A dilemma in the ethics of reefkeeping

Hi all,

As reefkeepers, one of our tenets is make sure we take care of all the critters in the tank. The attitude of 'it's only a fish' or 'it's just a coral' is not acceptable, we strive to keep all organisms healthy and thriving, much like a small marine sanctuary. And this is the problem (maybe).

In order to keep the corals healthy, we need to maintain low levels of Po4 and NO3. But how do we maintain low levels of these without harming the fish? Let me clarify. To keep these numbers down, we must feed less food less often (I'm down to feeding once every other day and sometimes once every three days, and I still have marginally acceptable levels of the above). I have read here that some people are feeding only once per week. While I'm sure that the fish are not starving, I sure as hell wouldn't want to eat only every two days.

So how do we justify this? Do we inherently put a higher value on the coral than we do the fish?

- Ryan

Hi, Fred my male bangaii cardinal goes about 25 days without food at a time when he is 'pregnant' he has done this constantly since january or so. He eats only for about 5 days between broods and he shows no sign of malnutrition and is quite fat. I believe he is eating 'off the reef' fattening up during this five day respite as well as the feeding that I provide the tank. My point is, I believe fish to need alot less food than we are led to believe, especially in a reef enviroment where natural live foods are present. If you feel your fish are losing mass or are lethargic due to decreased feedings then you should feed more. exporting the nutrients may be taken care of other ways besides less food. I dont believe there should be a push and pull between nutrients for your fish and excess nutrients in your water, if there is, your setup is not processing wastes efficiently enough. try upgrading your skimmer or getting more rock, or set up a refugeum with some macro algae you can harvest. Maybe a combination of all of them will serve your purpose. HTH, Toy

Simple. Who said we have to keep dozens of fish in a 120g tank? Who said we have to have 1/2 dozen of this kind of fish and 1/2 dozen of that kind of fish in a 55g tank? I have seen many posts listing what live stock they have, and plenty of guys with 55g tanks having 4~5x more fish bioload then I have in my 120g.

We reefkeepers need to get away from that 'I need all those fish' thinking with a reef tank.

I hear that.. I have a 125 gal tank.. 150+ lbs of live rock.. Kick ass skimmer.. and 2 fish.. yeah I said two yellow tang and an algae blenny.. I also believe this hobby is Reefkeeping not FISH Keeping.. I only EMPLOY fish to help maintain my reef.( and to keep my friend happy )

happy )

LOL, you are better then I am in that dept. I have 3 black perc clowns and one RSPT in my 120g.

I'm right with you guys... we have a 180g. with 1 flame angel, 2 regal tangs, and 2 sebae clowns (and a big 'ol bubble algae

It may be more important to have better method of export then anything else. The corals requires low nutrient waters compared to what the fish requires. So in order to keep both happy, we need to be able to keep low nutrient in the water, yet we need to be able to feed alot. The most logical way for this seems to be fast export. By having this you can then feed more often to keep the fish happy, but yet still have low nutrient and keep the corals happy.

While extra water volume helps, but it may not be effective in this matter.

snip

May I humbly remind you that you forgot to say IMO.

I prefer to have more fish than corals in my tank. Doesn't make it wrong, just different than you choose to do.

Cheers, Dave Johnson

Then you are after a fish tank, which is fine, as you will set up your system accordingly to support such demand. But for those who is seeking to set up a reef tank, we need to choose between keeping healthy corals, healthy fish, and dont go cheap by not spending the necessary money to have the proper set up to allow for both lots of corals and lots of fish.

There is no IMO involved when people dont set up their tanks accordingly to support the necessay livestock they wish to keep.

I agree Jimmy, limits are limits, You either have lots of fish and some corals or lots of corals and few fish. no opinion there. Toy

total water volume though the addition of large sumps is a good way to allow us increase the bioload on our reefs without problems?

No. Only when you increase the bio-filtration capacity at the same time. More water only means more water. Now, if all those sumps are stocked with liverock, then yes it will increase the fish load you could put in the main tank.