orginally posted by Mark Spencer
Quote:
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This hobby is still more art than science. There is an explanation for everything but we are rarely know the explanation
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So true... Those two sentences should be somebody's tag line!
The nutrient pathways in any given tank are dynamic and always in a state of flux- and how could anyone ever fully quantify the competition between organisms in an average reef aquarium?
There are a handful of members on this board and in this hobby who've brought volumes of knowledge and theory from their schooling and careers- the rest of what we have (mostly) are techniques and methodologies honed through years and years of trial and error. While I have taken a pretty good amount of college level chem and bio courses, I am still just an average hobbyist- and my tank is far more a work of art (expression) than it is a controlled study or science experiment.
Getting back on topic, though... I am using a not quite four year old 250 watt Iwasaki (am I cheap or what?) with 56 watts of 420nm/460nm PC- just enough blue to balance out the yellow of the 'waki to my liking. There is a significant amount of macroalgae that grows in my display (Botryocladia and Chaetomorpha). Periodically, I have to remove large amounts of Botryocladia from the overflow bulkhead, strainer, and powerheads. Other times I have to pull a clump of the chaeto out. Each harvesting of the macros will (apparently) allow a small clump of Bryopsis to temporarily gain a foothold, usually in an area of both higher detrital accumulation and strong light. This is a cycle I can repeat with predictable results each time, and have been doing over a period of roughly 18 months. This indicates to me that the bulb spectrum has little effect on what type of algae grows- but that competition for nutrients (availability) is the limiting factor.
I am not suggesting that algaes don't have lighting
preferences, but I think those preferences are secondary to available nutrients (necessities).
Great discussion!