You’ve heard me talking a lot about the whole mindset of “lightening up” about stressing over specific target numbers for water quality parameters, and to avoid getting yourself all worked up about keeping your reef systems as “nutrient poor” as possible. I mean, based on what we know about coral nutritional requirements, running near-sterile reef systems that avoid accumulating ANY detectible levels of nitrate, phosphate, etc. are detrimental, rather than beneficial, to many corals. Rather, we talk a lot about “ranges”, and stability WITHIN a range. This is a more sanity-preserving way of running your reef system, believe me!
Your reef is talking...listen to it!
Okay, so it’s one thing to run a propagation facility under these conditions, because if we get a little algae accumulation, should the parameters get away from us slightly, it’s not the end of the world, right? Our systems don’t need to look totally pristine.. After all, we’re growing corals, not trying to create a perfect aesthetic presentation. It’s an entirely different situation when you’re talking about an aquarium that’s in your living room, possibly even being the focal point of said room!
"Ohh..the eggcrate has some algae on it! Okay, so what? I'm going to lunch."
So what’s the best way to go about this? How do we execute a workable husbandry program that doesn’t keep us obsessing over target numbers, while not allowing things to get out of check to the point where nuisance algae and other potentially negative nutrient-related issues can manifest themselves?
Well, let’s break it down a bit.
First, you need to evaluate your reef, and how it runs over the course of say, a month. Observe your tank in terms of factors like water clarity, algae growth, coral color, polyp-extension, and of course, growth. Make mental or literal notes when the tank is looking pretty good, when it’s looking REALLY nice, and when the corals are just thriving. This is the time when you want to perform some basic parameter water tests: Alkalinity, calcium, phosphate, nitrate, and if you want, magnesium and potassium. You’re not trying to go nuts and create a “multi-parameter obsession” by conducting these tests. What you ARE trying to do is get a “baseline” for water parameters when your reef is looking it’s best.
I’m pretty sure that you’ll discover that during the times when the reef is looking good, really nice, and just totally thriving fall within a range, usually a surprisingly narrow range, but nonetheless detectible. Your goal is to not obsess over hitting the perfect target; Rather, what you want to do is keep the system “in range”, which will pretty much assure you, based on the reef’s actual history, that, all things being equal, the tank will run pretty smoothly.
Now granted, there are lots of variables that can affect these parameters, but you can be fairly confident that your reef will look and perform at its best when it falls within the range.
“So, Scott”, you ask, “How is this any different than locking in on specific numbers?” Well, it’s a lot easier to manage a reef tank by keeping it within a range than it is to lock in on EXACT numbers, trust me. That’s a HUGE difference between the way I personally used to run a reef system and the way I operate them now, as it is with a lot of reefers who embrace this philosophy. I’m not telling you to completely rid yourself of ANY knowledge on water parameters; to never pick up a test kit again. Rather, I’m telling you yet again not to obsess about specific target numbers. I'm telling you to understand what they mean to your animals. That's the whole ball game.
Water testing is important...INTERPRETING the tests is crucial.
Obviously, in a display tank, “some” algae is still not a good thing for many of us, despite the fact that it’s a natural situation. However, there is some give and take involved in maintaining a reef aquarium: You may have to accept some things that you’re not 100% thrilled with in order to have an “overall” thriving reef tank. It’s a tradeoff.
What’s your best tool for keeping the parameters “in range?” Broken record time: Water changes! They will remove gross particulate matter, dissolved metabolites not utilized by (or even produced by) the corals themselves. Also, major and minor trace elements, all of which are important to many corals, are replenished at the correct levels when you perform regular water changes with a high quality synthetic salt mix.
Second best thing: Proper feeding. That means, not over feeding prepared foods. It also means to encourage “just enough” nutrient accumulation (some nitrate, trace phosphate) in order to provide corals with nutrition, without letting it get high enough that the corals can’t utilize it, while opportunistic algae can. Don’t over skim your reef. We’re not after “starvation”, remember? It’s a really fine line.
Don't forget that we get by with a little help from our friends...
Oh, and “feeding”, to a coral freak also means having some fish in your system that will give off nitrogenous wastes that are utilized by the corals to fulfill least some of their nutritional requirements.
