Ceramic frag plugs vs. Phosphate - initial test
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I've noticed that ceramic plugs do grow beards faster than aragocrete too. Other than phosphate could it also be that they have a higher Fe content than aragocrete? Fired clay substrates like Fluorite are commonly used in planted tanks because of the higher iron content. Maybe it's what makes the ceramic plugs more conducive to algae growth.
Der ABT
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With the now fairly widespread use of MB7, porbidio, and other bacteria sources and what was said above - that the plugs are a clean place for bacteria to fall upon and start reproducing - has anyone trying seeding their plugs/ceramic rockwork with MB7 in addition to rinsing?
I would think if you could get the bacteria started prior to addition to the tank it may make it a little more difficult for the "bad" bacteria/algea to start colonizing them.
I may have to try this out myself.
Great write up though and good to hear from someone who has had a good amount of time with thousands of plugs
I would think if you could get the bacteria started prior to addition to the tank it may make it a little more difficult for the "bad" bacteria/algea to start colonizing them.
I may have to try this out myself.
Great write up though and good to hear from someone who has had a good amount of time with thousands of plugs
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Not everyone uses the same clays to make plugs. Ours is as pure and porous as we can get. Now red clays are high in iron. I would not use red clays for saltwater use. They may be fine but they do have a lot of iron in them. I actually have some red clay here for freshwater projects. Funny thing is I have never even opened a bag of it yet to play with. I don't have time for freshwater projects yet.
I asked my supplier about the iron content of the clay we use. There is none added. My LFS has gone through thousands of plugs and they have our structures or pieces in many of the store tanks. They have almost zero issues with algae growth on the plugs or disks. In fact they get amazing coralline growth. They are diligent in keeping the parameters in check on the coral tanks. So they do not battle many of the algae issues others see. They had a dip in magnesium levels once. Everything slowed to a halt and algae started growing on rocks. They got the Mag levels back up and everything was fine. They do let the plugs soak in tank water to get the air out of them.
Many also keep a batch in the sump. They pull one out when they want to use it. Since it is already covered in bacteria there is less space for algae to take hold. You may see algea growth more prevalent in ceramic versus aragonit initially due to the fact that plug is still leaching out. Many people also soak/cure aragonite plugs because of this. So by soaking them they are colonizing them with bacteria .
Here are some comparison shots of a structure not plugs put into a tank. I use the same materials in my structures as I do my plugs. This tank is also only a few months old. The rock was cycled and came from an existing tank. These two structures are probably the equivelant of 600 plugs or more. You'll see after a month and a half there is already a lot of coralline growth and no fuzzy algae. The one did turn brown for a bit but that was because they were blasting it with light for 12-14 hours a day initially. So they had a small diatom bloom. Once they reduced the photo period and added snails it cleaned right up.
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