Whats your reefing hot topic?

[rhitee93]

 

[saltienewb]

After visiting one of my local LFS yesterday:

The price and quality of coral from fellow hobbyist is usually much better, larger, healthier.

 

[Bryce_Thomas]

After visiting one of my local LFS yesterday:

The price and quality of coral from fellow hobbyist is usually much better, larger, healthier.

I cant even tell you how real that this is, last time I visited one of my LFS there was a dead african knobby starfish that was a week decomposed to the point it was just soup and every employee walked right past it without a care in the world, mind you this was a 10 gallon tank overstocked with cleaner shrimp and coco worms, just poisoning literally everything

 

[Gribbles]

Tangs, activated carbon, and the possible connection to HLLE.

Not sure which "side" you're on but here's some pretty solid research about it from our resident guru, @Jay Hemdal

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/head-and-lateral-line-erosion-hlle.784/

 

[Sizzlingreef14]

LFS that use the term “aquaculture” in their name/bio and get loads of wild/maricultures in every few days and shove them out the door same day. Rinse and repeat. Just a huge cash grab for most stores instead of a hobby or any effort of sustainability.

Now I know we need to bring in Mari’s and wilds to grow to selection, but we all know the difference. Yes LFS need to turn profits to insure longevity, but there’s a right way and a wrong way.

Not to mention the high mortality rate with these corals same day in and same day out. In all you’re looking at 3-4 days of travel and stress. Again the quicker the money hits the register the faster you don’t have to worry about the loss.

 

[Luna's Reef]

Feeding garlic or feeding more is not going to solve your ich outbreak.

There is no perfect ratio between nitrate and phosphate only between algae and what eats it.

Taking a before and after pic of your tank empty and after you filled every square inch with tiny frags doesn't show reefing prowess.

Waterchanges don't supplement anything in a reef tank

Hi, what do you mean exactly with your comment related to PO4 and NO3 and algae, do you mean that the tanks always will have algae because always will need NO3 and PO4, and the only way to rid of them is by having herbivores?, that is what I understood, and I think that I agree with this statement.

 

[Luna's Reef]

Big sumps are overrated and are not cost-efficient, personally prefer to increase the water volume in my display tank, than spend money on (heating or cooling) and moving water that is not visible
Sumps should be more efficient in the long term, this means smaller just enough to allow to put the basic and essential equipment
Back sumps are a good option even for big tanks, and also are safer because avoid possible plumbing leakage.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hi, what do you mean exactly with your comment related to PO4 and NO3 and algae, do you mean that the tanks always will have algae because always will need NO3 and PO4, and the only way to rid of them is by having herbivores?, that is what I understood, and I think that I agree with this statement.

I cannot say what the person you are asking thinks, but I generally agree with that statement.

The only way around that is to drop nutrients very low (ULNS) and supply corals with particulate foods needed to make up the missing N and P.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Big sumps are overrated and are not cost-efficient, personally prefer to increase the water volume in my display tank, than spend money on (heating or cooling) and moving water that is not visible
Sumps should be more efficient in the long term, this means smaller just enough to allow to put the basic and essential equipment
Back sumps are a good option even for big tanks, and also are safer because avoid possible plumbing leakage.

I can't agree with the cost efficient statement. My sump is a bunch of brute cans plumbed together. Total cost is a few hundred dollars. To expand my 120 display to double or triple that size would cost thousands.

 

[CHSUB]

In agriculture “we” have improved over nature, ie. getting more yield per acre than Mother Nature; food does not taste as good, imo. However this hobby has not, thinking we can improve how Mother Nature does it is a mistake. Follow her example… get great results!

 

[Luna's Reef]

I can't agree with the cost efficient statement. My sump is a bunch of brute cans plumbed together. Total cost is a few hundred dollars. To expand my 120 display to double or triple that size would cost thousands.

Hello Randy, my comment is more related to the energy cost, that is necessary to heating water in winter or cooling water in summer, as energy spending in complex plumbing with many manifolds, for sure you can save money using cheap brute containers, but at the end is necessary to keep the temperature and movement of all that water that is not visible or used by the fish and corals.

 

[Luna's Reef]

I cannot say what the person you are asking thinks, but I generally agree with that statement.

The only way around that is to drop nutrients very low (ULNS) and supply corals with particulate foods needed to make up the missing N and P.

Hello Randy.
What are the Particulate foods, Do you mean programs like Korallen Zucht or Aquaforest, amino mix vitamins, and trace elements?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hello Randy.
What are the Particulate foods, Do you mean programs like Korallen Zucht or Aquaforest, amino mix vitamins, and trace elements?

I mean things like whole bacteria, phytoplankton, and other solid things that a coral can eat to get N or P or both. Various companies sell coral foods, but one should not assume corals will necessarily consume these just from a claim.

Individual amino acids would not qualify as particulates, and they are readily consumed by bacteria and some types of algae. Same with vitamins. Trace elements do not qualify.

 

[Luna's Reef]

I mean things like whole bacteria, phytoplankton, and other solid things that a coral can eat to get N or P or both. Various companies sell coral foods, but one should not assume corals will necessarily consume these just from a claim.

Individual amino acids would not qualify as particulates, and they are readily consumed by bacteria and some types of algae. Same with vitamins. Trace elements do not qualify.

Hi Randy, now that you are mentioning solid particles that coral can eat, comes to my mind that I saw a video from Lou Ekus where he mentioned that Phosfeed is PO4 in solid particles that we can use to feed our corals in a very similar way of how the corals are feed on the wild when a school of fishes poops over the reefs, I just would like to know your opinion about it, thank you.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hi Randy, now that you are mentioning solid particles that coral can eat, comes to my mind that I saw a video from Lou Ekus where he mentioned that Phosfeed is PO4 in solid particles that we can use to feed our corals in a very similar way of how the corals are feed on the wild when a school of fishes poops over the reefs, I just would like to know your opinion about it, thank you.

I don’t have any info to suggest whether it works or not as TM claims. I personally don’t see a reason to elect it as a phosphate supplement.