Method- “A particular form of procedure for accomplishing or approaching something, especially a systematic or established one.â€
Sitting around one night, I was looking at the sexy new equipment I’ve been accumulating for my new system, and I thought about some major trends and fads from over the years to see what impact they had on the hobby. How they impacted us and…for that matter…how they actually stuck around.
So, here we are, 3 decades into the reef aquarium hobby, and we’ve already gone through a number of evolutions in our equipment, technique, and philosophy. After a lifetime in the hobby, you see a lot of trends come and go. Fads and “new†ideas show up and subsequently vanish back into the mists of time. Some of these “fads†do stick around a while, becoming part of our “methodologyâ€, yet many quickly disappear after we move on to the next big thing.
Just like mankind- the hobby evolves continuously...
Or…they evolve, becoming known as “methods†in our hobby. While pondering all of the cool stuff that’s going on in the reef keeping hobby, I thought it worthwhile to review the “method†that has probably had the most impact on the “postmodern†reef aquarium hobby- The “Berlin Methodâ€-and how it has impacted almost everything we do in reef keeping to this day.
This methodology for reef keeping was originally developed in the 1970’s (yeah- you heard me!), but hit its stride in the early 1990’s, shortly after the maturation of the “first wave†of reef keeping hit. Peter Wilkens of the Berlin Marine Association developed his method, and it opened the door to success with stony corals in aquariums. It involved using live rock, live sand, removal of surface-active compounds through overflow boxes, strong water movement, protein skimming, and the use of granular activated carbon as a chemical filtration media. The method also included the addition of “kalkwasser†and trace elements for corals. We’re talking about a system that provided trace elements, chemical and biological filtration, and strong water movement…and it was originally developed before many of us were born!
(From Spring and Delbeek)
The "Berlin Method" also espoused the use of a substrate- Wilkens actually advocated the use of course sand (like 5-10mm diameter) at about 1†of depth. I never could figure out if this was recommended because of the perceived biological advantages, or for buffering capacity? I suspect the latter, but if you ask 10 reef “historiansâ€, you’ll receive 10 different opinions on the subject. Of course, the accumulation of detritus was a big concern with the coarse stuff, and frequent siphoning was required. It’s interesting to note that, by the time this method arrived in the U.S., hobbyists were evolving it to utilize the really fine stuff (like 1mm grain size oolitic aragonite), or even forgoing substrate altogether.
The use of a surface overflow was an original feature of the 1986-vintage “Minireef†filtration systems that emerged when the modern reef craze hit the U.S. Dissolved organic compounds build up in actively-growing reef systems, and the surface skimmer was designed to remove them from the surface of the water. Since the accumulation of these compounds can inhibit oxygen exchange, the overflow box works perfectly to remove these substances. The thinnest layer of water has the highest concentration of these compounds, and that’s why large overflow boxes came into vogue.
Another cool thing that arose out of the “Berlin Method†was the use of strong water movement within the aquarium. Wilkins advocated like 10 times tank capacity per hour- strong flow for its time. With the introduction of more powerful and efficient propeller pumps, like Tunze, Vortech, Korallia, and the like, it’s totally normal to see flow rates of 50-60 times tank capacity per hour-or more, utilized in our reefs. This is a wonderful example of a need being filled by emerging technologies, and strong flow has been the standard of reef systems for decades.
Strong water movement has been advocated in the hobby since the introduction of the "Berlin Method." The technology has finally caught up with the concept!
Of course, the “Berlin Method†utilized a sump, which has become the “nexus of every modern reef aquarium. The protein skimmer (another essential piece of equipment utilized in the method) was located within the sump, where it operates efficiently. The heavy use of skimmers spurred another technological evolution, and numerous high-quality, purpose-built skimmers entered the market as a result.
Perhaps the most well-known component of the “Berlin Method†was the use of kalkwasser (that’s German for “limewaterâ€), also known as calcium hydroxide. “Kalk†was perhaps the coolest thing to emerge out of this method, because it literally set the foundation for coral growth. Since it was derived from limestone, it had other impurities, such as strontium and magnesium in trace amounts- both essential for growth of stony corals. Kalwasser was typically dripped in at the same rate as the evaporation of the system- not exactly the most precise way to dose something, but it worked! I always thought it a bit weird that the evaporation rate of your water would dictate the rate at which you supplemented this seemingly vital substance, and wouldn’t you know it- I was right!
