How much do coral contribute to the overall biolode of an aquarium. The LFS worker I spoke with this weekend suggested that I may have had a mini-spike related to the addition of new coral (althought I hadn't added any at that point... he didn't know that). But it raised a question in my mind. How much waste do they produce... if any.
Coral Contribution to Biolode
- Thread starter DSR
- Start date
Well ...i can't say how much.. I just know they do contribute to bio load but at such a small level. I wouldn't even worry about it. I bet my clown poos more in one day than my coral does in a week.
No real measure ...nor have I ever heard anyone ever discuss this in length in another site I frequent. Never thought about it.
Mini-cycles trip off for many reasons but I doubt adding coral would do it... cured rock not so cured from store =) thats one way. Killing off your bacteria via medicines could do it...rapid changes in temp in a tank (but that kills stuff)...
No real measure ...nor have I ever heard anyone ever discuss this in length in another site I frequent. Never thought about it.
Mini-cycles trip off for many reasons but I doubt adding coral would do it... cured rock not so cured from store =) thats one way. Killing off your bacteria via medicines could do it...rapid changes in temp in a tank (but that kills stuff)...
My mini-cycle, I am pretty sure, was kicked off by my less than thought out switch to a new stand for my tank. All was well before that... all was a bit off after that. But I didn't think that the coral would be a big bio producer (but then again I didn't know anything about coral until last week,lol).
So you moved a established mature tank to a new stand ? So I take it you removed everything ...rinsed your rocks while it was a good opportunity..put the live stock in a container...etc etc typical tank moving procedures...
And I bet you had to disturb your substrate...that alone lets off some nasty stuff into the water... I was told to put new substrate if i ever move a tank...and I did just that when I did a 55g to a 72g. I guess ..and only guess ...that the old substrate was the root of the toxic releases and die off...
still that is old news for you... I gave you advise in another thread you made for your minicycle and fish death issue...
If anything, coral can actually reduce bioload. Evidence of this is apparent in tanks with lots of heavy coral growth, in that they have far less issues with algae and nutrients. Established tanks with lots of corals are just easier to maintain in terms of nutrients than newer ones. They are capable of significant uptake, with their zooxanthellae reducing any demands on the system to negligible (or negative) levels. The only limiting factors are calcium, alkalinity, space, light, and water motion when it comes to corals.
Oh, how I like that answer... If any of us ever need a good reason to buy another coral for our tank, there it is!
"...But honey, adding some more coral will not only make the tank look better, but it's literally good for the tank as a whole..."
:headbang2:
Anthony Calfo answer to a question I asked him directly... "What is the best food to feed corals?". His answer "Fish Poop!".
Like Amph said, corals can actually reduce the bioload in a tank. Ya, corals also "poop" every once and a while, but they take in far more than they let out.
That is not to say corals can't also cause problems in a tank, like when they die. Leathers are known to release toxins in the tank when they die, and big corals like a scolymia must be taken out if it starts to die because it has so much tissue that it can quickly foul the water.
Like Amph said, corals can actually reduce the bioload in a tank. Ya, corals also "poop" every once and a while, but they take in far more than they let out.
That is not to say corals can't also cause problems in a tank, like when they die. Leathers are known to release toxins in the tank when they die, and big corals like a scolymia must be taken out if it starts to die because it has so much tissue that it can quickly foul the water.