Why do EXTREME fixes seem to be the suggested go to on online forums?

Nigel35 · Mar 27, 2021

I know for a fact as a person newer to the hobby a while ago I would get absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of things I had to do, buy, fix, etc. to fix a problem... BUT if newer reefers took the time to understand the methodology behind why people do certain things that would relieve much of the stress. Take the rational approach to things IMO.

mdb_talon · Mar 27, 2021

Nigel35 said:
I tend to agree... Not on every level but there are definitely situations which people take EXTREME measures to achieve a certain goal. For example if your nutrients are low, people start to panic and start dosing nitrates and all sorts of chems. Why not go about a more methodical way? Why not cut skimming and feed a little more. Go to the root of the matter and go from there. Now I grant there are many circumstances which do need extreme measures to solve. I would say however take the more methodical approach towards problems. KISS...

I get your point but why is it inherently better/simpler to feed more than to dose nitrate? What if i want to raise nitrate and not phosphate...or the other way around? Think it boils down to their being many ways to accomplish the same exact goal. Your option may be reduced skimming. That is not something i would want to do. I may feed a little more and see how that goes, but dosing nitrate I would consider a much more straightforwards KISS approach. I can easily calculate exactly how much nitrate it is going to add....with most food that takes a lot of research and is still just going to give you a ballpark. Again i think your approach is fine if that is what you want to do, but so is dosing nitrate. Different approaches do not mean one is inferior.

LegendaryCG · Mar 27, 2021

It’s like going to a walk-in clinic with an amputation. Yea, everyone will try to help and stop the bleeding. You might get help from a real doctor or maybe the janitor. It’s all free advice and you are getting exactly what you paid for.

greetl01 · Mar 27, 2021

mstoneman17 said:
understand the science and have read into it. If that is the case, I must have had ich in my previous 90 for 30 years, and after the first few years never saw a case on another fish. Never went fallow, not even

feed my fish selcon every day and ich is pummeling them now. It’s brutal to watch. I wish I had just treated them now

mdb_talon · Mar 27, 2021

LegendaryCG said:
It’s like going to a walk-in clinic with an amputation. Yea, everyone will try to help and stop the bleeding. You might get help from a real doctor or maybe the janitor. It’s all free advice and you are getting exactly what you paid for.

Haha perfectly put. In some cases people may be overpaying for my free advice...but just trying to help

Jekyl · Mar 27, 2021

greetl01 said:
Eh.....2 of my fish are dying from ich right now. I only WISH someone would have told me to take them out and tray them with coppee

i feed my fish selcon every day and ich is pummeling them now. It’s brutal to watch. I wish I had just treated them now

I've never quarantined and my fish scoff at ich

Zakery Murray · Mar 27, 2021

Zakery Murray said:
Not gonna touch this question, just tagging along to see how it goes.

Welp this is getting lots of likes, didn't expect that one....

greetl01 · Mar 27, 2021

Jekyl said:
I've never quarantined and my fish scoff at ich

I’ve seen ppl say that but how old is your tank? Bc mine is 2 mos old.....that immunity method about took me out

Jekyl · Mar 27, 2021

Coming up on 2 years. I'll see a white dot on them every now and then. Gone the next day or so

Zakery Murray · Mar 27, 2021

People need to keep in mind this is a public forum, you get people who this is their first tank and have little to no experience, to people have been in this hobby for many many years. You will always get different answers, the answers may not be right, every single time, but people in the end are usually just trying to help you out.

CMMorgan · Mar 27, 2021

Zakery Murray said:
People need to keep in mind this is a public forum, you get people who this is their first tank and have little to no experience, to people have been in this hobby for many many years. You will always get different answers, the answers may not be right, every single time, but people in the end are usually just trying to help you out.

and the longer you hang around, the better you identify who knows what about what.... you will eventually find a group of people who you can identify with and trust. That is not saying that one group is right or wrong.... only that each reefer must follow their own path.

greetl01 · Mar 27, 2021

Jekyl said:
Coming up on 2 years. I'll see a white dot on them every now and then. Gone the next day or so

I thought I saw ich on my clowns when I first got them. Hopped on the immunity train. Fed frozen foods. Soaked in selcon. Kept my tank clean. They fell off only to return with a vengeance to the point I thought it was velvet. That ruined immunity tanks forever for me.

