Every tank is vastly so different, here is my findings.
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ArachnoJoozt
Active Member
Very interesting! I'm a firm believer in the necessity of a good bacterial population (so not only the ones in a bottle).
In your line of work you have the perfect opportunity to do some experiments with this that could only be helpful (not detrimental) to some of your customers struggling tanks:
When doing waterchanges in the most thriving reefs, save some of the water, maybe a little media/sand and introduce this to a tank that's not quite so stable. See if it helps the tank compared to a tank which is given the 'normal' treatment.
Seems to me like a very low-risk experiment, but I fully understand if you're not willing to do this seeing the big responsibity for the tanks.
In your line of work you have the perfect opportunity to do some experiments with this that could only be helpful (not detrimental) to some of your customers struggling tanks:
When doing waterchanges in the most thriving reefs, save some of the water, maybe a little media/sand and introduce this to a tank that's not quite so stable. See if it helps the tank compared to a tank which is given the 'normal' treatment.
Seems to me like a very low-risk experiment, but I fully understand if you're not willing to do this seeing the big responsibity for the tanks.
Btw Great thread.
Not sure if I missed this, other external factors may be:
Smoking / non smoking home
Scented candles / plug in room deodorizers
Lysol / Antibacterial sprays
Location near a well used kitchen
Windex to clean tank glass
Not sure if I missed this, other external factors may be:
Smoking / non smoking home
Scented candles / plug in room deodorizers
Lysol / Antibacterial sprays
Location near a well used kitchen
Windex to clean tank glass
flyingscampi
Active Member
Maybe all the chemicals used to keep a room super clean would be more harmful than a thick layer of dust? I hope so, because my housekeeping leaves a lot to be desired...
It is interesting to hear the experience of someone who services multiple tanks for a living.
I have two completely independent systems in my home that are always keeping me on my toes. One system is more of a coral farming multi tank setup that tends to have more issues than the main display.
Both are setup using the same methodology, but have some minor differences in their personalities. The common destabilizing component is when I remove large amounts of coral. Parameters swing around and take some time and effort to stabilizes. Makes sense.
perhaps according to your working theory, I am fortunate that my wife has a cat allergy. Lol!
I have two completely independent systems in my home that are always keeping me on my toes. One system is more of a coral farming multi tank setup that tends to have more issues than the main display.
Both are setup using the same methodology, but have some minor differences in their personalities. The common destabilizing component is when I remove large amounts of coral. Parameters swing around and take some time and effort to stabilizes. Makes sense.
perhaps according to your working theory, I am fortunate that my wife has a cat allergy. Lol!
My cat has pooped and urinated in my tanks. Much less stressful on corals than an alk spike.
ColoredRock
Well-Known Member
wait.... what?... I'm trying to visual comprehended that.
shes got problems
she usually goes in the toilets now that the tanks are sealed off.
All are doing good. I did water changes after it happened, was a nasty mess in my small tank but I doubt it did much to a 300 gallon.
No losses when it happened in either case though.
Added prime, but again I doubt that was even necessary on the large tank.
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Interesting read but really, cats.
I have 4 and my systems have no issues.
Maybe those tanks had cat scratch fever.
I have 4 and my systems have no issues.
Maybe those tanks had cat scratch fever.
sghera64
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+1I do not find this surprising at all.
Every tank has developed its own family of bacteria that shifts the needle all over the place.
IMO every tank is reactionary to the live rock and how certain bacteria are growing vs those that aren't
Plus each home/office that houses a tank has different CO2 levels, HVAC particulates and perhaps aquatic foods that are introduced. There is a new service available to measure the biodiversity of our aquarium water.
Not to mention what you add to the tank (coral, fish, other) brings with it an influence on the system from the compounds it produces and excretes. Small differences in light duration/PAR, flow, skimming, aeration, etcetera can make a big difference over time.
....my 2 cents:
Condensed version of why tanks differ:
Rock (liverock, man made, contaminated, etc)
Stock (fish, their diet, etc)
Parasites (what got in, what flourished)
Water movement (dead zones, etc)
Husbandry (how you interact with the tank, contaminates).
