Best reef2reef Threads

[Reefology1]

Bacteria:

Bacteria...let's really start understanding them! part one

Well I’ve been on here for a month or two and I've found a really heavy misunderstanding of bacteria in the aquarium and what they're actually useful for. This is NOT another cycling thread! None of this is opinion unless I say IMO. First before I begin I'll introduce myself. I have loved...

www.reef2reef.com

This started off great but turned into a mess. Would like some threads to replace this one please.

Cycling a tank:
...

Carbon Dosing:
...

DIY elements:

Post your DIY additives here!

With the popularity of the Triton method and ICP testing gaining steam, a thread containing DIY elemental supplements would be very helpful. Commercial supplements are very expensive and many elements can be sourced cheaply via Amazon, eBay, etc. Examples include fergon pills, potassium...

www.reef2reef.com

DIY Amino Acids:

aspartic acid and glutumic acid as a carbon source

I love doing experiments so I thought I will purchase aminos as per ME suggestions : This are the following aminos I purchased L Aspertic Acid Glutamic Acid Glycine This 3 are the most consumed my corals according to my research. Source...

www.reef2reef.com

DIY nitrate dosing:

When and why did dosing nitrates start?

So, I am seeing numerous accomplished reefers offering advice to beginners to "get their nitrates up" or to even dose nitrates. My reef has always registered zero nitrates, and I never thought twice about that. I assume that nitrate goes through my system but is used up by corals and bacteria...

www.reef2reef.com

Does anyone dose ammonia and/or how would one try?

So, after an interesting discussion on nitrate dosing and looking at my Walt Disney coral and seeing it slightly less colorful than I have seen it in others tanks, I have decided I want to learn about and then try dosing ammonia instead of buying 20 damsels. Nitrate additives I see abound and...

www.reef2reef.com

To Skim or not to skim

Is it feasible to remove the skimmer? Could it solve the decades-long problem of nutrient accumulation?

The role of a skimmer? My father had a saltwater aquarium in the early 1970s, based on Frank De Graaf's book, manual for the tropical marine aquarium, published in 1969. The aquarium was equipped with a counter-current skimmer. Since then, a skimmer was always in use. What has been established...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Reefology1]

The goal here is to provide access to the best threads, with heathy debates on specific topics, so we can more quickly either apply the knowledge or continue the search.

I believe this forum is so helpful because it provides a place where reefers throw their otherwise crazy ideas at a vast community to see if they have any merit. Amongst the community are trusted sources (ie. Randy) that will either squash an idea or ponder the thought long enough to spark a debate. I feel lucky to have this resource.

The problem is, there are a lot of crazy ideas and threads that start out ok but lead to unhealthy debates with little to no substance. I have wasted so much time chasing some of these threads that could have been better served reading threads that have substance. I’m hoping the community here can point me to some great threads that they have found helpful. My useful threads are welcome!

I plan to edit the first post whenever a useful thread is found so you don’t have to read this entire thread to find the links.

I know there is a search feature here, as someone will surely point out , however I don’t find it helps much. Perhaps I’m not using it efficiently.

 

[brandon429]

How to unstick any seemingly stuck cycle

Updated Cycling Science in Action This is a testless reef tank cycling thread, the only one from any board. If you ever had trouble with reef tank cycling in the past, you won't any longer after working some jobs with us. chances are you are using/about to use a method of reef tank cycling...

www.reef2reef.com

tested for 26 pages:

all stalled cycle claims are simple test read errors, cycling doesn’t stall.


the goal of current cycle training in reefing is to resell us bottle bac over and over, the rules are written by bottle bac sellers after all.

we can name the exact start date / end of cycle for any reef tank, even before it’s made.


the most important aspect of cycling is fish disease prep, not any actual cycle tinkering is required. All arrangements work out just fine for cycling, we show, so losing fish six months later to skipping quarantine and fallow is where all the losses show. On page one or two those claims might be debatable, but not by page 28 they become law lol.

the way cycling works in 2022 is you pick your desired ready date, that’s attained every time without fail if you use the right rules, and you aim all concerns into your fish not dying six months later

( meaning read the fish disease forum, know the preps )

 

[brandon429]

The reason I wanted to add that as a cycling reference is because it uses 100% other people’s aquariums as cycle jobs we can inspect

it’s not twenty pages of theory or posts about my tank, it’s solely built on others cycles and meeting specific start dates using new cycling rule sets. It’s not possible to make twenty pages of consistent outcomes using bad science that’s my angle.