Nigel35 · Mar 27, 2021

mdb_talon said:
I get your point but why is it inherently better/simpler to feed more than to dose nitrate? What if i want to raise nitrate and not phosphate...or the other way around? Think it boils down to their being many ways to accomplish the same exact goal. Your option may be reduced skimming. That is not something i would want to do. I may feed a little more and see how that goes, but dosing nitrate I would consider a much more straightforwards KISS approach. I can easily calculate exactly how much nitrate it is going to add....with most food that takes a lot of research and is still just going to give you a ballpark. Again i think your approach is fine if that is what you want to do, but so is dosing nitrate. Different approaches do not mean one is inferior.

I Could not agree more! We have different approaches to things and if that works for your tank than that is what you should do.

Nigel

Zakery Murray · Mar 27, 2021

CMMorgan said:
and the longer you hang around, the better you identify who knows what about what.... you will eventually find a group of people who you can identify with and trust. That is not saying that one group is right or wrong.... only that each reefer must follow their own path.

Yea, I already have a few peoples names in mind when you mentioned about people who hang around and who to trust. Reefing needs patience, which usually I don't have, but if I want my tanks to be healthy ill have to find it.

CMMorgan · Mar 27, 2021

greetl01 said:
I thought I saw ich on my clowns when I first got them. Hopped on the immunity train. Fed frozen foods. Soaked in selcon. Kept my tank clean. They fell off only to return with a vengeance to the point I thought it was velvet. That ruined immunity tanks forever for me.

Dang... so sorry to see this. A while back I noticed my black occellaris starting to act odd. I kept watching it and boom... white spots. I snatched that sucker out of the tank immediately. Glub lived in the HT and it was touch and go. Medicated... and lots and lots of water changes and tank transfers. It was grueling. Thankfully, I got it out before it dropped off in my DT or spread. After a few months, Glub returned to the DT ... humbled but healthy. Wasn't worth the risk to me to see my whole tank go up in smoke.
Each their own... my tank is only a few years young. If I had Pauls 48 year old tank... I would be immunity all of the way.

Jedi1199 · Mar 27, 2021

CMMorgan said:
and the longer you hang around, the better you identify who knows what about what.... you will eventually find a group of people who you can identify with and trust. That is not saying that one group is right or wrong.... only that each reefer must follow their own path.

I think you hit the nail on the head right there. Forums have members of every level, and the motives for posting vary. Some are genuine informed experienced members who give solid advice. Others may be enthusiastic newbies or even intermediate levels who parrot what they have read and quote it as gospel.

It is almost as much of a learning curve on a forum as it is for the tanks themselves.

blasterman · Mar 27, 2021

What in the world is a natural method for removing aiptasia? Chants and listening to Yanni at high volumes?

Most of the peppermint shrimp sold at reef stores are not the aiptasia eaters variety (I've never had one touch aiptasia). So I'm assuming the OPs natural solutions is to mail order critters that have been yanked from the ocean and die once they've solved the problem. Sounds "extreme" to me.

For a tech orientated hobby I'm often astounded at the lack of fundamental common sense in this forum. We still have crayon eaters claiming LEDs cant grow corals and a psychosis of reefers who need to buy baking soda pre dissolved in water. We don't have extreme answers, we just have some challenged people who shouldn't be giving advice.

greetl01 · Mar 27, 2021

CMMorgan said:
Dang... so sorry to see this. A while back I noticed my black occellaris starting to act odd. I kept watching it and boom... white spots. I snatched that sucker out of the tank immediately. Glub lived in the HT and it was touch and go. Medicated... and lots and lots of water changes and tank transfers. It was grueling. Thankfully, I got it out before it dropped off in my DT or spread. After a few months, Glub returned to the DT ... humbled but healthy. Wasn't worth the risk to me to see my whole tank go up in smoke.
Each their own... my tank is only a few years young. If I had Pauls 48 year old tank... I would be immunity all of the way.

Me too! I honestly was afraid of quarantine so immunity sounded ideal for me. I got attached to my little guys and so I got over that fear fairly quickly. Now I’m afraid to go immunity route again.