Quote:
Originally Posted by Subsea
I would like to focus on your last sentence, "why undetectable nitrate and phosphate can still produce nicely colored corals", combined with Felderman research. Consider that the wild reef coral holobiont processes nutrients and in effect is a nutrient soup in the microbial seas.
With respect to DOC, Felderman's research showed that proteins skimming was less than 30% effective with granulated activated carbon will absorb up to 80% of DOC. The big surprise in his research was that the reef tank inhabitants absorbed 50% of DOC. "One man's waste is another's treasure (food)."
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Your point about holobiont nutrient exchange is well taken. I believe that organic nutrients are especially crucial for the long-term success of the coral holobiont.
Understanding the holobiont in more detail, what is required to keep all the members in a good state of health and especially in the appropriate balance, is where future research will be key IMO. I do wonder if we will eventually be able to show that certain practices we see as normal today are actually less than optimal for long term coral health.
What would be interesting to see is an analysis of the DOC levels taken on various pristine natural reefs and then a comparison to various types of different reef aquarium systems.
For those interested, this article goes into the wonderfully complex world of coral nutrition sources in detail:
Coral Nutrition, Part Two: Foods for Corals (Dana Riddle)