Excellent article

Kirbster · #1 03/06/2006, 12:14 PM

Well done, and excellent references.

One question, however, from your author bio...

Quote:

He likes fish now, but still maintains that he is not, in fact, a geek.

Can you cite any sources confirming you are not a geek? I've heard numerous anecdotal reports indicating that you are, in fact, a geek.

Skipper · #2 03/06/2006, 12:21 PM

Hey Kirbster. I can verify he's a geek. No idea why he said that.

MCsaxmaster · #3 03/06/2006, 12:37 PM

Jerks

Thanks for the kind words though...the ones not talking about my supposed geekiness that is

LTJGAlex · #4 03/06/2006, 01:37 PM

I really have to say, that coral renaming article is an absolutely informative, well-researched, highly accessible and just all-around superb piece. It almost seems prophetic for me right now, as I'm approaching my 9mo mark on my reef (keeping fish, inverts and all the types of coral) and in the past 2 months have had so many mysterious deaths. I was very soft coral-heavy for a time, and my softies and many LPS died around the same time at the start of this extinction. Now at least I have some genuine ideas on what's been happening, and on how to make my second year in reefing more successful.

Thanks for dispelling the myths. I'm going to be touting "Well Chris Jury said..." for some time.

MCsaxmaster · #5 03/06/2006, 01:47 PM

Haha, glad you enjoyed the article. I really wanted to keep it accessible to beginners yet thought-provoking for the experienced crowd. Looks like I might have pulled it off. Your comments are much appreciated.

Best,

Chris

thoma226 · #6 03/07/2006, 11:29 AM

Chris -
Well written...and a worthy read. Congrats on the milestone, and I'm looking forward to the next. --JT

MCsaxmaster · #7 03/07/2006, 01:51 PM

Jaimie,

Many thanks. The next several are in progress, so knock-on-wood I should have another article out soon.

algaeguy · #8 03/08/2006, 12:28 AM

Chris:

An outstanding, thought-provoking piece that should really be a "standard" read for all reef geeks!

I loved it! Keep 'em coming!

Scott

MadTownMax · #9 03/08/2006, 04:02 PM

Great article!

MCsaxmaster · #10 03/08/2006, 06:07 PM

Thanks guys

3.99AfterTaxes · #11 03/09/2006, 07:21 PM

Awesome, I'm so glad someone has addressed the "SPS" feeding issue with credible referrences.

THUMBS UP!

cabin · #12 03/12/2006, 08:37 AM

Chris, I was really inspired by your article, and posted a suggestion on our club's forum that the club make it a goal to remove these misleading coral labels from our vocabulary.

MCsaxmaster · #13 03/12/2006, 07:44 PM

Sounds good. Good luck

mgrove · #14 03/12/2006, 10:08 PM

Great article! I agree that abitrary classifications in polyp size are a detriment to the hobby's progress in adressing species-specific needs. Do you or Skipper know if the moderators at RC have considered renaming some of the forums on Reef Central (specifically the Special Intrest Groups- "LPS Keepers" and "SPS Keepers")? Forum classifications such as these seem to reinforce the negative steryotyping of corals, which you wrote about.
Thanks for the information.

-Mike

Skipper · #15 03/12/2006, 11:26 PM

Chris: any suggestions on re-naming?

1NanoNano · #16 03/13/2006, 01:08 PM

Quote:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6893045#post6893045 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MCsaxmaster
Haha, glad you enjoyed the article. I really wanted to keep it accessible to beginners yet thought-provoking for the experienced crowd. Looks like I might have pulled it off. Your comments are much appreciated.
Best,
Chris

Yep, you "pulled it off", speaking from a beginners point of view

I have had a 24gal nano reef set up for a year now and it's done great, so I went up to a 150 gal. This has been set up for about three weeks now. The "clean-up" crew went in last week. I was told to start adding some of the corals from my nano into the big tank by the end of this week. Problem is that most of the corals mentioned are soft corals. Thanks to your article, that will not happen now

If you have time, could you share what you think would be a few good "starter" stony corals and also how long would you wait to put corals or fish into this new setup?
I'll be going back and rereading your article several times, the scientific names really throw me

Thanks so much for sharing your article, newbies like myself need the help and from all the misguided advice that's out there, I can tell even some seasoned reefers need CE!
Cheryl

1NanoNano · #17 03/13/2006, 01:31 PM

Quote:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6893045#post6893045 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MCsaxmaster
Haha, glad you enjoyed the article. I really wanted to keep it accessible to beginners yet thought-provoking for the experienced crowd. Looks like I might have pulled it off. Your comments are much appreciated.
Best,
Chris

