Lack of appreciation for biodiversity in the hobby. Thoughts?

[Osprey223]

Does anyone else feel like this hobby is hyper focused on coral rather than creating an ecosystem?

I feel like there is a lack of appreciation for biodiversity or even appreciation of fish and non-sessile invertebrates. I see so many threads of really beautiful tanks and owners who appear to see any life but coral almost as an afterthought. Coral frags and colonies are the highlights of their photos. I also feel like any livestock sellers reeeeally focus on coral over any other critters that we'd put in our tanks. (Certainly part of that must be due to the amount of money one can make by fragging a few colonies.)

I like to focus on biodiversity above all. For instance I have a tank with live rock and sand from Florida. I have identified well over 25 species of organisms living there and have never introduced any coral. I had a molly in there for a while, but other than that it is pretty bare to the untrained eye. After eight months I am still identifying new life. I also realize it is a privilege to be able to buy ocean rock. In all my tanks I work to establish a highly diverse ecosystem and then move on to corals if I feel like it.

And don't get me wrong, I think a lot of coral is beautiful and obviously are eye catching! I just enjoy the biology of it all.

This is not meant to demean anyone in particular nor am I trying to say that my tanks are better than anyone else's. Purely just want to spark some discussion.

 

[crazyfishmom]

I agree with the focus on coral but perhaps have a slightly different take on it.

Maintaining a balanced, biodiverse tank is extremely challenging. Coral, as difficult as it is to keep, is actually easier to keep without certain fish nipping or macro algae that out competes it for resources, or the many different crabs that wreak havoc. Sponges are amazing filter feeders but it’s extremely easy to lose them. Sea apples and cucumbers, etc are gorgeous but can foul a tank if something goes wrong. Scallops tend to have very short lifespans in our tanks. Even anemones, which a lot of us love, tend to be difficult to keep since they move around and can kill coral.

That said, I am currently trying to expand my ecosystem. Just bought a flying sea hare, money cowries, and urchins. I was also fortunate to be able to purchase ocean live rock and while I’ve had to rehire a few crabs, I am in awe and inspired by the number of little critters that have survived even after a year. I have a couple of mantis shrimp in the tank that are doing well and don’t seem to bother anything and several different shrimp etc that have been fun to watch.

 

[Sump Crab]

I completely agree! Ocean liverock (readily available in stores circa 2005) literally brought me into the hobby. Having a literal piece of the ocean in my room (teenager then) was simply amazing. All the life that popped up, seemingly out of nowhere, was incredible. I too focus on more of a "ecosystem" style reef tank full of all sorts of life, using ocean liverock exclusively. That's what I prefer and I would quit the hobby (if needing to start over) if I could not source real ocean liverock.

With that being said I certainly appreciate that lots of ppl in the hobby only want sterilized coral systems that focus on not much more than coral color and growth, that's ok too lol.

 

[Reefer Matt]

It depends on why people have a reef tank. Some want the ocean at home, some want living art.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Hi, the reason may be that biodiversity may not be necessary for a tank full of coral.
It is also very challenging to make something that could resemble a small ecosystem and more importantly maintain it long term.
I’m an ecosystem enthusiasts by nature and I like my tanks to look more natural instead of the pristine look I just think they are two different things imo.

 

[Osprey223]

It depends on why people have a reef tank. Some want the ocean at home, some want living art.

Very true! Those are certainly two very different looking systems.

 

[Doctorgori]

Those long pest threads have scared folks off of real live rock, this has spun off its own sets of "ugly stage" issues...

 

[Gumbies R Us]

It depends on why people have a reef tank. Some want the ocean at home, some want living art.

I like this! I think it's cool to have a piece of the ocean at home, but also something that can be visually striking!

 

[BeanAnimal]

Does anyone else feel like this hobby is hyper focused on coral rather than creating an ecosystem?

I am not sure I understand. The "hobby" is made of individuals, each with their own reasons for participation from general interest to niche interest, and everything in between.

I feel like there is a lack of appreciation for biodiversity or even appreciation of fish and non-sessile invertebrates.

Is there some criteria for entry into a hobby like this or requirement to be "accepted" by the rest? Each of us gets to "appreciate" whatever aspect that we participate for.

I see so many threads of really beautiful tanks and owners who appear to see any life but coral almost as an afterthought.

Yep - some people just want a pretty centerpiece in their waiting room. Other people like purple and buy purple fish and purple coral and purple pirate chests. Some people like predators and some people like symbionts and some people like macro algae. We are all different. What is beautiful to you may not be to others. Your goals and desires are yours and theirs are theirs.

 

[Osprey223]

Is there some criteria for entry into a hobby like this or requirement to be "accepted" by the rest? Each of us gets to "appreciate" whatever aspect that we participate for.

Oh absolutely not! Again, not dogging on anyone. I have just noticed that a large amount of posts I see focus on coral. Even much of the advertisements on this website are largely for coral.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Imo, marketing in reefing is focused on coral because they are easy to reproduce and have the highest profit margin for vendors. There is no Blue Book price for coral. Not many other commodities sold reproduce so easily to where it makes sense to pay retail prices. If we could frag fish, they’d be just as popular. Breeding is more difficult, expensive, and time consuming.

 

[CHSUB]

This is not meant to demean anyone in particular nor am I trying to say that my tanks are better than anyone else's. Purely just want to spark some discussion.

