Reefbusters: Share your favorite reefing myths!

[Coldramen777]

"Reef keeping is super hard."
Not really

 

[Dburr1014]

Zero no3 will cause dinos.
Zero no3 is starving your coral

 

[Should I]

Fish will grow to the size of the tank
Some people say they will
Some people say they wont

 

[Gumbies R Us]

"Reef keeping is super hard."
Not really

I can see where it can be daunting for someone new to the hobby. However, it's not as hard as people make it out to be. Although you can make it overly difficult or hard if you chose to

 

[Reeferbadness]

You need to run an Ultra Low Nutrient tank for SPS / Acros to do well ….

 

[encrustingacro]

Myth 1: A brown coral is an unhealthy coral

Fact: The vast majority of corals in the wild are varying shades of brown or grey. Bright colors evolved as a sort of sunscreen to protect corals in shallower areas, and fluorescent colors to convert photosynthetically unusable light into a more usable wavelength. Colors can also vary depending on the amount of zooxanthellae in the coral; less density of zoox means pigments show more.

Myth 2: More polyp extension equals a healthier coral

Fact: With some exceptions, most corals do not open their polyps during the daytime to avoid corallivores feeding on their polyps. They will open their polyps at night to feed.

Myth 3: The more inflated an LPS is, the healthier it is

Fact: Most LPS in the wild have their flesh drawn tight to their skeleton; even fleshy corals like Trachyphyllia and the Lobophylliids are not as inflated as they usually are in captivity. As long as their septa are not poking through their flesh, they should be fine.