N vs P Uptake of Macroalgaes

[Alentino]

Hi all,

was wondering what N uptake ratio of macroalgae would be good for my tank if i wanna export more phospate. Would a lower ratio like 20:1 be better than say 100:1 to suck up phospates?

My thinking is that 20:1 would mean that every 20 mols of NO3, 1 mol of phosphate will be sucked up, whereareas 100:1 would mean 1 mol of phospate will be sucked up only after 100 mols of NO3.

Am i right to think along that line? Any advice and input is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[graveyardworm]

On page 2 of this thread there is a discussion regarding N P uptake ratio.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=783322&perpage=&pagenumber=2

 

[Alentino]

Thanks Graveyardworm,

I have a live DSB to process nitrates. Do i really have to add NO3 to my system to force my veggies to uptake phosphates? Are there no other natural means?

 

[graveyardworm]

Possibly the best way to answer that question is to watch your tank and macros, and regularly test for NO3 and PO4. The macro may do just fine on fish feeding waste alone, but if the PO4 starts to rise and the NO3 is still low then you may want to consider dosing NO3, also if nuisance algae begins to get going dosing NO3 may be the answer to increase your macros uptake of PO4, and reduce the nuisance algae.

 

[DaMan]

Re: N vs P Uptake of Macroalgaes

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7241515#post7241515 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Alentino
Would a lower ratio like 20:1 be better than say 100:1 to suck up phospates?

Yes. But I am curious why you ask? Do you know a way to manipulate these ratios? Some of us with high macro exportation need to add NO3 to enable the alga to continue to remove the PO4.

 

[Alentino]

Hi,

cuz i'm corncerned about phospates in my system and is looking for suitable macroalgae species to do the job. I do know that different species have different uptake ratios but just ain't sure what ratio is better for phospate removal.

 

[graveyardworm]

The best ratio for PO4 removal the lowest nitrate #:1

A suitable fairly easy to maintain species would be cheato.

 

[Alentino]

Thanks for the reply graveyardworm,

So far my NO3 have read 0, but i haven't bought my phosphate test kit yet. Will try dumping in NO3 if there is phosphate in my system. Thanks.

 

[Alentino]

By the way i'm planning a trip to collect some seagrass and sargassum sp. I'm not sure if i can find cheato there but i've seen some grape caulerpa (ain't gonna use that). Do you have any idea what the ratio is for sargassum sp. is? Thanks.

 

[graveyardworm]

Make sure you check any local regulations and have the proper permits for collecting from the ocean. Cheato is readily available everywhere and could probably be had for free from a fellow hobbyist that uses it.

 

[Alentino]

I hail from Malaysia and unfortunately I do not know of anybody who are still in the hobby since the the last nemo trend outbreak several years back. Many LFS have closed down too after the trend died. I could be the last survivor in the hobby, at least in my region.

Over here you can collect anything freely as long its not from designated marine parks, hooray

 

[graveyardworm]

Too bad everyone killed nemo.

 

[DaMan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7247985#post7247985 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Alentino

I do know that different species have different uptake ratios but just ain't sure what ratio is better for phospate removal.

Do you know which ones have different ratios? Do you know what the species are that have higher/lower ratios?

 

[Samala]

Here's an old link that went through this quite nicely: Nitrate vs. Phosphate - species specific uptake ratios

>Sarah