Algae can *consume* oxygen?

[Ocicat]

I just saw it mentioned on another forum that algae consumes oxygen when the lights go out. I have never heard this before. I've heard people talk of running their refugium lights on an opposite cycle from their display lights, but I didn't know that this was why.

Could someone explain why/how algae absorbs oxygen when the lights go out?? I always thought that plants consumed CO2 and produced O2, period.

 

[tsquad]

Refugiums lights are run on opposite schedules so that the pH stays stable. During the day, corals do photosynthesis; consume CO2 and produce O2. At night, corals do cellular respiration. At night, without a refugium, the pH would decrease, as the products of respiration include CO2, which, in water, will become H2CO3, carbonic acid, lowering the pH. When you have the refugium lit at night, it consumes the CO2 produced by respiration, by photosynthesis, thus keeping the pH stable.

 

[Drewcipher]

The reason people run the lights on opposite cycles is so that somewhere in the system algae is always working to create O2 from CO2. This minimizes the fluctuation of O2 level and hence keeps a more stable Ph level. Higher CO2 means lower pH. As far as I know algae consumes oxygen only when dying. I think the decomp uses O2. I do not think that live algae consumes O2, but I am not an expert.

 

[Drewcipher]

Ok, so I am a slow typer. And not as smart as tsquad. I will now put on my cap and get in the corner.

 

[tsquad]

hehe, AP Bio does come in handy

 

[Amphiprion]

Corals are always undergoing aerobic respiration, however, their zooxanthellae are not. Zoox. supplies these byproducts (O2, carbohydrate energy) to the coral during daylight hours, while both corals and zooxanthellae release CO2 at night, while utilizing O2 for metabolic activities.

 

[Drewcipher]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6681908#post6681908 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tsquad
hehe, AP Bio does come in handy

I have vague memories from that class. I think it was more of a nap time for me. Regardless, that data was banished from my mind years ago.