Do “reefers” rely on science or a 6th sense?

[Cory]

Science , if I relied on my 6th sense probably my reef would be dead long ago.

 

[NatsRams]

So like many of you, I’ve been doing this for a long time. And I find the science behind it interesting and helpful but I’m not a numbers chaser. And certainly the consensus is “don’t chase numbers”! And numbers in our hobby often represent science. But as I share with friends about my successes in this beautiful hobby, I can’t help but feel that my success is often driven by chance or gut feeling that has worked for me in times past. And I go for it!

1. Do you have a “Reefing book” that you observed word for word?
2. Or do you have a 6th sense?

I do (did) have books. I say did because I haven’t seen them in a LONG time and am not sure if I still have them. I just got back into this hobby in the last couple of years. I now rely more on the experiences of others than books. I guess that is close to science, but I’d suggest that experience is more trial and error than science where there is a hypothesis, study design, and quantitative analysis.

 

[ukgeoff]

As much as I want to believe in juju/magic/luck, science is the winner for me. It makes it so much easier to set up and run a successful tank by simply matching the proven target values of other successful reef tank owners. Using a baseline of proven parameters, my tank has never looked so good.

Also, I know this may sound strange but I get a buzz tweaking my equipment, testing my parameters and dialling everything in. I find it's all part of the enjoyment of running my tank, especially when I see positive results from changes I've made

 

[Karen00]

I think it's a bit of both. Obviously we know some parameters like ammonia can't be messed with but other parameters depend on the tank and what inhabitants are in it so there's suggested guidance around those as to upper and lower limits. That includes lighting. That's science. Most of us can look at our tank(s) and just know when it's humming along fine or whether something is wrong. That's intuition.

 

[ReefGeezer]

The observations, and the decisions I make based on them, are colored by years of reading information that were more than likely developed using the scientific process, and the experiences I've had when their prescriptions were applied. When I get a feeling about something, I don't think of any particular information that explains it, I just go with it.
I've also read information that was carefully created by the marketing process to look like it was "scientifically developed". Unfortunately, in the past that info has also colored my observations and decisions... usually resulting in bad outcomes. I'm lookin' at you Vibrant as the pinnacle of that kind of information. It took me too long to figure out the difference. Heck, I still have trouble sometimes. I'm currently struggling with bottled heterotrophic bacteria. I just can't figure out if it is science or marketing.

 

[sixty_reefer]

I'm currently struggling with bottled heterotrophic bacteria. I just can't figure out if it is science or marketing.

In my view it’s both, the assimilation of nutrients by heterotrophic bacteria is well studied and marketing as it’s a easy way to give someone that doesn’t know how to utilise their existing bacteria in their favour a impression that it’s some sort of magic in a bottle.

 

[ReefGeezer]

In my view it’s both, the assimilation of nutrients by heterotrophic bacteria is well studied and marketing as it’s a easy way to give someone that doesn’t know how to utilise their existing bacteria in their favour a impression that it’s some sort of magic in a bottle.

My struggle is not the well studied and peer reviewed assimilation of nutrients by heterotopic bacteria... That's the science. It is if the living bacteria, touted to help my reef tank, could still exist in those bottles after being shipped across the world, in freezing cold and extreme heat, and after sitting on a store shelf or warehouse floor for months. I'm afraid that convincing us that that bacteria can live in that bottle is the marketing process in action.

 

[sixty_reefer]

My struggle is not the well studied and peer reviewed assimilation of nutrients by heterotopic bacteria... That's the science. It is if the living bacteria, touted to help my reef tank, could still exist in those bottles after being shipped across the world, in freezing cold and extreme heat, and after sitting on a store shelf or warehouse floor for months. I'm afraid that convincing us that that bacteria can live in that bottle is the marketing process in action.

I see your point of view, you may be surprised that the main ingredients will survive the trip. even if all bacteria was to be lost during shipping, it would still be effective at doing its job.
The reason is because there is two forms of nutrients in the vessel, organic Carbon and phosphates. They only shipped with two nutrients for the bacteria to stay dormant and not assimilate the nutrients in the vessel.
Once it hits a tank those added nutrients will remove nutrient limitations and allow for bacteria to “clean the tank”.
Just shipping heterotrophic bacteria on its own would be bad for business as it wouldn’t work once it got to the end tank that may already be limited for the bacteria to work.
This is why I say it’s a bit of both science and marketing, marketing will always be favourable for a larger part of the saltwater community.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I see your point of view, you may be surprised that the main ingredients will survive the trip. even if all bacteria was to be lost during shipping, it would still be effective at doing its job.
The reason is because there is two forms of nutrients in the vessel, organic Carbon and phosphates. They only shipped with two nutrients for the bacteria to stay dormant and not assimilate the nutrients in the vessel.
Once it hits a tank those added nutrients will remove nutrient limitations and allow for bacteria to “clean the tank”.
Just shipping heterotrophic bacteria on its own would be bad for business as it wouldn’t work once it got to the end tank that may already be limited for the bacteria to work.
This is why I say it’s a bit of both science and marketing, marketing will always be favourable for a larger part of the saltwater community.

I hear ya. We should probably continue this discussion elsewhere though and let the thread continue on its original path.