What is up with all the chemicals we use now in our reef tanks?

[sarcophytonIndy]

You've obviously never had GHA compltely take our your tank + corals

I have some GHA in my sump, but the chaeto and ulva are mostly out-competing it for nutrients. No nuisance algae in the DT, where there are five tangs. Not using any chemicals or socks. I do have some passive carbon in the sump. I do have a protein skimmer.

 

[Hardy_Reef]

Besides additives for alkalinity and calcium, and the addition of carbon I really try to avoid the use of chemicals in my reef tank. Algae and nutrients are kept at bay with clean up crew, a few tangs and efficient export methods. I feel like the introduction of all these chemicals upsets the natural balance we strive for.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Agree 100%. I am all for using chemicals such as in your case. You did the natural approach and unfortunately wasnt enough so you had to go the other route. It might just be me but it seems that I see refugiums a lot less now and chemical nutrient export being the preferred method. Makes me wonder if 10 years from now we are going to look back and go uh oh......

How is the tank looking? Did the Dinos clear up 100%?

Hey , hope everyone good tonight

@h2oh2o is totally on point.

I actually am ashamed to admit I used a bottle to help. In (x) amount of years reefkeeping I never went to a bottle. Now a days It is so prevalent it’s almost bad if you don’t. I can only say I exhausted traditional methods before I poured it in.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have some GHA in my sump, but the chaeto and ulva are mostly out-competing it for nutrients. No nuisance algae in the DT, where there are five tangs. Not using any chemicals or socks. I do have some passive carbon in the sump. I do have a protein skimmer.

Beautiful shimmer- Has to be Kessils !!

 

[westmichigan]

Started my tank a year ago. Worried about every little thing at the start and created more problems then I solved. Lots of knowledge on here and 10000 different ways to do anything. I try to see what everyone does and take what most people agree on as truth. I learned it's better to understand what's going on and why and to try to just inch the tank a little bit at a time. No sump, small skimmer, canister filter I don't always run. My tank is really green. My yellow tang really loves it as do my clowns. Makes a nice bed. Cant wait to use all the stuff I have learned on my next tank. Thanks to all the really smart and experienced people on here that share something they love.

 

[Sump Crab]

IDK cause I don't use any fancy chemicals. I just stock my tank appropriately, feed moderately, and change my water. I also run a refugium which I believe adds to the natural balance of the ecosystem.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

Beautiful shimmer- Has to be Kessils !!

Yes, three 360s

 

[Reefs of Space]

I have two tanks. One is an all natural mixed reef with a sand bed that practically runs it's self. The other is a spotless sps dominant tank with no sand bed that is a constant battle to maintain growth and color. I'm using metal halides on the mixed reef, and leds on the sps tank.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

I have two tanks. One is an all natural mixed reef with a sand bed that practically runs it's self. The other is a spotless sps dominant tank with no sand bed that is a constant battle to maintain growth and color. I'm using metal halides on the mixed reef, and leds on the sps tank.

If your main thing is growth on that sps tank, you want to add some T5s.

 

[PhreeByrd]

The OP raises a valid (and IMO, important) question. I'm also in the camp of "leave it alone", although in my early days I was prone to look for chemical or biological additive solutions to the issues I saw. At the same time, I can't stand the look of a 'sterile' reef tank.

My oldest tank is pushing 30 years old. I dose 2-part, but other than that, I never add anything except food and occasionally carbon in the sump. I run a skimmer but no other reactors. I don't even keep macroalgae in the sump. The tank has a deep sand bed that has never intentionally been touched, much less cleaned.

This tank did experience a really bad infestation of derbesia and bryopsis fairly early on. I have to admit that it freaked me out and I looked for chemical solutions (and every other possible solution I could find). In the end, the solution was manual removal (tweezers and siphon) and patience. It's been stable and clear for more than 25 years now. I get a little cyanobacteria growth on the sand late in the day, but it's not a problem. I almost never do water tests anymore, because the corals tell me if something is getting out of balance. Water changes quickly correct that situation.

