Is a Pest and Contaminant Free Tank Really Doable for Hobbyist?

[Dburr1014]

Impossible!

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.3c01158

 

[Joe Tyler Reefing]

From the wise words of Jurassic Park Dr. Ian Malcom - "The kind of control you're attempting simply is, it's not possible. If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, it expands to new territories and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously...life, uh, finds a way."

 

[Alexraptor]

"Pest" is such a relative term. Anything can be a pest if it grows/spreads out of control. But a lot of organisms labeled as pests can be quite beneficial in moderation or under the right conditions.

Even dinoflagellates have their place in the marine food web, but can quickly become a problem if there is no competition to keep their numbers in check. Likewise ALL the algaes and even cyanobacteria have their place too, and I would argue they are in fact necessary for a healthy marine system, but again, it is a matter of balance and control (or the illusion of. ).

 

[karsa]

I’ve tried and kept most major pest/diseases out but vermetide snails and bubble algae still slipped through

 

[karsa]

Double post

 

[Nburg's Reef]

I feel like its possible but not probable or feasible. Most of the mild pests I have in my tank were not visible on the corals and rocks that I put in the system but always find a way in. I think it is possible to avoid major pests like aptasia, AEFWs, ich and certain algae, but something is always going to find its way in.

As long as I keep ich, aptasia and AEFW out of my system, I will consider a success.

 

[paragrouper]

I focus on control and try not to overreact when I find something I don’t want in the tank. I still find the occasional bubble algae, GHA or Aiptasia show up—I just remove them when I find them.

 

[stevieduk]

I have watched a bazillion videos about keeping my display pest and contaminant-free, but how practical is it?

• Live rock from the ocean or gulf?
• No Coral quarantine? Dip and slip it in the tank?
• One set of tools and tubs for water changes?

I do what I can to mitigate issues, but is it realistic for most hobbyists to keep a “sterile” marine tank? How many aquarists believe they have a strict protocol that supports a pest-free tank vs.. I do what I can.

Just wondering if I am on an Island of 1.

Why would you want to keep it sterile. Fish and coral are exposed to many nasties in the wild, and its that that makes them strong, as it does for human beings. Take this away and you get weak livestock

 

[bmr]

Why would you want to keep it sterile. Fish and coral are exposed to many nasties in the wild, and its that that makes them strong, as it does for human beings. Take this away and you get weak livestock

I am with you, but IMO, that is not what the industry promotes as the standard. Those who have not been in the hobby for any length of time chase something unobtainable.


Signed
Chickenpox Party Child

 

[BigAsh]

It should be possible to avoid unwanted organisms but it would take extreme caution, including avoidance of certain additions, and probably a lot of luck.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Due to the nature of marine life, in my opinion it is impossible to not have some unwanted organisms in a reef aquarium. However, their numbers can be greatly reduced if enough effort is put into doing so.

 

[MnFish1]

Why would you want to keep it sterile. Fish and coral are exposed to many nasties in the wild, and its that that makes them strong, as it does for human beings. Take this away and you get weak livestock

Curious, if that is so - how are the tank-raised fish supposedly 'more healthy' than wild fish? FWIW, there are numerous diseases that science has/is trying to eradicate (polio, smallpox, malaria, etc etc) - doing so will not make humanity 'weak' Or?

PS - the other poster said "Sterile" - I assume he did not mean 100% sterile (i.e. no bacteria, etc) - but free from disease. It is impossible to keep an aquarium sterile

 

[legalizedreefer]

I don’t believe it’s possible, but more importantly I don’t believe it should be the goal. In your attempts to make things “sterile” you will strip the ability for those pests (ich, velvet, etc) to be dealt with when they inevitably do arrive.

My approach which has worked for me is:
- dont buy fish that stress out all my other fish
- provide lots of caves
- feed a good quality food, and lots of it

I have had new additions show signs of ich before. But they have always fended it off themselves and they haven’t passed it to my existing fish in the tank. I credit this to them getting fed a diet of mixed frozen 4-6 times a day

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I have watched a bazillion videos about keeping my display pest and contaminant-free, but how practical is it?

• Live rock from the ocean or gulf?
• No Coral quarantine? Dip and slip it in the tank?
• One set of tools and tubs for water changes?

I do what I can to mitigate issues, but is it realistic for most hobbyists to keep a “sterile” marine tank? How many aquarists believe they have a strict protocol that supports a pest-free tank vs.. I do what I can.

Just wondering if I am on an Island of 1.