I agree with your sentiments. Personally I prefer diversity over all else, transported to a reef atoll somewhere in the Pacific. Naturally lite with diverse life competing for precious real estate and resources. However, that will include nearly every surface covered with corals or some kind of other life.

 

[MoshJosh]

Yes and no. The reason I keep a reef tank is for the corals, anything that doesn't hurt them is welcome in the tank. . . But hurting them can mean so many things like physical damage, chemical damage, taking their nutrients, taking their trace elements, taking their space, blocking their light, eating their food. . . Biodiversity is great for nature but I want to grow corals faster than nature. . .

Bit of a rant but TLDR biodiversity is great until it hinders coral growth (at least for me).

Also, I have a specific clean up crew that I find good for corals but decimate macro algae, so I'll keep my CUC and pass on macros (also macros can release chemicals that are bad for corals)

ALL THAT BEING SAID, I would certainly NOT hold my nose at a tank that did its best to replicate a natural reef including its biodiversity.

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

I have always, and will always, think people should spend their money and time however they wish.

At the same time, I have been in this realm for several decades, and the current approach is not my cup of tea.

I am more of an ecosystem purist than I am a coral fan. While I love coral and feel it is the central feature in a reef, I also love all the other stuff. Seeing a bunch of coral and then bare rock containing only coralline algae depresses me. It’s just a very impartial picture.

These days, I put less emphasis on setting up the perfect environment for coral and more emphasis on setting up as holistic and balanced of an ecosystem as possible, and then trying to manage matter naturally rather than mechanically/chemically. Regular infusion in systems of maricultured rock and sand (and all that come with it such as bacteria, forams, ciliates, sponges, etc) as well as macro and micro algae, etc keeps the biodiversity up.

The final piece of that puzzle is that there has to be some management of the space so that all of these organisms have a place where they cannot be cleaned out by predators and grazers.

Sigh…I could go on and on.

 

[CKW]

Does anyone else feel like this hobby is hyper focused on coral rather than creating an ecosystem?

I feel like there is a lack of appreciation for biodiversity or even appreciation of fish and non-sessile invertebrates. I see so many threads of really beautiful tanks and owners who appear to see any life but coral almost as an afterthought. Coral frags and colonies are the highlights of their photos. I also feel like any livestock sellers reeeeally focus on coral over any other critters that we'd put in our tanks. (Certainly part of that must be due to the amount of money one can make by fragging a few colonies.)

I like to focus on biodiversity above all. For instance I have a tank with live rock and sand from Florida. I have identified well over 25 species of organisms living there and have never introduced any coral. I had a molly in there for a while, but other than that it is pretty bare to the untrained eye. After eight months I am still identifying new life. I also realize it is a privilege to be able to buy ocean rock. In all my tanks I work to establish a highly diverse ecosystem and then move on to corals if I feel like it.

And don't get me wrong, I think a lot of coral is beautiful and obviously are eye catching! I just enjoy the biology of it all.

This is not meant to demean anyone in particular nor am I trying to say that my tanks are better than anyone else's. Purely just want to spark some discussion.

Recent hot items seem to be the corals. A big rush to corals IS the subject for many reefers. Having said that I can recall several topics that “everyone “ was talking about, had to have and they were the definitive authority about. IE: under gravel filters, skimmers, etc. the coral craze WILL run its course and then we can find another “must have”

 

[Joe.D]

I don’t know where I stand on this discussion, never thought about it that deeply.

I got into reefing because as a teen I had a freshwater tank and was always intrigued by the colors of the different saltwater fish. Years later, in my late 50s, I finally set up a saltwater tank. Once I got into it, I realized I was more fascinated by the coral. I like watching the fish swim around, but I love watching the coral (especially torches) sway in the flow in the evening with only the aquarium lights on.

 

[NCsalt]

Corals are pretty biodiverse in their own right.

That being said my drive for wanting a bigger tank has always been a desire to keep more and different fish. Of course i would also be thrilled with more coral space.

My 40 breeder is pretty diverse, aiptasia, gha, cyano…

But also an emerald crab, peppermint shrimp, rockflower, hermits, snails including little in the tank breed trochus snails, dragons breath macro…

Its pretty diverse.

I do miss all my tiny serpent stars in my early 2000s live rock. Probably grab some soon.

 

[RocketEngineer]

If you want biodiversity, you can purchase aquacultured rock. Several companies ship it in water air freight, less than 12 hours in the bag. Others focus on breeding fish. Then there are the aquaculture facilities that grow and frag corals. It’s a matter of doing whatever is profitable enough for the hobby to continue.

 

[ieatbugman]

i would appreciate more biodiversity, but i will probably not ever add someone else’s live rock (im including ocean rock, but that is because it is so expensive) because quite frankly i do not have the knowledge nor the skill to deal with something should a problem arise.

To put it simply, i am completely terrified of something hurting my precious clownfish

 

[penfold2]

I think true diversity is effectively unattainable in our tiny boxes of water. So many of the organisms depend on complex food webs, high particulate, low nutrient water, specific substrates, and other factors that are just not practical in a small, closed system. Live rock and sand are really cool, but I also find it a little disappointing to realize that the majority of that life is not sustainable in captivity. I applaud those that go out of their way to support atypical livestock like non-photosynthetic corals, macroalgae, sponges, filter-feeding inverts etc, but I completely understand why most people want to focus on livestock with a proven track record in captive conditions.