Alga and bacteria are natural and needed components of a healthy reef ecosystem. Keeping them in balance, I am convinced, is an exercise in maintaining stability and then letting nature prevail. And there is most definitely live algae in that tank. I regularly find it on the overflow screen, but never anywhere else. Several times I have started other temporary tanks with water and live rock from that tank, and algae always shows up almost immediately in the temp tank.

The only way to keep a tank perfectly pristine is to never add anything live to it except fish. But that's not what I want.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

I have some GHA in my sump, but the chaeto and ulva are mostly out-competing it for nutrients. No nuisance algae in the DT, where there are five tangs. Not using any chemicals or socks. I do have some passive carbon in the sump. I do have a protein skimmer.

Beautiful!!

 

[WVNed]

I just ate. Food is made of chemicals, I took a breath, air is composed of chemicals.
Saltwater is made with chemicals.
What is wrong with chemicals?

 

[C. Eymann]

^^^^^^ this, Seawater is basically a soup of chemicals

 

[JCOLE]

Hey , hope everyone good tonight

@h2oh2o is totally on point.

I actually am ashamed to admit I used a bottle to help. In (x) amount of years reefkeeping I never went to a bottle. Now a days It is so prevalent it’s almost bad if you don’t. I can only say I exhausted traditional methods before I poured it in.

Nothing wrong with using something when needed. I know it was needed in your case. Hope everything is finally turning around for ya.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

I'm not sure it's possible to keep a reef without using chemicals for things like dosing, and I think as long as proper research is done, chemical additives can be a strong help to our reef hobby. Are there things we shouldn't use? No doubt, but I think education over aversion is the key.

 

[JCOLE]

I'm not sure it's possible to keep a reef without using chemicals for things like dosing, and I think as long as proper research is done, chemical additives can be a strong help to our reef hobby. Are there things we shouldn't use? No doubt, but I think education over aversion is the key.

I 100% agree. I am not against the use of "chemicals" or medications when needed to have a thriving system as I use them myself. However, It seems there is an abundance of new reefers as of lately and I just hope we are not giving the wrong information to the newer hobbyist. I feel chemicals are pushed in place of patience. Most issues such as an algae bloom, etc are symptoms of a parameter, age, etc that will go away once the source is found and corrected with patience. I have seen a handful of posts from newer hobbyist that are dosing Chemiclean in their month old tank after the first day of Cyano. I don't blame them. I blame the "Seasoned" veterans telling them to go ahead and dose it instead of telling them to have patience and it will turn around.

After I saw that post is when I started this thread.

 

[eschaton]

One thing to remember with things like Youtube channels and the like is $$$ are probably involved to some extent.

I mean, not to get tinfoil hat or anything. But there are companies that make these chemicals, and I'm sure that they heavily advertise, and probably pay some channels for sponsorship. In contrast, the more natural methods of algae control - while they can involve some gear - are not really profitable to the same extent. You buy a HOB fuge or live sand once, and only once, while dosing is an indefinite commitment.

Basically, some variant of "fake news" could be at work here, where the hobby's collective view on things is being heavily shaped by those who have a monetary interest.

 

[JCOLE]

I cursed myself with this post. It has come back to haunt me!! Over the last month bubble algae was introduced on a frag I missed while dipping. I manually removed, bought a fox face, and introduced 7 emarld crabs. Now I am in a middle of a war that I am losing. I did some research and decided on Vibrant. I like the idea that it is made up of all natural bacteria specifically targeted to eat algae. Here goes nothing.....

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

I cursed myself with this post. It has come back to haunt me!! Over the last month bubble algae was introduced on a frag I missed while dipping. I manually removed, bought a fox face, and introduced 7 emarld crabs. Now I am in a middle of a war that I am losing. I did some research and decided on Vibrant. I like the idea that it is made up of all natural bacteria specifically targeted to eat algae. Here goes nothing.....

Looks like you have more than just bubble algae there, maybe some hair algae as well ? Let us know how the vibrant works out.

 

[Tamberav]

I was going to say it is because dry rock dominates the market since the bans. Looks like someone beat me to that thought.

That is some series bubble algae!