microscope...)?

[JWarren]

Originally Posted by Triggerjay

What about injecting oxygen into the sump? What kind of adverse effects would this have? I assume it would raise the PH? I may be way off base here... lol

Jason

I have actually given this some thought before. Instead of running a skimmer with outside air, hook up an oxygen bottle with a regulator and let it inject pure oxygen to saturate the water. Never tried it though and I wouldn't recommend anyone dosing Kalk to do it. I'll have to play with it sometime and see what effects it will have.

I have taken my pump up in the sump as to produce micro bubbles to help drive off CO2 before. But micro bubbles has become such a nasty word in aquaria, I don't recommend it to anyone. I however, have been running an air stone in my 55 gal. for over a year now and I dose Kalk in that tank and have seen no ill effects. Yes I like bubbles. And no I would never recommend it for anyone who is housing stonys, including clams. There are other ways to aerate the water.

One other way to aerate water is by having an air gap at the sump. Yes this will produce bubbles but can be eliminated with baffles. The best way to aerate water is to have the water return into a box with holes that produce multiple streams of water exposing more water to air at a time. You may have seen these diffusion plates in wet/dry sumps. I will be incorporating one of these in the 90's new plumbing return.

[prow]

Originally Posted by JWarren

I fear this is possible, seeing all the reports from oceanographic studies on elevated methane levels in our seawaters and the increase of it's release due to global warming. If we don't find a way to get a handle on all the emissions we produce every year, it will get worse. I don't think it will effect the rate at which CO2 is driven off though. Not anytime soon anyway.

lets hope so. i use to think i would never see changes "not in my life time" now i am not so sure.


Jason, that second pic looks more like it might be the beginning of some kind of kelp. am i looking at the right thing in that pic? also O2 will not really help with ph thats CO2 and other acids job. O2 is not like a buffer either. the biggest down side its flammable, together with our lighting system and pumps/PH, just a little stray voltage or faulty bulb, pump ect.. more than your tank may blow up

[kathywithbirds]

I hate to be a doomsayer, but accdg to this environmental class I'm taking, the average world temp is supposed to rise 2 degrees in the next 10 to 20 years, and by 50 years we could see water rising over the coasts in significant amts to force relocation of thousands of homeowners.

that is, if nothing is changed between now and then.

[prow]

not a doomsayer just telling it like it is. i was talking about this with some friends and colleagues of mine about 10-15years ago, they laughed. back then best guesses were at the current rate at that time was 70 years before those kind of changes. 150+ years before significant water level changes. they laughed at that. now its 20 years. what a huge increase. biggest problem is what has been done will still get worse before it gets better, even if we stop everything right now. but nope, we are going the other way on that one.