So I'm always waxing on about kicking convention in the rear, taunting the "state of the art" , and just generally trying out concepts just East of "normal" in reef keeping...And I have embraced some of these over the years, generally with pretty decent success, punctuated by the occasional butt-kicking from both the tank in question and my fellow reefers...
I recall, for example, when I proposed the idea of doing an aquascape consisting exclusively of rubble...you know, smashed up live rock...This was in like 2005...Bad timing for me, because it was right at the height of the "Sandbeds will nuke your tank! Cook your rock! Put plastic cutting board at the bottom of your tank!" insanity that was sweeping the hobby, like locusts in a fertile field. The idea of using ANYTHING for a substrate, let alone, smashed up rock, coupled with more rock- did not sit well with the forum-dwelling, knuckle-walking reef hegemony that seemed to dominate a certain other forum at the time. I was going to create an algae-smothered deathtrap. Despite my emerging "celebrity status" (I think I just spoke at my first MACNA, so I had a tiny bit of "cred"), I was given a reception whole lot less warm and inviting than the steaming cup of Starbuck's Burundi Murambi steaming in from of me as I type this.
Yeah, I was told it would be a detritus-accumulating deathtrap by some. A gathering place for coral death by others. And still others were a bit more gentle, telling me that this was not really a great idea, or even an unusual one. I mean, I couldn't care less about it being "unusual", it was just something I wanted to play with...I loved Halichoeres wrasses, Centropyge angels, and Ctenochaetus tangs...Fishes that hang out in rubble, search through it for food and...detritus. Nonetheless, I was told to avoid it because of the potential for detritus accumulation and its accompanying "side effect" (which apparently were more virulent in 2005, because everyone on " _____ Central" said they were!).
I went ahead anyways, and created a really cool tank that ran successfully for years. Because I had this addiction to something called regular "husbandry"- ya' know- frequent water changes and stuff- you guys do 'em. too. But this was apparently an alien concept in the ultra "cliquish", hyper-paranoid, sterility-driven world of fear and failure that was being perpetuated at the time...
So, this is not a novel tank concept. At all. But it is a bit different. I look at it as a functional and aesthetic variant of a typical reef tank...A system optimized with high flow, good lighting, and a variety of fishes and corals that work well in such an environment. Yeah, a typical "Acropora Garden" reef. It's kind of what we do now, isn't it?
And then, there was/is my longtime and ongoing obsession with seagrasses and macro algae...I was bent on creating a cool tank for Pipefishes and Dragonets and such, and I started reading all I could about seagrasses, seagrass beds, and the flora and fauna associated with them. I even paid a few visits to some seagrass beds...Even grow 'em outdoors for a while! Cool stuff.
You just never saw many seagrass aquariums. I couldn't figure out why...until I played with them!
Okay, we all have probably seen or heard about them at one time or another, but rarely do we find ourselves actually playing with them! They are not at all rare in the wild- In fact, they are found all over the world, and there are more than 60 species known to science. Seagrass beds provide amazing benefits to coral reef ecosystems, such as protection from sedimentation, a “nursery” for larval fishes, and a feeding ground for many adult fishes.. In the aquarium, they can perform many of the same functions. So why are we not seeing more of them in the hobby?
I believe there are three main reasons why we don’t: 1) They suffer from what I call the “Caulerpa Syndrome”- a bad rep ascribed to just about anything green in the marine hobby- “They will smother your corals”, or “They can crash and kill everything in the tank”, or even, “They give off toxic byproducts that inhibit coral growth”. 2) There simply aren’t enough people working with them to get them out to the hobby in marketable quantities. 3) They are finicky and hard to grow.
Let’s beat up Number 1 first: Seagrasses are true vascular plants, not macroalgae, and they do not creep over rocks, go “sexual” and crash, or exude chemicals that will stifle the growth of your “True Echinata”! In fact, they are mild-mannered, grow at a relatively modest rate, and are compatible with just about everything we keep in a reef tank. And no, they will not smother your corals or grow over rockwork. They grow in soils and sandbeds, and need to put down root systems. You can keep them nicely confined to just the places that you want them. Dedicate a section of sandbed that you’d like them to grow, plant them, give them good conditions, and you’ll be singing their praises in no time!
Reason Number 2 is probably caused in part by #1, but in actuality, is the most probable reason why we don’t see them everywhere: Until very recently, they were the sole domain of dedicated specialty hobbyists, who delighted in growing plants and taking on other challenges. The hobby as a whole simply never sees them in quantity, helping spur the (false) image that they are rare, dangerous, or difficult to work with. Someone (hey- that can be YOU) needs to step up and produce/distribute them in quantity!
