Yesterday, I was checking out one of our coral raceways, looking to see what corals were “breaking out”, which ones could be doing better, and which ones were in trouble. As on any given day in our facility, I’d find corals that were kicking butt, some that could look better, and some that just “bought the farm” for no apparent reason.
“No apparent reason…”
Familiar words, actually. I hear them almost every day when talking to reefers who, calling us for advice assistance, or just encouragement, will say things like, “…and they were looking great the other day, and today- they’re just RTN-ing out for no apparent reason.”
I hate those words.
You see it on the forums- at least a dozen threads every day about “anomalous” coral losses. This is not a new thing. It’s not even an unusual thing. It happens with corals. A lot.
Hobbyists with a scientific bent will simply hate accepting something like that. There must be an underlying reason...and we MUST find it!
Now sure, as a coral propagating operation, with thousands of pieces under our care, we need to assess and get to the bottom of whatever went wrong- because if it spreads, it could jeopardize our inventory, and therefore, our livelihood. "Anomalous losses" are not good when you make a living growing corals. Oh, sure, we have safeguards in place, but you need to attempt to find the root cause of the problem, lest it occur elsewhere in your facility.
Over the years, I’ve learned that there is ALWAYS a reason why corals struggle or die. We may not always find the ONE factor- the one thing that did it…But there is always a reason, or bunch of reasons- why corals didn’t make it.
On the other hand…sometimes, you just can seem to pin it down, right? You go through the mental checklists of things that you do. Some change in the usual product additions, procedures, etc. You look at water parameters, search for trends. Look for one thing you did differently two days ago that could have been the trigger for the calamity…And still, the answer eludes you.
The stuff that keeps us coming back for more..despite the frustrations.
The unfortunate, unscientific, and altogether unsatisfying conclusion that we come up with after exhausting the obvious- and even the obscure- is often- the corals simply died for “no apparent reason.”
That sucks. It’s frustrating, because of course, there are reasons why the corals died. Often, its more than one factor that contributed- but there are definitive reasons why they died.
Without sounding like a pitch for Triton analysis, this reinforces the usefulness of regular water testing. It doesn’t have to be Triton, of course- I use it as an example because that’s what we use- in addition to some other off-the-shelf-test kits, and the uber-useful Neptune Apex…These are all great, because when performed regularly and evaluated frequently, you’ll spot trends.
"I'm like- so NOT into trends...really!"
Trends are super important in aquarium management, aren’t they? They help you see what direction your system is headed. They help you see if your parameters are stable, swinging all over, or just headed in one direction or another. Without getting too caught up in “big data”, you can get some good feeling for how your reef is doing by sifting through the data regularly.
And there is no substitute at all for the simple, and often quite enjoyable- act of just looking at your reef. Every parameter is important, but if your reef looks like *&%%$@, does it really matter if phosphate is .04ppm or .08ppm? Your eyes are probably one of the best aquarium testing devices ever conceived…you just need to apply them.
Best testing device...ever!
So the altogether unsatisfying conclusion of this discussion? Sometimes you just can’t find the source of the decline in your reef. Sometimes the data eludes us. Sometimes, things crap out…”just because.”
Part of what makes the “job” of the hobbyist so enjoyable is the search for knowledge…the camaraderie that arises from our community putting their heads together to answer great questions…and sometimes, just to share war stories with fellow reefers. To learn and grow together as a community.
The reality is that the reasons for your corals’ decline are absolutely out there.
Yet they may not be something we’re able to define precisely.
Frustrating? Yes.
Enjoy the art and science of reef keeping. keep growing, searching- sharing.
And Stay Wet.
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
“No apparent reason…”
Familiar words, actually. I hear them almost every day when talking to reefers who, calling us for advice assistance, or just encouragement, will say things like, “…and they were looking great the other day, and today- they’re just RTN-ing out for no apparent reason.”
I hate those words.
You see it on the forums- at least a dozen threads every day about “anomalous” coral losses. This is not a new thing. It’s not even an unusual thing. It happens with corals. A lot.
Hobbyists with a scientific bent will simply hate accepting something like that. There must be an underlying reason...and we MUST find it!
Now sure, as a coral propagating operation, with thousands of pieces under our care, we need to assess and get to the bottom of whatever went wrong- because if it spreads, it could jeopardize our inventory, and therefore, our livelihood. "Anomalous losses" are not good when you make a living growing corals. Oh, sure, we have safeguards in place, but you need to attempt to find the root cause of the problem, lest it occur elsewhere in your facility.
Over the years, I’ve learned that there is ALWAYS a reason why corals struggle or die. We may not always find the ONE factor- the one thing that did it…But there is always a reason, or bunch of reasons- why corals didn’t make it.
On the other hand…sometimes, you just can seem to pin it down, right? You go through the mental checklists of things that you do. Some change in the usual product additions, procedures, etc. You look at water parameters, search for trends. Look for one thing you did differently two days ago that could have been the trigger for the calamity…And still, the answer eludes you.
The stuff that keeps us coming back for more..despite the frustrations.
The unfortunate, unscientific, and altogether unsatisfying conclusion that we come up with after exhausting the obvious- and even the obscure- is often- the corals simply died for “no apparent reason.”
That sucks. It’s frustrating, because of course, there are reasons why the corals died. Often, its more than one factor that contributed- but there are definitive reasons why they died.
Without sounding like a pitch for Triton analysis, this reinforces the usefulness of regular water testing. It doesn’t have to be Triton, of course- I use it as an example because that’s what we use- in addition to some other off-the-shelf-test kits, and the uber-useful Neptune Apex…These are all great, because when performed regularly and evaluated frequently, you’ll spot trends.
"I'm like- so NOT into trends...really!"
Trends are super important in aquarium management, aren’t they? They help you see what direction your system is headed. They help you see if your parameters are stable, swinging all over, or just headed in one direction or another. Without getting too caught up in “big data”, you can get some good feeling for how your reef is doing by sifting through the data regularly.
And there is no substitute at all for the simple, and often quite enjoyable- act of just looking at your reef. Every parameter is important, but if your reef looks like *&%%$@, does it really matter if phosphate is .04ppm or .08ppm? Your eyes are probably one of the best aquarium testing devices ever conceived…you just need to apply them.
Best testing device...ever!
So the altogether unsatisfying conclusion of this discussion? Sometimes you just can’t find the source of the decline in your reef. Sometimes the data eludes us. Sometimes, things crap out…”just because.”
Part of what makes the “job” of the hobbyist so enjoyable is the search for knowledge…the camaraderie that arises from our community putting their heads together to answer great questions…and sometimes, just to share war stories with fellow reefers. To learn and grow together as a community.
The reality is that the reasons for your corals’ decline are absolutely out there.
Yet they may not be something we’re able to define precisely.
Frustrating? Yes.
Enjoy the art and science of reef keeping. keep growing, searching- sharing.
And Stay Wet.
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
Just double-checked my salinity with the refract and it's at 1.020 O.O OOPS!! This, folks, is why you use refractometers, not hydrometers.
