Common Misconceptions In the Hobby

[Aquarist007]

Seeing that this a misconceptions thread and someone brought up the issues of water changes--maybe we can discuss it here.
I change my water every two weeks but with running a refugium and thinking of adding a mud refugium instead of the micron sock, doing away with the uv sterilizer etc.. I beginning to wonder if you really need to change the water as much. My tank is strickly lps and probably always will be. I monitor the alk, ph(co2) calcium and magnesium levels and use two part . Not alot changes in those levels in two weeks so I can't see the argument for replacing trace elements(that in itself is an oxymoron--if its trace is is suppose to exist in trace amounts )

Love to hear other experienced vetrans thoughts??

 

[Paul B]

I like your statement "Me and the algae have reached an agreement" that is basic put profound and adds to my point that sooner or later you have to not fear algae.

Capn, as we get older we get profound, some call it thick headed :lol:

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

Capn_hylinur, I'm not really a prude, but you might want to try and erase that link you left. This is a "family friendly" site and I doubt RC staffers will approve if they notice it.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11156415#post11156415 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aninjaatemyshoe
Capn_hylinur, I'm not really a prude, but you might want to try and erase that link you left. This is a "family friendly" site and I doubt RC staffers will approve if they notice it.

:eek2: I really didn't look that close----

How ever is on moderator can your erase

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11154330#post11154330 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capn_hylinur
Adult content link removed.

thank you very much--it was an over sight on my part--the only revealing pics I am interested in are those of LPS dominated coral reefs.

 

[Paul B]

Well it's final. There are 20 pages of misconceptions in the hobby :bum:

 

[Aquarist007]

any one want to discuss water changes here??

 

[EvilE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11169542#post11169542 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capn_hylinur
any one want to discuss water changes here??

sure!

 

[Aquarist007]

glad we had this discussion

 

[Paul B]

How about the misconception that NSW is bad or did we already go over this?
Dam, I bet we already went over this.
I hate when that happens.

 

[Aquarist007]

Have we discussed whether filter socks are necessary or not?

Many of us who have dedicated refugiums for increasing inverts in the main tank feel that they remove alot of the inverts that we are trying to keep. I took mine off last weekend and after two days found a noticeable increase in suspended particles in the main tank. I just don't know if that is a price you pay for keeping more of the inverts.
I have a goal of replacing my filter sock with a mud mangrove/cheato refugium
In the pictures I was thinking of moving the sump down below on a shelf and adding another refugium where the sump is now. That new refugium would first get the flow for mechanical filtration then the water would flow down by gravity to the sump where the protein skimmer and more live rock is located. The original refugium would still dump by gravity into the sump near the return bulkhead.
Is it worth all this to add another refugium or is the original ok but without the sock?

 

[Paul B]

I don't have a filter sock, but then I don,t have a sump either.
Every few months I diatom filter the tank to remove suspended particles. There are all sorts of tiny little suckers all over my rocks.

 

[JPMagyar]

My RC beefs.

My RC beefs.

I read pages one thru five and then got disgusted. This is what I dislike about RC, people can say anything and it passes down as "knowledge". Although the originating idea was a noble one, I think the opening salvo was a perfect example of the unscientific gibberish that is all to prevalent around here. Show me a commonly maintained coral that will survive in 90 degrees . . . and who was keeping there tank at 76 degrees . . . I mean really people . . . who let this thread get where it is?

3.) 75-77 degrees is a good temperature for a reef tank or tropical fish only tank.

The majority of our corals come from corals and fish come from waters that range in temperature anywhere from 76-90 degrees with average temps in the low 80's. There are certainly creatures that are an exception such as those from Japan, Australia, and deeper waters which are more usesd to temperatures a little lower.

Conclusion: The old magic 76 degree mark has little merit and I'm not sure how it ever came to be in the first place. Maintaining temperatures in the low 80's is probably most natural and will suit most fish/coral available in the industry. Thankfully this has become more accepted in recent years.

