User:Ocreef

Monaco-Style Aquarium: In aquatic ecosystems the term Monaco system, refers to a method used to maintain stable water parameters in Saltwater Marine Aquariums. This approach has been closely investigated by Dr. Jean Jaubert at the national aquarium of Monaco, world-renowned for its displays of captive corals and its coral biology research. Its immediate appeal is the prevention of an accumulation of nitrate in the system by enhancing natural denitrification. As described by Dr. Jaubert, a thick layer of aragonite (a more soluble form of CaCO³ than calcite) sand is seeded with a layer of live sand from the ocean floor and supported above the aquarium bottom on a plastic grid. A plenum of anoxic water develops underneath the sand. Small organisms present in the live sand help to keep the substrate healthy, while denitrifying bacteria thrive in the low-to-zero oxygen conditions at the bottom. It appears that this technique not only results in denitrification, but also that the dissolution of calcareous sand returns important ions to the water, such as calcium and carbonate in particular. In conclusion, Dr. Jaubert reports extremely low levels of nitrate and phosphate, high levels of calcium and alkalinity, along with exceptionally fast coral growth rates, without the use of skimming, large water changes, or calcium additions.

Jaubert's work has been introduced to the American aquarists by such authors as John H. Tullock, Tom Frakes, Charles Delbeek, Julian Sprung and Bob Goemans. /ref>