Common Misconceptions In the Hobby

[Aquarist007]

quote:
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Originally posted by conorwynne
OK, can you exaplain what you mean?
I have been cooking LR for almost a year now in my garden shed, running lots of powerheads and temperature kept at 26C for the entire time.

Last week I decided to do a 100% WC -- moved it to another pre-heated dustbin (swapped around my mixing bins you see -- and inspected the LR.

All the bubble algae was completely gone (as you would expect after a year in darkness) and the LR is very clean and white looking -- some coraline still hanging on amazingly.

So is my LR alive or dead? It has never been out of water for longer than 5 minutes, and it was from my old tank which I no longer have. I had a disaster after my months holiday in France. The auto-top off went nuts and I almost lost all my livestock. Almost but not quite.

So is it alive or dead? Surely alive? Should I start dosing it now with some vodka? Do I need to? Should I seed it with a piece of LR from my main tank?

Very confused....

Conor - subscribing in anticipation of your answer lads.
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I would think that it contains the bacteria involved in saying that it is live rock, capable of offering filtration. I was referring to dead rock as the rock that has been in my friends garage dry for a year. This rock contains lots of death, while yours doesnt. If you are ready to prepare it to put in the tank, and 1 year is long enough to cook, you can seed with live rock from your main tank for coralline, but i would just put it in and seed it that way, as long as your readings are in the norm.

If you want to speed up the process of getting coralline on the rock, scrape your glass really well, including the back glass, and the coralline pieces will spread throughout the tank, and spread fast.


__________________

 

[Aquarist007]

quote:
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Originally posted by tbittner

You could also throw in a grocery store shrimp and let that rot for a few days and see what happens to your water parameters. If only your nitrAtes go up, you know the bacteria is still alive and well.


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It is completely beyond me why this idea still persists when we have advanced so far in the hobby, let alone this thread.

There is no useful purpose to doing this. If he kept his rock in salt water, with a heater (this is not necessary depending on where he lives), and even a little circulation, he has live rock.

There is NO upside to throwing garbage in your tank. All you are doing is putting a phosphate bomb in there. As far as 'kick starting' dead base rock with a dead shrimp (or a damsel!!), one tiny piece of live rock rubble or a tiny snail would do the same thing.

Once again I will post this article, Myth 15;

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/eb/index.php


nalbar

 

[ReefTECK]

Thanks for that link there to the myths articles capn! I read through all of them just now! Not just a bunch of idiotic myths, but some rather informative, insightful, and digestible material. Thanks for the read!

ltz,
andy

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12452974#post12452974 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefTECK
Thanks for that link there to the myths articles capn! I read through all of them just now! Not just a bunch of idiotic myths, but some rather informative, insightful, and digestible material. Thanks for the read!

ltz,
andy

your welcome---this is one thing I am trying to do--build or link to quality threads that are like you stated

your positive makes the work and time inputted worthwhile:smokin:

 

[briangg57]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10579803#post10579803 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by greenbean36191
I just keep thinking of more and more.

That's OK. You just keep thinking Miss. Every time your avitar comes around, us guys just smile. lol

 

[Peter Eichler]

To me that whole base rock vs. live rock thread was very silly... It seemed to be a ****ing contest over what something is called more than any of the dynamics surrounding it. But, I'm going to throw my 2 cents in anyhow for some stupid reason :lol: Most of these rocks that people call base rock today weren't really available in the hobby years ago. The term base rock for all my recollections came from and for many years was used for less appealing live rock that wasn't encrusted with much visible life or coraline algae. Today base rock can be considered any less attractive rock that is used to build up the rock structure in a reef aquarium whether it is on the inner structure or comprises the whole aquascape.

As for how to treat dry rocks before putting them in the aquarium the answer is simple It just depends on what kind of rock you're dealing with.

