Most common "reef myths" with little basis in reality...

[eschaton]

Hey guys,

I wonder what - in your experience - are things which seem to be "common knowledge" in the reefing world which are actually pretty wrong-headed.

Off the top of my head:

1. The idea that if you choose to have a DSB, you should stir the sand yourself in order to avoid buildup of hydrogen sulphide. Stirring makes this more likely to happen because you end up crushing worms and pods burrowing in the sand, which then decay in an anoxic environment.
2. That hermits are a good, reef-safe element of a clean-up crew. There are many issues with hermits. They need shells, and often kill snails for them. They're omnivores, and tend to decimate a lot of the micro-fauna on rockwork. They're not even reef animals, more suited to a lagoon biotope.
3. That any time you see a hitchhiker - even a bristleworm - you freak out and kill it with fire unless you're 100% certain what you're dealing with.
4. The idea the best way to deal with pest organisms is to introduce a predator which will also eat a ton of other tank fauna.
5. That tank temperatures should be in the high 70s rather than the low 80s.
6. That polyp extension means corals are actually feeding.
7. The most important by far - that the person you talk to at the LFS has any idea what they're talking about.

 

[ca1ore]

I think some you list are more a matter of choice than ‘myths. Hermits can be fine as long as the human doesn’t freak out if they choose to sample something they shouldn’t. I always include them in my reef tank. A biological predator can be an excellent way to combat some kind of pest with same freak out proviso. Agree with the temperature comment - back in the last century I kept my reef tank at 75 degrees, now more like 80 - tank is fine. It’s also one of my pet peeves that the default position for many is to remove and kill anything that looks problematic. In my 30 years as a reefer I’ve only removed organisms three times - a mantis shrimp, bobbit worm and a small HH octopus.

To me, myths are mostly in the (largely unhelpful) rules of thumb that were so prevalent in the early days of reefing. Pound per gallon for live rock, inches of fish per gallon, etc.

 

[biophilia]

That algae problems are intrinsically tied to high nutrient levels rather than a lack of herbivores.

That corals are generally able to get all of the energy they need for growth from their symbionts.

That silica is anything other than a crucially absent compound in most aquaria that are more than a few months old.

 

[stanleo]

That you should have one snail per gallon of water.

 

[eschaton]

Hermits can be fine as long as the human doesn’t freak out if they choose to sample something they shouldn’t. I always include them in my reef tank.

I don't think hermits are a problem in small numbers. But I dislike their "picking" tendencies, because thy're just as apt to graze on small animals (micro-feathers, worms in the sand, etc) as they are algae. Basically if you put them in the tank it's more likely you get the very sterile "coraline slab" look to the rock, which isn't my ideal. And snails work so much better for algae control - without any of the drawbacks.

Really though I should say I think purchased clean-up crews are overrated. A lot of the CUC work can be done well by hitchhikers which breed in tanks (bristleworms, stomatella snails, collonista snails, mini brittle-stars, pods, sponges, etc). The only purchased CUC members I think are worth it are trochus, cerith, and mini-strombus - because they breed in your tank and will naturally expand to deal with any algae/detritus problem.

A biological predator can be an excellent way to combat some kind of pest with same freak out proviso.

Yeah, but there are unintended consequences. Basically there are two kinds of tank predators.

1. Dedicated types like aiptasia-eating nudis - which almost never get it all anyway.
2. Generalist predators like wrasse or arrow crabs - which eat a lot of things which are beneficial to the tank as well.

Most outbreaks of pests come down to the "tank ecosystem" being out of balance - too many nutrients or not enough competition for the niche in the tank. If you whack one pest organism another one is likely to arise as soon as it can be introduced. The goal is to have a wide variety of life to stop any one thing from being a runaway success.

That you should have one snail per gallon of water.

Not only is it stupid, it's a recipe for all of the snails to starve to death. It's why I lean heavily toward introducing only algae grazers which can breed within the tank. Not only is it cheaper in the long run, it means that the population of grazers will expand/contract as the algae supply does, rather than needing constant replenishment.

 

[hart24601]

I would more say it's a myth there are hard rules. If anything over the past 10-15 years there have been so many great tanks that have demonstrated having an amazing display tank is pretty much obtainable using any lighting or filtration the person desires, one just needs to be aware of challenges that might exist with their preferred setup, but just about anything is possible in this hobby. Heck we have SPS cookie jars that have been running longer than most people's tanks.

Want sand? Awesome! No sand, great! Deep sand? that works too! Just be aware of the advantages/disadvantages of each and don't wear blinders.

Keep tank at 75 degrees? It will work, how about 80, sure that's great too! Mid 80s, sure there are examples out there.

Lighting type, pick what you like! Make sure the intensity is ok for your goals and be aware of potential issues aka shading, heat, on going cost and so on.

Hermits? You like them? Guess what, no problems! Realize they can eat snails and some species are more suitable than others, but if you like them go for it, lots of amazing systems have them.

Sump vs AIO - again if you like an all in one you will be just fine! Just do research accordingly!

It's just amazing to me now how we have so many examples of jaw dropping tanks doing just about everything someone could think of. Perhaps the only rule I like to tell people is to ask for a photo of the persons tank before accepting their advise.

 

[Devaji]

^ @hart24601 nailed it. I was just thinking this a while back. it's nice to see so many amazing tanks with just different gear running them.

my myth- you get what you pay for. I think this is way over rated, yes in some cases very true not in others. I see a trend it reefing gear that manufactures charge more to get the perceived value. if X gear is Y amount and they are considered high end ,lets price match with them so our mid to low end unit gets the same class level.

