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

[elysics]

Let me first say i partially agree. Aquariums are MUCH different from the ocean. However, this isn't negative it just means don't expect to be able to balance one of the most complex systems on Earth with your personal knowledge and abilities to alter the aquarium chemistry to match whatever a specific part of the ocean is like that day. However some things are natural...the microbiome of corals for instance stay fairly constant to my knowledge and while I'm sure they do change some, they change some based on environmental conditions in the ocean as well. The ocean is a dynamic system and not only that, but different areas vary greatly. If some things weren't natural "or at least similar" reefkeeping would be much harder than it already is to say the least. When someone says "aquariums aren't natural" what does that mean to you?

It means don't expect the natural way to work in a glass box. You don't have kelp forests, tropical storms, geological events, the massive water to coral ratio of the ocean, whole sections of the food chain in there, so don't expect problems to fix themselves, you need to fix them artificially and through unnatural interventions, like waterchanges, dosing chemicals, etc.

And don't expect all animals to show their natural behaviour

 

[mmadderom]

Let me first say i partially agree. Aquariums are MUCH different from the ocean. However, this isn't negative it just means don't expect to be able to balance one of the most complex systems on Earth with your personal knowledge and abilities to alter the aquarium chemistry to match whatever a specific part of the ocean is like that day. However some things are natural...the microbiome of corals for instance stay fairly constant to my knowledge and while I'm sure they do change some, they change some based on environmental conditions in the ocean as well. The ocean is a dynamic system and not only that, but different areas vary greatly. If some things weren't natural "or at least similar" reefkeeping would be much harder than it already is to say the least. When someone says "aquariums aren't natural" what does that mean to you?

Well it should be self evident there is nothing “natural” about putting sea creatures into a tiny glass box. Even the largest commercial aquariums can’t come close to replicating the Ocean. Let’s not pretend we are doing a Tang any favors from that standpoint, for example. In the Ocean they swim a couple miles a day! That a lot of laps in an Olympic sized swimming pool, let alone an aquarium.

Before I start sounding like PETA while enjoying my 180 gallon glass prison, there are benefits to the creatures we keep and they aren’t small.

we do provide environments that are largely more predictable than ocean waters. While the chemistry is very difficult to recreate, we eliminate most or all natural predators. That’s a big deal! We also provide much more consistent and predictable water flow conditions. My fish and corals aren’t in danger of being swept away by an unusual tide shift or a Hurricane! Additionally we provide a consistent, adequate food supply that is not always the case in the wild.

in short, our boxes can’t and don’t come close to nature and are probably a net negative overall but in some things we are a definitive positive on the animals we keep. At least after killing a bunch of them learning how to do it…

It’s really no different than any other domesticated animals. Dogs, Cats, Birds…none were ever intended to live in the confined conditions of a human home under the guise of being “owned” as “pets”, but there are definite benefits to the animals even if it’s not “natural”.

If your goal is to recreate the environment your animals have in nature then you should restrict yourself to pet rocks.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Our aquariums are just boxes of water compared to the ocean. That said, there are some natural occurrences in them. The science of marine biology still applies, but we need to realize that things that happen in our tanks don't often happen in nature the same way.

We put algaes, organisms, and pests into a tiny container and wonder why the problems we get don't happen often in the ocean. I think a hybrid approach of using marine science along with regular aquarium experience and experimentation will give us the most success.

My advice is to taylor your tanks to you, not you to your tanks. If maintenance is easy, you will keep doing it. If not, you will have a box full of algae and pests. So don't be shy about experimenting with setups, it's just a box of water. (A wonderful box!)

 

[Tamberav]

What about your coldwater tanks, then? Don't most people who keep them stock with one specific biome, because the market is smaller and it's so much harder to get stock from around the world?

My cold water is actually from all around the world as well. There used to be a website to buy stuff from all over but most have cold water tanks are biomes with more natural lighting and rock.

 

[leon.1980]

They aren't natural because we are manipulating most if not all the processes, biological, chemical, physical, etc.