Reason Number 3 has a bit of truth to it. Some of the seagrasses can be a bit finicky at first, and don’t always take initially when transplanted. Like any plant, they go through an adjustment period, after which they will begin to grow and thrive if conditions are to their liking. It has also been discovered in recent years that there are microbial associations in the soils/sediments that they are found in which enable them to settle in better and adapt to new conditions. So in short, if you are obtaining seagrasses, you can never hurt your cause if they come with some of the substrate that they grew in.
The fact is, the tank worked really well. I mean, there is a lot of work associated with such a tank, but any reefer can do this if they want.
I can go on and on...but I won't. At least, not now (I can't believe I went on as much as I did...well, yeah, I guess I can).
The idea of something different, a little out of the commonplace, is totally cool to me. Irresistible.
I mean, I've just built up a company (and what's slowly turning into a bit of a freshwater hobby "movement", actually) around the concept of throwing in leaves, "twigs and nuts", and other botanical items into an aquarium to mimic leaf litter zones in tropical blackwater streams...Believe me, I got/get lots of heat for that, too.
Who cares?
You can do all sorts of crazy stuff in this hobby. It's not "crazy," actually. It's cool. Just because a lot of people aren't doing it doesn't meant that it's unachievable. And just because you'll get criticism from the "establishment" doesn't mean it's not a valid or cool idea with trying. Who really cares?
I remember a few years back, playing around with Jake Adams' "Eco Reef Zero" idea, of having a nano tank with ...just a piece of coral. Nothing else. It was minimalist reef keeping in extremus. And I remember putting out a piece on it in Reef Builders.
I heard it all: "Dude, you've just discovered the frag tank!" or "That's a quarantine tank! A piece of coral, nothing else, and 100% water changes weekly. Big deal!" And that guy was at least right..I mean, there was not big deal. It was just an interesting experiment- easily replicated..but all of the armchair critics, hiding behind monitors in their boxer shorts, felt it would be fun to jump on me and my enthusiasm and, rather than perhaps be amused or mildly interested, or critical...felt it was better to just THRASH me.
In fact, one guy (who is still a fearful, self-important, altogether angry, irrelevant "turd" IMHO, attacking anyone who's ideas are contrary to his knowledge of the universe and advanced degree) really had it in for me...decided to take it to an exclusive secret group of "experts" (to which I was invited to be a member) and continued to flog me, and tried to recruit other "experts" to do the same. I remember how ugly that was. But it didn't deter me or even deviate me from trying new stuff. In fact, it hardened my resiliance, because I realized that, if you're ticking people off, you might be doing things right!
Works great in business and marketing...works in the reef keeping hobby, too!
The point of this epic treatise is not to tell you how much of a visionary I am, or that I withstood repeated attack for my inspiring brilliance. No. The point is that you-who have way more talent then myself- should never be afraid try new ideas and to share them without fear. Its a theme we touch on a lot here, but I think it needs repeating...especially in this new "collector's period" of "high end" microfrag coral auctions, and emphasis on gathering stuff that we find ourselves in.
Don't be afraid to be yourself. Don't ever, ever, EVER back down from enjoying the hobby the way you want. Sure, if you're proposing collecting 500 coral colonies from the Great Barrier Reef and exposing them to your brackish water outdoor "reef tank" in the Mojave Desert in July, I might advise that you rethink stuff- but for the most part, you need to push it. You need to not be afraid of criticism. There is a lot of amazing, brilliant talent out there, some of who are afraid to share their ideas or results, for fear of "rocking the boat."
ROCK THE BOAT. Shake it violently. Jump up and down on it. Yeah. Avoid stagnation. Run from "groupthink." Fight off the fear of criticism. Do it not for the sake of simply being rebellious (although that's kind of fun)...Do it because it interests you. because it makes your heart sing. Because, maybe, just maybe, something that you're playing with might just inspire others. It might just make someoone else try your idea, and perhaps perfect it. Discover. Learn. Teach. Soar.
Be who you are..and have fun with it.
Remember the famous Apple ad, which beautifully captured this idea? Here's the gorgeous copy. Learn it. Live it. Love it:
“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
Marine Paludariums? Crptic sponge filtration systems? A Ricordea substrate?
