Zeolite in seawater

[Alex64]

There's much debate here in EU about using Zeolite in seawater. This is an awesome tank running with the so-called "zeovit" method:
http://www.koralle.at/korallen.asp

And this is the small company that sells the "special" zeolite, bacteria, food, trace elements and carbon that are supposed to be necessary to have such incredible results:
www.korallen-zucht.de

The method in a few words is: intense lighting, skimmer, continuos use of AC, filtration with zeolite in a canister filter, food for bacteria in the zeolite medium, frequent water exchange, proprietory recipe for trace elements supplementation.

Apparently zeolite permits true natural NO3- and PO4- levels and this (I guess) reduces quantity and size of zooxantellae in PSU thus enhancing (or better unmasking) intense pigmentation.

The first question is: which are the possible drawbacks of zeolite? Does it selectively adsorb only N and P inorganic ions or there's something more we have to know?

The second one is: they sell their own "snake oil"... ehm.. sorry, I mean, their own "trace-elements" supplement claiming incredible improvement in pigmentation in a few weeks. They support this with pictures. Besides all the excellent articles that Dr. Shimek wrote on TE, do you think that some TE (probably metals) can play an effective role in enhancing at least some pigmentations?

TIA

 

[randy holmes-farley]

Some zeolites (like Phosguard by Seachem) have been accused of releasing aluminum into the water column. I don't know if this really happens or not.

In general, I don't know how many of the pores inside of a zeolite are large enough for bacteria. I believe that most are on the size scale of molecules, and that is why they bind molecules like phosphate so well. So I don't really accept the idea that zeolites are a great substrate for bacteria.

I don't really have any indea on how metals impact coral pigmentation.


Here are two threads were we've discussed this extensively:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthrea ... did=133912

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthrea ... did=133406

 

[Alex64]

Here are...

Thank you Randy

 

[randy holmes-farley]

You're welcome.

 

[Robin Goodfellow]

hi.
A little off topic, but Randy, do you have any specific reference/link regarding the toxicity of aluminum in seawater? TIA.

 

[randy holmes-farley]

Toxicity to anything in particular?

 

[randy holmes-farley]

Here's a sampling:

Effects of aluminium and nickel on survival and reproduction in polychaetous annelids. Petrich, Stephen M.; Reish, Donald J. Dep. Biol., California State Univ., Long Beach, CA, USA. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (1979), 23(4-5), 698-702.

Abstract

Exposure of Capitella capitata, Neanthes arenaceodentata and Ctenodrilus serratus to NiCl2 in seawater resulted in 96-h mean lethal concn. (LC50) values of >50, 49 and 17 mg/L, resp. The 7-day LC50 values were >50 and 17 mg/L for Capitella and Neanthes, resp. Neither Capitella nor Neanthes were affected by a 7-day exposure to a 2 mg/L concn. of AlCl3, the max. concn. which could be used without pptn. in seawater. On the other hand, the 96-h LC50 for Ctenodrilus to AlCl3 was 0.48 mg/L. Comparisons of the LC50 concns. to that level at which reprodn. suppression occurred in Ctenodrilus were different for these metals. Reproductive suppression and LC50 values with Al were essentially identical, whereas the suppression of reprodn. with Ni was 1-2 orders of magnitude less than the 96-h LC50 values. Since the amt. of Ni in wastewaters exceeds, in some cases, the concn. which can suppress reprodn., this metal may already be at a crit. level in nearshore waters adjacent to metropolitan areas.


Comparative susceptibility of the alareesh marine culture center shrimp Penaeus japonicus and the brine shrimp Artemia salina to different insecticides and heavy metals. Elsebae, Ali A. Faculty of Environmental Agric. Sciences, Suez Canal University, Alareesh, Egypt. Alexandria Science Exchange (1994), 15(3), 425-35.

Abstract

Seven insecticides from different chem. groups and four heavy metal salts were compared for their 96 h acute toxicity to the shrimp Penaeus japonicus, and its aquaculture feed Artemia salina. The shrimp P. japonicus, particularly the PL9 stage, was more sensitive than Artemia for all tested toxicants with more than 100 fold. In addn., the insecticide diflubenzuron was more hazardous than all other insecticides followed by chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, methomyl, endosulfan, malathion and then fenitrothion in a descending order to the younger stage of the shrimp (PL9). Towards Artemia, diflubenzuron was the more toxic followed by endosulfan, methomyl, fenitrothion, chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, and finally malathion in a descending order. Tin and aluminum cations were highly toxic to both the shrimp and Artemia, followed by cadmium and lead in a descending order. Artemia was again less sensitive than the shrimp to these heavy metals. The younger shrimp larvae were much sensitive to all these toxicants. Thus, the shrimp young larvae are one of the highly sensitive organisms for bioassay detection of pollutants in aquatic systems. Besides, Artemia is quite tolerant and can be reared in marine water as a shrimp feed. Insecticides and heavy metals should be screened for their impact on aquatic biota.



Modulations in antioxidant enzymes in different tissues of marine bivalve Perna viridis during heavy metal exposure. Prakash, N. Tejo; Rao, K. S. Jagannatha. Centre Future Studies, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, India. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry (1995), 146(2), 107-13.
Abstract

The present study was performed to investigate lipid peroxidn. product formation due to exposure to aluminum, lead and cadmium at sub-lethal concns. and protective antioxidant enzyme activity in the marine mussels, Perna viridis Lin. This organism is a known bioindicator and bioconcentrator of metals in the environment. The results of the present study were: (a) accumulation of lead showed a definite linear increase during the period of exposure whereas aluminum and cadmium showed fluctuations. Mantle and gill tissues showed greater accumulation of metals than did digestive gland; (b) lead- and aluminum-induced lipid peroxidn. was greater in tissues than the peroxidn. induced by cadmium. Cadmium-induced peroxidn. was obsd. only after day 7 of exposure; (c) anti-oxidant enzymes activity levels were significantly higher in digestive gland and mantle than gills; (d) mantle was obsd. to significantly contribute to the organismal response to lipid peroxidn. as indicated by high activity levels of anti-oxidant enzymes.
Metal-induced extracellular protein excretion in Arthrobacter aurescens. Scharf, Ram; Zimmels, Yoram; Kimchie, Shlomo. Fac. Civ. Eng., Technion-Israel Inst. Technol., Haifa, Israel. FEMS Microbiology Letters (1993), 109(2-3), 139-44.

Abstract

The effect of aluminum and other toxic metals on the marine bacterium A. aurescens RS-2 was studied. Apart from inhibiting bacterial growth, aluminum and nickel enhanced the excretion of coproporphyrin III, a precursor in the porphyrin biosynthetic pathway. No protein was complexed to the excreted porphyrins. Aluminum and nickel both enhanced the excretion of an extracellular 68-kDa protein and induced the excretion of a novel 42-kDa protein. Despite the similarities in extracellular protein patterns of RS-2 bacteria after exposure to aluminum or nickel, differences were also found indicating that some but not all response mechanisms towards toxic metals were similar in A. aurescens RS-2.