***Fish disease is the largest killer of fish in reefing***

Reefology, which thread do you think leads reefers to the best chance of preventing fish disease in their setups?

when choosing one to insert in your original post, I recommend you select links that use solely other people’s tanks as the focus and not a link that reviews the authors aquarium for 176 pages.


you need a fish disease command and control thread (s) it’s among the greatest needs in reefing. Selecting a link from Jays sticky posts in the disease forum would be ideal. The #1 thing to not link would be disease controls that don’t use others reefs as the proof…any thread that is 180 pages of just one persons tank wouldn’t be as good as a sticky from the disease forum

 

[Reefology1]

Reefology, which thread do you think leads reefers to the best chance of preventing fish disease in their setups?

when choosing one to insert in your original post, I recommend you select links that use solely other people’s tanks as the focus and not a link that reviews the authors aquarium for 176 pages.


you need a fish disease command and control thread (s) it’s among the greatest needs in reefing. Selecting a link from Jays sticky posts in the disease forum would be ideal. The #1 thing to not link would be disease controls that don’t use others reefs as the proof…any thread that is 180 pages of just one persons tank wouldn’t be as good as a sticky from the disease forum

Thanks for the suggestions, I’ll take a look.
Cheers!

 

[Reefology1]

Just realized I can't edit the original thread (can't edit after 60 mins).

Change of plan: please link any thread you feel has had a positive impact on your reefing philosophy and why.

Thank You

 

[Dan_P]

The goal here is to provide access to the best threads, with heathy debates on specific topics, so we can more quickly either apply the knowledge or continue the search.

Ambitious project!

You might tap @taricha and @Rick Mathew for post suggestions. I am thinking these guys have put in a big effort sharing top notch information. I would also ask @Lasse for some of his posts.

I would consider linking Randy’s article or rather putting it at the head of the list.

 

[Ranjib]

Bacteria:

Bacteria...let's really start understanding them! part one

Well I’ve been on here for a month or two and I've found a really heavy misunderstanding of bacteria in the aquarium and what they're actually useful for. This is NOT another cycling thread! None of this is opinion unless I say IMO. First before I begin I'll introduce myself. I have loved...

www.reef2reef.com

This started off great but turned into a mess. Would like some threads to replace this one please.

Cycling a tank:
...

Carbon Dosing:
...

DIY elements:

Post your DIY additives here!

With the popularity of the Triton method and ICP testing gaining steam, a thread containing DIY elemental supplements would be very helpful. Commercial supplements are very expensive and many elements can be sourced cheaply via Amazon, eBay, etc. Examples include fergon pills, potassium...

www.reef2reef.com

DIY Amino Acids:

aspartic acid and glutumic acid as a carbon source

I love doing experiments so I thought I will purchase aminos as per ME suggestions : This are the following aminos I purchased L Aspertic Acid Glutamic Acid Glycine This 3 are the most consumed my corals according to my research. Source...

www.reef2reef.com

DIY nitrate dosing:

When and why did dosing nitrates start?

So, I am seeing numerous accomplished reefers offering advice to beginners to "get their nitrates up" or to even dose nitrates. My reef has always registered zero nitrates, and I never thought twice about that. I assume that nitrate goes through my system but is used up by corals and bacteria...

www.reef2reef.com

Does anyone dose ammonia and/or how would one try?

So, after an interesting discussion on nitrate dosing and looking at my Walt Disney coral and seeing it slightly less colorful than I have seen it in others tanks, I have decided I want to learn about and then try dosing ammonia instead of buying 20 damsels. Nitrate additives I see abound and...

www.reef2reef.com

To Skim or not to skim

Is it feasible to remove the skimmer? Could it solve the decades-long problem of nutrient accumulation?

