Hear hear. I was just going to pop in and give Dr. Ron an "Atta Boy".
I think it's rather amazing the pounding these living creatures take and yet stay alive. I've already seen enough creatures enter a futile struggle for survival under my care to last a lifetime. I've only read the article once, but I'm not sure what tools a lay person could use.
I know one lay person had already decided that the idea that every coral reef the world over has the same characteristics is rather a far fetched wish. So replicating world-wide reef conditions in one 65 gallon box is a really stupid thing to even think about. But he's at a loss first to describe his own setup - let alone comparing it to others. Witness a thread in Anthony Calfo's forum trying to describe water flow with words. Somewhere between laminar and turbulent. At least with rocks we have gravel, sand, grit, pebbles etc !