As we’ve discussed, SOME additives can help foster coral growth, encouraging their metabolic processes, which, of course, include feeding on organics within the system (ie; your nitrate and phosphate), so that they don’t have a chance to accumulate. Amino acids, for example, play a very important role in coral health and in particular, their colors. ‘SPS” corals benefit from amino acid dosing, as it prevents them from bleaching, and spurs the production of pigments that help regulate the amount of light they receive- kinda like natural “sunblock.” Of further interest is the fact that scientists have noted that corals uptake amino acids during daylight hours, as this uptake is stimulated by light. Everything sort of works together in a reef system, doesn’t it?
So where the “art” part of this husbandry process/philosophy comes in is knowing how to find the balance between “too much” and “too little” accumulation of phosphate and nitrate. We’re really talking about barely detectible amounts for most systems. Your corals will tell you when you have too much by losing color, failing to readily extend polyps, and by showing lackluster growth. Your overall system will show it’s “displeasure” by accumulations of nuisance algae where none was previously found.
It’s a fine line, and you’ll have to become a very keen observer of your reef. If you want to get away from obsessing over target numbers, you need to spend more time watching the overall picture than you do staring at controller readouts and test results. You need to INTERPRET just what these results mean for YOUR system, however- and the best way to do that is to look carefully at your aquarium over time.
At the risk of sounding like I’m all over the place here (I might just be…as you know, logic is a small part of my “operating system”, right?), I think that the most important attribute you can have as a reefer (besides financial solvency and an understanding spouse!) is the power to observe, interpret, and act.
Data is only good if you can act on it. Don't get caught up in "analysis paralysis!"
Obviously, we can and will be able to discuss, critique, and debate my philosophy here for some time. Again, I am the LAST guy to tell you to slack off on maintenance, throw away test kits, and cast discipline and caution to the wind with your reef management. However, I’ll be the FIRST guy to tell you to “lighten up” a bit and act based upon what you’re actually SEEING in your reef. It’s a seemingly simple process that many reefers spend lifetimes in the hobby NOT getting. You need to free yourself a bit of the old conventions of specific target numbers, and become…gulp..(smack me for saying this)- a “coral whisperer…” (What next, I’ll quote the guys from “Tanked” for husbandry wisdom? Yikes, I must have hit my head surfing last week or something…).
Anyways, relax a bit, think through your goals, and observe.
And, most important…
Stay Wet
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
Your reef is talking...listen to it!
Okay, so it’s one thing to run a propagation facility under these conditions, because if we get a little algae accumulation, should the parameters get away from us slightly, it’s not the end of the world, right? Our systems don’t need to look totally pristine.. After all, we’re growing corals, not trying to create a perfect aesthetic presentation. It’s an entirely different situation when you’re talking about an aquarium that’s in your living room, possibly even being the focal point of said room!
"Ohh..the eggcrate has some algae on it! Okay, so what? I'm going to lunch."
So what’s the best way to go about this? How do we execute a workable husbandry program that doesn’t keep us obsessing over target numbers, while not allowing things to get out of check to the point where nuisance algae and other potentially negative nutrient-related issues can manifest themselves?
Well, let’s break it down a bit.
First, you need to evaluate your reef, and how it runs over the course of say, a month. Observe your tank in terms of factors like water clarity, algae growth, coral color, polyp-extension, and of course, growth. Make mental or literal notes when the tank is looking pretty good, when it’s looking REALLY nice, and when the corals are just thriving. This is the time when you want to perform some basic parameter water tests: Alkalinity, calcium, phosphate, nitrate, and if you want, magnesium and potassium. You’re not trying to go nuts and create a “multi-parameter obsession” by conducting these tests. What you ARE trying to do is get a “baseline” for water parameters when your reef is looking it’s best.
I’m pretty sure that you’ll discover that during the times when the reef is looking good, really nice, and just totally thriving fall within a range, usually a surprisingly narrow range, but nonetheless detectible. Your goal is to not obsess over hitting the perfect target; Rather, what you want to do is keep the system “in range”, which will pretty much assure you, based on the reef’s actual history, that, all things being equal, the tank will run pretty smoothly.
Now granted, there are lots of variables that can affect these parameters, but you can be fairly confident that your reef will look and perform at its best when it falls within the range.
