snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
Or do you say some things just to cover your butt?
Let me go first...
I read people articles, threads, posts, etc. etc. and I constantly hear some things over and over and over again. For example:
- Do not dose what you don't test for.
- Don't use bioballs.
- Don't use tap water. Even when starting a tank.
- Do frequent water changes, once a week etc. etc.
- Don't use any chemicals to correct problems
- Always use a GFCI unit
- Use gloves when handling corals and live rock
- Don't use biowheel filters
- Don't grow Caulerpa because it will go sexual
- Chaeto is the best macro to grow
- Protein skimmers are a necessary piece of equipment
- Don't put a yellow tang in a 4 foot tank
- Mix your saltwater 24 hours before use
- Don't use canister filters because they are nitrate factories.
Those are just a few of the things that I always hear that people say over and over again. But, to be honest, haven't you dosed a calcium and alkalinity product in your tank without testing first? Doesn't it get old testing every single time you want to do something to your water? Isn't testing once a week or once a month, or when things look "off" enough? I've dosed my tanks without knowing my water parameters. I check once a week or once a month to make sure everything is on par. I think that it's essential to do when you are just starting to get used to dosing a chemical, but when you get the feel for it, I doubt it's necessary to test every single time.
Bioballs aren't bad if they are maintained - wet/dry filtration systems are still the number one type of filtration system sold in the commercial market, not refugium sumps... Granted, they are sold to first time consumers or used by fish stores that have been around for generations and use what works for them. I've used bioballs successfully in systems for a long time with periodic maintenance and it seems to do a decent job of filtering the water. Many people say if it ain't broke - don't fix it!
I've consistantly used tap water to start tanks over the years. In my area, the tap isn't completely bad to start the tank with. I wouldn't keep topping it off every time, but there is an algae spike for a month and then it goes away with proper husbandry... I don't see what is the big deal, to be honest. I've had many successful tanks started with conditioned tap water, including some SPS dominated tanks. But every person on here that I talk to, I say to start with RO/DI water because I cover my butt in case their tank crashes because of bad tap water.
People say to do frequent water changes all the time to get your nitrates, phosphates, calcium and alkalinity,... and magnesium back in order and balanced, but if you know your stuff you should be able to use those test kits to keep your water parameters in check. There's also tools an aquarist can use to reduce nitrate and phosphate in the system without water changes. Those tools are such things as macroalgaes, remote deep sand beds, refugiums, excess live rock, low fish bioloads, algae scrubbers, and chemical means such as nitrate and phosphate removing media. I've gone a year or a little over in some tanks without a water change. I keep a close eye on salinity and monitor it once a month, and if it starts going low because of salt creep, I add some saltwater to get it back up. I feel like topping off with saltwater when your salinity goes low is just enough to add enough trace elements to the system without doing a complete water change. Sometimes if you are adding a three part calcium/alkalinity/magnesium buffer, your salinity can get a bit high, and taking out some saltwater is necessary. Basically, I don't believe that frequent (once a week, once a month) water changes are necessary to maintain a healthy system.
Some say not to use any chemicals to correct a problem - like an antibiotic to kill cyanobacteria, or GFO to control phosphates. I think that with proper care and maintenance, you shouldn't have to - but there's more than one way to skin a cat - and I know, because I'm a taxidermist. Some chemicals can be used to balance your tank, others are used to remove things from your tank. In any case, being a saltwater aquarist - we are amature alchemists. Learning how to balance calcium, alkalinity, magnesium and pH is absolutely essential to maintain the health and well being of your tank. Sometimes it's not as easy as "do a water change."
"Always use a GFCI unit" - I tell people this to cover my butt, just incase their tank electrocutes them, their family, or burns down their house - then I'm not responsible. I've had ungrounded tanks on regular outlets that I have made sure had all the proper safety procedures, and a powerstrip with a built in fuse - and I've been just fine. I don't recommend it, but I'm just saying that I can't say I haven't done it because then I'de be a hypocrit.
"Use gloves when handling corals and live rock" - I've seen this over and over throughout the years, and I recommend to new aquarists to do it as well... but do I follow my own advice? No. I can't tell you how many times I've reached into a tank and moved my live rock and corals around without gloves. Albeit - I'm being very careful and watching what I am doing. I'm just sayin...
"Don't use Biowheel type filters" Mainly because they splash and create salt creep and the biowheel creates nitrates etc. etc. I've used biowheel filters (Emperor 280, 400) on many tanks as the main filter and have never had any problems.
