"Nothing is Natural About Our Tanks"? What does this statement mean to you?

ReefGeezer

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I view reef keeping as an artificial process.

Understanding nature and using that to create and maintain an artificial environment that will support the life we wish to keep is the reefing hobby. We certainly use techniques that take advantage of naturally occurring biological processes. I don't think we use those processes as the occur in the ocean though.
 

92Miata

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You couldn’t have said it better! Keeping an alkalinity of 10-11dKH was one of the best things I did for my coral growth. I was initially afraid to raise my alk because folks said it wasn't natural.
That's funny - I keep mine at like 6-7 in my SPS tank because I have all sorts of issues when it goes above 8 or 9 (probably just differences in nutrients/etc in our tanks).

Everything about nutrients and light and flow and alk and everything else is all interconnected, and you can't really view these things independently - you have to make your judgements not on "What is the right level?" but on "What is the level where things seem to be doing the best for me?" Tests should help inform the "whys" for things that are going on, but decisions on your tank should be made on coral health, not on test results.

All of the "natural" numbers have millions of unstated assumptions baked in - and variables that we don't understand - so they're terrible as guidelines. (and the typical BRS type numbers are even worse where they try to drive alkalinity high, and nutrients low)

If your stuff does best at 11dkh, run 11dkh. If it looks best at higher phosphates, run higher phosphates. React to your corals health, and use your test kits to explain what has changed.
 

MaxM

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It means that it's up to us to make it work and provide the best homes we can for the livestock we keep.
 

Miami Reef

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That's funny - I keep mine at like 6-7 in my SPS tank because I have all sorts of issues when it goes above 8 or 9 (probably just differences in nutrients/etc in our tanks).

Everything about nutrients and light and flow and alk and everything else is all interconnected, and you can't really view these things independently - you have to make your judgements not on "What is the right level?" but on "What is the level where things seem to be doing the best for me?" Tests should help inform the "whys" for things that are going on, but decisions on your tank should be made on coral health, not on test results.

All of the "natural" numbers have millions of unstated assumptions baked in - and variables that we don't understand - so they're terrible as guidelines. (and the typical BRS type numbers are even worse where they try to drive alkalinity high, and nutrients low)

If your stuff does best at 11dkh, run 11dkh. If it looks best at higher phosphates, run higher phosphates. React to your corals health, and use your test kits to explain what has changed.
I keep my nutrients 0.10 PO4 and 15ppm NO3

I prefer the ULN Zeovit look, but my priority is growth over color because I have a bunch of frags.

What nutrients did you have when you saw problems with high alk?
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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This is the thread I mentioned earlier. I think some folks will be surprised that nearly every process we use happens naturally in the ocean:

 
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livinlifeinBKK

livinlifeinBKK

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I started a thread a while back to discuss what is "natural" and what is not in reefkeeping.

It turns out that very few things we do are truly not happening in the ocean. We just amplify certain aspects of these natural processes.
This more aligns with my way of thinking...I'll be reading through this thread!
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 64 36.8%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 33.9%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 14.4%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 26 14.9%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
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