If your aquarium is connected to the ocean, getting nsw and sunlight then I would give it a nod to being closer to natural.

Like aquariums. Most ocean adjacent aquariums use nsw. Much more economical for them. I know the Seattle aquarium does. Hell you can see the water being pumped in and out!

 

[damsels are not mean]

You're taking pieces of coral from a dozen or more different highly unique environments on a dozen or more different reefs, sticking them with fish and inverts from a dozen more highly unique environments and reefs, hitting them with highly unnatural jetstreams of water and putting them under highly artificial light spectrums. They've been placed not by coral itself settling on an ideal spot as they do in the wild based on millions of years of instincts but rather by somebody trying to make it look cool with little more than a generic care sheet from the store on where it should thrive. The water in the tank is 10x higher in nutrients than any wild reef and 10x lower in particulate food. The tank is typically predator and pest-free and coral warfare is controlled, meaning a large part of the behavior of these animals is never exhibited and their appearance is similar to that of a groomed lapdog instead of the robust bastions of evolutionary success they are in the wild. 90% of corals in the wild are brown and 90% in the hobby are not. There truly is nothing at all natural about a reef tank. It's an artificial art display. An ecosystem forms, sure, but it is a novel ecosystem.

 

[davidcalgary29]

Like aquariums. Most ocean adjacent aquariums use nsw. Much more economical for them. I know the Seattle aquarium does. Hell you can see the water being pumped in and out!

I wonder if any studies have performed on effluent from systems that engage in this practice. You'd think that this would cause many of the same environmental problems as fish farms, if on a much lower scale: increased nutrient load, a higher risk of pathogens, unmetabolized medications, etc.

 

[fish farmer]

I wonder if any studies have performed on effluent from systems that engage in this practice. You'd think that this would cause many of the same environmental problems as fish farms, if on a much lower scale: increased nutrient load, a higher risk of pathogens, unmetabolized medications, etc.

They may be required to filter effluent.

 

[Jlew766]

I would lean towards the not natural side. We do manipulate and control everything. But the reason we do so is to attempt to achieve a natural environment that is perfect for the creatures we put in the aquarium. The environment comes first the organisms evolve to fit said environment. But we pick the organisms we want and try make the perfect environment for it, which requires alot of manipulation. We manage everything from chemicals, trace elements to making the salt water, we try and eliminate natural pests and try and seed our aquariums with the best bacteria and microbs. We regulate and manage algea growth and parasites. We are playing God (figuratively) with our tanks which in itself is unnatural.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

It’s natural but just not the ocean.

 

[Muffin87]

well, my home isn't natural either. But I'll gladly live in a home than in a cave.
I think the real issue is what "natural" means these days.

 

[Miami Reef]

well, my home isn't natural either. But I'll gladly live in a home than in a cave.
I think the real issue is what "natural" means these days.

I love this response SO much!

 

[Roli's Reef Ranch]

Well it should be self evident there is nothing “natural” about putting sea creatures into a tiny glass box. Even the largest commercial aquariums can’t come close to replicating the Ocean. Let’s not pretend we are doing a Tang any favors from that standpoint, for example. In the Ocean they swim a couple miles a day! That a lot of laps in an Olympic sized swimming pool, let alone an aquarium.

Before I start sounding like PETA while enjoying my 180 gallon glass prison, there are benefits to the creatures we keep and they aren’t small.

we do provide environments that are largely more predictable than ocean waters. While the chemistry is very difficult to recreate, we eliminate most or all natural predators. That’s a big deal! We also provide much more consistent and predictable water flow conditions. My fish and corals aren’t in danger of being swept away by an unusual tide shift or a Hurricane! Additionally we provide a consistent, adequate food supply that is not always the case in the wild.

in short, our boxes can’t and don’t come close to nature and are probably a net negative overall but in some things we are a definitive positive on the animals we keep. At least after killing a bunch of them learning how to do it…

It’s really no different than any other domesticated animals. Dogs, Cats, Birds…none were ever intended to live in the confined conditions of a human home under the guise of being “owned” as “pets”, but there are definite benefits to the animals even if it’s not “natural”.