What cool ideas are you contemplating? Share 'em here. This is a safe place.
It's only crazy if you don't try.
Have a great weekend.
And stay wet.
Scott Fellman
I recall, for example, when I proposed the idea of doing an aquascape consisting exclusively of rubble...you know, smashed up live rock...This was in like 2005...Bad timing for me, because it was right at the height of the "Sandbeds will nuke your tank! Cook your rock! Put plastic cutting board at the bottom of your tank!" insanity that was sweeping the hobby, like locusts in a fertile field. The idea of using ANYTHING for a substrate, let alone, smashed up rock, coupled with more rock- did not sit well with the forum-dwelling, knuckle-walking reef hegemony that seemed to dominate a certain other forum at the time. I was going to create an algae-smothered deathtrap. Despite my emerging "celebrity status" (I think I just spoke at my first MACNA, so I had a tiny bit of "cred"), I was given a reception whole lot less warm and inviting than the steaming cup of Starbuck's Burundi Murambi steaming in from of me as I type this.
Yeah, I was told it would be a detritus-accumulating deathtrap by some. A gathering place for coral death by others. And still others were a bit more gentle, telling me that this was not really a great idea, or even an unusual one. I mean, I couldn't care less about it being "unusual", it was just something I wanted to play with...I loved Halichoeres wrasses, Centropyge angels, and Ctenochaetus tangs...Fishes that hang out in rubble, search through it for food and...detritus. Nonetheless, I was told to avoid it because of the potential for detritus accumulation and its accompanying "side effect" (which apparently were more virulent in 2005, because everyone on " _____ Central" said they were!).
I went ahead anyways, and created a really cool tank that ran successfully for years. Because I had this addiction to something called regular "husbandry"- ya' know- frequent water changes and stuff- you guys do 'em. too. But this was apparently an alien concept in the ultra "cliquish", hyper-paranoid, sterility-driven world of fear and failure that was being perpetuated at the time...
So, this is not a novel tank concept. At all. But it is a bit different. I look at it as a functional and aesthetic variant of a typical reef tank...A system optimized with high flow, good lighting, and a variety of fishes and corals that work well in such an environment. Yeah, a typical "Acropora Garden" reef. It's kind of what we do now, isn't it?
And then, there was/is my longtime and ongoing obsession with seagrasses and macro algae...I was bent on creating a cool tank for Pipefishes and Dragonets and such, and I started reading all I could about seagrasses, seagrass beds, and the flora and fauna associated with them. I even paid a few visits to some seagrass beds...Even grow 'em outdoors for a while! Cool stuff.
You just never saw many seagrass aquariums. I couldn't figure out why...until I played with them!
Okay, we all have probably seen or heard about them at one time or another, but rarely do we find ourselves actually playing with them! They are not at all rare in the wild- In fact, they are found all over the world, and there are more than 60 species known to science. Seagrass beds provide amazing benefits to coral reef ecosystems, such as protection from sedimentation, a “nursery” for larval fishes, and a feeding ground for many adult fishes.. In the aquarium, they can perform many of the same functions. So why are we not seeing more of them in the hobby?
I believe there are three main reasons why we don’t: 1) They suffer from what I call the “Caulerpa Syndrome”- a bad rep ascribed to just about anything green in the marine hobby- “They will smother your corals”, or “They can crash and kill everything in the tank”, or even, “They give off toxic byproducts that inhibit coral growth”. 2) There simply aren’t enough people working with them to get them out to the hobby in marketable quantities. 3) They are finicky and hard to grow.
Let’s beat up Number 1 first: Seagrasses are true vascular plants, not macroalgae, and they do not creep over rocks, go “sexual” and crash, or exude chemicals that will stifle the growth of your “True Echinata”! In fact, they are mild-mannered, grow at a relatively modest rate, and are compatible with just about everything we keep in a reef tank. And no, they will not smother your corals or grow over rockwork. They grow in soils and sandbeds, and need to put down root systems. You can keep them nicely confined to just the places that you want them. Dedicate a section of sandbed that you’d like them to grow, plant them, give them good conditions, and you’ll be singing their praises in no time!
Reason Number 2 is probably caused in part by #1, but in actuality, is the most probable reason why we don’t see them everywhere: Until very recently, they were the sole domain of dedicated specialty hobbyists, who delighted in growing plants and taking on other challenges. The hobby as a whole simply never sees them in quantity, helping spur the (false) image that they are rare, dangerous, or difficult to work with. Someone (hey- that can be YOU) needs to step up and produce/distribute them in quantity!
