What Would You Like to See Researched?

[Lbrewer34]

So I start my senior year for my biology major next semester and I have to do a senior research project. The three areas I can do my research in are genetics, ecology, or microbiology. I figure that I might as well incorporate my hobby into my project so what are aspects of reef keeping that you would like to see more research in?
Thanks for the suggestions!

Lee

 

[mojoreef]

effects of different lighting on pigments with in corals, not zoox

Effects of nutrients P and N on coral skeletal lattice structure.

Effects of enzymes on nutrient reduction of marine bacteria??

mike

 

[senji]

the best salt mix? properties and why u belive it is the best. i personally think red seas coral pro is best but been wrong befor.

 

[Lbrewer34]

All three fantastic ideas, thanks. The lighting suggestion is one i was already considering, plus i can use it as extra justification to buy a new light. The different lighting, do you mean different wavelengths or different types of lights? I'm hoping I can relate my research topic to the oceans, so the other two suggestions you gave would be awesome for that.
Thanks!

effects of different lighting on pigments with corals, not zoox

Effects of nutrients P and N on coral skeletal lattice structure.

Effects of enzymes on nutrient reduction of marine bacteria??

mike

 

[Lbrewer34]

the best salt mix? properties and why u belive it is the best. i personally think red seas coral pro is best but been wrong befor.

I wold like to be able to relate my research with similar ocean environments, but I think instead of types of salt mixes I could look at the specifics of what each mix has in it, and how changes in salinity and needed elements effects corals. Great suggestion

 

[Krish]

Research why women are so controlling over finances in a marriage

Oh wrong topic!! . I like the options given so far. Mojo has some great ideas.



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[Lbrewer34]

Nice, that would win a Nobel Prize for sure!

Research why women are so controlling over finances in a marriage

Oh wrong topic!! . I like the options given so far. Mojo has some great ideas.



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[jrgilles]

What about measuring the 'supposed' effects of various detritovores on water quality? (you could measure nitrate buildup). That would be more of an ecosystem view of things

Could do a few small tanks or a sectioned tank. Vacuum a bunch of crap out of the main tank to serve as the detritus. (possibly pass through a screen to remove pods)
Have one section untreated, one section with store bought pods added in, one section with bristle worms (easy to get with a trap), one section with maybe some brittle stars, etc.

Then you could observe the pH, Nitrates, and accumulated biomass due to algae buildup.

 

[jrgilles]

Effects of lighting on corals could be a bit pricier to get. I guess you could have two lights over your tank, and put a few frags (replicate samples) of a few different corals on each side and observe the difference. Wouldn't be that isolated though since they would be sharing the same water. And the lighting effects on one side could be indirectly effecting the other side do to things you couldn't even think of (as we all know it is a fairly complex ecosystem we strive to maintain.)

 

[TheKraken]

So how does live rock work? If the anaerobic theory is right you should be able to culture (or genotype) some model citizens.

This would also help with the ongoing debate on crypic zones. The biomass vs denitrification is very much a contentious subject.

 

[mojoreef]

All three fantastic ideas, thanks. The lighting suggestion is one i was already considering, plus i can use it as extra justification to buy a new light. The different lighting, do you mean different wavelengths or different types of lights? I'm hoping I can relate my research topic to the oceans, so the other two suggestions you gave would be awesome for that.

So the concept of lighting in the hobby seems to be you need this color and that color, but to a zoox a photon is a photon?? so what wave excite what?? from their folks can cross reference to their lighting wave charts but for your study keep it in the ocean. Let me know if you go this route I got a bunch of stuff on it.


Mike

 

[jrgilles]

Testing liverock would be pretty easy and also very cool. I see an experiment something like this:

8 isolated chambers. the first four have ACTUAL live rock from the ocean that has never gone dry. The second 4 chambers have repopulated dead rock.

You could then add in chemicals to the chambers and observe the rate of decrease.
Chambers 1 and 5: add in ammonia and measure the rate of Ammonia->nitrite
Chambers 2 and 6: add in a nitrite solution and measure nitrite->nitrate
Chambers 3 and 7: add in a phosphate solution and measure phosphate removal (supposedly occuring in the anaerobic regions of the live rock, should not be present in repopulated dead rock.)
Chambers 4 and 8: add a nitrate solution and measure the rate of denitrification in the water. Theoretically it should be occuring in the anaerobic areas of the live rock and not in the repopulating rock.

I'm sure there are some other ideas, but that would make an interesting study and is fairly straight forward.

Flow would also have an effect on this, as the water turnover around the bacteria will have a direct effect on the rate. So you would have to keep flow and temperature conditions in the chambers identical. You wouldn't want too much though, as you don't want it to penetrate too deep into the cryptic zones of the rock. I'm sure people can think of more things to measure than the ones listed

 

[jrgilles]

I am a biologist in a fairly well stocked lab, so if you end up doing something that you want to measure the rates of denitrification or removal of phosphates from the water column, I can probably help get you the chemical solutions you would need (although you might have to do some research to tell me what these solutions would be.)

 

[mojoreef]

Chambers 4 and 8: add a nitrate solution and measure the rate of denitrification in the water. Theoretically it should be occuring in the anaerobic areas of the live rock and not in the repopulating rock.

facultative

 

[jrgilles]

facultative

interesting. I can't say I am too educated on this. So if it is a facultative anarobe, it can then exist anywhere on the rock? Or does it still have a preference for the anaerobic areas due to its ability to switch to fermentation (which many of the aerobic bacteria cannot do.)? I would guess it would have a whole different slew of bacteria to compete with in the anaerobic areas.

I'm guessing denitrification only occur when the bacteria is switched to fermentation (anaerobic)?

 

[mojoreef]

I'm guessing denitrification only occur when the bacteria is switched to fermentation (anaerobic)?

No not really you have obligated bacteria that will do fermentation all the way down, but the facultative will switch hit when the enviroment changes. But then you got to take the enzymes into it which change the pathways and end product??

I think it would be tough to do a test as above but you could easily do a nitrification and denitrification experiment to test its abilities and speed?? all you would need is a good obligated and a good faculative bacteria source?? and they are cheap and available??


Mike

 

[jrgilles]

The way you would switch the pathways in a facutative anaerobe would not be an enzyme, but simply to remove oxygen. The bacteria will do the rest. So, if it was in an anaerobic environment, it would switch. If you wanted to manually switch it, you would just take away oxygen, either chemically or by flushing out the oxygen and putting it into an anaerobic environment..

We do this in the lab with special containers and we flush the O2 out with CO2 or you could use an inert gas, such as argon or something. Once the fermentation starts, the bacteria will begin producing their own anaerobic environment with their waste.

 

[mojoreef]

Yea but certain nitrogen products themselves will repress enzymes that are part of the nitrification reduction pathway? Also areobic bacteria do produce waste that creates envroments for others to.

ANyway start a thread its an interesting topic and I dont want to kill LB's thread here.

Mike

 

[Peppie]

effects of different lighting on pigments with in corals, not zoox

Effects of nutrients P and N on coral skeletal lattice structure.

Effects of enzymes on nutrient reduction of marine bacteria??

mike

Mike LOL
You jumped all over this one.

 

[Lbrewer34]

In somewhat of a combination of Rob and Mike's suggestions, what about bacterial population effects on water quality? I could set up an experiment similar to the one Rob suggested earlier and test aerobic, anaerobic, facultative and a combination of all three types and see what they do individually and together to water quality. To ensure I get good colonies, I could sample and isolate colonies from my main tank. My other thought was to take a healthy water sample and compare the bacterial populations to water with higher nitrates, phosphates, ammonia and other waste compounds.