What a post
Im not even going to comment on the WPG, except WPG=BS. Not aonly do I think that rule is a bunch of crap, I think a lot of other rules are a bunch of crap. For example everytime someone asks about VHO and sps someone shoots them down and says it cant be done or they arent colorful. I know for a fact that sps can be kept under VHo, and true they may not have the colors of specimens under 400 watt MH, they can color up nicely and grow very well also. There has even been some recent talk about some sps that ill actually brown under bright illumination. You would get shot if you sad that a year ago. I think a whole mess of things come into play when talking about lighting, I definetely think intensity matters a lot more than watts, but things light current, alk and Ca, position, and water quality also can play an important role. We all have to realize this is an ongoing experiment, and rule change all the time, or shall I call them opinions. Coralline can grow at very low light levels and very high light levels, thats usually why you only see one dominant species in any given tank. At lower lights you get deeper purples and as the light gets brighter light shade of pink will be present. Another thing that bugs me, while we are venting, is that a lot of people try to push "their rules" on everyone else. There are so many different ways to do this and more than just a couple work. Some work better then others, but I feel a reefer should start at the bottom and work his/her way up. How much can you possibly learn about keeping a reef if you are told from the get go that it must be done this way and no other way works. As for the non photosynthetic corals, by the way the other day at work my boss let me break down a tank that had been established "his way" and set it up "my way" and upon moving a few peices of rock out I discovered an awesome dendrophyllia that had attached and was looking very healthy, I was totally shocked because all the specimens he has ever ordered have died in a matter of weeks and of course I have read all the stuff that they are impossible to keep and should not be attempted. Anyway these corals may be demanding, but isnt any coral? I went out of pocket to get halides and a reactor in order to keep sps because they grow better with bright lights and a high Alk and Ca. I feed my anemones, gorgonians, and my tubastrea because they demand feeding. So far the overall trend in this hobby is to set up a tank with the brightest light possible, the best filtration possible, and so on. Would it not be just as fun and challenging to set up a tank for corals on the other end of the spectrum? We know what they need, and Im sure phyto is cheaper than halides and reactors
We have to remember that 10 years ago a lot of the stuff we have thriving in our tanks today were considered impossible and it only takes a little trial and error to find out what a certain genus needs in order to have them thrive as well.
