Quote:
Originally Posted by redlobstor
According to this article Ulva and possibly other macros uptake ammonium and not nitrate at night as nitrate uptake is dependent on light intensity.
This has me wondering if we should dose something like ammonium chloride at night to help speed up growth and in theory the algae would grow 24/7 and not just with lights on.
I also wonder how uptake of ammonium and the subsequent growth at night affects the ph of the system. I realize that ph is driven by photosynthesis and respiration of the macro, I know this is more complicated than this I'm just making a point, but considering we know nothing about the mechanisms at play who knows.
Jason
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Jason,
I would not say, we know nothing about the mechanisms at play. You have identified part of the chemistry at play. When you adjust pH in a marine system, the alkalinity of the water acts as a buffer to resist pH change. It is for that reason that aroggonite substrate is a cornerstone of natural filtration. So, instead of only biological filtration we have automatic buffering and trace mineral addition.