 

[greenbean36191]

Show me a commonly maintained coral that will survive in 90 degrees

Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands (one of the largest coral atolls in the world) averages around 90-92 in the summertime. Species that can be found there are: >32 Species of Acropora, 8 species of Pavona, 10 faviids, ~10 fungiids, Merulina, Lobophyllia, Pectinia, several species of Pocillopora, Seriotopora, Stylophora, and dozens of soft corals and sea fans. Most of those species are common in the hobby. Porites and other hardy corals have been documented in areas of the Red Sea that were over 100 degrees, without any signs of bleaching. Lab tests have shown that Montastrea from certain areas doesn't show metabolic stress until above 90 degrees. Reefs in large parts of the Red Sea, Northern Australia, the Philippines, and Persian Gulf often see temps at or above 90. There's nothing magical about that temperature that causes corals to die. It's just not within the worldwide average and will cause some corals to die if it stays there long enough. My tank has actually gotten as high as 92 when the A/C failed in the middle of summer and all of the corals survived unharmed.

and who was keeping there tank at 76 degrees

Quite a few people. Walt Smith even recommends keeping tanks as cool as 74 and many people, especially SPS enthusiasts follow suit. If you can dig up one of the many temp polls you'll see that a substantial percentage of reefers keep their tanks in the 75-77 range. A local reefer even keeps his at 73.

 

[Paul B]

My reef is usually about 76 in the winter and up to 92 in the summer.
It is older than most here so I think Bean is correct.

 

[Aquarist007]

I think where one of the problems lies with this misconception was already mentioned by greenbean before.
I don't have the direct quotes but basically she stated that it was reefers who actually "unadapted" if there is such, a word corals to handling a larger range of parameter, including temp.
Reefers who keep temperatures bang on a number over time run into problems when the temp does happen to swing to higher or lower numbers.
this could be how the misconception is formed that fish or corals can't handle an 86 or a 90 or a 74 temp???
Greenbean,, this is just a rough translation, correct me if I am wrong.

Paul, and Greenbean--nice work handling the reef bully

 

[greenbean36191]

I don't have the direct quotes but basically she stated that it was reefers who actually "unadapted" if there is such, a word corals to handling a larger range of parameter, including temp.

That's pretty much it. You meant "he" though right?

 

[tkeracer619]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11213150#post11213150 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by greenbean36191
That's pretty much it. You meant "he" though right?

You probably shouldn't ruin it for him that hes not talking to your avatar =P

 

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11213366#post11213366 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tkeracer619
You probably shouldn't ruin it for him that hes not talking to your avatar =P

Shhhhhh. Yet another common misconception in this hobby....

 

[JPMagyar]

Pickin' a fight.

Pickin' a fight.

O.K. the "Reef bully" is ready to pick a fight, but let me begin by saying that I have the utmost respect for Mr. Greenbean even if he does have a girly avatar . On more than one occassion I have found his edification to be of rather consequential portent, and it is only with great hesitation that I dare question his opinion. But, in my personal experience I have seen a $20,000 aquarium go down in a mere 24 hour period due to a chiller failure and a temperature peak of 88 degrees. Here then, is my premise: the temperature range encompassing the majority of reef tanks mentioned on RC is somewhere between 77 and 82, and this range is proven to provide acceptable results and safety margins. Therefore, to state that the proper range should be in the low 80's represents a significant change, and one which warrants considerable discussion and evidence.

The point is not that several dozen species of coral out of the countless thousands so far recorded can survive large variations in temperature, but rather in our tiny microcosms of overburdened reefdom the margins for survival are greatly reduced and the need to maintain optimal conditions is greatly exaggerated. Surely, one might create a biotope in which fish and corals are maintained at a temperature in excess of 86 degrees fahrenheit. However, one can not draw from that particular experience to say that the tens of thousands of saltwater aquariums in existence today would benefit from such a temperature regime. Likewise, the ability of corals to survive and ship at temperatures significantly below those found on the "average" reef does not imply that one should maintain a lower than accepted temperature. Which leads me to my original frustration with this thread for one can not recommend both higher temperatures and lower temperatures in the same argument.


In truth the methods, styles, results, and beauty of the tanks displayed on RC are myriad, but to make sweeping generalizations as to the need to increase the average accepted temperature without serious discussion and evidence is to me a disservice to the community at large, and I find that this particular issue is but one of many that were mentioned here within under the simplest of pretexts using little or no evidentiary support.


As a final note I would add that I pride myself on maintaining an open mind, and I merely hope everyone reading my diatribe would understand from whence my opinion orginates, and give my person the benefit of doubt whilst persuading me I am wrong. In other words, if you disagree please keep in mind I am speaking honestly with a good intent, and not to put anyone in particular down. Like I said in my opening remark, I find the idea of overcoming common misconceptions to be a noble one.

Happy reefin' one and all.


Joe