Not many new reefkeeping methodologies

[Len]

I got to thinking (heaven forbid!) .....

Not sure if it's just my perception, but we seem to have leveled off in terms of the progression of reefkeeping methodologies. I remember the days of UGF, Dutch systems, true and "modified" Berlin methods, NNR plenums, Ecosystem mudd, etc. It seems we haven't seen much change in methodology in the last few years (last big vogue I'm aware of is simple DSBs). Think we've reached the golden age of reefkeeping, or just simple stagnation?

 

[danmhippo]

Really good topic for weekly discussion, IMHO.......

I think we are just stagnant. Afterall, we are still limited to "maintaining" animal's health, rather than mass producing them like the freshwater species. I am sure there will be better (simpler, I hope, too) faster, and easier ways to keep these animals in captivity. Hopefully, there will be foolproof ways for average Joe to get one without a degree in marine biology.

 

[Anonymous]

Personally I think the next big trend (but it's still about 5 yrs off for any practically application) will be LED lighting. There's a great article about it in the May issue of Popular Mechanics. It's not online yet, so I can't post a link or a cut&paste, but good gravy, as soon as the technology improves to the point of the cost lowering, that's going to utterly change reefkeeping. Can you imagine being able to light your tank for a couple bucks a month, never worrying about blown bulbs, needing no cooling fans, and never replacing the bulbs?! 8O 8O 8O

 

[mountainbiker619]

I think more farm raised species of fish and corals will be the biggest change within the next 5 years.

 

[Anonymous]

One thing I have noticed that seems to be increasing in popularity over the last year or so if feeding heavier and more variety of foods.

If I look through book and magazines up that came out up until pretty recently, each and everyone one it seems emphasises feeding reefs as little as possible, for water quality sake.

Lots of people now culture their own phyto, rotifers, artemia and feed heavy. I guess it isn't new methodology per se but I think it really complements the current sort of Berlin/DSB/refugium hybrid systems that seem to be most popular today. I have started this (phyto only routinely, the rotis and artemia as I have extra) about six months ago and been ramping it up slowly, I am really pleased with the results.

I wouldn't call it a "Golden Age" until we can realiably propagate and in some cases even maintain more species that we do now.

 

[Anonymous]

Personally I think the next big trend (but it's still about 5 yrs off for any practically application) will be LED lighting. There's a great article about it in the May issue of Popular Mechanics. It's not online yet, so I can't post a link or a cut&paste, but good gravy, as soon as the technology improves to the point of the cost lowering, that's going to utterly change reefkeeping. Can you imagine being able to light your tank for a couple bucks a month, never worrying about blown bulbs, needing no cooling fans, and never replacing the bulbs?! 8O 8O 8O

I'm pretty stoked on the idea of LED lighting too.

I probably wouldn't always have that little worry in the way in back of my mind about my fish tank lights burning the house down while I am away.

 

[Anonymous]

Personally I think the next big trend (but it's still about 5 yrs off for any practically application) will be LED lighting. There's a great article about it in the May issue of Popular Mechanics. It's not online yet, so I can't post a link or a cut&paste, but good gravy, as soon as the technology improves to the point of the cost lowering, that's going to utterly change reefkeeping. Can you imagine being able to light your tank for a couple bucks a month, never worrying about blown bulbs, needing no cooling fans, and never replacing the bulbs?! 8O 8O 8O

I'm pretty stoked on the idea of LED lighting too.

I probably wouldn't always have that little worry in the way in back of my mind about my fish tank lights burning the house down while I am away.

Yup, same here.

Maybe I'll see if I can't text-scan that article and get it up here. It sounds like the white-light LEDs are the closest imitation of natural sunlight ever generated. Definitely sounds promising! At the moment it's about 4-5 yrs away from the retail market, from what the article says. Maybe that's from being available in screw-in lightbulbs though, and a specialized reef system would be available sooner. Who knows.

 

[Robin Goodfellow]

hi.
I doubt that the LED will be as revolutionary as most people think. It is great gadget, but running it will still be expensive unless you have a tiny tank like B-man's nano.

 

[Anonymous]

hi.
I doubt that the LED will be as revolutionary as most people think. It is great gadget, but running it will still be expensive unless you have a tiny tank like B-man's nano.

