Reefbusters: Share your favorite reefing myths!

[Dbichler]

You should read the article again. It never says that larger tanks are more stable. It argues stability is good, which i agree with.

The typical (false) statement is that large tanks are more stable because biology and chemistry happens more slowly but that is just not true.
Those processes are dependent on how stocked the tank is. You can have a densly stocked large tank that is more chemically unstable than a lightly stocked small tank

How does it not you put 5 fish or corals in 10 gallons you do the same in 200 there’s going to be a different effect in each tank. Yes I read the article that’s why I posted it for you. I feel your just tryi not to admit your wrong. I’m out.

 

[Garf]

How does it not you put 5 fish or corals in 10 gallons you do the same in 200 there’s going to be a different effect in each tank. Yes I read the article that’s why I posted it for you. I feel your just tryi not to admit your wrong. I’m out.

Same load with more water is more stability. More load with same water is less stability, simples.

 

[SandNRocks]

That dry rock causes problems

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Six line wrasse is a death sentence to all fish in the tank, copperband are timid and shy, and can easily be out competed for food, once a coral turns white it's dead, it takes thousands to run a successful sps reef, black boxes don't do a good job growing coral, canister filters are not good enough for a salt water tank, you need a sump in a reef tank, you can't keep a sailfin tang in a 20 gallon tank, ok that last one is true.........

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Why?
With the exception of thermal stability, no one has been able to put forward an argument as to why that would be true.

Easy, the water chemistry in my little nano changes drastically with just a days water evaluation compared to my 110. Gallon system and requires me to keep a much closer eye on, a small over dose of nearly anything in my nano could spell disaster, while the same small over dose in my bigger systems would usually just require a few days to stabilize.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

THIS!!!!!

When I first started I was told this, then was advised to get emerald crab to take care of the problem. Hmmm, I thought, doesn't the crab eating the algae pop the algae, never made sense to me.

 

[yambeezy23]

I’m waiting for someone to talk about more than 2 clown fish in a tank

 

[Roatan Reef]

• white light causes algae, red light is harmful to corals
• Moorish Idols need to be kept in a group to survive
• Rock Beauty needs a sponge diet
• ich comes from toilet seats
• mandarin fish can’t be maintained on commercial food
• polyp extension is a indicator of coral health
• Nitrates are harmful???? (or jury is still out)
• you need to maintain 78F as the optimal reef temperature

So funny and true, since I set up 40GB almost 3 years ago now, my nephew started a Fluval 13.5 Evo in late December, it's kept at our house, and he has an amazing mandarin that absolutely loves his tank and has grown double in size now....I always wanted one but heard the horror tales from R2R and others, so I never got one...but low and behold a 13.5 Evo Saltwater tank that's just under 8 months old is maintaining his Mandarin just fine.

 

[Roatan Reef]

• white light causes algae, red light is harmful to corals
• Moorish Idols need to be kept in a group to survive
• Rock Beauty needs a sponge diet
• ich comes from toilet seats
• mandarin fish can’t be maintained on commercial food
• polyp extension is a indicator of coral health
• Nitrates are harmful???? (or jury is still out)
• you need to maintain 78F as the optimal reef temperature

So funny and True, almost 3 years ago now, since I set up 40GB, I always wanted a mandarin,, but heard the horror tales from R2R and others, so I never got one.


my nephew started a Fluval 13.5 Evo in late December, it's kept at our house, and he has an amazing mandarin that absolutely loves his tank and has grown double in size now....I always wanted one ..but low and behold a 13.5 Evo Saltwater tank that's just under 8 months old is maintaining his Mandarin just fine.

 

[Roatan Reef]

Six line wrasse is a death sentence to all fish in the tank, copperband are timid and shy, and can easily be out competed for food, once a coral turns white it's dead, it takes thousands to run a successful sps reef, black boxes don't do a good job growing coral, canister filters are not good enough for a salt water tank, you need a sump in a reef tank, you can't keep a sailfin tang in a 20 gallon tank, ok that last one is true.........

Ytsssss...lol...I'm the captain against the people who think Cannister Filters suck for saltwater.. I always defend them. Some on here have evem pmd me asking for advice..

And lol...my nephew has a 13.5 Evo Saltwater Tank with a black Ice Clown, 6 line wrasse and a mandarin...and you know what??? They all get along like long lost cousins!

 

[VintageReefer]

You should read the article again. It never says that larger tanks are more stable. It argues stability is good, which i agree with.

The typical (false) statement is that large tanks are more stable because biology and chemistry happens more slowly but that is just not true.
Those processes are dependent on how stocked the tank is. You can have a densly stocked large tank that is more chemically unstable than a lightly stocked small tank

Larger tanks are generally more stable for certain situations because there is more dilution for events such as a coral or fish death, adding a little extra of a supplement, over feeding etc. A snail dying in my 1.1 pico can crash it. Same event in my 75g is unnoticed. A fish dying in a 20g tank can set off a chain of events much faster than if that same fish died in a 300g tank.

 

[VintageReefer]

Algae scrubbers keep hair algae out of the display

Sure they do, when spec / sized / built properly

They can at least significantly impact and reduce the growth of hair algae in the display

I have a 75g tank and every day my plank dispenses food for 1 minute, 3x a day. Plus I feed 2 cubes of food, and a half sheet of nori. I have 7 fish including a tomini tang and 2 lyre tail anthias. I target feed the corals a slurry of food 2-3x weekly.

Every week my scrubber grows a 2” brick of this

And every week my display looks like this

Heres a myth, water changes are necessary.
- This 75g tank was filled with new sw 11 years ago, and I’ve done 3-4 water changes. 5g or less each time.

