On the anemone/clownfish forum, someone asked a question regarding whether an anemone would contribute to the bioload. Assuming an anemone is healthy and fully colonized with zooxanthellae, how much of a contribution would you expect an anemone to make to the bioload. Most aquarists direct feed their anemones, and I just wonder what percentage of the food biproduct (ammonia) is utilized by the zooxanthellae. I'm confident that some of the ammonia is released into the aquarium, but I also remember reading that the algae can also directly utilize some of the ammonia that is produced. Likewise, I understand that the zooxanthellae also use nitrates. Can anybody explain this a little better to me?
How much does an anemone contribute to the bioload?
- Thread starter garygb
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greenbean36191
Premium Member
The answer isn't really known and it would depend a lot on how much you feed.
Thanks for the replies. Presumably, an anemone would contribute significantly less to the bioload compared to a fish that both are eating the same amount of food. With a fish, there is no zooxanthellae to consume ammonia and nitrates, with an anemone, I would expect the amount of waste to be considerably less. I assume there is still some production of nitrogenous waste, but perhaps very minimal.
greenbean36191
Premium Member
Well it depends on lots of factors including light, whether there's a clown present, nutrient levels in the water, flow, and how much feeding there is. Generally, yes the bioload is less than for a fish getting an equal amount of food.
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