bang guy
Moderator
This post is intended to start an open-minded debate on what constitutes a healthy coral. If you're the type to become offended when someone doesn't share your point of view then you should probably stop reading now.
This is a subtle dig to some of the responses I've read in the "Are You Responsible" thread. I believe BigMac's only goal was to get people to think more about their chosen inhabitants and research their requirements. This is a commendable goal that was achieved IMO regardless of a few squabbles.
I'll start with a few of the ideas I've gathered over the years through research and experience. I don't expect a lot of people to agree with me but I would like to hear ideas and thoughts on WHY they don't agree, not a one-line sentence that just says "wrong".
Premise:
Brightly colored SPS illuminated by a 400 watt 20,000K MH are the healthiest.
Guy's Thoughts:
I disagree. I don't believe they are unhealthy and I believe they are strikingly beautiful. I also believe they are under incredible stress. Most of the current literature I've read indicates that corals produce these flourescing proteins to either enhance the light they are receiving when they are not getting enough, or to block incoming light when they are getting too much. Either way a LOT of energy is used up to create these protective proteins. Energy that could be better used growing and reproducing.
I believe growth rate is a better indicator of Coral health than any visible clue including polyp extension and color.
Premise:
SPS should never be kept under anything less intense than MH.
Guy's Thoughts:
I disagree. This gets back to BigMac's goal....research! All SPS cannot be lumped together and treated equally. Many of the Hydnoporas, Montiporas and Seriatopora species grow SLOWER in intense light. OTOH most Acropora will almost stop all growth under anything less than intense light. Know your coral.... IMO one of the best indicators of coral requirements is the environment the coral was propogated from (I don't even want to consider wild colonies). If the coral was traded from a tank using 20 WPG of MH light then don't place it in your VHO lit aquarium and expect it to do well. There ARE Acros out there that will thrive under PC or VHO. My suggestion is to find them, buy them, and propogate them. Let someone else go through 20 different species before finding one that works.
Further thought:
If you initially setup a system using HID lighting you can still keep coral that don't do their best under intense light. They can be placed low in the tank, under a tank brace, off to the side, or even shaded by a more light loving distant relative. However, if you don't have HID light then your coral selection is irrevocably limited. Regardless of what some companies claim, most Acropora will die under flourescent lighting no matter how close to the bulb they are.
Premise:
Corals Thrive under HID lighting.
Guy's Thoughts:
Lighting is but one element of keeping healthy coral. Feeding, water parameters, water flow, temperature, etc. are all just as important. If you're new to the hobby do not underestimate the complexity of keeping a reef system. Regardless of your experience you will make mistakes. Keeping corals at the far end of the difficulty scale should be left to the very serious reef keepers. The rest of us should keep the corals that will survive a few bone-headed mistakes. This means keeping corals beneath our experience level until they have been mastered, not until you been able to grow one for a few months.
Further Thought:
Mastering a coral is more than keeping it alive. It's knowing what makes that coral tick, what it likes, what it dislikes. It's growing a colony from a frag, propogating, growing 2nd generation colonies, trading with fellow hobbiests. Making tank raised more valuable that the wild colonies. Helping the hobby by sharing your knowledge and experiences.
This is a subtle dig to some of the responses I've read in the "Are You Responsible" thread. I believe BigMac's only goal was to get people to think more about their chosen inhabitants and research their requirements. This is a commendable goal that was achieved IMO regardless of a few squabbles.
I'll start with a few of the ideas I've gathered over the years through research and experience. I don't expect a lot of people to agree with me but I would like to hear ideas and thoughts on WHY they don't agree, not a one-line sentence that just says "wrong".
Premise:
Brightly colored SPS illuminated by a 400 watt 20,000K MH are the healthiest.
Guy's Thoughts:
I disagree. I don't believe they are unhealthy and I believe they are strikingly beautiful. I also believe they are under incredible stress. Most of the current literature I've read indicates that corals produce these flourescing proteins to either enhance the light they are receiving when they are not getting enough, or to block incoming light when they are getting too much. Either way a LOT of energy is used up to create these protective proteins. Energy that could be better used growing and reproducing.
I believe growth rate is a better indicator of Coral health than any visible clue including polyp extension and color.
Premise:
SPS should never be kept under anything less intense than MH.
Guy's Thoughts:
I disagree. This gets back to BigMac's goal....research! All SPS cannot be lumped together and treated equally. Many of the Hydnoporas, Montiporas and Seriatopora species grow SLOWER in intense light. OTOH most Acropora will almost stop all growth under anything less than intense light. Know your coral.... IMO one of the best indicators of coral requirements is the environment the coral was propogated from (I don't even want to consider wild colonies). If the coral was traded from a tank using 20 WPG of MH light then don't place it in your VHO lit aquarium and expect it to do well. There ARE Acros out there that will thrive under PC or VHO. My suggestion is to find them, buy them, and propogate them. Let someone else go through 20 different species before finding one that works.
Further thought:
If you initially setup a system using HID lighting you can still keep coral that don't do their best under intense light. They can be placed low in the tank, under a tank brace, off to the side, or even shaded by a more light loving distant relative. However, if you don't have HID light then your coral selection is irrevocably limited. Regardless of what some companies claim, most Acropora will die under flourescent lighting no matter how close to the bulb they are.
Premise:
Corals Thrive under HID lighting.
Guy's Thoughts:
Lighting is but one element of keeping healthy coral. Feeding, water parameters, water flow, temperature, etc. are all just as important. If you're new to the hobby do not underestimate the complexity of keeping a reef system. Regardless of your experience you will make mistakes. Keeping corals at the far end of the difficulty scale should be left to the very serious reef keepers. The rest of us should keep the corals that will survive a few bone-headed mistakes. This means keeping corals beneath our experience level until they have been mastered, not until you been able to grow one for a few months.
Further Thought:
Mastering a coral is more than keeping it alive. It's knowing what makes that coral tick, what it likes, what it dislikes. It's growing a colony from a frag, propogating, growing 2nd generation colonies, trading with fellow hobbiests. Making tank raised more valuable that the wild colonies. Helping the hobby by sharing your knowledge and experiences.
and good point.