 

[downhillbiker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12453320#post12453320 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Peter Eichler
To me that whole base rock vs. live rock thread was very silly... It seemed to be a ****ing contest over what something is called more than any of the dynamics surrounding it. But, I'm going to throw my 2 cents in anyhow for some stupid reason :lol: Most of these rocks that people call base rock today weren't really available in the hobby years ago. The term base rock for all my recollections came from and for many years was used for less appealing live rock that wasn't encrusted with much visible life or coraline algae. Today base rock can be considered any less attractive rock that is used to build up the rock structure in a reef aquarium whether it is on the inner structure or comprises the whole aquascape.

As for how to treat dry rocks before putting them in the aquarium the answer is simple It just depends on what kind of rock you're dealing with.

well aparently you know it all...i actually learned a lot and so did many others. no it isnt a contest, it is us trying to make the reef hobby better. i am sorry if that takes some discussion and debate, but when it is all said and done, everyone has a better understanding of what base rock and live rock means. i along with many others enjoyed the thread and learned a lot. thanks for your input, but please dont bash. we aren't competing we are learning.:rollface:

 

[Peter Eichler]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12453349#post12453349 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by downhillbiker
well aparently you know it all...i actually learned a lot and so did many others. no it isnt a contest, it is us trying to make the reef hobby better. i am sorry if that takes some discussion and debate, but when it is all said and done, everyone has a better understanding of what base rock and live rock means. i along with many others enjoyed the thread and learned a lot. thanks for your input, but please dont bash. we aren't competing we are learning.:rollface:

You missed my point... Base rock means a lot of different things to different people so why go through all that trouble to figure out whether to call something base rock or not. So am I no longer allowed to call some live rock of lesser quality base rock because that is what it was know as for many years? Sorry, but I just don't see the point in nailing down whether rock should be called base or anything else. I saw and posted in the original thread that spwaned that thread and to me it looked like a ****ing match more than anything. If you want to get snotty and take shots me as a result of my opinions, oh well. It just kind of solidifies some of my feelings on that original thread.

I didn't contribute to that thread because I was fine with letting everyone else have at it and I didn't want to stir up any more controversy. However, now that it has become a part of a thread that is meaningful to me I decided to have my say.

Lastly, if there's one thing I know it's that I don't know it all.

 

[downhillbiker]

Getting snotty, common, i just dont think that you should come in here and say that something is a bleeeeeeping contest BLEEEEEEP. i just had a near death experience for my tank, that was caused by misinformation luckly i decided to take my dead rock and cure it, but i was told to just stick it strait in the tank. many people had misinformation about the base vs live rock and i was simply trying to clear up the confusion and try to prevent the crash from happening to someone else.

common we are friends here...i am not trying to take shots, but feel like you certainly are. and base rock and live rock meant so many different things to so many people. you are entitled to your opinion, but the 10+ pages in that thread in 3 days SOLIDIFIES my feelings about the original thread, that it was useful, and needed.

 

[Aquarist007]

I guess I have to apologize to you Peter for transfering what I thought was the meaningful stuff out of that other thread so it could be discussed here in a thread that didn't have all that
******match as you put it so well.

Downhillbiker, you obviously don't know how well qualified and a a respected poster that Peter is---or you wouldn't have taken what he said personally.
Re-read this entire thread if you would please and see the comments and who made them on it--there all respected experienced reefers IMO

Similarily, you seemed a guy to me on the other thread that could stay focused and respect others opionions for what they were.
I was, taken back by this approach by you on this site.
please have another look at this site and the posters and lets not turn it into an 'attitude" thread like the other one was.

 

[Paul B]

Check Please!

I think I will go sit and watch my live bricks and cinder block tank.

My live asphalt/bottle/beer can tank is going through a cycle, it must be that dead shrimp I put in there while it was in my garage five years ago :lol:
Have fun

 

[ReefTECK]

Good night you guys! This isn't even that baserock/liverock thread! This isn't about who's got more credentials, who has more posts, who this blah blah blah.

Can we get back to the topic?

Here's a silly misconception about this hobby; "the more posts you have on RC means you have a higher reefing IQ, and thus are more experienced and knowledgeable."

