Question about Star Polyps and Nitrites

[AMDPhenomX4]

Do they reduce the nitrite level of the tank, keeping nitrates down?

 

[CaptainAhab]

Star Polyps are corals and not algae. They do not, to the best of my knowledge, consume nitrate (which I think you meant and not nitrite).

 

[MarineFlake]

I am not sure if you recieved a coherent answer, so I will offer some advice. Corals in general, any marine life really, typically do not tolerate even extremely low levels of nitrite. A quick google search, if you care, will show levels of no2 as low as .25 ppm wiping out entire tanks. That said polyps will not help in reducing no2. If you are experiencing elevated nitrite levels, and it's a new tank, it's probably just the normal spike associated with cycling. Otherwise I advise doing some root cause analysis. It would good to hear more about your tank, situation or context of you question.

Happy Reefing!

 

[CaptainAhab]

I am not sure if you recieved a coherent answer,

I'd appreciate you keeping your comments to the topic at hand, thank you

 

[AMDPhenomX4]

Its cycled i just didnt know nitrate vs nitrite... Thanks for the info.

 

[yetee]

Star Polyps are corals and not algae. They do not, to the best of my knowledge, consume nitrate (which I think you meant and not nitrite).

I think you are right in him meaning nitrate. However, there are some corals that do infact consume nitrate. There are even some reefers who grow Xenia, Clams, and Mushrooms in their refugiums instead of macro algeas because they reduce nitrate. However, I am unsure if star polyps do. Just my two cents.

 

[CaptainAhab]

While I may be incorrect I believe what you are are referring to are species that are autotrophic and also help control nutrient export in the system. They don't consume nitrate but instead help in clearing the water column of nutrients before they can be converted into nitrates.

Again I may be glossing over the details but I do believe that it's the egg before the chicken (errrr nutrient before the nitrate)

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

While I may be incorrect I believe what you are are referring to are species that are autotrophic and also help control nutrient export in the system. They don't consume nitrate but instead help in clearing the water column of nutrients before they can be converted into nitrates....

I think you're correct Capt'n. While they most likely do utilize nitrAtes in some small amount, the majority of their help comes from their natural "skimming" ability. They remove nitrates just like skimmers do... they remove the organics before they can become nitrates.

Corals do utilize nitrates, and for that matter, nitrites, ammonia, and a bunch of the heavy metals that we normally try to keep out of our tanks. But they do so on such a small scale that it can't really be taken into account in our tanks. Borneman discusses this in his "Aquarium Corals" book and basically says yeah... they need nitrates/ammonia to survive, but that doesn't mean you want a messy tank or want to purposely introduce this stuff. In a nutshell, if we can measure it with our kits, it's too much to start with.

 

[CaptainAhab]

Thanx Kurt. That was mostly my understanding as well.

I'm glad it was coherent enough for you to comprehend and formulate a response too

 

[yetee]

thanks for clearing that up guys, I wasnt sure on exactly how it was done.