Before anyone reads this, i want you to understand that i have about 4 years of marine fish keeping under my belt. I do not in any way consider myself a professional. Also i have never before run a tank the way im currently running this one. That being said, this tank is making me question everything I used to believe and has turned into kind of an expirement. I ask that no one be judgemental, as happens more often than not on here. Most of what i have done was an act of desperation. I just want to share my story and see if anyone can explain without any doubt, why we do what we do.
Recently, ive been forced to do the unconventional. Ive done things that would make most people cringe and shake their heads. What i have discovered is that there are definately different ways of doing things, not just one definite way.
On my last transfer i was not able to get my tank running properly before adding livestock. Due to set backs and technical difficulties, i had to put ALL of my livestock in 50 degree water. Salt particles were still floating around. I have about two thousand dollars worth of corals, fish and inverts, including snails, crabs, shrimp, featherduster and misc worms. EVERYTHING SURVIVED. Absolutely no acclimation was involved. Even my pod population survived.
I have not used any form of acclimation for any inverts as of late. I have had no casualties. I used to drip acclimate like my life depended on it. Im starting to question why. Im starting to think that as long as you have excellent water, the animals will survive.
I've been running my tank with no mechanical filtration. I'm running two Hydoras and a vortech mp40. I believe I'm really understocked which may be a reason for this success. I haven't had any algae outbreaks, no excess debris, coral growth is excellent and fish color is bright. The water is not cloudy at all. I've been doing a 5 gallon water change every 3 days and this seems to be working. I'm begining to doubt how much we need all extra filtration.
I was worried about my water quality because of my sump not running, but I recently bought a foxface with terrible finrot. He went in with no acclimation and his fins grew back within a week, which I have read happens with excellent water quality.
If I'm doing everything "wrong", then why is everything going right? Why didn't everything die during the transfer? The water was 50 degrees! Why have all of my inverts survived without any acclimation? Why is my water quality good without any mechanical filtration? If things start to turn sour, I'll try and fix my sump. As for now, I'll keep on with the expirement.
Recently, ive been forced to do the unconventional. Ive done things that would make most people cringe and shake their heads. What i have discovered is that there are definately different ways of doing things, not just one definite way.
On my last transfer i was not able to get my tank running properly before adding livestock. Due to set backs and technical difficulties, i had to put ALL of my livestock in 50 degree water. Salt particles were still floating around. I have about two thousand dollars worth of corals, fish and inverts, including snails, crabs, shrimp, featherduster and misc worms. EVERYTHING SURVIVED. Absolutely no acclimation was involved. Even my pod population survived.
I have not used any form of acclimation for any inverts as of late. I have had no casualties. I used to drip acclimate like my life depended on it. Im starting to question why. Im starting to think that as long as you have excellent water, the animals will survive.
I've been running my tank with no mechanical filtration. I'm running two Hydoras and a vortech mp40. I believe I'm really understocked which may be a reason for this success. I haven't had any algae outbreaks, no excess debris, coral growth is excellent and fish color is bright. The water is not cloudy at all. I've been doing a 5 gallon water change every 3 days and this seems to be working. I'm begining to doubt how much we need all extra filtration.
I was worried about my water quality because of my sump not running, but I recently bought a foxface with terrible finrot. He went in with no acclimation and his fins grew back within a week, which I have read happens with excellent water quality.
If I'm doing everything "wrong", then why is everything going right? Why didn't everything die during the transfer? The water was 50 degrees! Why have all of my inverts survived without any acclimation? Why is my water quality good without any mechanical filtration? If things start to turn sour, I'll try and fix my sump. As for now, I'll keep on with the expirement.