Quote:
Originally Posted by crvz
Like others have said (or implied), I find it adds no real value to the setup. I wouldnt recommend using it.
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In defense of the products out there, this is not totally true, but it is definitely overused in most systems, and is generally fed with the thought that it is directly consumed by corals (mostly NOT TRUE). Phyto can be a stimulant food for some of the zooplankters in the water column, and they can feed the corals, but as most systems do not have populations of zooplankton that will benefit from the use of phytoplankton, all this does in become a source of nitrate and phosphate to the water column when the phyto dies. It can feed some of the filter feeders in the live rock and some benthic organisms, and they or the gametes produced by these organisms can be fed upon by various genera of corals. However, each specie of coral will have differing size requirements for feeding, and what the tank actually produces then becomes a roll of the dice to determine if the size is appropriate for the specimens you are keeping in your tank. Although phytoplankton may stimulate production of some foods that corals can then predate, it generally is not a food directly used by corals.
Clams on the other hand, will benefit from phyto spp. sized in the vicinity of
Nanochlopsis or
Isochrysis spp. diameters. Due to the potential for import of algal nutrients when dosing the entire tank, it will be best to target feed small clams rather than dose the entire tank, especially if the biotope you are attempting to emulate includes stony
Acroporids or
Pocilliporids, where algal nutrients will tend to brown the coral's appearance as the zooxanthellae become fertilized.
Another theoretical use of live phytoplankton would be to reduce available phosphate and nitrate in a system where there is FREE phosphate in the water column (which is usually not the case, as phosphate becomes tied up in organo- and polyphosphate repository forms). Dosing of live phytoplankton in the presence of strong 4000K to 5000K lighting then allows the algae to assimilate these nutrients into the biomass of the algae. The algae then reproduces and takes up nutrients until nutrient levels become a growth-limiting factor for the phytoplankton bloom. The phyto then is then removed from the water column by aggressive wet skimming. I'm not too sure that I would use this method, as it removes a lot of other desirable components of the water column, but it is a possibility.
This is not to construe that I am a promoter of phytoplankton use in coral systems, just that there are legit uses for the products, especially live phyto, in SOME reef systems, especially if you are trying to support a large population of filter feeders that target the phytoplankton-sized particles as food items. Just keep in mind that there can be issues with the injudicious use of phyto.
HTH
