Miracle Grow

I don't see algae as a negative though. Same with phosphate.

I have a massive tang population that consumes 4 sheets of Nori a day and keeps my reef spotless. I literally can't keep up.
 
For now, I'm curious about the risks and benefits of adding MG. I think there's a healthy level of macro and micro algae that helps coral growth and health.
 
Personally, I'd look into a food-grade source for sodium nitrate and a DIY iron supplement. Some of the ingredients in Miracle Gro (the copper, zinc, and potassium) would be worth avoiding, in my opinion.
 
In the right dose, they should be a good source of fixed nitrogen. It's an accidental overdose that worries me.
 
Dana Riddle continues his intensive exploration of coral nutrition.
Dana Riddle is not a lady?
Shucks :(

When they say "nitrogen fixing bacteria" they mean cyano right?
That has some implications for people who kill outbreaks of it with chemicals like Boyd's ChemiClean, or erythromycin, I would think.

TBH inasmuch as I understand the article (superficial at best), it seems like a good argument for feeding a wide variety of whole seafood. Something like blender mush, or chum, has a much better chance of containing the particular amino acid that each coral needs. Whether that coral prefers the AAs from the eyeballs of a certain fish, or this clam likes the aa that a squid produced in its tentacle... it seems like youve got a better chance of getting some in the tank if you're chopping up, or buying, whole animals than you would from trying to control micro amounts of tryptophan or lycene.

I might be biased in favor of getting all the necessary AAs from a balanced diet though, I went vegetarian when I was a little kid so I got a lot of lectures about how you need to eat steak for your B12s.

The part about how quickly the supplements degrade really resonated with me. People spend an awful lot of $ on AA potions, when they could just get better lights for their primary producers :(
 
Good point. I do feed my fish a treat of white worms that I culture by feeding selcon-enhanced crackers, every day or two. They go cray for those worms! I'm cautious with overdoing it as my tanks too small for tangs if the algae goes bonkers.
I guess it's a basic distrust of our ability to synthesize and isolate all the vitamins we need. Like I know a couple vegans who take horse pills of multivitamins and supplements but eat mostly potato chips, and they aren't as vigorous as the ones that cook whole food. Or with other pets, my dogs and cats have always eaten mostly kibble, but I treat them to hearts and marrow regularly.

Did you notice the thread you linked mentioned scolymia trouble, and that's the one in fig. 4 or 5 that liked urea? Interesting...
 
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