“So, Scott”, you ask, “How is this any different than locking in on specific numbers?” Well, it’s a lot easier to manage a reef tank by keeping it within a range than it is to lock in on EXACT numbers, trust me. That’s a HUGE difference between the way I personally used to run a reef system and the way I operate them now, as it is with a lot of reefers who embrace this philosophy. I’m not telling you to completely rid yourself of ANY knowledge on water parameters; to never pick up a test kit again. Rather, I’m telling you yet again not to obsess about specific target numbers. I'm telling you to understand what they mean to your animals. That's the whole ball game.
Water testing is important...INTERPRETING the tests is crucial.
Obviously, in a display tank, “some” algae is still not a good thing for many of us, despite the fact that it’s a natural situation. However, there is some give and take involved in maintaining a reef aquarium: You may have to accept some things that you’re not 100% thrilled with in order to have an “overall” thriving reef tank. It’s a tradeoff.
What’s your best tool for keeping the parameters “in range?” Broken record time: Water changes! They will remove gross particulate matter, dissolved metabolites not utilized by (or even produced by) the corals themselves. Also, major and minor trace elements, all of which are important to many corals, are replenished at the correct levels when you perform regular water changes with a high quality synthetic salt mix.
Second best thing: Proper feeding. That means, not over feeding prepared foods. It also means to encourage “just enough” nutrient accumulation (some nitrate, trace phosphate) in order to provide corals with nutrition, without letting it get high enough that the corals can’t utilize it, while opportunistic algae can. Don’t over skim your reef. We’re not after “starvation”, remember? It’s a really fine line.
Don't forget that we get by with a little help from our friends...
Oh, and “feeding”, to a coral freak also means having some fish in your system that will give off nitrogenous wastes that are utilized by the corals to fulfill least some of their nutritional requirements.
As we’ve discussed, SOME additives can help foster coral growth, encouraging their metabolic processes, which, of course, include feeding on organics within the system (ie; your nitrate and phosphate), so that they don’t have a chance to accumulate. Amino acids, for example, play a very important role in coral health and in particular, their colors. ‘SPS” corals benefit from amino acid dosing, as it prevents them from bleaching, and spurs the production of pigments that help regulate the amount of light they receive- kinda like natural “sunblock.” Of further interest is the fact that scientists have noted that corals uptake amino acids during daylight hours, as this uptake is stimulated by light. Everything sort of works together in a reef system, doesn’t it?
So where the “art” part of this husbandry process/philosophy comes in is knowing how to find the balance between “too much” and “too little” accumulation of phosphate and nitrate. We’re really talking about barely detectible amounts for most systems. Your corals will tell you when you have too much by losing color, failing to readily extend polyps, and by showing lackluster growth. Your overall system will show it’s “displeasure” by accumulations of nuisance algae where none was previously found.
It’s a fine line, and you’ll have to become a very keen observer of your reef. If you want to get away from obsessing over target numbers, you need to spend more time watching the overall picture than you do staring at controller readouts and test results. You need to INTERPRET just what these results mean for YOUR system, however- and the best way to do that is to look carefully at your aquarium over time.
At the risk of sounding like I’m all over the place here (I might just be…as you know, logic is a small part of my “operating system”, right?), I think that the most important attribute you can have as a reefer (besides financial solvency and an understanding spouse!) is the power to observe, interpret, and act.
Data is only good if you can act on it. Don't get caught up in "analysis paralysis!"
Obviously, we can and will be able to discuss, critique, and debate my philosophy here for some time. Again, I am the LAST guy to tell you to slack off on maintenance, throw away test kits, and cast discipline and caution to the wind with your reef management. However, I’ll be the FIRST guy to tell you to “lighten up” a bit and act based upon what you’re actually SEEING in your reef. It’s a seemingly simple process that many reefers spend lifetimes in the hobby NOT getting. You need to free yourself a bit of the old conventions of specific target numbers, and become…gulp..(smack me for saying this)- a “coral whisperer…” (What next, I’ll quote the guys from “Tanked” for husbandry wisdom? Yikes, I must have hit my head surfing last week or something…).
Anyways, relax a bit, think through your goals, and observe.
And, most important…
Stay Wet
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
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