Reason Number 3 has a bit of truth to it. Some of the seagrasses can be a bit finicky at first, and don’t always take initially when transplanted. Like any plant, they go through an adjustment period, after which they will begin to grow and thrive if conditions are to their liking. It has also been discovered in recent years that there are microbial associations in the soils/sediments that they are found in which enable them to settle in better and adapt to new conditions. So in short, if you are obtaining seagrasses, you can never hurt your cause if they come with some of the substrate that they grew in.
The fact is, the tank worked really well. I mean, there is a lot of work associated with such a tank, but any reefer can do this if they want.
I can go on and on...but I won't. At least, not now (I can't believe I went on as much as I did...well, yeah, I guess I can).
The idea of something different, a little out of the commonplace, is totally cool to me. Irresistible.
I mean, I've just built up a company (and what's slowly turning into a bit of a freshwater hobby "movement", actually) around the concept of throwing in leaves, "twigs and nuts", and other botanical items into an aquarium to mimic leaf litter zones in tropical blackwater streams...Believe me, I got/get lots of heat for that, too.
Who cares?
You can do all sorts of crazy stuff in this hobby. It's not "crazy," actually. It's cool. Just because a lot of people aren't doing it doesn't meant that it's unachievable. And just because you'll get criticism from the "establishment" doesn't mean it's not a valid or cool idea with trying. Who really cares?
I remember a few years back, playing around with Jake Adams' "Eco Reef Zero" idea, of having a nano tank with ...just a piece of coral. Nothing else. It was minimalist reef keeping in extremus. And I remember putting out a piece on it in Reef Builders.
I heard it all: "Dude, you've just discovered the frag tank!" or "That's a quarantine tank! A piece of coral, nothing else, and 100% water changes weekly. Big deal!" And that guy was at least right..I mean, there was not big deal. It was just an interesting experiment- easily replicated..but all of the armchair critics, hiding behind monitors in their boxer shorts, felt it would be fun to jump on me and my enthusiasm and, rather than perhaps be amused or mildly interested, or critical...felt it was better to just THRASH me.
In fact, one guy (who is still a fearful, self-important, altogether angry, irrelevant "turd" IMHO, attacking anyone who's ideas are contrary to his knowledge of the universe and advanced degree) really had it in for me...decided to take it to an exclusive secret group of "experts" (to which I was invited to be a member) and continued to flog me, and tried to recruit other "experts" to do the same. I remember how ugly that was. But it didn't deter me or even deviate me from trying new stuff. In fact, it hardened my resiliance, because I realized that, if you're ticking people off, you might be doing things right!
Works great in business and marketing...works in the reef keeping hobby, too!
The point of this epic treatise is not to tell you how much of a visionary I am, or that I withstood repeated attack for my inspiring brilliance. No. The point is that you-who have way more talent then myself- should never be afraid try new ideas and to share them without fear. Its a theme we touch on a lot here, but I think it needs repeating...especially in this new "collector's period" of "high end" microfrag coral auctions, and emphasis on gathering stuff that we find ourselves in.
Don't be afraid to be yourself. Don't ever, ever, EVER back down from enjoying the hobby the way you want. Sure, if you're proposing collecting 500 coral colonies from the Great Barrier Reef and exposing them to your brackish water outdoor "reef tank" in the Mojave Desert in July, I might advise that you rethink stuff- but for the most part, you need to push it. You need to not be afraid of criticism. There is a lot of amazing, brilliant talent out there, some of who are afraid to share their ideas or results, for fear of "rocking the boat."
ROCK THE BOAT. Shake it violently. Jump up and down on it. Yeah. Avoid stagnation. Run from "groupthink." Fight off the fear of criticism. Do it not for the sake of simply being rebellious (although that's kind of fun)...Do it because it interests you. because it makes your heart sing. Because, maybe, just maybe, something that you're playing with might just inspire others. It might just make someoone else try your idea, and perhaps perfect it. Discover. Learn. Teach. Soar.
Be who you are..and have fun with it.
Remember the famous Apple ad, which beautifully captured this idea? Here's the gorgeous copy. Learn it. Live it. Love it:
“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
Marine Paludariums? Crptic sponge filtration systems? A Ricordea substrate?
What cool ideas are you contemplating? Share 'em here. This is a safe place.
It's only crazy if you don't try.
Have a great weekend.
And stay wet.
Scott Fellman
