grow sps.........got milk?

[denny_C]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I didn't even click that link when I saw it. Maybe I'll read it for fun

its a "sweet" read


see what i did there lol

[Slyguy00]

I borrowed these pics from that thread for those who dont wonna read the whole thing.

[daplatapus]

Geeze, that's just insane. What I wouldn't give....

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by denny@concept

its a "sweet" read


see what i did there lol

I may never stop laughing

[Trevor W]

Funny thing I just stumbled upon this exact thread last night.
He goes on to say that the honey was reducing his No3 aswell as adding amino acids I believe. He said he puts a drop in everyday. Then he started dosing milk and was dosing both then he stopped the honey dosing so he could further study the results.

He also mentions that the milk dosing can be very dangerous if not done properly. He said he only recommends it to be done when the tank is devoid or very low of algae and then it should only be dosed at a certain time. But thats all he really says about it.

There was another taiwan guy that chimes in and says he does actually dose these and its been a big topic on there lo al forum ph8.5 or something like that.

[Slyguy00]

Ya, I tried to follow the link to that site. Sadly it is not in english

[MarkoD]

Maybe the milk and honey are acting as a carbon source? I'm sure when the first person started dosing vodka, people freaked out

[tlhood]

I think someone on the thread hypothesized that the milk molecules were acting like a transport system for nutients, allowing more concentrated amounts to reach the polyps.

Or something along those lines.

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by tlhood

I think someone on the thread hypothesized that the milk molecules were acting like a transport system for nutients, allowing more concentrated amounts to reach the polyps.

Or something along those lines.

If elements of that are true, I suspect it's a gross over-simplication.

first and foremost, there's not really such thing as a 'milk molecule'. What we perceive as 'milk' is a combination of sugars, fats, protein, and various enzymes all in an aqueous medium.

Further, which enzymes, and how much fat will depend on the kind of milk and whether or not it was pasteurized, as pasteurization inactivates most enzymes.

If we're going to hypothesize that something in that mix is a 'transport mechanism', it would be helpful to define what is meant by the term 'transport mechanism' and 'nutrient'. In biology, transport mechanisms are usually very specific to a particular pathway - i.e. a specific molecule designed to bind to a specific other molecule as well as fit in to a specific receptor. The only molecules in milk that are designed to directly interact with other molecules in milk are the enzymes, and they have very specific relationships with the fats, sugars, and proteins in milk - relationships specifically related to breaking said fats, sugars and proteins down, not 'transporting' them anywhere. Most of them are torched in the kind of milk you can buy at the supermarket anyway.

As for 'nutrients' - it's an open question whether any of the raw ingredients in milk can be used by corals directly. Corals can absorb mineralized nutrients like nitrate and phosphate as well as some amino acids directly from the water, but I seriously doubt they have any capacity to either absorb or break down a molecule like lactose. I suspect that the carbohydrates in milk such as lactose are broken down by bacterial pathways just like any other carbon source in a tank and not used directly by the coral. The fats are an interesting wild card though.

Milk has over 400 different fatty acids in it. I've never heard of anyone experimenting with adding fats to a reef tank, or how they interact with corals. milk fatty acids can have up to 18 carbon atoms per molecule though, so at the very least they'd make milk a very potent organic carbon source.

[straightrazorguy]

Originally Posted by Slyguy00

Ya, I tried to follow the link to that site. Sadly it is not in english

This i an interesting topic; surely we must have some hobbyists on this forum who are fluent enough in Mandarin to be able to follow the thread. And provide updates for the rest of us .

Any volunteers?