Quote:
Originally Posted by Madreefer
then why not try to mimic the actual ocean where these fish and corals come from..
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I think that the ocean isn't a good example of what we have in our living room. As Russell stated, lots of variety to be found, with the ocean having so many different micro zones. Some fish that don't like or thrive in current could live in a large crevice right below a very high current zone. Other fish will just swim a mile away to be in a better "zone". In our tanks, we're adding Achilles Tangs in with pipefish. Extreme example, but no happy medium there at all
Corals are the same. A large flock of stags will want very different conditions that gorgonians, but we still try to mix them. Some corals like "dirty" water, others need pristine conditions.
Hard to balance everything we try to mix.
Fish sleeping - at 3am, half my fish are swimming around in the dark. Others are buried in the sand wrapped in a cocoon. They don't care if there is moonlight or not.
All that said, I think they're still easy questions to answer. You need enough flow to move water and ideally suspend and remove particulates. Some corals appreciate more, some less. Adjust per your requirements.
Temp, between 77 and 82 will work, and you should adjust if you see a reason to.
I'e never seen a fish that couldn't catch food, and they seem to enjoy the chase. Leave pumps on unless you have a fish that can't catch food. Then turn them off. Nothing bad will happen either way.
Skimming. I believe skimming removes organics and other pollutants from the tank. Like flushing your toilet. Nobody partially flushes. Removing fish poop can't be bad, unless you have a reason to leave it in the tank. If you do, don't flush. Almost every time that is asked, the real question is "do I need to spend the money a skimmer costs" or "I set up a tank without a sump or anywhere to add a piece of equipment I needed, so do I really need it?" Almost always, ya, you need it. Or, change a lot more water as a compromise.
Lights. Run them long enough to feed and grow your corals, and not long enough to kill and bleach your corals. Time the period around when you're most likely to view your tank. Somewhere from 5 to 12 hours might be good. Or pick somewhere comfy in the middle. In nature, reefs tend to get about 8 hours of direct overhead light. Lots and lots of light. From the sun.
All in all, the ocean can give us hints about what we should do, but it's not something we can replicate in a box. We just have to be a bit selective in what we put in the box, then provide for it's needs in a rather compartmentalized fashion, ensuring each piece is accounted for.
As always, strongly infused with my opinion