just a thought

as you know i am often the first person to speak up when someone here is overstocking a tank or doing even the tiniest thing incorrect. but as i was thinking about how i am planning to setup my nano and all the equipment and livestock and dosing and all that i just thought, why do these rules exist? i know many do not call them rules but more so guidelines and just plain common sense such as how sps need at least t5's to survive. and tangs need at least a 60 gallon tank. but i have seen so many tanks that do not even follow these guidelines, and i have to say before i was on this forum i didnt follow these. my lfs has a 8 gallon nano cube full of every coral you could dream of, sps, lps, softies, i know many would say this is impossible because of chemical warfare and such but it is done easily there. they ahve had the tank for more than 7 years. since they opened. and also to keep the water fresh they do a 100 percent water change every week. thats right 100 percent. this is just one example, i have seen many others such as keeping sps under NO flourescent fixtures. keeping anemones in a tank that is not even cycled yet and having them thrive! keeping 4 10 inch long tangs in a 80 gallon tank with no problem whatsoever.

i found this all very thought provoking and i hope you all do as well and i hope you all understand where i am coming from. from now on when someone does something different. i will not argue with them but accept the fact that they are doing things entirely different or "wrong" and being successful still.

recently a board member was telling me when i said that sps need at least a 4 bulb t5 fixture that back then when we didnt have all these fancy lights people still kept sps. this really got me thinking about all of this. and i would like to thank him for that.

to summarize this i just hope that all of you keep an open mind and try to cut back on the criticism. as people say " dont fix something that isnt broken"

 

i would also like to clear up that this is not advice to beginners to overstock their tanks. sorry about that

 

The sooner you understand there are no rules, only guidelines, the more clear things will become.

Keeping all this stuff in glass boxes is mostly possible via an experience domain. With an experience domain comes guidelines.

Sure, with biology comes some rules, but that's not the basis for real success.

 

i was just kinda thinking out loud, what i really started thinking is that practically everything is possible in this hobby, the reason we do our tanks the way we do and the reason we care for out livestock the way we do is because thats how people told us to.

 

When someone already has obtained the animal be it fish, invert or corals, I find the best way to assist them is to provide general guide lines according to what their system has, if I can. Offer perhaps a lighting up grade or feeding options and husbandry tips. Getting frustrated in addressing the post does not help anything, especially the animal.

Rarely does someone buy something and return it because someone on a forum advised them that the animal is going to die in their system. In the perfect world people would research before impulse buys. Even after that some will still try to take on a tank inhabitant not suited for their system.

If someone has a tang in a 40 gallon tank, and the question they post is not related to that tang in a 40 gallon tank then I can assume presently it's not an issue and pointing out that they have a tang in a 40 gallon tank is really of no value.

Look first at what the post addresses, unless grave immediate harm is going to ensue look past possible issues that my take place in the future. If a person has a tang in a 40 gallon tank and the tank looks healthy and the fish looks healthy I let that be my guide.

People are going to put anemones in new systems, it's just that black and white. Move past that issue and assist in what they can do to make it a better outcome in the least judgmental possible way. Extremely hard to do at times, sometimes you just have to walk away.

 

i thank you both for responding, i kinow corailline often i find myself not addressing the true issue but rather the fact their tank is not extablished enough for a nem, or their lighting is not adequate, or their tank is overstocked or anything of the sort.

 

The first time I got into this hobby we didnt have all this stuff we have now. A HOB filter, an undergravel filter, and tada you had a saltwater aquarium. I had a 45 gallon dt and housed tangs, butterflys, and angels. The new tech we have now IMHO is overkill. While I am guilty of using it (makes life easier in this hobby) I dont necessarily believe it is a must have item. A skimmer for instance (dont start yelling people) while I believe they are a great asset....I never used one back then and I had great success. Are they mandatory??? People say they are but in reality.....probably not. My point is that everybody on here is a collective body of knowledge. There are no rules of engagement only "In my opinion".

 

i have done this a few times, my first tank was a 20 gallon with a yellow tang and a coral beauty along with 2 clowns and 2 bta's, i had one strip light, no skimmer, power filter, crushed coral, and no live rock but coral skeletons. i had the tank for 2 years with no problems. i housed a couple softies and lps as well. and a clam that unfortunatly died lol. no test kit no dosing anything just the minimum of the minimum. and it worked. i do agree with ryland, often times all this stuff seems like overkill.

 

I think you typed that incorrectly.

They are not rules. They are general guidelines for a healthy tank.

 

if you read the entire post i said that many times. its all good