All very well but what do you then think when 6 8 or10 others report the same or similar things?
I say that because Paul isn't alone in his ways. There are others on here who practice very similar ways with equal results so we aren't talking just one individual with a ridiculous way of keeping our reefs but many equally ridiculous. Am not only talking with in US but in Europe as well. I have a few friends here in the UK who now hardly ever post on forums because they gave up trying to defend the way they keep their reef.
My friends don't mind the questions but it's the manner of many the thou shall not brigade who can't or won't accept the results we get. We don't just make hollow claims we show them with photos and videos of beautiful clean disease free reefs. Of course there are many ways to keep a beautiful reef but I don't see many 20 year or more old disease free thriving ones. If our methods didn't work we simply wouldn't advocate them as there would be nothing to be gained by such and yet often you are all but called liars because our ways don't fit their model.
How many fish die in QT or from the very medication designed to cure them. I think the numbers are appalling and you don't have to look far for the answers.
For me the interesting part is people (not talking about a specific person here or even the fish industry) who become experts in their field through many years of work - and then no longer accept a viewpoint other than their own.
I have seen it personally hundreds of times now. The best one was an old gentlemen who was so affronted at a tile adhesive that could hold a 20kg tile without slipping that he insisted that the ‘tiles above it’ would push that down and ‘demonstrated’ by shoving half his body weight on top of the tile to try to force it to slip. He couldn’t understand that the tiles above would also not be slipping. And no doubt he left with his world view safely intact and without the benefit of a new tool in his toolkit. Been in the industry 30 years.
There’s a bacteriologist in this thread saying, hey bacteria don’t work like that, and instead of anyone pausing to get understanding (and for free!) there is a reaction of protecting that old world view.
FWIW I run my tank fairly naturally, it’s 3 months old, it has some local live rock, my fish have been observation only qt’ed and all have done well.
I agree with a lot of what Paul b and others say about a diverse natural tank. So I have no issue with their experience and appreciate their sharing - but keeping in mind the above and my science background, I do not confuse observations with conclusions!
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