The role of a skimmer? My father had a saltwater aquarium in the early 1970s, based on Frank De Graaf's book, manual for the tropical marine aquarium, published in 1969. The aquarium was equipped with a counter-current skimmer. Since then, a skimmer was always in use. What has been established...

www.reef2reef.com

This is awesome. Thank you so much for compiling this. Much appreciated

 

[Ranjib]

Just realized I can't edit the original thread (can't edit after 60 mins).

Change of plan: please link any thread you feel has had a positive impact on your reefing philosophy and why.

Thank You

You will be able to edit the post once you become supporting member. Just an FYI,
I was thinking it will be awesome to group / categorize the threads into topics.

 

[Reefology1]

Ambitious project!

You might tap @taricha and @Rick Mathew for post suggestions. I am thinking these guys have put in a big effort sharing top notch information. I would also ask @Lasse for some of his posts.

I would consider linking Randy’s article or rather putting it at the head of the list.

Thank you @Dan_P , pointing to specific users that share "top notch information" is another great way to find great threads so I will most certainly look into those users.

As for Randy, there is NOT one individual that has had more influence on my reefing philosophy/approach than Dr Randy Holmes-Farley. I have read every one of his articles, and every decision I make on my reef, is influenced by those writings. However, I'm looking for "threads" of creative thinking that lead to sound debates from multiple reefers viewpoints.

Please note the many of Randy's articles can be found (on multiple topics) with a simple search.

 

[Reefology1]

This is awesome. Thank you so much for compiling this. Much appreciated

Not a problem (and perhaps selfishly motivated) to bring what I find to be useful threads to the surface in hopes that others do the same.

Cheers!

 

[ScottB]

Like @Dan_P , threads go all over the place most times, but there are certain Members that I really pay attention to as thought leaders within a certain domain.

Within a given domain, I may even follow a couple members with different views. But they will always share some common traits:
a) An awesome looking reef (especially SPS)
b) An evidence based approach and scientific method
c) A considerable amount of experience

There is one APEX guy I go to.
One light guy.
2-3 nutrient people
One dinoflagellate guy
One reef chemistry guy
6-7 acropora people
2 fish people

You get the idea.

 

[Reefology1]

Like @Dan_P , threads go all over the place most times, but there are certain Members that I really pay attention to as thought leaders within a certain domain.

Within a given domain, I may even follow a couple members with different views. But they will always share some common traits:
a) An awesome looking reef (especially SPS)
b) An evidence based approach and scientific method
c) A considerable amount of experience

There is one APEX guy I go to.
One light guy.
2-3 nutrient people
One dinoflagellate guy
One reef chemistry guy
6-7 acropora people
2 fish people

You get the idea.

Thank you @ScottB, I completely understand, again I think that’s an excellent way to find the threads we’re after...so who are they? Please share!

 

[Dan_P]

Thank you @Dan_P , pointing to specific users that share "top notch information" is another great way to find great threads so I will most certainly look into those users.

As for Randy, there is NOT one individual that has had more influence on my reefing philosophy/approach than Dr Randy Holmes-Farley. I have read every one of his articles, and every decision I make on my reef, is influenced by those writings. However, I'm looking for "threads" of creative thinking that lead to sound debates from multiple reefers viewpoints.

Please note the many of Randy's articles can be found (on multiple topics) with a simple search.

True, Randy’s article are there and clickable, but we constantly find people asking questions that are answered by Randy’s article. I was thinking it wouldn‘t hurt to point folks to the primary information before consulting social media debates.

 

[RobB'z Reef]

The goal here is to provide access to the best threads, with heathy debates on specific topics, so we can more quickly either apply the knowledge or continue the search.

I believe this forum is so helpful because it provides a place where reefers throw their otherwise crazy ideas at a vast community to see if they have any merit. Amongst the community are trusted sources (ie. Randy) that will either squash an idea or ponder the thought long enough to spark a debate. I feel lucky to have this resource.

The problem is, there are a lot of crazy ideas and threads that start out ok but lead to unhealthy debates with little to no substance. I have wasted so much time chasing some of these threads that could have been better served reading threads that have substance. I’m hoping the community here can point me to some great threads that they have found helpful. My useful threads are welcome!

I plan to edit the first post whenever a useful thread is found so you don’t have to read this entire thread to find the links.

I know there is a search feature here, as someone will surely point out , however I don’t find it helps much. Perhaps I’m not using it efficiently.

