J u n e 2 017 29 Reflections: Part 2
Despite the wide range of salts
available the use of natural
seawater (NSW) collected
from UK shores is gaining in
popularity with users reporting
excellent results. Other than
settling overnight generally no
other precautions are taken as
filtering is considered coun-
terproductive since it removes
many of the beneficial organ-
isms. Water changes with NSW
in particular seem to have
a positive impact on corals,
generating an instant feeding
response. Despite many people
having success with NSW, there
are many, myself included, that
don’t see the savings on salt
as worth the potential risks to
valuable stock.
Live rock has been the foun-
dation of many reef tanks
filtration for the last twenty
years, though growing ethical
awareness has seen an increase
in the use of man-made alter-
natives in recent years. This
dry rock must be seeded with
bacteria before it can be used
for filtration for which a variety
of bacteria colonies are avail-
able. Whilst the use of artificial
rock prevents hitchhikers being
introduced into your system
it doesn’t bring the welcomed
lifeforms that can be found in
live rock and comparatively
the costs are pretty much the
same. Some brands are also
reported to leach phosphates
causing reefers to replace it
with another brand or return to
live rock.
The use of artificial rock has in-
creased the use of cycling prod-
ucts that allow you to add fish
to your new reef system from
day one. Whilst I acknowledge
these products have a place in
the hobby such as setting up a
quarantine tank at short notice,
I do feel they are being pro-
moted as a shortcut to stocking
a tank. Cycling a marine tank is
much more than being able to
add fish and corals, it’s about
the stabilisation of parameters
and the system going through
the various stages of cycling
over a number of weeks and
months. Understanding these
processes - the nitrogen cycle
and testing, all help provide the
hobbyist with the basic knowl-
edge which doesn’t necessarily
happen when using one of
these products.Aquarium controllers have
been on the market for many
years but have been increasing
in popularity over the last six
as manufacturers have made
them more user friendly and
provided greater functional-ity. Hobbyists are recognising
the benefits of truly integrated
systems whether full control or
Wi-Fi control of linked devices
such as pumps and lighting.The nature of marine aquatic outlets has
changed significantly over the last forty
years. Rather than a few marine tanks in one
corner of a store, as was the case in the 70’s,
we now have many specialised and modern
outlets dealing solely with marines and these
usually provide an unparalleled selection
of corals, fish, invertebrates and dry goods
together with a wealth of advice for today’s
discerning aquarist.