Cooking with Sugar

[BradB]

I am cooking my live rock, I have had my tank for 7 years, and lately have neglected it in favor of finishing my Master's degree. I want to lower nutrients, and suspect the live rock is full of stuff I don't want in my tank.

What do you think of adding sugar (or vodka) to the rock? This would be to speed up the process and eliminate more nitrates and phosphate than I would otherwise. The risk would be minimal, since the rock is isolated from everything else, and I can do a 100% water change fairly quickly.

I could do this controlled (adding a small amount every day) or uncontrolled (add a ton all at once, do a 100% water change after bacteria goes crazy, repeat).

 

[Boomer]

I do not think that would work well at all. You will be fueling those bacteria that are trying to feed off those organics in the LR, which may reduce what you are trying to do with the organics in the LR.

 

[rucnnefish]

I think it would work. Like Boomer says you will be "fueling the bacteria", which means you will be increasing their numbers. If your were to keep the water temp. around 84-86 degrees and dose sugar, you would have a massive bacterial bloom, you then stop the sugar dosing and allow the bacteria to feed off the organics and themselves. This should greatly speed up the cooking process.

 

[NaH2O]

I think it would work. Like Boomer says you will be "fueling the bacteria", which means you will be increasing their numbers. If your were to keep the water temp. around 84-86 degrees and dose sugar, you would have a massive bacterial bloom, you then stop the sugar dosing and allow the bacteria to feed off the organics and themselves. This should greatly speed up the cooking process.

Wouldn't the dying bacteria only reintroduce the nutrients they utilized? I'm not sure I understand how growing the bacterial population would speed up the process. You are increasing the population, only to have them die off when the sugar is no longer present. The bactieral population which was established when the cooking started not only has to clean up the organics that were present in the rock to begin with, but also the extra bacteria that is now dying off. I don't see this as a way to decrease the time the process of cooking takes.

Welcome to Reef Frontiers!!!

 

[rucnnefish]

Using a skimmer would solve the problem then.

 

[jezzeaepi]

hehe be prepared to change the skimmer cup every hour for a week or two =P

 

[rucnnefish]

just hook up the drain hose on the cup to drain it into a bucket with some pine-sol, that will keep your significant other happy.

 

[BradB]

What no one mentioned is the phosphate/nitrate/carbon ratio.

If my rock is very high in phosphate and nitrate but has no carbon, no bateria will grow or consume anything. I would eventually remove phosphorus and nitrate by water changes in the cooking process.

I am not sure if bacteria in salt water can live off a carbon source alone. If they can, this process would give me very clean rock. If they cannot, the process would give me rock with carbon accumulated, which might not be that bad. Of course this is all theoretical.

 

[BradB]

BTW - for this volume of water, I won't bother with a skimmer. 100% weekly water changes will remove all bacteria and nutrients in the water (but not the rock) easier.

 

[Curtswearing]

What no one mentioned is the phosphate/nitrate/carbon ratio.

Google "Redfield Ratio"

If my rock is very high in phosphate and nitrate but has no carbon, no bateria will grow or consume anything. I would eventually remove phosphorus and nitrate by water changes in the cooking process.

In a saltwater environment, Carbon will never be a limiting element for purposes of this thread. The alkalinity of saltwater is often expressed as dKH (or degree of CARBONate hardness).

I am not sure if bacteria in salt water can live off a carbon source alone. If they can, this process would give me very clean rock. If they cannot, the process would give me rock with carbon accumulated, which might not be that bad. Of course this is all theoretical.

Even though we say that we are Carbon-based life forms, that's not entirely accurate. ALL living things also require phosphorus....no worries there though. There will be plenty of phosphorus chemically adsorbed to the live rock itself and bacteria can dissolve it off. Beyond that, there will be some things that died during transport and the P contained in those plants and animals (flora and fauna) are now bio-available for the bacteria.

 

[BradB]

Thanks, I knew this ratio had a name, but forgot it. I didn't know the carbon in carbonate / carbon dioxide was available to bacteria as a carbon source - i.e. I can breath all the nitrogen I want but unless I eat some, I will starve.

 

[Boomer]

Remember that the Red Field Ratio you see is for Phytoplankton and not Algae, Coral, Zooplankton, Bacteria etc..