Talk:Berlin Method

According to Delbeek and Sprung (Reef Aquarium vol. 3) the berlin method originally used a shallow bed of crushed coral. It only become barebottom because of misconceptions about the technique when it moved to the US (where barebottom was a popular methodology at the time). -discocarp

Is this considered a controversial method, due to the heavy use of live rock? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.36.76.43 (talk) 23:08, 2 April 2013 (UTC)

This article has little scientific background and is of little or no value if it is the intention to provide correct basic information. The so called Berlin Method is just a description of reef tanks once set up by members of an aquarium club situated in the Berlin regio, visited by an American who wrote an article about what he saw. Also the use of "live rock" is very controversial, the filtration capacity is based on a dogma created. Filtration is provided by the periphython growing on it, which may grow on any suitable substrate. The advise to use a certain amount of live rock in lbs has no place in a Wikipedia article, it has no scientific value at all. it is supposed a reef tank must have a certain amount of " live rock" to be called a Berlin system. That time ( 70) most corals used in reef aquaria with success where imported with the base rock, which made corals too expensive for most marine aquarium keepers. Also the explanation of how a skimmer functions is controversial and not correct. Air stripping does ( only) removes apolar and hydrophobic organic compounds The success of the reef tanks in  Germany was based on the use of "kalkwasser", introduced by Peter Wilkens. They differed because the tanks did not use a big BIO. Wilkens Peter Niedere Tiere im tropischen Seewasseraquarium. Eerste. Wuppertal-Elberfeld: Engelbert Pfriem, 1973. Page 50. Wilkens never used the name Berlin System or Berlin method. The aquariums in Berlin had a very low bio-load compared to other systems using a big bio, the standard in Europe for marine aquaria in the seventies. Frank De Graaf. Handboek voor het tropisch zeeaquarium. Tweede druk. A.J.G. Strengholt N.V. Amsterdam, 1969.Graaf, Frank de. Marine Aquarium Guide. Harrison, N.J.: Pet Library, 1973. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.132.238.24 (talk) 16:07, 22 February 2022 (UTC)