Not to long ago there was small discussion on the use of Amino Acids in the reef tank. If you blinked you woulda missed it, but I'm sure if I dig back threw the forums there are a few threads on the subject discussing use and pros and cons.
I've been using brightwell aquatics coral amino regularly since the tank restart in the manor of just trying something different but it got me thinking is it doing anything at all and how does this stuff actually work and does it actually work.
In the thread I said I wasn't sure if such a small amount added to the water would even get to the corals unless it was concentrated, but there really was no clear feed back or answer. I read a few forums on reef to reef and the discussions were back and forth from it being beneficial to others saying it's a waste of time and money.
It basically comes down to there isn't a real understanding of how corals benifit from amino acid and whether or not they produce enough on there own via biosynthesis or external environmental uptake.
Corals can make amino acids on there own with use of their zooxanthelle and dinoflagylates a bacteria like organism that lives with in the coral most commonly known for giveing coral the ability to use photosynthesis to produce energy to survive and feed off of.
These home made amino acids are produced in limited quantities and come as a by product of the break down of other materials mainly the food corals eat such as phytoplankton.
The problem is some corals are good at it others are not and some produce plenty and others need to feed to produce it. The understanding of which corals and how is a science that's not fully been understood, but what we do know is corals have another trick up their sleeve for getting the amino acids they need.
Corals have the ability to absorb amino acid from sea water with the use of carrier proteins directly threw the cell tissue. In nature the level of amino acid commonly found in sea water Is low so the corals have a developed carrier protien system that gives them the ability to absorb the scarce amounts in the water column so that they get the amounts they need to survive.
This is a very basic sum up of the reading I did on the topic, the point being that yes corals can make their own amino acids, but to do so they need to be feed the right foods for them to produce enough to be beneficial and at that point where feeding them anyways.
The second point is yes the aminos we dose do benifit the corals, because the corals can extract them from the water even in trace quantities. The stuff we dose in a few drops is equal to a higher then average volume found In nature and the corals have the mechanisms in place to absorb it.
The question is how much do corals benifit from the stuff?
Do you guys see better results when using it?
How often do you use it?
How much do you use?
I've been using brightwell aquatics coral amino regularly since the tank restart in the manor of just trying something different but it got me thinking is it doing anything at all and how does this stuff actually work and does it actually work.
In the thread I said I wasn't sure if such a small amount added to the water would even get to the corals unless it was concentrated, but there really was no clear feed back or answer. I read a few forums on reef to reef and the discussions were back and forth from it being beneficial to others saying it's a waste of time and money.
It basically comes down to there isn't a real understanding of how corals benifit from amino acid and whether or not they produce enough on there own via biosynthesis or external environmental uptake.
Corals can make amino acids on there own with use of their zooxanthelle and dinoflagylates a bacteria like organism that lives with in the coral most commonly known for giveing coral the ability to use photosynthesis to produce energy to survive and feed off of.
These home made amino acids are produced in limited quantities and come as a by product of the break down of other materials mainly the food corals eat such as phytoplankton.
The problem is some corals are good at it others are not and some produce plenty and others need to feed to produce it. The understanding of which corals and how is a science that's not fully been understood, but what we do know is corals have another trick up their sleeve for getting the amino acids they need.
Corals have the ability to absorb amino acid from sea water with the use of carrier proteins directly threw the cell tissue. In nature the level of amino acid commonly found in sea water Is low so the corals have a developed carrier protien system that gives them the ability to absorb the scarce amounts in the water column so that they get the amounts they need to survive.
This is a very basic sum up of the reading I did on the topic, the point being that yes corals can make their own amino acids, but to do so they need to be feed the right foods for them to produce enough to be beneficial and at that point where feeding them anyways.
The second point is yes the aminos we dose do benifit the corals, because the corals can extract them from the water even in trace quantities. The stuff we dose in a few drops is equal to a higher then average volume found In nature and the corals have the mechanisms in place to absorb it.
The question is how much do corals benifit from the stuff?
Do you guys see better results when using it?
How often do you use it?
How much do you use?
