Easy people no name calling or bashing allowed. Ole Waterkeeper is around and has his
button handy. :eek1:
Tank "maturity" fact or fiction?
- Thread starter Shmax
- Start date
Whys
New member
Shmax,
There are a number of "purists" in this hobby, and most of them haunt Reef Central. Never feed them after midnight.
For my own part, I've broken several "rules", and I'm glad I did. Never pump the return water in at sand level, they said. Only use sugar-fine substrate, they said. Never put a gate valve on the drain line, they said. Powerheads are a necessity, they said. Always put your liverock in the same day as the sandbed, they said. Don't put a red-striper goby in a two week old tank, they said. Don't put a frog-spawn coral in a five week old tank, they said. A court-jester goby requires a more established tank they said.
I've broken each one of these rules, and I'm glad I did. Tank looks great, parameters look great, everything is healthy. Turn over is good, turbulence is great, and the sand bed isn't trapping detritus. My check-valve works as intended (100%), my drain line gate-valve is not a problem. Heat *is* a problem. I wouldn't need a chiller, they said.
Patience is a virtue, in most everything, it's true. And when seeking sunken treasure, best give Neptune his due. But while testing the waters and exploring the new, don't forget that this hobby... still belongs to you.
Peace.
There are a number of "purists" in this hobby, and most of them haunt Reef Central. Never feed them after midnight.
For my own part, I've broken several "rules", and I'm glad I did. Never pump the return water in at sand level, they said. Only use sugar-fine substrate, they said. Never put a gate valve on the drain line, they said. Powerheads are a necessity, they said. Always put your liverock in the same day as the sandbed, they said. Don't put a red-striper goby in a two week old tank, they said. Don't put a frog-spawn coral in a five week old tank, they said. A court-jester goby requires a more established tank they said.
I've broken each one of these rules, and I'm glad I did. Tank looks great, parameters look great, everything is healthy. Turn over is good, turbulence is great, and the sand bed isn't trapping detritus. My check-valve works as intended (100%), my drain line gate-valve is not a problem. Heat *is* a problem. I wouldn't need a chiller, they said.
Patience is a virtue, in most everything, it's true. And when seeking sunken treasure, best give Neptune his due. But while testing the waters and exploring the new, don't forget that this hobby... still belongs to you.
Peace.
xJake
Active member
Not at the moment, but I am in the process of working on a research grant for this summer with one of my professors. We'll be exploring the use of very dilute carbon-source dosing to increase bacterioplankton populations in an attempt to subsequently increase growth rates of reef-building organisms. The experimental design will be built around the use of a newly built coral research system and the growth of the octocoral species Sinularia flexibilis; however, it would also be an interesting side experiment to quantify benthic growth rates as well.
Nothing is set in stone yet, but the main challenge I've been encountering is attempting to quantify bacterioplankton populations. We may have to end up using DAPI with a Triton x-100 rinse, but working with that stuff is a PITA and requires some expensive special equipment.
I'll add you to my buddy list and let you know if the research goes as planned.
Aquarist007
New member
Perhaps you should look at this thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1520368
where some of the oldest and most successful reefers have posted regarding some of the concepts discussed on this thread.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1520368
where some of the oldest and most successful reefers have posted regarding some of the concepts discussed on this thread.
Aquarist007
New member
your welcome--glad to help
