What do you feel is the most generally MISUNDERSTOOD part of maintaining a Reef?

[Nhjmc]

That you have to be a mad scientist

LOL but kinda feeling like need to be. I'm still struggling almost two years into it.

 

[PeterC99]

Equilibrium of a Reef!

I think most misunderstood is that delicate balance between parameters, corals, and fish. When all things are in equilibrium, the Reef flourishes. When aquarist start to fine tune that equilibrium, problems start.

 

[Clo]

It has to be expensive. Cuz that was the misconception I had lol

 

[mitten_reef]

dosing in a new tank
over-filtration in a new tank
overfeeding in a new tank
sense a theme?

 

[-XENOMORPH-]

Dont overthink Macroalgae. You can buy a 6$ clear hamster plastic run ball, put your macro in it, toss it in ur sump, and set a light timer underneath and...BAM! done. Cheap and effective. And nobody sees it.

 

[Sump Crab]

To me its the idea that keeping out "pests" is the best way to avoid an infestation. I truly believe that these critters really only take over a reef that lacks the diversity necessary to keep everything balanced.

 

[BanjoBandito]

PHOSPHATE/NITRATE RELATIONSHIP/RATIO.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Matter can neither be created nor destroyed. Even if it does absorb nitrates and phosphates, it would get saturated eventually and start releasing it at the same rate it absorbs it. If you are getting live rock from the ocean, its likely already saturated.

The matter is being consumed as a food source for the bacteria that live on those rocks. If your getting live rock from the ocean please share with the rest of us haha

 

[NowGlazeIT]

My answer would be MulM.

 

[sghera64]

So many citations above can be summarized in a single systems engineering axiom: "Don't fight mother nature; work with her and you will be rewarded."

As others pointed out, over controlling numbers is bad, fights against natural balancing forces (e.g. algae, natural system set-points, bacterial diversity) are all bad.

Many know, but few understand, that stability is one of the most important factors in such complex biomes as a reef tank. Stability is most influenced by what mother nature does followed by what the human hands resist doing, followed by what the human hand does. In other words: give mother nature the first move; delay action and observe; then react slowly if necessary.

 

[Grill]

Cost! You don't have to spend thousands for a nice setup. Bought my 7ft 210g for $200 on Craigslist, 75g sump $30. There is always someone breaking down a tank or have a tank with supplies in their garage and want it gone. 75% of my equipment is from Amazon Warehouse, Craigslist or FB Marketplace, shop smart not stupid. No need to spend $400-$500 on just a return pump

 

[MaxTremors]

I'll assume that you are asking about de-nitrification as the benefit you are asking about. The answer is no, because it requires an anoxic process, which would be difficult to achieve in an aquarium while still getting the required flow and nitrates to the bacteria. Then you would need a constant source of carbon to feed it, which wouldn't be difficult, but would require dosing and careful monitoring. Even then, it would likely not be worth the effort for what results you may get. Your rock is still beneficial for many other reasons though that I'm sure your aware of (I don't want to get snapped at again for being captain obvious here)

I don’t mean to ‘snap’ at you, but there is so much wrong here. Cryptic zones, anoxic areas, and carbon dosing are all very well documented and common things in the hobby. Some of the most popular and effective filtration medias and additives in the hobby are built on these principles (marine pure blocks, No3Pox, etc.). These are time tested (cryptic zones less so), effective ways of promoting denitrification in our tanks. Cryptic zones are one of the newer concepts and need more research, but there are countless examples of people running very successful reefs long term using cryptic zones as the primary way of controlling nutrients. I think you need to do some more reading.

 

[scottsweet]

Cleanliness and stability. I can't tell you how many poor looking tanks are the result of using things like hoses, buckets, sponges, brushes etc that are not exclusively for an aquarium. People forget that household chemicals are in general really really bad for an aquarium...any residue thereof..in a closed system only grows with time.

Second, as several have mentioned, is stability and letting nature take its course to create the stability. Adjust slowly as nature does its thing. Chasing numbers, with constant adjustment, because we are so OCD about what so and so said to do is really bad. Identify the basic parameters you want to strive for and then let nature create the stability needed for our tanks to survive.

 

[waterskiguy]

Nothing good, in this hobby, happens fast,

 

[ZoWhat]

Nothing good, in this hobby, happens fast,

Tha might be the Quote of the Thread

.

 

[Oldreefer44]

It's not about the lights, pumps, skimmers or any other of the latest and greatest pieces of equipment. It's about the water!

 

[workhz]

This new fangled naming of zoas. I thought this was all new too since I’d been out of the hobby for a bit (and had forgotten) then found an email from 2006 of me attempting to buy firecracker zoa frags off eBay.

 

[REEFTIDE]

Your reef doesn't care about the article you read online and the numbers listed on a table for "Perfect Parameters"
If the tank is thriving don't go changing things because a rando on the internet got something to work once

 

[NowGlazeIT]

It has to be expensive. Cuz that was the misconception I had lol

Very true, people ask me is it expensive? I say the lights were everything else can be diy. pico tanks are super cheap to get goin.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I think I didn't understand that some things that work in well established reef tanks don't work so well in newer ones. I made some mistakes because of it. Once a system gets to the point where its own bioload recycles organics and free nutrients, many processes needed to maintain less established systems become unnecessary or even harmful. However, I would warn new reefers that it takes a long time to get to that point. Ripping out a skimmer, forgoing water changes, maintaining high nutrient levels, or any of the other recommendations reefers make might not really be intended for a less established system.