The search feature here is pretty poor but can be a starting point in some cases

 

[Dan_P]

The search feature here is pretty poor but can be a starting point in some cases

I thought so too

 

[brandon429]

offering this solely due to some updated big jobs ran on last pages. rip cleaning that 120 gal was not simple

he rinsed that sandbed to laser clear perfection, we've been collecting examples of sandbed harshing for about seven years in a row here.

Official Sand Rinse and Tank Transfer thread

How much water are you planning to save from your current system? You could use a power head and blast all the holes in your current rock as you remove them from the 40B. Then a swish/rinse in clean water. Good ideas like this are why I come here. I wasn’t planning on using any of the water...

www.reef2reef.com

method: do the reverse of all written advised handling of sand in a marine tank, log outcomes across hundreds of willing participants. (every single job there is a tap water rinse of the sandbed, then RO to evacuate tap, then the sand goes back in the tank)

we use it for effective tank transfers, no bottle bac is supplemented there, we use it for changing sandbeds and we use tap water rinsing of a reef tank sandbed to absolutely hammer impact cyano and dino challenge tanks.

handling a marine sandbed in fully opposite ways to the rules has some patterned benefits/irony

when people add sand to an existing tank by that rule above, it always turns out great.

 

[brandon429]

also adding I think that's the only way to work live time tank transfers, bed swaps and upgrades without having deaths every few pages. its more than just breaking rules, I think its the only true sandbed work thread on the internet that shows consistent outcomes and to streamline everyone we had them rinse so that all starting points were pretty much equal organic loading. we hate detritus there. I know it tests as ash/inert in many studies but eliminating it is the sole thing we're doing and its streamlining everyone.


its my prediction if we made a counter study thread on tank upgrades, and each entrant scooped up old sand and xferred it without a rinse, there'd be terrible results routinely.

**so that brings into play it could be a complex at work: bacteria in various states of decay and their metabolites, attached to rather inert detritus, being ejected and that's the safe outcome we log.

either way its in the mud, the danger is within the mud. we can do anything we want to a marine sandbed and not cause a cycle if its started mega clean in the new arrangement.

not detritus that lays on an open sump floor

detritus from a sandbed, specifically. from a locus where gradients of X to be defined exist. I'd classify that thread as changing substrate, adding substrate, tank swaps and upgrades.

 

[Dan_P]

also adding I think that's the only way to work live time tank transfers, bed swaps and upgrades without having deaths every few pages. its more than just breaking rules, I think its the only true sandbed work thread on the internet that shows consistent outcomes and to streamline everyone we had them rinse so that all starting points were pretty much equal organic loading. we hate detritus there. I know it tests as ash/inert in many studies but eliminating it is the sole thing we're doing and its streamlining everyone.


its my prediction if we made a counter study thread on tank upgrades, and each entrant scooped up old sand and xferred it without a rinse, there'd be terrible results routinely.

**so that brings into play it could be a complex at work: bacteria in various states of decay and their metabolites, attached to rather inert detritus, being ejected and that's the safe outcome we log.

either way its in the mud, the danger is within the mud. we can do anything we want to a marine sandbed and not cause a cycle if its started mega clean in the new arrangement.

Mud can’t hurt you (conjecture) but I wonder if the biofilm in/on the mud that is destroyed by rip cleaning is the reason for its success. My counter experiment is to sterilize a scoop of mud/old sand and transfer it to a new system. Prediction is NO PROBLEM. Still pondering how best to take up this challenge and support my conjecture…or prove that I am full of it

 

[brandon429]

The key is using public tanks though not a self directed experiment

= variation occurs, especially outcome variation

feeding, export, stratification all varies in public tanks

if that above is the case potentially, what’s in the biofilms that kills setups from non rinsing

(nothing is harmful in the biofilms agreed if non rinsing is safe, we need the thread)




i feel there’s no way to test counter claims unless a separate thread exists that does public transfers, bed swaps upgrades all unrinsed. Full complete waste transfers

to run that thread would for sure seem risky but I’m sure people would rather skip the work of rinsing that’s for sure. The only thing missing is the sales aspect guaranteeing their safety for participating, need the unrinsed tank work thread out to about ten pages of jobs to see outcomes imo