"Fish Only" vs. "Reef"-- What's the Difference? By Eric Borneman The question is a good one.
Many aquarists still fear or opt against "going reef," because they erroneously believe that the cost, effort, and complexity of the system is beyond their reach. While this may be true in some cases, and while the desire to maintain photosynthetic corals and invertebrates may not be a goal of an aquarist, the question arises as to whether such a separation of system types is any longer valid.
Marine fish offered within the aquarium hobby are almost exclusively fish found on or near coral reefs. So, in essence, every marine aquaria is a "reef" tank. One aspect of coral reefs is their extremely high biodiversity. There are many species which inhabit a densely crowded area. Because of this, a basic ecological fact of biodiverse habitats is that there must be a great deal of specialization in terms of behavior and feeding habits of the life inhabiting such areas. Fish from coral reefs are no exception. They have sometimes extremely specific dietary needs or niche habitat needs that are rarely able to be met in captivity. For example, many buttterflyfish are specialized coral polyp eaters. Oxymonacanthus longisrostris, the beautiful spotted filefish, is an obligate consumer of coral polyps from the genera Acropora and Pocillopora. It is highly unlikely that this fish will live longer than a few weeks without this expensive and difficult to provide diet. Yet, many of these fish are routinely offered at fish retail and wholesale facilities; a continuing effort by the trade to prey off the ignorance of the consumer and hobby populace.
Using reef techniques on marine "fish only" systems should not be intimidating. It is not difficult, more demanding, more complex, or even more expensive. I would recommend that using natural reef methods for all marine aquaria be the preferred method for both the success of the marine life, as well as the success of the aquarist. Copyright 2003 by Eric Borneman. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Eric Borneman is the author of Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History, and co-author of A Practical Guide to Corals. He is also the co-founder of the Marine and Reef Aquarium Society of Houston and is active in reef conservation efforts worldwide. Other Resources AquariumHobbyist.com has a full line of species forums where you can discuss fish species with other owners, and hobbyists.
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For some time, our Forums on AquariumHobbyist have offered a choice of topics in terms of "marine" or "reef" categories. It has long been thought that there are two basic categories of marine aquaria -- those which are established to keep marine fish alive and those which support reef fauna. Typically, marine "fish only" systems are aquaria which utilize various types of chemical, mechanical and biological filtration to support the lives of tropical marine fish. The tank itself generally consists of a mostly void water column with decorative dead coral pieces and occasionally a decorative crushed coral-type substrate. These were, in fact, the progenitors of today's more natural reef aquaria. Reef aquaria, on the other hand, usually employ live rock and perhaps live sand within the aquarium itself. The live rock is often coupled with various devices such as protein skimmers, powerheads, and strong lighting to sustain the photosynthetic invertebrates that become part of a mixed invertebrate and fish display. The use of other means of filtration, once common, is now deemed largely unnecessary.
Typical marine "fish only" aquaria have a long history of problems. Between water quality problems, nuisance algae, and poor fish survivability, their reputation may in fact be deservedly tarnished. Indeed, the fish kept in these aquaria are commonly chosen for their "show" qualities. Inappropriate or difficult-to-maintain fish are crowded into unnatural environments simply because they look good. Very little care is provided in creating a natural low stress environment, yet great amounts of effort often go into devices and maintenance of systems designed primarily to protect some beautiful and expensive investments. Fish retailers are consistently packed with large colorful tangs, triggerfish, eels, sharks, rays, parrotfish, and other glorious animals whose destiny in captivity is likely to be one a much reduced lifespan. Why does this happen?
Given the specialization of coral reef fish, it only seems apparent that the more natural and realistic the aquaria habitat which is provided, the more naturally the fish can interact with and behave in their captive environment. Their stress level will be lower, resulting in lowered incidence of disease. Their diet may be more easily supplemented by some natural grazing abilities from a more "reef-like" system. Furthermore, the methods of reef aquaria employing more natural means of filtration (live rock, protein skimming, live sand, etc.) have the additional benefit of providing higher quality water. This results in less effort on the part of the aquarist, fewer problems with nuisance algae and disease, etc. Finally, a "near reef" system has the option of becoming a system which supports various invertebrates if so desired. The life already present on live rock will, over time, become quite reef-like in and of itself, and be quite beautiful -- far more so that bleached coral skeletons which are ethically and ecologically unsound items that should not even be sold. With so many benefits of setting up a marine "fish only" tank as a reef-like aquaria employing reef techniques, the days of the "decorative coral, artificial, glass box full of fish" should rapidly be nearing an end. With proper investigation and efforts, even some of the typically hard to maintain species, such as eels, may be maintained in a system designed specifically to cater to their needs with good success.