You have to be able to read and interpret the scientific studies carefully to understand whether or not the information will apply...I'd say even more "misinformation" comes from what works for one person you may consider reliable but won't work for you for whatever unknown reason
"Ya gotta know what ya don't know". I am not capable of gleaning the needed information when I have no background knowledge to help me put it in context. I prefer to read advice from people in the hobby and apply knowledge about my own system and ask dumb questions to provide context and clarify my understanding. All the better if those people are also scientists. I've made bad decisions a few times. That's on me though, not the person who gave me the advice. I am still better off than if I tried to implement some process I don't fully understand based of studies of things not directly related to my reef tank.
I can't say i disagree with most of that except that people should accept that if they gave you bad advice they partially bear some of the responsibility as well. Also while i agree you should never try to implement a process or plan you don't fully understand, that goes for advice you don't fully understand as well as scientific studies. How do you know you wouldn't have been better off following scientific studies as long as you took the time to understand them and their context?
That's my point. I can't ask dumb questions of those studies to clarify my understanding. It is not about taking the time. I know that I do not have the background knowledge necessary to properly understand without some help. No amount of time will make that any better. I will stipulate that I have learned a lot about who to ask or pay attention to over the years. Some are scientists, some are very experienced hobbyists. I do read studies by the way, but I need help from the aforementioned people to understand them. If that is part of the research process, then maybe we agree.
I do agree.
Interesting thread to choose to post that information.
Completely agree with #2 IME. Especially those heaters.
And even simple setups like that look amazing. I was chasing a setup I didn’t want for the longest time. Now I’m letting the corals I don’t like die in this tank die off (while that does sound bad, I am doing something about it) and keeping the softies I love.Been reefing since the 90s and what has worked for me is keep it simple. For me that means let the biology do the heavy lifting. I have a respectable amount of live rock and sand in the display and sump. My filter media is floss and I use activated carbon, both in an area of high flow that I change weekly. I do a 5% - 10% weekly water change with tap water but ours is good.
I keep soft coral, a few LPS and have ornamental macroalgae to take up nutrients given off by my fish. I have no skimmer, no reactors, and no controllers. It's an easy simple system but it is nice and works for me.
interesting, going to read up on it. There’s a very narrow view of success in this hobby and a lot of information out there that only applies to a group of people who want and can be dedicated to that way or success.I actually started a similar thread a while back which wasn't welcomed by many. Seems taking responsibility for your advice isn't very alluring to many people.
The Start of Misinformation, Misunderstandings, and Acknowledging Lack of Knowledge
First of all in this day and age I first have to state this is aimed to offend nobody and is not intended to offend in any way. This is something I do, however , feel is important for someone to say and since nobody else has said it yet I will. I THINK a lot of misinformation gets started on...www.reef2reef.com
yes, and the latter is what I ultimately meant. I advice could be good or bad for your tank. My point is just when companies, people, or websites claim or make an implication that there’s a universal way and if you do it differently then it’s not right.
