Myths
|
| Trachyphyllia geoffroyi, Open Brain Coral, with extended tentacles |
Introduction
This hobby can be very confusing at times and it can be very difficult when starting out to fully understand what is going one, get a grip on what you should be doing. And what makes this far more difficult for new hobbyists, is the fact that mixed in with all this information is a lot of mythformation. In other words, information that sounds correct to those who don't fully understand, but is actually wrong. Here is a list of some of the more common mythformation that you will find floating around in this hobby, with a quick explanation on why it is actually wrong.
Common Myths
Keep A Lionfish Well Fed And It Wont Eat Other Fish
This also applies to any fish that is a piscovore, it is what they do, they eat fish. One day, it will eat your fish, even if the fish is a bit larger than them.
RO/DI Water Is Too Pure To Drink
Reverse osmosis / deionised water is not too pure to drink and will not leach minerals from the body. What can be an issue is if the mineral intake in your diet is so bad that you rely on minerals found in the drinking water to provide your daily requirements.
Scientific Names Are Complicated And Not Necessary
The use of common names is actually very confusing and can be difficult to be sure that two people are talking about the same organism. Reason for this as the common name is not a unique thing, there can be many that have the same name. With scientific names, there is a unique one for every organism, so you can be sure what you are talking about. Many other hobbyist adopt scientific names without a second thought.
Clownfish Must Be Kept With An Anemone
No, clownfish can live happily and even breed without an anemone to host them.
Tank Bred Clownfish Will Not Go Into An Anemone
The behaviour of clownfish living in the appropriate species of host anemone is an innate one, they do not have to learn how from other fish. They can be hosted by a non-native anemone host or even some coral, see anemones hosting clownfish
Fish Will Grow To The Size Of The Tank
No, fish will grow to their predetermine maximum size unless water conditions and food availability is substandard. Therefore, if good water conditions are provided, along with sufficient food, then a fish will just keep on growing until it reaches its maximum size. Even is the tank is very small.
Bicarb Soda Is Not Sodium Bicarbonate
Bicarb Soda is a common name for sodium bicabonate, which is the major component of the pH buffering system (alkalinity) of saltwater. It can be used to increase the alkalinity safely.
Marine Aquaria Is Hard To Maintain
Once things are setup and establish, an experienced hobbyist can spend only 10 minutes per day feeding and checking up on their system. The appearance of being difficult to maintain is the fact that have to maintain good water quality, good water movement, appropriate lighting levels and things appear to be a lot more complex when you are a beginner.
Sunlight Will Cause Algae Problems
Algae growth anywhere is always limited by some parameter, whether it be a particular nutrient in the water or available light. If light intensity happens to be the limiting factor, which it commonly can be, then allowing sunlight to will increase the amount of growth. However, light is not the underlying problem, the nutrients in the water and lack of herbivores to consume the algae are. If the appropriate herbivores were added, along with procedures to control the nutrient levels, then the algae will be under control.
Ich Can Be Treated Using Reef Safe Medication
No, ich (white spot, Cryptocaryon) cannot be treated by a medication or treatment that is reef safe. Reef safe is typically taken to mean that it will not adversely effect invertebrates, such as echinoderms and corals. The nature of ich is such that it requires treatment that will also effect those types of organisms.
Adding Garlic To Food Will Cure Whitespot
Treatment of whitespot (Cryptocaryon) requires more than adding something to fish food.
Silica Sand Will Cause Diatom Problems
The use of silica sand will not cause diatom problems as it has very limited solubility in water. So having it in the system will not have an impact on the silicate concentration in the water. If it did have an effect, then having a glass tank would be a no-no as well.
To Have A Successful Tank You Require ....
There is not one piece of wonder equipment / additive that will solve all problems, make things much easier etc. There are many different ways of doing things, to maintain particular conditions and to reach the same goal. What is actually important is maintaining the conditions required by the organisms being kept and the goal of the system.
Using .... Will Crash The System
The use of a particular filtration technique / methodology will not cause the system to crash, if it is correctly utilised. Any methodology will actually crash, if it is not used and maintained correctly. The important thing is to use and maintain things as they should be, then you will avoid these mysterious "crashes".
Calcium Carbonate Based Substrate Acts As A pH Buffer
Calcium carbonate dissolves at a pH (around 6.5) that is below that found in a healthy marine aquarium (around 8.1). A pH as low as 6.5 can be found within a sand bed, and the sand bed will dissolve to some degree, but it will be insufficient to maintain the system's alkalinity and calcium levels.
