Beginners Please Read!

[AydenLincoln]

Let’s talk about the reality of owning a saltwater tank for a moment! It’s no secret this hobby is expensive, a lot of work, and has a high failure rate. Know that when you see that picture perfect tank on Instagram that it isn’t always like that and this is the reality. The reality is often a nutrient/algae battle, losing corals and fish due to imperfect water quality, receiving bad advice, and having a lack of knowledge commonly in the first year or so especially in a nano tank. For beginners this forum is 10x better than social media groups. And no matter how careful you are unpredictable things happen. Like life…this hobby is a learning experience and there’s so many ways to do things it’s not one size fits all. And if it isn’t broken don’t try and fix it! But when you figure it all out and your tank finds equilibrium then it’s all worth it.

 

[OfficeReefer]

@AydenLincoln I'm confused. Is this your tank and the one on the right is what you were hoping to see?

 

[AydenLincoln]

@AydenLincoln I'm confused. Is this your tank and the one on the right is what you were hoping to see?

This is my tank! After maintenance day. But the point is you often see crystal clear perfect tanks online but that isn’t always the reality.

 

[Katrina71]

Agreed. Crystal clear isn't always realistic. There will always be a tug of war with some type of ugly in your tank.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

A very good read for any beginner. @Lasse nails it here.

15 Steps to Starting a Saltwater Aquarium: The Lasse Method

15 Steps to Starting a Saltwater Aquarium: The Lasse Method Display Tank. Photos are all courtesy of Lasse Forsberg. ©2019, All Rights Reserved. INTRODUCTION There are many methods to start a saltwater aquarium--each major aquarium product manufacturer has its own. Common to most, however...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Completely understood what you were trying to relay. I also 100% agree with you you see all the glory of beautiful tanks and everything looking immaculate....what people dont realize the effort that is put into the tank via treatments, maintenance, and dedication to checking parameters and creating stability. Key word being creating. Anyone can take glory pictures and spend hours to get them but through effort good husbandry time and dedication thats when things start to stabilize. A lot of newcomers see amazing tanks thinking its easy and that it will always be like that to get frustrated when it doesn't and give up. The time and effort involved in this hobby is what sets the quality in it as well. When people get frustrated its really easy to give up instead of figuring out whats needed to fix or eradicate the problem through research trial and error or simply asking for help on forums like these. R2r is an awesome community that can be utilized for ones own personal gain. But 9 times out of 10 people fail to ask for help or feel as if its a dumb question. The only dumb question is the one not asked. Especially if it is what makes someone leave the hobby.....

 

[GoVols]

Get some pods going from day one.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Get some pods going from day one.

And/or live rock! But a lot of people don’t do that.

 

[GoVols]

And/or live rock! But a lot of people don’t do that.

Agree

If you have the time, this is the best video that I watched in a long time.

How 15 Answers Changed the Way I Look at My Tank Forever! 10 Months of Biome Cycling 12 Aquariums

In this live presentation at Reefapalooza New York 2022, Ryan shares the results and draws some insightful conclusions from our 10-month investigation of the reef aquarium biome.

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Dan_P]

And/or live rock! But a lot of people don’t do that.

The hobby might be on the verge of realizing it is not bacteria diversity that is important but rather having multiple trophic levels is the best way to ensure that an aquarium supports animal growth and health AND looks nice.

Multiple trophic levels is what the hobby has already started talking about when saying add live rocks and add pods. How many trophic levels? Bacteria and micro algae need to grow and be continuously eaten, the consumers of microorganisms need to be consumed, and these consumers need consuming. I doubt we will need many more levels, but who knows. We will learn about this soon.

 

[minus9]

My advice, buy a good book on reefing, which is something I tell new reefers all the time. Social media and forums can be really confusing for new reefers, but a good book contains all the info (besides new equipment) they'll need to be successful. Plus, a book will give you instant access to information and doesn't require an internet connection.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

My advice, buy a good book on reefing, which is something I tell new reefers all the time. Social media and forums can be really confusing for new reefers, but a good book contains all the info (besides new equipment) they'll need to be successful. Plus, a book will give you instant access to information and doesn't require an internet connection.

This.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

A very good read for any beginner. @Lasse nails it here.

15 Steps to Starting a Saltwater Aquarium: The Lasse Method

15 Steps to Starting a Saltwater Aquarium: The Lasse Method Display Tank. Photos are all courtesy of Lasse Forsberg. ©2019, All Rights Reserved. INTRODUCTION There are many methods to start a saltwater aquarium--each major aquarium product manufacturer has its own. Common to most, however...

www.reef2reef.com

This is who I'd take advice from, an experienced, proven reefer.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

The hobby might be on the verge of realizing it is not bacteria diversity that is important but rather having multiple trophic levels is the best way to ensure that an aquarium supports animal growth and health AND looks nice.

Multiple trophic levels is what the hobby has already started talking about when saying add live rocks and add pods. How many trophic levels? Bacteria and micro algae need to grow and be continuously eaten, the consumers of microorganisms need to be consumed, and these consumers need consuming. I doubt we will need many more levels, but who knows. We will learn about this soon.

I agree with this 100%. Nothing like a ton of diversity, tons of little mouths to eat parasites, numerous levels of bacteria, etc, etc.

Not to mention, as you said, looks.