Kalkwasser: The literal foundation of the "Berlin Method."
Of course, no “method†would be complete without some controversy, right? And the “Berlin Method†had its own source of controversy- the addition of trace element solutions. It was known that stuff like, zinc, selenium, born, molybdenum. strontium, iodide, manganese, etc. were useful to corals, and various “solutions†were marketed- often with dubious consistency- to “add†these vital trace elements to the aquarium. This was rather crude, but sort of kick-stated the modern “additive†market, didn’t it? Remember all of those “all-in-one†supplements? Yup.
Amazing stuff, when you realize just how much of our modern methodology draws from the “Berlin Methodâ€- and how many developments and refinements arose from the adoption of the techniques developed and pioneered by Wilkens. As we look at things like “ULNSâ€, Zeovit, “Dutch Synthetic Reefkeepingâ€, “Triton Methodâ€, “Balling Methodâ€, etc., it’s useful to gain some context by looking at the common origins of many of these systems.
Lots of work has been done to make the maintenance and propagation of stony corals possible...
The purpose of this piece was not to provide a historical review of the “Berlin Method.†Rather, my point in examining this stuff is to gain a perspective from reef aquarium history of just how much our hobby has evolved, and how the things we know now and perhaps take for granted had their basis in concepts developed decades before. It’s very interesting to look at the rise, fall, and evolution of aquarium trends. I hope this little walk through hobby history has provoked you to think a bit about how we have evolved in the hobby and about how much more we have to learn.
By looking at the past, we can hopefully create a brighter future for ourselves and the animals we cherish. Who knows what the next “revolution†in reefkeeping will be and how it will evolve into a hobby mainstay–or not!
Just how many techniques do you use everyday in your reef keeping that evolved from the “Berlin Method?†I’m curious how you feel about where we are now versus where we came from, and what your thoughts are on the next iterations of reef keeping method!
Share, discuss…enlighten!
And, of course…
Stay wet.
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
Sitting around one night, I was looking at the sexy new equipment I’ve been accumulating for my new system, and I thought about some major trends and fads from over the years to see what impact they had on the hobby. How they impacted us and…for that matter…how they actually stuck around.
So, here we are, 3 decades into the reef aquarium hobby, and we’ve already gone through a number of evolutions in our equipment, technique, and philosophy. After a lifetime in the hobby, you see a lot of trends come and go. Fads and “new†ideas show up and subsequently vanish back into the mists of time. Some of these “fads†do stick around a while, becoming part of our “methodologyâ€, yet many quickly disappear after we move on to the next big thing.
Just like mankind- the hobby evolves continuously...
Or…they evolve, becoming known as “methods†in our hobby. While pondering all of the cool stuff that’s going on in the reef keeping hobby, I thought it worthwhile to review the “method†that has probably had the most impact on the “postmodern†reef aquarium hobby- The “Berlin Methodâ€-and how it has impacted almost everything we do in reef keeping to this day.
This methodology for reef keeping was originally developed in the 1970’s (yeah- you heard me!), but hit its stride in the early 1990’s, shortly after the maturation of the “first wave†of reef keeping hit. Peter Wilkens of the Berlin Marine Association developed his method, and it opened the door to success with stony corals in aquariums. It involved using live rock, live sand, removal of surface-active compounds through overflow boxes, strong water movement, protein skimming, and the use of granular activated carbon as a chemical filtration media. The method also included the addition of “kalkwasser†and trace elements for corals. We’re talking about a system that provided trace elements, chemical and biological filtration, and strong water movement…and it was originally developed before many of us were born!
(From Spring and Delbeek)
The "Berlin Method" also espoused the use of a substrate- Wilkens actually advocated the use of course sand (like 5-10mm diameter) at about 1†of depth. I never could figure out if this was recommended because of the perceived biological advantages, or for buffering capacity? I suspect the latter, but if you ask 10 reef “historiansâ€, you’ll receive 10 different opinions on the subject. Of course, the accumulation of detritus was a big concern with the coarse stuff, and frequent siphoning was required. It’s interesting to note that, by the time this method arrived in the U.S., hobbyists were evolving it to utilize the really fine stuff (like 1mm grain size oolitic aragonite), or even forgoing substrate altogether.