Light (less of an issue these days... Was a bigger issue during the days of VHOs, compact fluorescents, metal halides, etc).
All chemistry parameters being about equal, the above will determine the outcome of any particular tank.
My top two: rock and fish food.
Very good rock (very well seasoned and stable rock with no pollutants).
Good quality fish food. Heavy feeding can be done, but the tank has to adapt to it.
Finally, the types of corals and the chemical warfare they engage in..
Cat hair? No effect.
Condensed version of why tanks differ:
Rock (liverock, man made, contaminated, etc)
Stock (fish, their diet, etc)
Parasites (what got in, what flourished)
Water movement (dead zones, etc)
Husbandry (how you interact with the tank, contaminates).
Light (less of an issue these days... Was a bigger issue during the days of VHOs, compact fluorescents, metal halides, etc).
All chemistry parameters being about equal, the above will determine the outcome of any particular tank.
My top two: rock and fish food.
Very good rock (very well seasoned and stable rock with no pollutants).
Good quality fish food. Heavy feeding can be done, but the tank has to adapt to it.
Finally, the types of corals and the chemical warfare they engage in..
Cat hair? No effect.
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Matthew varble
Community Member
Yes I think it has better chance of stability with a clean room.
Very interesting you ask this. There was a 80 gallon timeless tank that was set up fresh, same deal good clean 0tds water. Equipment was very nice, high end lights and good filtration. They lived in apartment, and I always assumed they smoked cigarettes in the apartment. The tank did ok, but would randomly have stn and brown jelly randomly. So after talking about the smoke for awhile, we figured out that they did not smoke. It was actually the people below that I assume smoke so much, that was affecting his apartment, and was incoherently destroying his tank. Skimmer taking in bad air and injecting directly into the water.
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Matthew varble
Community Member
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Matthew varble
Community Member
The cat hair/ammonia is only a speculation. But as everyone has stated there is plenty of variables.
we use microbacter 7 and microbacter start and all of our pest free live rock.
we use microbacter 7 and microbacter start and all of our pest free live rock.
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Matthew varble
Community Member
It’s the only thing they have in common, but doesn’t mean it’s the reason by any means. One tank/ stand smells more of cat spray. But absolutely could be lotions, jewelry, Lysol. I am definitely not trying to bash cats by any means lol. Just the common similarities I noticed.
Can't say I'm surprised. A couple decades ago I set up 6 frag tanks exactly the same and doing the same maintnenace within a few months had 6 different tanks. All the animals and algae are manipulating the DOC and the microbial processes in reef systems and everything is in constant flux. Here's a few papers I've found I think help explain why thing can be so different even when maintenance is the same:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
www.nature.com
www.researchgate.net
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Tissue Age Affects Calcification in the Scleractinian Coral Madracis mirabilis | The Biological Bulletin: Vol 212, No 1
In this study, two factorial experiments were used to investigate the role of tissue age in affecting the phenotypic expression of calcification in scleractinian corals. Both experiments tested whether calcification was altered by tissue age and whether corals of different ages exploit...
www.journals.uchicago.edu
Aura-biomes are present in the water layer above coral reef benthic macro-organisms
As coral reef habitats decline worldwide, some reefs are transitioning from coral- to algal-dominated benthos with the exact cause for this shift remaining elusive. Increases in the abundance of microbes in the water column has been correlated with an ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Intraspecific differences in molecular stress responses and coral pathobiome contribute to mortality under bacterial challenge in Acropora millepora - Scientific Reports
Disease causes significant coral mortality worldwide; however, factors responsible for intraspecific variation in disease resistance remain unclear. We exposed fragments of eight Acropora millepora colonies (genotypes) to putatively pathogenic bacteria (Vibrio spp.). Genotypes varied from zero...
www.nature.com
(PDF) Differential recycling of coral and algal dissolved organic matter via the sponge loop
PDF | Summary Corals and macroalgae release large quantities of dissolved organic matter (DOM), one of the largest sources of organic matter produced on... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate
www.researchgate.net
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