Common misconceptions on swf.com

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huskychasrs

Guest
Wow please don't lock this thread Mods

I am one of the un-informed and I'm learning. We had freshwater tanks for years...we've had turtles,frogs,iguanas...not to mention our dogs.
I have always wanted a SW tank and jumped in.

I bought a book the same day I bought the tank, Saltwater for Dummies. It's enough to get by.
Blast me if you need to but I took my lumps in the wallet and didn't expose any fish to harm. I did have die-off though.
I almost feel guilty now after reading this thread, I feel bad and responsible for every loss in my tank...wether it be a .99 snail or my 60.00 flame angel that didn't make it.
Rick
 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
Crimzy, I see your point, but you are overlooking what was going on in the Pacific before our hobby became popular.
Fiji is a great example... many, many tons of reef was blasted to clear a harbor. Now as the harbor is expanded the rock is sold...
Where islands were practicing over fishing and slash and burn farming they are now utilizing the reef for commercial gain. Islands have begun to treat their reefs as a renewable resource. Many places now have reef sanctuaries where 30 years ago none existed.
I can point to several examples of reef being destroyed by commercial fishing, silt deposits and algal blooms from farming, and harbor construction. With the exception of Florida, I'm unaware of any Islands being "overharvested" for the commercial fish trade. There might be some and I'd like to read about them if you can provide links. I'm not saying there aren't examples, I just haven't seen it.
 
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rattler739

Guest
I do have one point to make that since the hobby is growing, more and more corals and fish are being aquacultured/bred and sold that way. The more we learn about the hobby the more we are going to be able to do: figure out what certain speicies need, which in turn will make it easier to breed "unbreedable in captivity" fish. When we actually get to that point we will be able to participate in a hobby that has very little affect on the environment
Granted that the lr has to come from the ocean but at the same time isnt there people who "make" live rock? (throw a lot of base rock into the ocean in big piles and let them seed and grow into regular lr)
 
jtrzerocool

jtrzerocool

Active Member
im not trying to but into this discussion but how is LR a renewable resorce? if we harvest it from the ocean what do we put back in its place?
 
nigerbang

nigerbang

Active Member
Add base rock or whatever other kind of rock back into the ocean, and let it sit over time it becomes LR again....Alot of companies are doing that now..
 
jtrzerocool

jtrzerocool

Active Member
Originally Posted by NigerBang
Add base rock or whatever other kind of rock back into the ocean, and let it sit over time it becomes LR again....Alot of companies are doing that now..
thank you
i had no idea
 
m0nk

m0nk

Active Member
Originally Posted by jtrzerocool
im not trying to but into this discussion but how is LR a renewable resorce? if we harvest it from the ocean what do we put back in its place?
Much Live Rock is actually dead coral skeleton. Stony coral leaves behind limestone deposits, which is why it's called stony. As coral grows out what's left behind is "dead" coral in a sense and becomes "live" rock because bacteria and pods and such move in. Also, when you see/hear/read anything that notes coral bleaching, this is coral dying off and leaving behind limestone, hence why it looks white.
There are also live rock "farms" where rock is placed together so it can be "cultured" in the ocean. Not sure specifically what goes on there, just something I read recently.
Edit: NigerBank just hit that last point. Thanks!
 
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rattler739

Guest
That makes sence but that would take a long time to make up what we take, but it is still a renewable source i guess
As far as the farms I think that they just put some base rock or some other sort of rock in the ocean and let it grow, i have seen websites about it but did not say what they use but thats what it looked like
 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
A healthy reef system can add tons a year to it's base.
Remember that long before people were harvesting live rock the reefs were being battered by yearly storms. Dive any reef and you'll see rubble everywhere.
Under proper managment the reef can replenish itself.
What it can't do is recover from sedimentation, over fishing and dynamiting. All of these things were happening more frequently until the hobby placed a monetary value on the rock.
 
groupergenius

groupergenius

Active Member
Who here has had a Tang grow to it's full size in a less than 6' tank? Who has had one grow to it's full size in a 12' tank?
Who here has had a rock beauty grow to 14". A Queen Angel to 16". A Panther Grouper to 24". Who has had a Wrasse go from 3"-12" in their tank? No matter what the tank size.
Just curious. And please be truthful.
 
fishyg

fishyg

Member
Originally Posted by GrouperGenius
Who here has had a Tang grow to it's full size in a less than 6' tank? Who has had one grow to it's full size in a 12' tank?
Who here has had a rock beauty grow to 14". A Queen Angel to 16". A Panther Grouper to 24". Who has had a Wrasse go from 3"-12" in their tank? No matter what the tank size.
Just curious. And please be truthful.
Exactly! Good point.....and yes IM BAAAAACK!
 
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