The use of a surface overflow was an original feature of the 1986-vintage “Minireef†filtration systems that emerged when the modern reef craze hit the U.S. Dissolved organic compounds build up in actively-growing reef systems, and the surface skimmer was designed to remove them from the surface of the water. Since the accumulation of these compounds can inhibit oxygen exchange, the overflow box works perfectly to remove these substances. The thinnest layer of water has the highest concentration of these compounds, and that’s why large overflow boxes came into vogue.
Another cool thing that arose out of the “Berlin Method†was the use of strong water movement within the aquarium. Wilkins advocated like 10 times tank capacity per hour- strong flow for its time. With the introduction of more powerful and efficient propeller pumps, like Tunze, Vortech, Korallia, and the like, it’s totally normal to see flow rates of 50-60 times tank capacity per hour-or more, utilized in our reefs. This is a wonderful example of a need being filled by emerging technologies, and strong flow has been the standard of reef systems for decades.
Strong water movement has been advocated in the hobby since the introduction of the "Berlin Method." The technology has finally caught up with the concept!
Of course, the “Berlin Method†utilized a sump, which has become the “nexus of every modern reef aquarium. The protein skimmer (another essential piece of equipment utilized in the method) was located within the sump, where it operates efficiently. The heavy use of skimmers spurred another technological evolution, and numerous high-quality, purpose-built skimmers entered the market as a result.
Perhaps the most well-known component of the “Berlin Method†was the use of kalkwasser (that’s German for “limewaterâ€), also known as calcium hydroxide. “Kalk†was perhaps the coolest thing to emerge out of this method, because it literally set the foundation for coral growth. Since it was derived from limestone, it had other impurities, such as strontium and magnesium in trace amounts- both essential for growth of stony corals. Kalwasser was typically dripped in at the same rate as the evaporation of the system- not exactly the most precise way to dose something, but it worked! I always thought it a bit weird that the evaporation rate of your water would dictate the rate at which you supplemented this seemingly vital substance, and wouldn’t you know it- I was right!
Kalkwasser: The literal foundation of the "Berlin Method."
Of course, no “method†would be complete without some controversy, right? And the “Berlin Method†had its own source of controversy- the addition of trace element solutions. It was known that stuff like, zinc, selenium, born, molybdenum. strontium, iodide, manganese, etc. were useful to corals, and various “solutions†were marketed- often with dubious consistency- to “add†these vital trace elements to the aquarium. This was rather crude, but sort of kick-stated the modern “additive†market, didn’t it? Remember all of those “all-in-one†supplements? Yup.
Amazing stuff, when you realize just how much of our modern methodology draws from the “Berlin Methodâ€- and how many developments and refinements arose from the adoption of the techniques developed and pioneered by Wilkens. As we look at things like “ULNSâ€, Zeovit, “Dutch Synthetic Reefkeepingâ€, “Triton Methodâ€, “Balling Methodâ€, etc., it’s useful to gain some context by looking at the common origins of many of these systems.
Lots of work has been done to make the maintenance and propagation of stony corals possible...
The purpose of this piece was not to provide a historical review of the “Berlin Method.†Rather, my point in examining this stuff is to gain a perspective from reef aquarium history of just how much our hobby has evolved, and how the things we know now and perhaps take for granted had their basis in concepts developed decades before. It’s very interesting to look at the rise, fall, and evolution of aquarium trends. I hope this little walk through hobby history has provoked you to think a bit about how we have evolved in the hobby and about how much more we have to learn.
By looking at the past, we can hopefully create a brighter future for ourselves and the animals we cherish. Who knows what the next “revolution†in reefkeeping will be and how it will evolve into a hobby mainstay–or not!
Just how many techniques do you use everyday in your reef keeping that evolved from the “Berlin Method?†I’m curious how you feel about where we are now versus where we came from, and what your thoughts are on the next iterations of reef keeping method!
Share, discuss…enlighten!
And, of course…
Stay wet.
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