Here’s a myth. Skimmers are needed.
- this tank does not use a skimmer

Here’s a myth - mechanical filtration is important. We need to have filter roller or socks or some type of mech filtration
-this tank has none of that

Here’s a myth - you need a controller system
- not here

Here’s a myth - a reef needs a lot of time to keep it clean and healthy
-my weekly tank maintenance is 5 minutes, including cleaning the glass.
- Once a month I’ll test all parameters, takes 20 min.

Heres a myth - you NEED to spend a fortune on lights and supplement bars
- this tank is lit by a single reefbreeders photon 48v2, run at a max of 40% power. It’s a $900 light new and I got it used for under 500$

Here’s a myth - sandbeds are constant work, and you need to siphon/stir/clean them
-this sand has been here for 10 years and has never been manually cleaned in any way. I do have a conch and nassarius snails. But manually cleaning/stirring/vacuuming - not once


Enjoy my myth reinforcing, and myth breaking tank

 

[encrustingacro]

"LPS are low-flow/lighting and high-nutrients corals while SPS are high flow/lighting and low-nutrients corals"

I've seen LPS occur in places with intense sunlight, turbulent flow, and low-nutrient waters. Even corals usually thought of as low-flow/lighting can be found in opposite conditions. I've seen Trachyphyllia in the intertidal habitats of Exmouth and Lobophyllia in reef crests with strong current in Fiji. Vice-versa can be said for SPS. The nutrient-rich waters of Hong Kong and Taiwan are home to multiple Acropora species, and I've seen Porites in the silty lagoons of Rakiraki.

 

[OscarHaglund]

How does it not you put 5 fish or corals in 10 gallons you do the same in 200 there’s going to be a different effect in each tank. Yes I read the article that’s why I posted it for you. I feel your just tryi not to admit your wrong. I’m out.

If you put the same number of corals and fish in a 1 galon and a 500 galon then yes of course. But no one is actually doing that are they? They are matching their stocking to the size of the display. And then it doesn’t matter

 

[OscarHaglund]

Larger tanks are generally more stable for certain situations because there is more dilution for events such as a coral or fish death, adding a little extra of a supplement, over feeding etc. A snail dying in my 1.1 pico can crash it. Same event in my 75g is unnoticed. A fish dying in a 20g tank can set off a chain of events much faster than if that same fish died in a 300g tank.

Ok, I will grant you this. That’s certainly true and a case I didn’t think of.
In most other cases i stilll don’t think its true though

 

[VintageReefer]

Ok, I will grant you this. That’s certainly true and a case I didn’t think of.
In most other cases i stilll don’t think its true though

This is the only reasoning I ever interpreted from the expression “larger tanks are more stable”

It’s more volume which = more dilution from what I’ll label as “events”

I also read the linked article, and agree the only point is that stability is important and there is no arguement nor mention of larger tanks being more stable. I think the person posting the article might have felt you are against stability? Or, they searched for an article and posted without reading it.

Nobody is disputing that stability is important.

The claim was made “it’s a myth that larger tanks are more stable” and that not a myth. If you want to claim that, you would need to throw in a caveat with a specific area of focus. But as a general statement, yes, larger tanks are more stable, and the reason is because larger volumes of water are are able to absorb, dilute, and stabilize, the effects of various events, better than smaller volumes of water.

 

[Dbichler]

This is the only reasoning I ever interpreted from the expression “larger tanks are more stable”

It’s more volume which = more dilution from what I’ll label as “events”

I also read the linked article, and agree the only point is that stability is important and there is no arguement nor mention of larger tanks being more stable. I think the person posting the article might have felt you are against stability? Or, they searched for an article and posted without reading it.

Nobody is disputing that stability is important.

The claim was made “it’s a myth that larger tanks are more stable” and that not a myth. If you want to claim that, you would need to throw in a caveat with a specific area of focus. But as a general statement, yes, larger tanks are more stable, and the reason is because larger volumes of water are are able to absorb, dilute, and stabilize, the effects of various events, better than smaller volumes of water.

Consumption of calcium, carbonate and trace elements constantly change the parameters as do feeding and the resultant fish waste. This is also the case on an actual reef, but here the changes are generally not as great owing to the vast amount water. Directly from the article am I reading this wrong and not understanding or is it the same as saying large tank to small tank.

 

[Dbichler]

If you put the same number of corals and fish in a 1 galon and a 500 galon then yes of course. But no one is actually doing that are they? They are matching their stocking to the size of the display. And then it doesn’t matter

Literally posts daily of this on this site alone. If you read the fish disease section you notice many patterns of new tank too many additions stressed out fish equal diseased fish.

 

[OscarHaglund]

This is the only reasoning I ever interpreted from the expression “larger tanks are more stable”

It’s more volume which = more dilution from what I’ll label as “events”

I also read the linked article, and agree the only point is that stability is important and there is no arguement nor mention of larger tanks being more stable. I think the person posting the article might have felt you are against stability? Or, they searched for an article and posted without reading it.

Nobody is disputing that stability is important.

The claim was made “it’s a myth that larger tanks are more stable” and that not a myth. If you want to claim that, you would need to throw in a caveat with a specific area of focus. But as a general statement, yes, larger tanks are more stable, and the reason is because larger volumes of water are are able to absorb, dilute, and stabilize, the effects of various events, better than smaller volumes of water.

I concede that larger tanks can be more resistent to certain events that are detrimental to stability.
So I’ll rephrase my myth. It’s a myth that large tanks are more chemically stable.

 

[OrionN]

Hair algae can be maintained..... Pfffft

You have to maintain your hair algae. You can never eliminate them from your tank. Just have to limit their grow by low nutrient and have animals, the CUC and fishes, that dine on them