Yep, you "pulled it off", speaking from a beginners point of view

I have had a 24gal nano reef set up for a year now and it's done great, so I went up to a 150 gal. This has been set up for about three weeks now. The "clean-up" crew went in last week. I was told to start adding some of the corals from my nano into the big tank by the end of this week. Problem is that most of the corals mentioned are soft corals. Thanks to your article, that will not happen now

If you have time, could you share what you think would be a few good "starter" stony corals and also how long would you wait to put corals or fish into this new setup?
I'll be going back and rereading your article several times, the scientific names really throw me

Thanks so much for sharing your article, newbies like myself need the help and from all the misguided advice that's out there, I can tell even some seasoned reefers need CE!
Cheryl

MCsaxmaster · #18 03/13/2006, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Great article! I agree that abitrary classifications in polyp size are a detriment to the hobby's progress in adressing species-specific needs. Do you or Skipper know if the moderators at RC have considered renaming some of the forums on Reef Central (specifically the Special Intrest Groups- "LPS Keepers" and "SPS Keepers")? Forum classifications such as these seem to reinforce the negative steryotyping of corals, which you wrote about.

Quote:

Chris: any suggestions on re-naming?

Hi guys,

I'll pm Skip. Given the potential sensitivity of this issue, while I favor something along the lines of "tweaking" the forum names a bit, I'd prefer to discuss this privately at the moment. Not trying to be sneaky or anything, just don't want to flare emotions unduly.

cj

MCsaxmaster · #19 03/13/2006, 04:17 PM

Quote:

If you have time, could you share what you think would be a few good "starter" stony corals and also how long would you wait to put corals or fish into this new setup?

Hi Cheryl,

For the best results, I'd always recommend running the aquarium without predators (fish and corals) for the first 6 months as the best-case scenario. This is both for the health of the specimens as well as the development and balance of the tank as an ecosytem.

Granted, most folks don't have this kind of patience with their first tank or first big tank. As a second-best route I'd suggest that fish not be introduced for the first 6-8 weeks and that only small herbivorous species or those with relatively slow metabolisms be introduced. The last thing you want to do in a new tank is load it up with a bunch of carnivorous reef fish that need to be fed a lot (and therefore provide a significant nutrient load).

As for stony corals, some of the Montipora spp., like M. digitata are amongst the best first additions. Many are very hardy corals that grow in stressful environments in nature, so can handle a bit of instability in a new tank. Pavona, Pocillopora damicornis, and many Hydnophora are also great choices. The most faviids and mussids are hardy (with a few exceptions, but you probably won't run into the exceptions) and would be good choices. The one commonly kept genus to avoid at first would be Acropora. They range from moderately hardy (though not quite enough to be recommended in a new tank) to very sensitive. There are a lot of other stony corals to be considered and this list is by no means all-inclusive. Ideally, like I said, I'd allow a tank to mature for a good 6 months before corals are introduced for best results, but you might be able to get away with just a few months (3-4). Of course this all depends on the quality of the live rock you're using (i.e. how fresh and potentially nasty it is) and other factors, but these guidelines are what I've seen work best in the goodness-knows how many tanks I've seen get setup.

Good luck,

Chris

1NanoNano · #20 03/13/2006, 06:45 PM

Chris, thanks so much for the information. I will be patient.... gee that's a long time, but I'd rather be safe than sorry when dealing with the reef livestock. I have 12 tunicuts and two feather dusters that came in on the live rock. Maybe I could just add a few more feather dusters, so I can have something to watch. I like looking for little critters in the rock so that will help.

I'll spend my time reading and researching. That should help too.
Thanks again for your advice

Cheryl

eastcoastzigzag · #21 03/14/2006, 01:05 AM

being an employee of a pet store that prides itself on quality marine fish and corals. so much that we hand pick all of our marine fish and corals excpet our locally grown clowns. this was an awesome article! i will use the ideas. thanks!

reefgal · #22 03/14/2006, 06:55 PM

Well done!

I enjoyed your article and agree a disservice is done to the whole art of reef keeping by clinging to this useless terminology. I find it amazing to speak to an aquarist who knows the genus of their house plants, but not their coral!

MCsaxmaster · #23 03/15/2006, 03:49 PM

Preach it sister!

RichConley · #24 03/21/2006, 11:10 AM

Article was great.

I wonder though, if you could put together a specific list of what certain growth forms need. You mention a couple cases (the thin branches on seratoia meaning it likes lower flow) but never give an overall picture.

I think this would be very helpful.

MCsaxmaster · #25 03/21/2006, 11:49 AM

Hi Rich,

I've been tossing a few ideas around, and while I haven't actually fleshed-out my thoughts yet, I may write a piece to accompany this one addressing issues like you mention.

Best,

cj