 

[EMeyer]

Hey guys,

I wonder what - in your experience - are things which seem to be "common knowledge" in the reefing world which are actually pretty wrong-headed.

Off the top of my head:

1. The idea that if you choose to have a DSB, you should stir the sand yourself in order to avoid buildup of hydrogen sulphide. Stirring makes this more likely to happen because you end up crushing worms and pods burrowing in the sand, which then decay in an anoxic environment.
2. That hermits are a good, reef-safe element of a clean-up crew. There are many issues with hermits. They need shells, and often kill snails for them. They're omnivores, and tend to decimate a lot of the micro-fauna on rockwork. They're not even reef animals, more suited to a lagoon biotope.
3. That any time you see a hitchhiker - even a bristleworm - you freak out and kill it with fire unless you're 100% certain what you're dealing with.
4. The idea the best way to deal with pest organisms is to introduce a predator which will also eat a ton of other tank fauna.
5. That tank temperatures should be in the high 70s rather than the low 80s.
6. That polyp extension means corals are actually feeding.
7. The most important by far - that the person you talk to at the LFS has any idea what they're talking about.

Its funny. I'd consider #2, #4, and #5 to be absolutely true based on experience. Yeah hermits kill snails, but they also eat a ton of algae.

Totally agree on #3 and #7 though! With the caveat that if I could drive all bristleworms on the planet extinct I'd do it in a heartbeat. I get painful stings weekly by these little buggers and they all need to die. With that said, you can't actually eliminate bristleworms so I have come to think of them the same way as incomes taxes - not a good thing or even an OK thing but an inevitable thing.

 

[sixty_reefer]

I find all 7 are more discussions topics and personal choices, I would say a myth is more like “would garlic kill hick”

 

[lapin]

How about:
Algae is bad. I have algae. How do I get rid of it?

 

[sixty_reefer]

Its funny. I'd consider #2, #4, and #5 to be absolutely true based on experience. Yeah hermits kill snails, but they also eat a ton of algae.

Totally agree on #3 and #7 though! With the caveat that if I could drive all bristleworms on the planet extinct I'd do it in a heartbeat. I get painful stings weekly by these little buggers and they all need to die. With that said, you can't actually eliminate bristleworms so I have come to think of them the same way as incomes taxes - not a good thing or even an OK thing but an inevitable thing.

There is a way to fully eliminate worms from a reef tank as long as you don’t have any soft corals

 

[brandon429]

" MY WHITE SAND METHOD "

thanks again i know what type im getting next lol Im usually on RC and havent been around R2R much but i think im going to start looking around the site more:) Thats right before i forget to ask ive found the petco type of gardener on #bay (dont know if i can use the name on here yet?) anyone...

www.reef2reef.com

that thread erases claim #1. It erases the concern due to:
-no other giant work threads to replace it, showing uninvasion and happy posters with sandbeds that aren't causing massive troubles and invasions in the tank.

when people tell me things about sandbeds I don't ask to see theirs, not interested. I ask to see patterns that show how the public's sandbed behaves, then the results are very few and far between with that link above being about 50% of the available data online.

The reason there is about 2-4 total sandbed biology threads on the web vs 500 is because of the consequences for making bad calls. Its much safer to just recommend something we've done.

its very risky to recommend that hundreds of other people take an action, then report back. This insulation has caused a massive gap in sandbed knowledge due to there being 200 sandbed masters advising best practices without work threads to actually measure the claims taught.

nobody without a work thread should be advising about sandbed biology or actions in my opinion. even with a PhD...no work thread means safe zone writing. no work thread means Im about to read oceanic studies down-scaled to tank studies and all that reaching will be sold as fact.

no hydrogen sulfide is produced by stirring a sandbed in the clean condition as maintenance, the pages show. measures- we have to go off the usual suspects: rotten smell, black pocketing, and death within the tank. none of that is occurring with stirring maintenance routine.

 

[ca1ore]

Yeah, but there are unintended consequences.

True, but there ARE times when a biological pest remover is the best option .... thus it’s not a myth LOL. That’s was my point. Agree, BTW, that a purchased CUC is overrated, and often unnecessary.

 

[eschaton]

True, but there ARE times when a biological pest remover is the best option .... thus it’s not a myth LOL. That’s was my point. Agree, BTW, that a purchased CUC is overrated, and often unnecessary.

To be clear, I wasn't saying that one should use chemical pest control over biological pest control. If you're going to try to remove a life form, it's better to do so via biological means. You just need to know that you likely won't get to 100% when it comes to removal, and introducing a predator (unless it's very specialized) can have unintended consequences.

My own personal view is that just about anything as long as it's not predatory upon corals or livestock has a place in a tank. People freak out these days about vermetid snails or asterina starfish before having seen them actually do anything bad - just because they're "unsightly" or they have "heard it's bad." Even things like aiptasia or red planaria are okay IMHO if they're only present in your sump or fuge and don't interfere with corals in the display tank.

 

[Bpb]

“White light is for growth, and blue light is only for looks”

 

[AquaBiomics]

There is a way to fully eliminate worms from a reef tank as long as you don’t have any soft corals

Unfortunately all of my tanks have some soft corals in them With my luck I'd just get another bristleworm introduced after eradicating them anyway. I often find them in zoa rocks.

Youd think weekly painful stings would be enough to remind me to put on a pair of gloves, which are kept right next to the tank. And I often do remember, but its always that "just one quick thing, I dont need a glove for this" situation where I get stung.