prehistory and you...or why some things are near-impossible to eradicate

Sk8r · 01/17/2009, 06:34 PM

A long, long, long, long time ago when the world was new---
there were----
1. cyanobacteria. Real old. Thrives on carbon dioxide, light, and water. Read those 3 again and plan how to deprive them to death. And figure that if there are other chemicals in excess, like phosphates, nitrates, etc, they can modify themselves to eat those too. They're halfway between animal and plant. They both crawl and photosynthesize. And lest you think they can be evaded---they're also the ancestors of chloroplasts that enable green plants to photosynthesize. Ubiquitous? You bet.

Remember the Permian Extinction? Oops. Before your time. But this stuff gave us our oxygen atmosphere back after 90% of all mobile life on the planet went belly-up. THAT'S how stubborn it is.

BTW, the answer to how to do it in is: absence of light.

2. flatworms. One of THE first lifeforms on the planet.

3. diatoms. Somewhat like the silicate version of cyano. Just as persistent.

4. bacteria. Grows in hydrothermic vents. What can I say?

5. green algae. Before critters crawled on the land, there was, I am sure, hair algae. It eats phosphate, light, H2O, CO2, and grows practically before your eyes. A *little* less durable than cyano.

6. macroalgaes...well, persistent. Be very, very sure what you put in your tank does not have roots and cannot grow them. It survives on, yes, pretty well what hair algae does, only some of it (caulerpa) is toxic and unappetizing to almost everything.

7. worms. They go way, way, way back, too, and are pretty good survivors: you find their fossilized tracks in very old rock. The good news in this list is that almost all of them you are likely to meet are pretty good tank citizens. Be grateful for that, or we'd find this hobby even more challenging.

So with this list of highly adaptive extremophiles (loves disaster), what is a reefer to do? Answer: Keep very nice chemistry on all fronts, keep from extremes, and keep your lights up to snuff! Anytime you give one of these Survivors an environment in which the stuff you want finds it hard sledding---THEY will find a way to shove the stuff you want out and take over.

HTH, friends!

46FiatYamaha · 01/17/2009, 07:26 PM

Agree 100%, sometimes it's hard to remove something that has been thriving that way for thousands of years. Luckily we have found ways around most of them

Whys · 01/17/2009, 08:43 PM

Gene splice. At the very least, flatworms should glow under the blue lights. Then I wouldn't mind them so much.

Whys · 01/17/2009, 08:44 PM

Thanks for history S8r. I always enjoy your reads.

baldomero · 01/17/2009, 09:22 PM

hey sk8tr what book did u get that info from

SWINGRRRR · 01/17/2009, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by baldomero
hey sk8tr what book did u get that info from

Umm, she is the book.

Whys · 01/17/2009, 09:42 PM

baldomero, I think she was actually there.

baldomero · 01/17/2009, 09:43 PM

ooh shes a writer then that explains why that post was so magnificantly written

Whys · 01/17/2009, 09:43 PM

Hey s8r, I just realized something...

We live in the same backwater town of Spokaloo!

Sk8r · 01/18/2009, 09:54 AM

we do indeed: the land of Spocabs, Spocandy, and Spokanimals.

As for a really good source for quick lookups: try wikipedia.org for any questions or definitions you might need. They've got some really good answers on cyano and the like, plus the internal links to other questions.

As you can see---battling things that readily survive asteroid impacts and supervolcanos is a trip! If you think about it, you're trying to replicate planetary history as you cycle and go from inverts up to fishes and corals---so small wonder you also get some of the OTHER lifeforms that pre-date (but thankfully don't generally predate) both!

Squidward5 · 01/18/2009, 01:30 PM

Go Cougs!

Sk8r · 01/18/2009, 01:38 PM

Whys · 01/18/2009, 02:40 PM

Umm... go Seahawks..?

Squidward5 · 01/18/2009, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Whys
Umm... go Seahawks..?

Yep! We will be right back in the top mix next year!

pdhenderson · 01/18/2009, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sk8r

Remember the Permian Extinction? Oops. Before your time. But this stuff gave us our oxygen atmosphere back after 90% of all mobile life on the planet went belly-up. THAT'S how stubborn it is.

