I am currently developing a protocol for taking floating seagrasses from the Indian River Lagoon and planting them in tanks on different structures topped with sand. It is getting very difficult to keep the diatoms under control to let the seagrasses get the light they need to grow. The system is an open water system that takes water directly from the Lagoon with no filters.
The flow of water replacement finds always an economic path, so there are parts of the tank that are stagnant.
You should improve the water circulation, e.g. if the tank is circular, you could create a circular flow with central exit. Moreover, you should increase the water renewal and include a few porous stones for the flow of air by a compressor, among seagrass leaves, not so much to oxygenate, but also to keep the water in constant motion. Finally, to avoid stagnation and bacterial developments, the sand bed should be crossed by a slow flow of replacement water, by a special system of perforated submerged tubes. Best, ML
You need to do more or less the same things. To involve the whole rectangular tank with the flow of water, you may include septa that direct the flow appropriately.
Two abstract thoughts, control nutrients or add grazers (likely absent in your tanks). I would imagine the diatom growth is well controlled in the systems you are getting the seagrass propagules from. Since dissolved nutrients are likely similar and it would seem a daunting task to filter for diatoms, add grazers to the tanks and see if it makes a difference. Small gastropods and amphipods will likely make a difference.
In algae cultures addition of germanium dioxide results in death of diatoms by the impossibility of diatoms to include it into the silica of their cell walls. If grazers can not be added by any reason I would give it a try with germanium oxide if it can be added without any problems regarding the waste water.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Engineering
- Modeling