Okay, let’s be honest…Creating a reef aquarium is supposed to be fun, but it can be a daunting task at times, especially if your expectations are greater than your experience level - or even if you have lots of experience and are looking for amazing results right out of the gate.
A common reef experience is to make the “jump” from a freshwater system to saltwater as part of a “fish career transition.” However, it seems to me that there are an increasing number of people who start their hobby journeys in saltwater right off the bat. Lets call these people “nuts”, and lets love them for it!
Regardless of how your journey begins, the following guidelines can help you start on the right foot and avoid some of the most common reef keeping mistakes. These tips do not constitute "the gospel" on reef keeping. However, they are time tested pieces of advice from a guy who's spilled a few hundred gallons of water on the floor during his career, so they might be useful to you...
1) Appreciate the advice you receive from fellow reefers, but take a look at their aquarium! It’s not uncommon to receive many offers for help from other reefers when you’re just starting out. That guidance can come from a friend you know, a local fish store person, a hobbyist on a forum, or some kook writing a column (hmm..). It’s all part of the wonderful culture of reef keeping: Most reefers love to help! MY two cents is to just take any and all information on reef keeping with a grain of salt, and do a little checking on your “mentor”, especially if their advice starts with the words “ You need to…” or “You should”. Worse, “I haven’t tried this, but you should…” Yikes. Personally, I’d like to see “This is what I do” or “I’ve always done this…” followed with a picture of their beautiful, successful reef tank that’s been running for a while. Unfortunately, the internet has created a lot of “false prophets” reefers who can easily throw out “advice” to others with an air of undisputed authority. Before you take their advice, just see how their results have been.
I wouldn't trust this guy..would you?
2) Find a few LFS’s and online vendors and support them fervently if they meet your expectations for quality and service. There are tons of vendors for equipment, livestock, and other things related to the hobby, many of which are quite good, run by honest people who understand both the business and the needs of the reefer. However, there are also quite a few who are not so good, and who will not honor “guarantees” without major hassles. These are not companies that you want to do business with. Look for vendors that are consistent, have great reviews online from fellow reefers who you are familiar with (not “fake ones”, written in the same curiously crappy grammatical style of the vendors who post on forums as themselves..It will be obvious over time.). Sad, but true. Work with people and or companies that have good stuff, good policies, and real reputations for service and communications. You’ll get used to their practices and offerings, and what’s more- they’ll get used to your needs and interests to help serve you better.
I mean, c'mon, it's MY column...did you really think I wouldn't include a blatant company reference?
3) Read the fine print: Like any other endeavor, reef keeping is full of fads, trends, “new techniques”, etc. And that’s all good and fine. However, be sure to take a good hard look at what is being proffered out there. Just because dosing vodka for nutrient reduction, or using lanthanum chloride to lower phoshates, for example, is super-effective for some reefers, it won’t necessarily be the right move for you. Your experience level, lifestyle, ecomonics- and interest- might necessitate a more basic, but equally effective approach to nutrient control, like water changes. I mean, just because “all of the cool kids are doing it” is not a valid reason for you to embrace some exotic, complicated practice. Keep things simple and do things that work for YOU and your animals. Don’t be a “joiner”…Think about why you would want to do it, and weight the benefits against the costs. See if what you are contemplating is a viable long-term solution for your reef, or just a “knee jerk” reaction to a short-term problem. Sometimes, the quick reaction is not the right one, right? Yes, adding such and such to a reef will take care of your algae problem, but wouldn’t just staying the course with regular water changes do the same thing, albeit more slowly? Think about it…
It must be the right technique, I think...
4) Make your reef your own. Come to the realization that, even if you use the same technique, equipment, and animals as “Joe from Cleveland”, you’ll get a different result. Your tank will not be exactly like the other reefer’s tank. And that’s a good thing! It’s one thing to emulate good work from others, but always remember that there are an infinite number of unknown variables in the equation that will result in your reef bing different from his or hers. I mean, why would you want a carbon copy of someone else's reef anyways? Be your self, and let your reef reflect who you are and what you do as a reefer. That’s the fun part! There is no “one size fits all” way to run a reef tank, so don’t just mimic. You may see great results in someone else's build, but until you understand why they did it that way, and how they integrated it into their life, it may not make make as much sense to you. Rather, take elements out of various successful reefs that you have seen, and incorporate them into your own. You and your animals will be much happier, trust me!
It's good for Phillipe Grossjean- but will it work in YOUR living room?
5) Don’t let emotions get the best of you or your reef. I sometimes think that the number one problem most reefers face at some point is the panic reaction, as alluded to in tip number 3 above. Don’t tear your whole reef apart because you find a flatworm on an Acro. When you make bad decisions based on the “crisis of the day” instead of focusing on the bigger picture and long-term goals of your reef, that’s when you get into trouble. Combat this panic instinct by creating a checklist of things to look at every day in your reef, parameters to measure, and have in place the things you need to deal with the most common emergencies, such as spare parts, extra salt mix, backup pumps, etc. As they say, “Be calm and reef on…!”
"Logic in the face of certain disaster offers a peace that most humans just don't understand..."
Okay, so there are five of my surefire ways to avoid rookie mistakes in reef keeping..And you know what? You don’t have to be a rookie for them to apply to you. We all make mistakes…We need to learn from them, and to share our solutions with fellow reefers in an honest, open way that can add to the body of knowledge of this great hobby of ours.