Myth busted: Walt Smith only has 70 posts so far! I think he's probably got some expertise to offer!

common now everybody; breath in light, breath out peace, again, again. okay now we're simmering down.

ltz,
andy

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12454939#post12454939 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Paul B
Check Please!

I think I will go sit and watch my live bricks and cinder block tank.

My live asphalt/bottle/beer can tank is going through a cycle, it must be that dead shrimp I put in there while it was in my garage five years ago :lol:
Have fun

--hmmm I thought you told me before that you ate those:lol:

 

[Paul B]

OK a common misconception in the hobby. Algae is bad.
I think it is good and if you don't have any algae in your tank then it is not as healthy as you think it is.

 

[Dante_JoseCuerv]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12455303#post12455303 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Paul B
OK a common misconception in the hobby. Algae is bad.
I think it is good and if you don't have any algae in your tank then it is not as healthy as you think it is.

Agreed. I have found that keeping some macros in my tank as well as in my fuge has actually helped to lower my nitrates and boost my pod population as well as provide some refuge for my gobies. All in all, a very win-win situation when it comes to algae.

 

[downhillbiker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12454827#post12454827 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capn_hylinur
I guess I have to apologize to you Peter for transfering what I thought was the meaningful stuff out of that other thread so it could be discussed here in a thread that didn't have all that
******match as you put it so well.

Downhillbiker, you obviously don't know how well qualified and a a respected poster that Peter is---or you wouldn't have taken what he said personally.
Re-read this entire thread if you would please and see the comments and who made them on it--there all respected experienced reefers IMO

Similarily, you seemed a guy to me on the other thread that could stay focused and respect others opionions for what they were.
I was, taken back by this approach by you on this site.
please have another look at this site and the posters and lets not turn it into an 'attitude" thread like the other one was.

i'm good...sorry all. i just thought that the other thread had some validity and people learned from it.

respected people also need to give people respect. i am, what i consider, to be very new to the hobby, but i feel that i am an intelligent person and study very hard trying to learn everything i can.

common misconception: clowns must have anemones and visa-versa.

 

[Aquarist007]

clarkie clowns do or they destroy all your other corals trying to host in them--LOL

 

[downhillbiker]

right on. didnt know that. but i guess that wouldnt hold true in an SPS only tank or FOWLR tank.

 

[nalbar]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12455303#post12455303 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Paul B
OK a common misconception in the hobby. Algae is bad.
I think it is good and if you don't have any algae in your tank then it is not as healthy as you think it is.

Absolutely a misconception.

I have one:

'Because 'X' never happened to me, that must mean 'X' never happens'


I don't get specific in misconceptions because I consider the most dangerous ones to be blanket statements. You see these comments all the time. A twist on the one above is;

'X' happened to me, that means it happens to everyone.'

nalbar

 

[D to the P]

I couldn't be bothered reading through all 28 pages of this thread, I just don't have that kind of time haha.
But I remember talking to a customer at work who was planning on setting up a monitoring system that would use 3 different probs and they would all connect to something that would transfer the info to his laptop. We were talking about what monitors he should use since he only had room for three. I suggested, because it was a reef tank that he would be dosing calcium in, using a calcium monitor, a pH monitor, and a nitrate monitor. He asked me about temperature and I told him that it needn't be monitored as closely because there will be some fluctuations, and that is actually ok. He could just use a regular thermometer on his sump and check on it every now and then. Some guy then imposed on the conversation and said:
"No you have to keep your temperature constant. You can't have it fluctuate because your stuff will die. My tank got all the way up to 86 one day and it fried my shrimp and all my corals died."
Then I pointed to 24 gallon tank I care for at work and told him how in the summer time, that tank gets to 86 on a regular basis for a few hours a day when its really hot outside. He took a glance at the thriving reef and then still argued that 86 degrees cooked his tank.

Another common misconception: All the fish from finding Nemo would live together happily...
This one is more of a gripe for me because at work I get this all the time. "I want to keep all the fish from finding Nemo".
A Moorish Idol for a beginner, AND a puffer fish that doesn't eat a cleaner shrimp and starfish?