Really depends on how you define "pest"... you can quarantine/treat every new addition to possibly keep out most diseases/common parasites, but algae will happen regardless. And there are so many "pests" that are actually beneficial and add diversity to the system, I'm not sure why anyone would want a "sterile" tank. The majority of us can't come close to providing a true natural environment for our critters so limiting things intentionally seems silly (aside from obvious diseases/parasites, etc)

 

[legalizedreefer]

Curious, if that is so - how are the tank-raised fish supposedly 'more healthy' than wild fish? FWIW, there are numerous diseases that science has/is trying to eradicate (polio, smallpox, malaria, etc etc) - doing so will not make humanity 'weak' Or?

I don’t think this is a fair comparison. You are comparing a routine fish illness such as ich to the worst of the worst human illnesses.

A good diet, reduced stress, and exercise will not make a person more resilient to malaria (at least… I don’t think it will)

But all those things will help a person fend off a lesser illness, such as a cold.

I tend to think of ich along the lines of a cold for humans

 

[MnFish1]

I don’t think this is a fair comparison. You are comparing a routine fish illness such as ich to the worst of the worst human illnesses.

A good diet, reduced stress, and exercise will not make a person more resilient to malaria (at least… I don’t think it will)

But all those things will help a person fend off a lesser illness, such as a cold.

I tend to think of ich along the lines of a cold for humans

I disagree. First, Ich can be deadly depending on stocking density as well as other reasons in an aquarium situation - thats why people had/have been trying to develop a vaccine in aquaculture situations.

However, I didn't say anything about ich, there are numerous illnesses that are deadly to fish. As to malaria, you're incorrect (not that it matters to the point of the thread) - nearly every disease from Influenza to smallpox to malaria will affect a poorly nourished human more aggressively than an extremely healthy person - look at the covid analogy - which people were at 'high risk'. I believe the same process works for fish.

 

[legalizedreefer]

I disagree. First, Ich can be deadly depending on stocking density as well as other reasons in an aquarium situation - thats why people had/have been trying to develop a vaccine in aquaculture situations.

However, I didn't say anything about ich, there are numerous illnesses that are deadly to fish. As to malaria, you're incorrect (not that it matters to the point of the thread) - nearly every disease from Influenza to smallpox to malaria will affect a poorly nourished human more aggressively than an extremely healthy person - look at the covid analogy - which people were at 'high risk'. I believe the same process works for fish.

uhhhh I think we might actually be on the same page here. What I was alleging is that fish health, like human health, will help you fight off something routine like a cold or flu (or ich, for that matter)

I wasn’t stating that being healthy can’t help you with malaria. My point was that being healthy can’t stop you from getting malaria. I may also be wrong on this.

Yes, fish do often die with ich. The question is, do healthy fish die with ich. I don’t believe so. I think ich kills fish all the time, what I don’t think is that those fish were healthy enough to defend it on their own.

I think people are too quick to point the finger at ich being the killer. A lot of these people ignore the fact that they have aggression in the tank, ignore the fact that the fish are competing for hiding spaces, ignore the fact that they feed sparingly to keep nutrients down, and ignore the fact that they go yank the fish out of the tank when it shows signs of ich and put it in a 20 gallon with nothing but a PVC elbow (stressing it much further) and then blaming ich as the killer.

 

[MnFish1]

uhhhh I think we might actually be on the same page here. What I was alleging is that fish health, like human health, will help you fight off something routine like a cold or flu (or ich, for that matter)

I wasn’t stating that being healthy can’t help you with malaria. My point was that being healthy can’t stop you from getting malaria. I may also be wrong on this.

Yes, fish do often die with ich. The question is, do healthy fish die with ich. I don’t believe so. I think ich kills fish all the time, what I don’t think is that those fish were healthy enough to defend it on their own.

I think people are too quick to point the finger at ich being the killer. A lot of these people ignore the fact that they have aggression in the tank, ignore the fact that the fish are competing for hiding spaces, ignore the fact that they feed sparingly to keep nutrients down, and ignore the fact that they go yank the fish out of the tank when it shows signs of ich and put it in a 20 gallon with nothing but a PVC elbow (stressing it much further) and then blaming ich as the killer.

Yes - but I think you might have missed my main point which was that I wasn't referring to Ich. I was referring to other fish diseases which may be more dangerous, and the goal of not having those 'things' in your tank is an advantage, and will not make livestock 'weaker'.

As to malaria - some people have severe symptoms some people have mild symptoms. My impression is that those that are more healthy are more likely to have mild or minimal symptoms. PS - having had malaria previously also means a person is less likely to have severe symptoms, and the main preventative measure for malaria is to take an anti parasitic medication as well as screening (mosquito nets). So - just like with fish-keeping the analogy offers a little positive information to either side

 

[sghera64]

Channeling Paul_B here: I’m wondering about the mindset, or point of view, regarding the word choice of the OP’s question. Is it a matter of contaminants and pests or a matter of a balanced biome existing in a harmony that we feel represents a version of the reef we desire?

 

[Spare time]

It is not impossible. I've done it.