Yes with real ocean harvested LR, there can be hitchhikers. All are easily dealt with and easy to remove with some ingenuity. What kills me is people steering other away from real LR due to possible hitchhikers.

Just a few little tricks for hitchhikers.

Shrimps in rock - little club soda squirted in the holes drives them out. Club soda is harmless and just think of it as a small carbon dose lol. Do that, drive shrimp out and then rinse with some old tank water.

Crabs in the rock - same as above or traps that are easy to make.

Fire worms - diy pill bottle trap. Super easy to make.

Curleyque nem or light bulb nems (they are not aiptasia) - very small nem cannon works great for them.

Isopods - high salinity dip.

 

[Rmckoy]

Let’s talk about the reality of owning a saltwater tank for a moment! It’s no secret this hobby is expensive, a lot of work, and has a high failure rate. Know that when you see that picture perfect tank on Instagram that it isn’t always like that and this is the reality. The reality is often a nutrient/algae battle, losing corals and fish due to imperfect water quality, receiving bad advice, and having a lack of knowledge commonly in the first year or so especially in a nano tank. For beginners this forum is 10x better than social media groups. And no matter how careful you are unpredictable things happen. Like life…this hobby is a learning experience and there’s so many ways to do things it’s not one size fits all. And if it isn’t broken don’t try and fix it! But when you figure it all out and your tank finds equilibrium then it’s all worth it.

Agree with this as we all want that picture perfect reef all
The time
to have that one seen in pictures without having to clean or do any maintenance to achieve it would be great .
But reality is algae will grow , fish will poop on your sand

 

[SunnyX]

The truth is that people need to temper their expectations, at least until they have some experience under their belt. Creating a successful reef aquarium is simple, but creating a world class setup requires quite a bit more skill, time, dedication and effort. There is much trial and error in this hobby, alot of it occurs needlessly. There is a basic foundation to this hobby, a tried and true method but many get caught up on social media with products being promoted or some other fad being floated around in the forums. Stick to the foundation of this hobby, the Berlin/natural method and success will follow.

The other aspect is the amount of maintenance involved. While I don’t spend an egregious amount of time on my system, it does involve 8-10 hours of week. And this is for someone with 25 years of experience. Years back I would have spent twice as long maintaining and researching, but with time, I have been able to shrink it down to a manageable level.

The hobby requires research, patience and lots of time. Patience is key. The system needs time to mature and be allowed to settle in. Reefers who fail do not allow nature to take its course. They chase numbers and panic at the first sign of trouble.

Most of all, you need a plan. Create a plan for maintenance, feeding, dosing and STICK TO IT. If you’re constantly tinkering and changing dosages daily then how do you know what went wrong when a problem arises? Without knowing what caused the issue you're stuck in a terrible cycle of changes that may or may not solve your issue. Many times, it makes the problem worse than what you started out with.

I don’t believe that I do anything special. I have a process and always stick to it. Water changes and maintenance is done like clockwork. Unless I’m on vacation or hospitalized, the work will get done as scheduled.

It may be harsh to say, but some reefers failures in this hobby are directly tied to their own performance. If your life is a mess I would expect your tank to mirror that. Its not a rule or certainty, but you will find that many of the top level reefers are conscientious, organized, and have had some other measures of success in their normal lives. Take these same people and they will find success in just about any other hobby you put them into, provided that the interest is there. Unfortunately, for a subset of people, no matter how much guidance is given they will ultimately fail. But, hey they may be great at something else. I can grow corals like nobodies business, but put me on a basketball court and I’d get stomped.

At the end of the day, there is a roadmap for success available to all, and is obtainable by many. But, not many are willing to put in the time required to find that specific level of success. The same can be said about our lives. What you put in is usually what you get out of it. To that end, I try and help out as many people as I can to find success. Not all will succeed, but for those who dedicate to the goal I am always happy to lend an ear.

-Sonny

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I agree with this 100%. Nothing like a ton of diversity, tons of little mouths to eat parasites, numerous levels of bacteria, etc, etc.

Not to mention, as you said, looks.

Yes with real ocean harvested LR, there can be hitchhikers. All are easily dealt with and easy to remove with some ingenuity. What kills me is people steering other away from real LR due to possible hitchhikers.

Just a few little tricks for hitchhikers.

Shrimps in rock - little club soda squirted in the holes drives them out. Club soda is harmless and just think of it as a small carbon dose lol. Do that, drive shrimp out and then rinse with some old tank water.

Crabs in the rock - same as above or traps that are easy to make.

Fire worms - diy pill bottle trap. Super easy to make.

Curleyque nem or light bulb nems (they are not aiptasia) - very small nem cannon works great for them.

Isopods - high salinity dip.

Agree with this...real ocean LR is the way to go, not just for the bacterial diversity but for the microfauna that makes the real LR a little ecosystem in itself. Very few hitchhikers seem to really be difficult to deal with, especially in relatively smaller tanks

 

[Mark Goode]

I asked my LFS for 'live' live rock and they laughed. Can't get that any more, I was told. Anyone in the UK know a reliable source for this stuff?

 

[Screwgunner]

Numder one ,I started my tank with all dry rock. But, I put it in a trash can with a heater and powerhead and a large shrimp from walmart for 6 months before I put it in my tank. Then pods.

 

[Screwgunner]

If possible buy some larger coral on rock. You want coraline in your system buy some snails.