Hey everyone. Just wanted to talk about some opinions I have on biodiversity.
So what's considered "best practice" by many reefers right now is a strict quarantine regime on corals, fish, inverts, whatever. Dipping and treatment are commonplace, as are rounds of medicines designed to wipe out bacteria, fungi, worms, etc. We are actively decreasing biodiversity because all of these hitchhikers are "bad", yet turning around and preaching the values of an established tank and pods and whatnot. I think we need to change our thinking on SOME of these pests. Sure, there are plenty of nasties out there that are a threat to our investments and time, but sometimes it's worth it to increase biodiversity. Ex. bristleworms are kinda creepy-looking and can hurt you, but they clean up detritus (and plenty of other reef animals, like crabs, can hurt too). Feather dusters and sponges are often seen as annoying, but these animals are free filtration and clean up the water for you! Even quarantine for fishes can cleanse the immune system, but MIGHT leave them vulnerable to future pest outbreaks because they never had a chance to build up natural immunity. In reef keeping, we have the ability to culture these amazing ecosystems, but we don't always get to pick and choose only the desirable stuff. All of these animals live in the sea, and aren't we trying to cultivate a slice of the ocean? Just try to be more open-minded towards these animals. And no, I'm not saying to drop all quarantine and dips and such (hell, I'll never quit dipping my new frags), but the point of all this is just to try to understand the annoyances in the reef tank and if getting rid of every single one of them is worth the drawbacks.
Would love to hear your thoughts and opinions
So what's considered "best practice" by many reefers right now is a strict quarantine regime on corals, fish, inverts, whatever. Dipping and treatment are commonplace, as are rounds of medicines designed to wipe out bacteria, fungi, worms, etc. We are actively decreasing biodiversity because all of these hitchhikers are "bad", yet turning around and preaching the values of an established tank and pods and whatnot. I think we need to change our thinking on SOME of these pests. Sure, there are plenty of nasties out there that are a threat to our investments and time, but sometimes it's worth it to increase biodiversity. Ex. bristleworms are kinda creepy-looking and can hurt you, but they clean up detritus (and plenty of other reef animals, like crabs, can hurt too). Feather dusters and sponges are often seen as annoying, but these animals are free filtration and clean up the water for you! Even quarantine for fishes can cleanse the immune system, but MIGHT leave them vulnerable to future pest outbreaks because they never had a chance to build up natural immunity. In reef keeping, we have the ability to culture these amazing ecosystems, but we don't always get to pick and choose only the desirable stuff. All of these animals live in the sea, and aren't we trying to cultivate a slice of the ocean? Just try to be more open-minded towards these animals. And no, I'm not saying to drop all quarantine and dips and such (hell, I'll never quit dipping my new frags), but the point of all this is just to try to understand the annoyances in the reef tank and if getting rid of every single one of them is worth the drawbacks.
Would love to hear your thoughts and opinions