+1 with what wetwhistler said. It's a double edge sword imho. If you've been into reefing for awhile, adjustments in feeding, lighting, reactors etc is always the best way to go. Newer sw aquarists see something not right with their tank and go first to chemicals because it's posted somewhere on the Internet or their lfs recommends it to increase their bottom line. Adding calcium or mag is something that may have to be done chemically as we aren't using ocean water and we need to replicate it as best as we can. With soooo many tank sizes and configurations, what will work for one tank set up could be disastrous for another. Imo, each person should study cause and effect and make the adjustments from there without the use of chemicals. If it is a case of imminent danger of losing livestock, I wholeheartedly agree of using the chemicals on a short term basis until the problem can be resolved by changing routines in maintenance/feeding etc. Just my opinion here, but for me I am afraid that any any chemical I add to (short of cal/mag etc) may very well reduce the lifespan or growth of any livestock in my tank. If someone has a stubborn problem that won't go away at least to me, is that the appropriate changes haven't been made to remedy the problem. I might just be full of it, but I'd settle for a bit less pristine looking tank (until I find the correction) than to add chemicals. Sometimes it's a trial and error based question, but as long as my livestock/corals aren't dramatically affected I'll stick with changing my habits in maintenance/feeding etc. On the devils advocate side, I'd hate to see see a newcomer quit the hobby because they have issues that seem insurmountable to them. That's why I hang around on this forum, as long as I've been keeping reef tanks I still learn processes that keep me relatively chemical free. Even if a person has been in the hobby for awhile, our tanks can take a weird turn.
