Low PH promote algae growth?

[Reef This]

Is there anything written on this?

Can a low pH or Calc/Alk/Mag cause a bloom of diatom or dinos?

My dosing unit failed while i was away for my 2 week hitch at work. Came home, and I haven't had an algae bloom in months.

All other parameters are fine, but tank wasn't being dosed for the better part of 10 days or so. pH 7.7. Calcium was around 330. I didn't test Alk or Mag yet. I'm sure they are down though. Nitrate less than 5. Phos .03 (Pretty steady numbers for months now.). Salinity 1.025.

Tank is all out of whack. =(

 

[djryan2000]

Low PH promote algae growth?

Is there anything written on this?

Can a low pH or Calc/Alk/Mag cause a bloom of diatom or dinos?

My dosing unit failed while i was away for my 2 week hitch at work. Came home, and I haven't had an algae bloom in months.

All other parameters are fine, but tank wasn't being dosed for the better part of 10 days or so. pH 7.7. Calcium was around 330. I didn't test Alk or Mag yet. I'm sure they are down though. Nitrate less than 5. Phos .03 (Pretty steady numbers for months now.). Salinity 1.025.

Tank is all out of whack. =(

Is there anything written on this?

Can a low pH or Calc/Alk/Mag cause a bloom of diatom or dinos?

My dosing unit failed while i was away for my 2 week hitch at work. Came home, and I haven't had an algae bloom in months.

All other parameters are fine, but tank wasn't being dosed for the better part of 10 days or so. pH 7.7. Calcium was around 330. I didn't test Alk or Mag yet. I'm sure they are down though. Nitrate less than 5. Phos .03 (Pretty steady numbers for months now.). Salinity 1.025.

Tank is all out of whack. =(

High pH slows down algae growth - algae is generally better suited for a lower pH environment.

If you're interested in further reading -
https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bits...43/Bergstrom_McKeel_Patel_2007.pdf?sequence=1


"œAlgal abundance is affected by pH. In one study when the pH was lowered from 6.6 to 5.0, algal abundance increased (Leavitt 1999). Because an increase in algal abundance was observed when lowering the pH, it can be expected that algal abundance should decrease when the pH is raised. Reduced growth was observed in a group of pH-tolerant algae when the pH exceeded 9.5 (Pendersen 2003)."


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[Timfish]

Could be but it's more complicated than that. To start with the paper above is for freshwater algae and I myself would be very hesitant to draw a direct correlation to marine species. (Considering how many different species there are, there may in fact not be direct correlations to other freshwater species.) This paper for example found coraline algae was more adversly affected by temperature than reduced pH.

Personally I would start by looking at alkalinity. Corals are competing with other algae for carbon, nitrogen and phosphate. Inorganic carbon in the form of alkalinity is essential for both calcification and for corals symbiotic algae. Drops in alkalinity hamper corals in two ways making it harder to build their skeleton and impacting photosynthesis negatively affecting the amount of photosynthates (sugars) available to the coral for consumption. Reduced competetion from corals makes it much easier nuisance algae to prosper.

I would suggest going to scholar.google.com and searching reef coral, pH and algae to dig up papers on the subject.

 

[Sk8r]

Low PH (Acidity) might have to do with rock or sand releasing phosphate bound up in it, and the phosphate could fuel an algae bloom.