"Don't grow caulerpa because it will go sexual" Some people have had the unfortunate experience of caulerpa species of macroalgaes releasing eggs/sperm into the water column and flooding their tank with the nitrate and phosphate that they have absorbed. This is because proper husbandry didn't take place. Caulerpa is an awesome macroalgae - very pretty in some varieties - and with proper pruning, it will probably never go sexual. It's not an algae to completely avoid. I've had caulerpa varieties in many fuges, and have never had a single problem with it.
"Chaeto is the best macroalgae to grow." Chaeto does well for some and doesn't do so well for others. Chaeto has a tendency to crumble and get caught in return pumps, and in fact, I believe it's not the most efficient macro there is, personally. I can't prove it by any means, but I don't go around saying Chaetomorpha algae is the king of the hill, the beez neez, the cats pajamas of all macroalgaes...
"Protein skimmers are a necessary piece of equipment." No they aren't. They are a useful tool for reducing waste in an aquarium, yes, but it's not necessary. Adequate biofiltration with lots of live rock, remote deep sand beds, macroalgae refugiums, algae scrubbers, water changes, and low fish bioloads are all great ways of maintaining a healthy tank without a protein skimmer. Protein skimmers are the most marketed piece of aquarium equipment there is, and it has new aquarists convinced that they need one to keep a saltwater aquarium. Protein skimmers are useful, and are a tool, (which I will use) but are not completely necessary for a healthy tank.
"No tangs in a 4 foot tank." I've kept a yellow tang in a 4foot tank for 4 years without any signs of stress, ich or anything. It was just ONE tang, granted, but it can be done. I hate it when the tang police show up and bash people who keep one small tang in a four foot tank. Leave em' alone.
"Mix your saltwater 24 hours before use." How many of you start mixing your saltwater at 8pm one night, and then do a water change around 4 or 5PM the next day? I've done a water change with freshly mixed saltwater after 12 hours without any problems at all. You could possibly do a water change at the one hour mark if you aerate it with a powerful air pump and a couple air stones and a large pump. There are a lot of variables when it comes to mixing saltwater. As a new hobbyist, though, 24 hours seems to be the standard. I'll say to mix the full 24 hours before using because I don't want to be liable for any damages/loss of life. But, for me - It all just depends.
These are just a few of the things that I hear over and over that I actually tell people to do or not to do, but sometimes I don't follow my own advice. What do you tell people, and then do or not do? I'm just curious...
Let me go first...
I read people articles, threads, posts, etc. etc. and I constantly hear some things over and over and over again. For example:
- Do not dose what you don't test for.
- Don't use bioballs.
- Don't use tap water. Even when starting a tank.
- Do frequent water changes, once a week etc. etc.
- Don't use any chemicals to correct problems
- Always use a GFCI unit
- Use gloves when handling corals and live rock
- Don't use biowheel filters
- Don't grow Caulerpa because it will go sexual
- Chaeto is the best macro to grow
- Protein skimmers are a necessary piece of equipment
- Don't put a yellow tang in a 4 foot tank
- Mix your saltwater 24 hours before use
- Don't use canister filters because they are nitrate factories.
Those are just a few of the things that I always hear that people say over and over again. But, to be honest, haven't you dosed a calcium and alkalinity product in your tank without testing first? Doesn't it get old testing every single time you want to do something to your water? Isn't testing once a week or once a month, or when things look "off" enough? I've dosed my tanks without knowing my water parameters. I check once a week or once a month to make sure everything is on par. I think that it's essential to do when you are just starting to get used to dosing a chemical, but when you get the feel for it, I doubt it's necessary to test every single time.
Bioballs aren't bad if they are maintained - wet/dry filtration systems are still the number one type of filtration system sold in the commercial market, not refugium sumps... Granted, they are sold to first time consumers or used by fish stores that have been around for generations and use what works for them. I've used bioballs successfully in systems for a long time with periodic maintenance and it seems to do a decent job of filtering the water. Many people say if it ain't broke - don't fix it!
I've consistantly used tap water to start tanks over the years. In my area, the tap isn't completely bad to start the tank with. I wouldn't keep topping it off every time, but there is an algae spike for a month and then it goes away with proper husbandry... I don't see what is the big deal, to be honest. I've had many successful tanks started with conditioned tap water, including some SPS dominated tanks. But every person on here that I talk to, I say to start with RO/DI water because I cover my butt in case their tank crashes because of bad tap water.
