I have learned a few things about tanks. You can have a real beautiful tank full of SPS corals and some fish, that is easy. Or you can have a beautiful tank with not so many SPS and not so many colorful corals if you want a tank full of old spawning fish that never get sick. It is extremely difficult (but not impossible) to have both in the same tank. SPS corals that many people seem to want "like" really great water conditions with few dissolved organics just like in the sea where they come from. Spawning, immune fish "like" and need a lot of food. More food than people would normally feed because first of all, it is expensive, it is a pain to feed multiple times a day and it screws up the water. But for a fish to spawn, it needs an enormous amount of "extra" food because not only are we trying to get the fish in breeding mode, but a fishes spawn or eggs could be almost half the fishes weight. That isn't going to happen on some flakes and pellets.
Of course you can have both types of tank but you will have to change huge amounts of water as dosing vinegar, Vodka or tree stump remover won't work. Before that vinegar or vodka removes enough nitrates your fish will be drunk or turn into a Greek Salad.
I have had a tank full of SPS already for years so the thrill is gone. I also find them boring as my tastes have changed. I like LPS and mostly gorgonians, shoot me!
I also want all my fish totally immune from everything and constantly spawning, which they are. Yes, I know, it's luck and phases of the moon, think whatever you like but they are totally immune. I don't have time for medications, quarantine, hospital tanks, dipping, dripping, etc. I also don't want to or need to add garlic to stimulate feeding. I may need something to put them on a diet.
My fish always eat, even when they are brand new, that is the sign of a natural tank. If you add a copperband and you have to do all sorts of things to "entice" it to eat that is either because that fish hates you, It is on Jenny Craig, or your tank is to artificial. Copperbands are huge, aggressive eaters and are not a delicate fish. They just hate quarantine and usually get sick or die there and they hate foods they were not meant to eat. They eat worms in the sea so they may not eat oatmeal or buffalo wings. A natural tank is a fairly dirty tank with "stuff" growing on the rocks that they can search through looking for lunch. Yes, even a little algae. OMG
Thats how they live, they are searchers. That may not be the Ideal tank to keep SPS corals in. It is what it is.
I also want my fish to die from nothing but old age. I am almost at that point now but I already passed the stage where a fish will get sick, they will never get sick unless I move and they have to live in a cardboard box down by the river for a few weeks. They frown on that.
To get there they need food with live bacteria in it so if you want to feed flakes or pellets, set up a hospital tank because you will need it.
Fish do 3 things every day, eat, poop and grow eggs.
I find this stuff very easy but we make it hard by trying to change natural conditions with quarantine or tweeking parameters by adding all sorts of silly things that are not in seawater. Fish want to stay healthy as long as we leave them alone.
We have disease forums for all the sick quarantined and tweeked tanks. I have no idea where I was going with this thread but obviously I have nothing to do right now and I am wordy.
I am waiting for some wood to come in that I had to have specially ordered for a King Size bed I am building for my new home. It is going to look like a huge industrial dolly with 12" steel wheels and a big handle on the end.
The thing will look like it is built out of 4X6 lumber and will be very cool. If you like industrial or Steam Punk I mean.
View near my new home.
)
