reefnetworth
Premium Member
want my address? ill pay shipping. BTW im slowly removing DSB in your name. lol! copepods survive 2 day delivery ive ordered them for a mandarin once. REEF-ON!!!
100 gallons in the ocean reef?
- Thread starter reefnetworth
- Start date
tacocat
Premium Member
Fish tank are fish tanks.
A real reef, let's say Hawaii uses the entire Pacific Ocean as its sump. There is no way to duplicate this. If you are examining the small section of reef you see while you are diving, you are not seeing the whole picture. When coral reefs have massive spawns, the gamete don't just stay on the reef. Most drifts out to open ocean or are consumed by migratory animals like whale sharks. The reefs rely on current and wind generated far off shore. They also have vertical migrating creatures and nocturnal predators.
Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury or the abilities. Useless equipment? Not so, if you have ever had a coral spawn. Speaking of coral, if you are a successful reefer, you will notice that your tank will soon fill itself to the brim with even two starter acro frags.
Can you overcrowd, dang straight, but usually, competition and aggression are the limiting factors.
BTW, why are we using the term "happy" in this forum? Last I checked, my fish and corals couldn't smile or crack jokes.
A real reef, let's say Hawaii uses the entire Pacific Ocean as its sump. There is no way to duplicate this. If you are examining the small section of reef you see while you are diving, you are not seeing the whole picture. When coral reefs have massive spawns, the gamete don't just stay on the reef. Most drifts out to open ocean or are consumed by migratory animals like whale sharks. The reefs rely on current and wind generated far off shore. They also have vertical migrating creatures and nocturnal predators.
Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury or the abilities. Useless equipment? Not so, if you have ever had a coral spawn. Speaking of coral, if you are a successful reefer, you will notice that your tank will soon fill itself to the brim with even two starter acro frags.
Can you overcrowd, dang straight, but usually, competition and aggression are the limiting factors.
BTW, why are we using the term "happy" in this forum? Last I checked, my fish and corals couldn't smile or crack jokes.
Paul B
Premium Member
Tacocat, I think I agree with your post, it is a little confusing.
As to "happy" fish I agree we don't know if they are happy, but we do know when they are not. When they hide, breath heavy, swim up and down the glass, fight, try to jump out or are sick then they are not "happy" so to say. I think "content" is a better word, when fish are content they eat normally, swim in the open normally, breath normally and try to spawn normally. They also live long enough to die of old age.
I also agree with you about real reefs. I have dove in Hawaii as in many other places and we will never duplicate a reef, but we are trying to re-create a small section of a reef to the best of our abilities. A reef took thousands of years to form, most of us don't have that kind of time. I consider myself a fairly competent reefer and I have had coral spawnings but that is just a normal thing that any coral should do if conditions are correct.
There are a lot of thinge we don't know about coral. probably more we don't know than we do know. For instance why do certain corals only live in certain seas? I don't know. There are no sea fans in Tahiti, why? The Caribbean is full of Elkhorn coral but I diden't see any in the South Pacific. They may be there but I diden't see any. It is just an example.
Have a great day.
Paul
As to "happy" fish I agree we don't know if they are happy, but we do know when they are not. When they hide, breath heavy, swim up and down the glass, fight, try to jump out or are sick then they are not "happy" so to say. I think "content" is a better word, when fish are content they eat normally, swim in the open normally, breath normally and try to spawn normally. They also live long enough to die of old age.
I also agree with you about real reefs. I have dove in Hawaii as in many other places and we will never duplicate a reef, but we are trying to re-create a small section of a reef to the best of our abilities. A reef took thousands of years to form, most of us don't have that kind of time. I consider myself a fairly competent reefer and I have had coral spawnings but that is just a normal thing that any coral should do if conditions are correct.
There are a lot of thinge we don't know about coral. probably more we don't know than we do know. For instance why do certain corals only live in certain seas? I don't know. There are no sea fans in Tahiti, why? The Caribbean is full of Elkhorn coral but I diden't see any in the South Pacific. They may be there but I diden't see any. It is just an example.
Have a great day.
Paul
tacocat
Premium Member
Sorry man, it's the scientist coming out. If I used "happy" to describe an organism during a scientific discussion, I would have been slapped.
I attend a unique school of thought in that the reefs don't take thousands of years to form, rather hundreds. Take a look at the WWII shipwrecks in shallow water. They have become coral encrusted reefs in less than 50 years. Corals can grow very quickly if sheltered from predators and storms.
I think we should stop looking at the reef as a small sections and think we can duplicate that small section at home naturally. The coral reefs are connected to the ocean and we must look at the ocean as a whole, not just the reef. The reefs get fed and cleansed by the entire ocean, not just the adjacent area. If this weren't the case, all the reefs where WWII was fought would have died from metal and oil contamination.
As far as divergent coral species, I believe this has something to do with it:
http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060712_fish_crossers.html
Great site BTW.
reefnetworth
Premium Member
nicely said Paul, nicely said. REEF-ON!!!