If your goal is to recreate the environment your animals have in nature then you should restrict yourself to pet rocks.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

I agree and disagree with that statement. Yes, we are attempting to artificially recreate a natural ecosystem in a box of water. Can we 100% replicate it? Of course not. But, "natural" things do still take place in our tanks. I'm reminded of this every time one of my fish park themselves in front of my cleaner shrimp's station and he goes to work on them. Only the wild-caught fish do this - I've never once seen my captive bred yellow tang or clownfish allow it. So a behavior from nature continues on even in my little "fake" ocean.

 

[Joe462]

Let me first say i partially agree. Aquariums are MUCH different from the ocean. However, this isn't negative it just means don't expect to be able to balance one of the most complex systems on Earth with your personal knowledge and abilities to alter the aquarium chemistry to match whatever a specific part of the ocean is like that day. However some things are natural...the microbiome of corals for instance stay fairly constant to my knowledge and while I'm sure they do change some, they change some based on environmental conditions in the ocean as well. The ocean is a dynamic system and not only that, but different areas vary greatly. If some things weren't natural "or at least similar" reefkeeping would be much harder than it already is to say the least. When someone says "aquariums aren't natural" what does that mean to you?

It means i'm not trying to emulate the ocean or a "natural reef", im just trying to create an environment where these animals can be heathy but in a form that is pleasing to me. So when someone says something like "but that's not how it is in the ocean" i could care less. That statement or one similar to it has no value to me or impact on my decision making. I'm not trying to create a "natural" environment. and in general the tanks that people gush over and do try to emulate do not at all resemble a natural reef in the ocean.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

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.

 

[GARRIGA]

Considering human impact on nature. What's so natural about nature anymore?

 

[92Miata]

That's correct to a point however, you can strive to make it as natural as possible. One small example, I keep pairs or groups of fish as they would be found on the reef. There are plenty more examples where you can mimic the reef including the aquascape.

My philosophy for many many years is to follow mother nature as closely as is reasonably possible. After all, mother nature has millions of years tonperfect her ways and you can't improve on what she creates.

You can strive to make things 'natural' , but there's no reason you should.

We're very lucky that we can keep most corals at all in our homes. Most stony corals derive almost all their phosphate in the wild through bacterial and planktonic sources - and we're very lucky that they happen to be very efficient at absorbing inorganic phosphate from the water column - because they do almost none of that in the wild.


Trying to mimic the wild while not understanding how your animals are actually surviving is often detrimental to the survival of those animals. Everything is connected and related, and we should do what works over what is "natural"

 

[Miami Reef]

You can strive to make things 'natural' , but there's no reason you should.

We're very lucky that we can keep most corals at all in our homes. Most stony corals derive almost all their phosphate in the wild through bacterial and planktonic sources - and we're very lucky that they happen to be very efficient at absorbing inorganic phosphate from the water column - because they do almost none of that in the wild.


Trying to mimic the wild while not understanding how your animals are actually surviving is often detrimental to the survival of those animals. Everything is connected and related, and we should do what works over what is "natural"

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.

 

[Piscans]

yes & no.

there are natural processes (i.e: photosynthesis)

but beyond that, nothing is natural about it. like @R-balljunkie said, fish dont live in 24" of water, & the tides carry nutrients. only place where fish live in 24" of water is tide pools. also, the blue light we put our corals under is not natural. lastly, in a natural enviroment, the fish and corals eat all day every day, because overloading filtration & running out of nutrients are not a problem. in the ocean, everything that dosent move onto land is recycled back into the ecosystem. nothing else is added to the ocean.


eddit: also, alk calc & mag are infinite in the ocean. there might be like 10-11 dkh alk, but thats just the avalibility of it, not necessarily a set amount.