Skeptical Reefkeeping 9 - test kits and phsophates

[Thales]

http://www.reefsmagazine.com/forum/...g-ix-test-kits-chasing-numbers-phosphate.html

From the editors note:

In Skeptical Reefkeeping IX, Rich Ross is joined by our old friend Chris Jury as they try to come to terms with the "impossible" yet confirmed PO4 readings in Rich's gorgeous reef. The analysis is thorough, thought- provoking, grounded in science and suggestive of a far more complex picture regarding PO4 and its role in our aquariums.

 

[JAR]

Thank you for sharing

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Ahoy there Capt Rich!
Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[sfsuphysics]

Very good read Rich. Lots of back ground, and really took me back to your December talk where you mentioned you believed there were certain "attributes" about the water parameters where depending upon which ones "go out of whack" you could be fine but have a certain number/combo of them and sure enough. Especially with the phosphate/iron example.

 

[denzil]

Great article, Rich! So I guess the question that some may ask is, "How do I reduce iron in my tank?"

 

[rygh]

Great article, Rich! So I guess the question that some may ask is, "How do I reduce iron in my tank?"

Hmm ... so now you will chase the correct iron level instead.

 

[denzil]

Hmm ... so now you will chase the correct iron level instead.

Not me, LoL, hence why I said "some may ask."

 

[aqua-nut]

Not me, LoL, hence why I said "some may ask."

Good reply, D. Stay light on your feet. 'Float like a butterfly, sting like a Pterois!'

 

[sfsuphysics]

<Disclaimer>Do not know much about chemistry </Disclaimer>
As my old teacher used to say "As physicists we study the hydrogen atom, everything else is simply an extension off that and not interesting, and that's why we have chemists"

That said, we use GFO which is iron, to control phosphates does the oxygen that's bound to it prevent it from getting into our aquarium? I'm assuming the phosphate magically binds to it as a result of those extra oxygen molecules. Which makes me wonder the whole "ship made of iron", wouldn't it also be quite rusty (oxygenated) too, why would that help trigger algae growth where as GFO reactors try to do the opposite?

 

[Thales]

Mike - http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/rhf/

 

[sfsuphysics]

Ah excellent, the picture in that article works wonders

I'm guessing iron rusting on a ship deep underwater would create anerobic conditions hence Fe++ instead of Fe+++... and the left half of my body just went numb.

 

[Thales]

Thank goodness, both halves of mine were numb from that article too!

 

[gaberosenfield]

Rusting ships underwater could theoretically help an algae bloom for two reasons: 1) iron rusting in the ocean produces many different iron compounds, some of which are soluble and therefore available to planktonic algae, and 2) iron is often a limiting nutrient in the ocean, so if there is enough phosphate, nitrate, sulfate, magnesium, etc... but the algae are lacking iron, then the added soluble iron can trigger a bloom.

GFO in our tanks is ferric iron, meaning it is essentially insoluble and unavailable to algae. Also, I doubt our tanks are iron limited for algae growth. More often they are nitrate limited as we have pretty good methods to keep nitrate levels very low. So I doubt that we would see a huge algae bloom even if we added some soluble iron to our tanks.

And I also highly doubt that a ship rusting underwater at shallow enough depths to even potentially impact the photic zone above would ever experience anaerobic conditions. If it did, then all the animals around it would die as they asphyxiated from lack of oxygen. I just doubt that is happening except where our agriculturally polluted rivers are entering the ocean.


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