Its Christmas so I'm feeling a little philosophical this morning but for what it is worth I'll put this out there. Science (we used to call it Natural Philosophy) is inductive in its nature because we observe particular events. Its is not deductive logic and so certainty is elusive at best. The arguments we make (theories) are stronger or weaker, not certain.
In our home, hobby, enormously complex aquariums, there are few rigorous controls so our particular observations must always be tenuous in regards to other's tanks. A number of us make similar observations, we share them in our wonderful forums, and so we begin to formulate theories. The more observations the stronger the argument becomes but without rigorous controls the argument must in its nature always be weak when making general statements. This is not to say a weak argument is not true but unintended consequences can be quite damaging to our systems. Hence, the participation of folks like Randy and our other chemical engineers with years and years of observations behind them, are a great gift to amateurs such as myself (I teach classical Rhetoric and Great Books) who are seeking ever more stable and efficient reef tanks.
I am so grateful to everyone who is willing to share their experiences and their tanks. Merry Christmas and keep the observations coming...