I’m sure that there are dozens more mistakes to avoid….What are some of your thoughts? Let ‘em out, so that fellow reefers can benefit!
Until next time…
Keep wet.
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
A common reef experience is to make the “jump” from a freshwater system to saltwater as part of a “fish career transition.” However, it seems to me that there are an increasing number of people who start their hobby journeys in saltwater right off the bat. Lets call these people “nuts”, and lets love them for it!
Regardless of how your journey begins, the following guidelines can help you start on the right foot and avoid some of the most common reef keeping mistakes. These tips do not constitute "the gospel" on reef keeping. However, they are time tested pieces of advice from a guy who's spilled a few hundred gallons of water on the floor during his career, so they might be useful to you...
1) Appreciate the advice you receive from fellow reefers, but take a look at their aquarium! It’s not uncommon to receive many offers for help from other reefers when you’re just starting out. That guidance can come from a friend you know, a local fish store person, a hobbyist on a forum, or some kook writing a column (hmm..). It’s all part of the wonderful culture of reef keeping: Most reefers love to help! MY two cents is to just take any and all information on reef keeping with a grain of salt, and do a little checking on your “mentor”, especially if their advice starts with the words “ You need to…” or “You should”. Worse, “I haven’t tried this, but you should…” Yikes. Personally, I’d like to see “This is what I do” or “I’ve always done this…” followed with a picture of their beautiful, successful reef tank that’s been running for a while. Unfortunately, the internet has created a lot of “false prophets” reefers who can easily throw out “advice” to others with an air of undisputed authority. Before you take their advice, just see how their results have been.
I wouldn't trust this guy..would you?
2) Find a few LFS’s and online vendors and support them fervently if they meet your expectations for quality and service. There are tons of vendors for equipment, livestock, and other things related to the hobby, many of which are quite good, run by honest people who understand both the business and the needs of the reefer. However, there are also quite a few who are not so good, and who will not honor “guarantees” without major hassles. These are not companies that you want to do business with. Look for vendors that are consistent, have great reviews online from fellow reefers who you are familiar with (not “fake ones”, written in the same curiously crappy grammatical style of the vendors who post on forums as themselves..It will be obvious over time.). Sad, but true. Work with people and or companies that have good stuff, good policies, and real reputations for service and communications. You’ll get used to their practices and offerings, and what’s more- they’ll get used to your needs and interests to help serve you better.
I mean, c'mon, it's MY column...did you really think I wouldn't include a blatant company reference?
3) Read the fine print: Like any other endeavor, reef keeping is full of fads, trends, “new techniques”, etc. And that’s all good and fine. However, be sure to take a good hard look at what is being proffered out there. Just because dosing vodka for nutrient reduction, or using lanthanum chloride to lower phoshates, for example, is super-effective for some reefers, it won’t necessarily be the right move for you. Your experience level, lifestyle, ecomonics- and interest- might necessitate a more basic, but equally effective approach to nutrient control, like water changes. I mean, just because “all of the cool kids are doing it” is not a valid reason for you to embrace some exotic, complicated practice. Keep things simple and do things that work for YOU and your animals. Don’t be a “joiner”…Think about why you would want to do it, and weight the benefits against the costs. See if what you are contemplating is a viable long-term solution for your reef, or just a “knee jerk” reaction to a short-term problem. Sometimes, the quick reaction is not the right one, right? Yes, adding such and such to a reef will take care of your algae problem, but wouldn’t just staying the course with regular water changes do the same thing, albeit more slowly? Think about it…
It must be the right technique, I think...
4) Make your reef your own. Come to the realization that, even if you use the same technique, equipment, and animals as “Joe from Cleveland”, you’ll get a different result. Your tank will not be exactly like the other reefer’s tank. And that’s a good thing! It’s one thing to emulate good work from others, but always remember that there are an infinite number of unknown variables in the equation that will result in your reef bing different from his or hers. I mean, why would you want a carbon copy of someone else's reef anyways? Be your self, and let your reef reflect who you are and what you do as a reefer. That’s the fun part! There is no “one size fits all” way to run a reef tank, so don’t just mimic. You may see great results in someone else's build, but until you understand why they did it that way, and how they integrated it into their life, it may not make make as much sense to you. Rather, take elements out of various successful reefs that you have seen, and incorporate them into your own. You and your animals will be much happier, trust me!
It's good for Phillipe Grossjean- but will it work in YOUR living room?
5) Don’t let emotions get the best of you or your reef. I sometimes think that the number one problem most reefers face at some point is the panic reaction, as alluded to in tip number 3 above. Don’t tear your whole reef apart because you find a flatworm on an Acro. When you make bad decisions based on the “crisis of the day” instead of focusing on the bigger picture and long-term goals of your reef, that’s when you get into trouble. Combat this panic instinct by creating a checklist of things to look at every day in your reef, parameters to measure, and have in place the things you need to deal with the most common emergencies, such as spare parts, extra salt mix, backup pumps, etc. As they say, “Be calm and reef on…!”
"Logic in the face of certain disaster offers a peace that most humans just don't understand..."
Okay, so there are five of my surefire ways to avoid rookie mistakes in reef keeping..And you know what? You don’t have to be a rookie for them to apply to you. We all make mistakes…We need to learn from them, and to share our solutions with fellow reefers in an honest, open way that can add to the body of knowledge of this great hobby of ours.
I’m sure that there are dozens more mistakes to avoid….What are some of your thoughts? Let ‘em out, so that fellow reefers can benefit!
Until next time…
Keep wet.
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