People say to do frequent water changes all the time to get your nitrates, phosphates, calcium and alkalinity,... and magnesium back in order and balanced, but if you know your stuff you should be able to use those test kits to keep your water parameters in check. There's also tools an aquarist can use to reduce nitrate and phosphate in the system without water changes. Those tools are such things as macroalgaes, remote deep sand beds, refugiums, excess live rock, low fish bioloads, algae scrubbers, and chemical means such as nitrate and phosphate removing media. I've gone a year or a little over in some tanks without a water change. I keep a close eye on salinity and monitor it once a month, and if it starts going low because of salt creep, I add some saltwater to get it back up. I feel like topping off with saltwater when your salinity goes low is just enough to add enough trace elements to the system without doing a complete water change. Sometimes if you are adding a three part calcium/alkalinity/magnesium buffer, your salinity can get a bit high, and taking out some saltwater is necessary. Basically, I don't believe that frequent (once a week, once a month) water changes are necessary to maintain a healthy system.
Some say not to use any chemicals to correct a problem - like an antibiotic to kill cyanobacteria, or GFO to control phosphates. I think that with proper care and maintenance, you shouldn't have to - but there's more than one way to skin a cat - and I know, because I'm a taxidermist. Some chemicals can be used to balance your tank, others are used to remove things from your tank. In any case, being a saltwater aquarist - we are amature alchemists. Learning how to balance calcium, alkalinity, magnesium and pH is absolutely essential to maintain the health and well being of your tank. Sometimes it's not as easy as "do a water change."
"Always use a GFCI unit" - I tell people this to cover my butt, just incase their tank electrocutes them, their family, or burns down their house - then I'm not responsible. I've had ungrounded tanks on regular outlets that I have made sure had all the proper safety procedures, and a powerstrip with a built in fuse - and I've been just fine. I don't recommend it, but I'm just saying that I can't say I haven't done it because then I'de be a hypocrit.
"Use gloves when handling corals and live rock" - I've seen this over and over throughout the years, and I recommend to new aquarists to do it as well... but do I follow my own advice? No. I can't tell you how many times I've reached into a tank and moved my live rock and corals around without gloves. Albeit - I'm being very careful and watching what I am doing. I'm just sayin...
"Don't use Biowheel type filters" Mainly because they splash and create salt creep and the biowheel creates nitrates etc. etc. I've used biowheel filters (Emperor 280, 400) on many tanks as the main filter and have never had any problems.
"Don't grow caulerpa because it will go sexual" Some people have had the unfortunate experience of caulerpa species of macroalgaes releasing eggs/sperm into the water column and flooding their tank with the nitrate and phosphate that they have absorbed. This is because proper husbandry didn't take place. Caulerpa is an awesome macroalgae - very pretty in some varieties - and with proper pruning, it will probably never go sexual. It's not an algae to completely avoid. I've had caulerpa varieties in many fuges, and have never had a single problem with it.
"Chaeto is the best macroalgae to grow." Chaeto does well for some and doesn't do so well for others. Chaeto has a tendency to crumble and get caught in return pumps, and in fact, I believe it's not the most efficient macro there is, personally. I can't prove it by any means, but I don't go around saying Chaetomorpha algae is the king of the hill, the beez neez, the cats pajamas of all macroalgaes...
"Protein skimmers are a necessary piece of equipment." No they aren't. They are a useful tool for reducing waste in an aquarium, yes, but it's not necessary. Adequate biofiltration with lots of live rock, remote deep sand beds, macroalgae refugiums, algae scrubbers, water changes, and low fish bioloads are all great ways of maintaining a healthy tank without a protein skimmer. Protein skimmers are the most marketed piece of aquarium equipment there is, and it has new aquarists convinced that they need one to keep a saltwater aquarium. Protein skimmers are useful, and are a tool, (which I will use) but are not completely necessary for a healthy tank.
"No tangs in a 4 foot tank." I've kept a yellow tang in a 4foot tank for 4 years without any signs of stress, ich or anything. It was just ONE tang, granted, but it can be done. I hate it when the tang police show up and bash people who keep one small tang in a four foot tank. Leave em' alone.
"Mix your saltwater 24 hours before use." How many of you start mixing your saltwater at 8pm one night, and then do a water change around 4 or 5PM the next day? I've done a water change with freshly mixed saltwater after 12 hours without any problems at all. You could possibly do a water change at the one hour mark if you aerate it with a powerful air pump and a couple air stones and a large pump. There are a lot of variables when it comes to mixing saltwater. As a new hobbyist, though, 24 hours seems to be the standard. I'll say to mix the full 24 hours before using because I don't want to be liable for any damages/loss of life. But, for me - It all just depends.
These are just a few of the things that I hear over and over that I actually tell people to do or not to do, but sometimes I don't follow my own advice. What do you tell people, and then do or not do? I'm just curious...