I believe that's one of the gists of the article, if I remember right (it's been a week or so since I've read it); and why it'll take another few years for it to become a 'real' technology. Right now it just can't put out the juice in the white, full-spect areas.

 

[Len]

No doubt lots of nice future technologies will make it much better/easier for us to maintain our livestock. But methodology seems pretty much at a standstill now. A decade ago, you pretty much had to experiment by definition since there was little proven methods to go by. But nowadays, we experimentation doesn't seem paramount anymore to me. Good thing is that for the most part, what we're doing works, and works very well.

 

[brandon4291]

Robyn thats exactly what I was thinking until two days ago...then a new poster Reefrancher has made a nano (LED) that BLEW me out of the water--I didnt know they could be this bright and affordable... This revolution is closer than we think, please go look at these NEW led's he found on the net, they are giant and very very powerful. Look at the Nano forum under "LED'S" started by poster Bleeding Blue.

I thought RadioSlack was the best place to get LED's, not the cheapest, but as far as availability I thought they had it made. Wrong again, check the link under this thread referral for the most freakish LED's Ive ever seen and he is currently using them in a 4 gallon nano. His nano LED rules...

Brandon429

 

[brandon4291]

His tank is new and he has not fully stocked it yet, but these new bulbs/LED's may have the photosynthetic output range that would justify their use in nanos and larger systems. We'll see as soon as we get updates on his montipora growth rate...

B

 

[danmhippo]

You still have the link handy?

 

[brandon4291]

DanM This should work, if not let me know. Its a link to the LED thread still active in our new Nano Forum, and here she is:

http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=28938

Brandon

 

[npaden]

Len,

I think that currently circulation may be an area that many are moving to. Looking into not only total flow but velocities and directional patterns as well. Some people are getting flow rates that would have been considered very extreme just a few years ago. I'm flowing in the neighborhood of 200 gallons per minute on my 415 now which basically means that the tank turns over every 2 minutes. I'm still looking at adding some more flow.

I also think hobbyists are getting more into attempts to breed and propagate fish and corals as well which isn't truly a breakthrough but it really is moving the hobby to a more sustainable one.

One other area may be hobbyists raising their own the live phytoplankton and trying to keep a higher population of smaller critters like amphipods and mysis shrimp through various types of refugiums. I'm thinking about trying a version of Tyree's cryptic zones in a large refugium if I can talk the wife into another shed to keep it all in.

My 2 cents, Nathan

 

[ChaoticReefer]

Len,
I think it has slowed down, because we have realized that mother nature has the best ways. That is why DSB is sticking around for a long period. But, I don't think its the end game. We will find other natural resources to apply to our tanks. Maybe someday we will find a "natural" process that will enable us to get rid our skimmers (even the newbies will be skimless). Right now, I think it all depends on scientific research that will make the next leap in this hobby. Back than, there were so many different ideas (radical or not) that we have proven and disproven. With those ideas out of the way, we have taking the proven ones and are doing more deeply studies on them. This is why it seems the different methodologies have slowed down, we in the studying era.

Just my $0.02.

 

[Anonymous]

Interesting topic, Len!

I (unfortunately) have really nothing to add except to comment that there's probably an inverse relationship between the increased (relative) success in this hobby and the time-related progression of reefkeeping methodologies. This isn't to say that we won't ever again have a truly innovative reefkeeping technique sprung upon us, but I think the chances are good that the time interval between innovated techniques will continue to increase. Of course I could be completely wrong! :wink:

Chris

 

[Anonymous]

Bill,

What you said makes a lot of sense.

We will find other natural resources to apply to our tanks.

I hope you're right on this!

Chris

 

[dizzy]

Len,
I already have a tank that has an automatic glass cleaning system. While I can't make the claim that an automatic glass cleaning makes for a healthier tank, I sure don't miss wiping the glass. The downside is in only works on revolving cylinder tanks. I use a standard magnet cleaner.(internal magnet floats) It was as simple as attaching the outer magnet to a stainless steel leadscrew, driving it with a reversible motor, adding a relay and a couple of limits switches.

 

[Mouse]

Im thinking circulation, remember those "new" propellar powewr heads. The other thing i think were going to see is more and more refugeiums and i also think refugeium husbandry has a long way to go in as far as housing proliferating edible beasties.