HTH, friends!

From what I have read on this bord I think some members do!!!

Sk8r · 01/18/2009, 07:18 PM

40-odd years in this hobby---not quite the Permian, myself, but at least the Jurassic dustup.

btw----
Go Mariners!

01/17/2009, 06:34 PM	#1
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	prehistory and you...or why some things are near-impossible to eradicate A long, long, long, long time ago when the world was new--- there were---- 1. cyanobacteria. Real old. Thrives on carbon dioxide, light, and water. Read those 3 again and plan how to deprive them to death. And figure that if there are other chemicals in excess, like phosphates, nitrates, etc, they can modify themselves to eat those too. They're halfway between animal and plant. They both crawl and photosynthesize. And lest you think they can be evaded---they're also the ancestors of chloroplasts that enable green plants to photosynthesize. Ubiquitous? You bet. Remember the Permian Extinction? Oops. Before your time. But this stuff gave us our oxygen atmosphere back after 90% of all mobile life on the planet went belly-up. THAT'S how stubborn it is. BTW, the answer to how to do it in is: absence of light. 2. flatworms. One of THE first lifeforms on the planet. 3. diatoms. Somewhat like the silicate version of cyano. Just as persistent. 4. bacteria. Grows in hydrothermic vents. What can I say? 5. green algae. Before critters crawled on the land, there was, I am sure, hair algae. It eats phosphate, light, H2O, CO2, and grows practically before your eyes. A little less durable than cyano. 6. macroalgaes...well, persistent. Be very, very sure what you put in your tank does not have roots and cannot grow them. It survives on, yes, pretty well what hair algae does, only some of it (caulerpa) is toxic and unappetizing to almost everything. 7. worms. They go way, way, way back, too, and are pretty good survivors: you find their fossilized tracks in very old rock. The good news in this list is that almost all of them you are likely to meet are pretty good tank citizens. Be grateful for that, or we'd find this hobby even more challenging. So with this list of highly adaptive extremophiles (loves disaster), what is a reefer to do? Answer: Keep very nice chemistry on all fronts, keep from extremes, and keep your lights up to snuff! Anytime you give one of these Survivors an environment in which the stuff you want finds it hard sledding---THEY will find a way to shove the stuff you want out and take over. HTH, friends! __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/18/2009, 09:54 AM	#10
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	we do indeed: the land of Spocabs, Spocandy, and Spokanimals. As for a really good source for quick lookups: try wikipedia.org for any questions or definitions you might need. They've got some really good answers on cyano and the like, plus the internal links to other questions. As you can see---battling things that readily survive asteroid impacts and supervolcanos is a trip! If you think about it, you're trying to replicate planetary history as you cycle and go from inverts up to fishes and corals---so small wonder you also get some of the OTHER lifeforms that pre-date (but thankfully don't generally predate) both! __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/18/2009, 01:38 PM	#12
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	__________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/18/2009, 07:18 PM	#16
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	40-odd years in this hobby---not quite the Permian, myself, but at least the Jurassic dustup. btw---- Go Mariners! __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/17/2009, 07:26 PM	#2
46FiatYamaha Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Matthews NC Posts: 990	Agree 100%, sometimes it's hard to remove something that has been thriving that way for thousands of years. Luckily we have found ways around most of them

01/17/2009, 08:43 PM	#3
Whys Moved On Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,263	Gene splice. At the very least, flatworms should glow under the blue lights. Then I wouldn't mind them so much.

01/17/2009, 08:44 PM	#4
Whys Moved On Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,263	Thanks for history S8r. I always enjoy your reads.

01/17/2009, 09:22 PM	#5
baldomero Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: aguada,puerto rico Posts: 902	hey sk8tr what book did u get that info from

01/17/2009, 09:42 PM	#7
Whys Moved On Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,263	baldomero, I think she was actually there.

01/17/2009, 09:43 PM	#8
baldomero Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: aguada,puerto rico Posts: 902	ooh shes a writer then that explains why that post was so magnificantly written

01/18/2009, 01:30 PM	#11
Squidward5 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Seattle Posts: 231	Go Cougs!

01/18/2009, 02:40 PM	#13
Whys Moved On Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,263	Umm... go Seahawks..?