Do you think the fix can be worse than the problem?

[sixty_reefer]

I believe that a large number of aquarists today often create more problems as a result of over management, than from the original issue they were trying to resolve.
Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like the hobby has shifted. In the past whenever we encountered a potentially problem in our aquariums we used to spend a lot of time researching and thinking it through before acting. These days it almost feels like the tendency is to act first and ask questions later, occasionally after the intervention has already created more issues than the original problem itself.
In many cases, what might have been a relatively simple issue to resolve with patience and observation ends up escalating due to rapid changes or multiple simultaneous “fixes”. I see many examples of this in the algae forum, where a aquarium starts with manageable algae issue, but after aggressive treatments the aquarium ends up looking far worse and far more unstable than it did at the beginning.

Do you feel that the hobby has shifted to a more reactive approach, that potentially can end up causing more problems or do you still see the majority of aquarists still taking the time to research and understand the problem before acting?

 

[Dan_P]

Maybe it’s just me,

Yes, probably.

Discussing a topic based on confirmation bias and speculation of how people are behaving is not generating misinformation, but certainly heading in that direction.

 

[bambooshark]

Absolutely.

I see so many people asking me for help with some disease, and they've often been diagnosed incorrectly, or if not, they're using the wrong medication and overdosing.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Any problem pursued in an inappropriate way may make things worse.

But that same problem pursued in an appropriate way will not.

It’s like the mantra to not chase numbers (which I never say). There is nothing wrong with chasing numbers if you have appropriate target levels and chase them in an appropriate way. The worst a proper chase could be is a waste of time and money.

 

[BeanAnimal]

It’s like the mantra to not chase numbers (which I never say). There is nothing wrong with chasing numbers if you have appropriate target levels and chase them in an appropriate way.

I like the way that you stated that.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Yes, probably.

Discussing a topic based on confirmation bias and speculation of how people are behaving is not generating misinformation, but certainly heading in that direction.

The point of the thread is the discussion itself, not whether if my observation meets you’re scientific standard.

 

[TokenReefer]

I wouldn't call something that created more problems a fix. Attempted maybe. Maybe I'm just being pedantic

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I like the way that you stated that.

Thank you. :)

 

[KrisReef]

I’m eating lunch in a restaurant and the civilians next to us are discussing the possibility that they made a mistake getting married at a young age.

It seems to this observer that our society considers their “feelings “ in order to ascertain the truth about almost everything. They chuckle at the outcomes, in this instance they bought a property that they could not afford as a rental property for “ The Rich” to rent for vacation opportunities. The whole world has gone crazy and my post is in line with the nonsense that I have been researching over lunch.

God help us.

 

[sixty_reefer]

I wouldn't call something that created more problems a fix. Attempted maybe. Maybe I'm just being pedantic

Some would call a fluconazole treatment a “fix” although sometimes it just creates different problems instead.

 

[Paul B]

Do you feel that the hobby has shifted to a more reactive approach, that potentially can end up causing more problems or do you still see the majority of aquarists still taking the time to research and understand the problem before acting?

I think this is one of the biggest problems in this hobby. Instead of setting up a tank the proper way, and taking care of the livestock the proper way, we tend to do things the fast way, or commercialized way, then try to fix problems later with medications or other chemicals.

I like the way that you stated that.

I don't pay attention to anything Bean says.

 

[TokenReefer]

Some would, yes. That's a complicated example for me. Fixes as such are changes so there will always be downstream changes. This is the problem they're trying work out in ai; there are more than one way to solve a problem. What's the best/safest way. Delete the entire db? That can be more finite in computing tasks but in the real world (as ai is moving into) it's way more complicated because of those downstream changes. In reefkeeping there are many variables. So...yes the change can cause worse changes

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I think the fix can be worse than the problem if you rush the fix. If you are trying to fix an algae issue and you just start throwing chemicals and all sorts of stuff at your tank to fix it, you can do more harm than good.

 

[X-37B]

I believe that a large number of aquarists today often create more problems as a result of over management, than from the original issue they were trying to resolve.
Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like the hobby has shifted. In the past whenever we encountered a potentially problem in our aquariums we used to spend a lot of time researching and thinking it through before acting. These days it almost feels like the tendency is to act first and ask questions later, occasionally after the intervention has already created more issues than the original problem itself.
In many cases, what might have been a relatively simple issue to resolve with patience and observation ends up escalating due to rapid changes or multiple simultaneous “fixes”. I see many examples of this in the algae forum, where a aquarium starts with manageable algae issue, but after aggressive treatments the aquarium ends up looking far worse and far more unstable than it did at the beginning.

Do you feel that the hobby has shifted to a more reactive approach, that potentially can end up causing more problems or do you still see the majority of aquarists still taking the time to research and understand the problem before acting?

This happens alot on this site.
Many start the hobby with no research. They come here to fix an issue. They get 10 different ways to fix it. Then they start to change things creating more issues, with no plan or understanding of what they are doing.
Talk to some new reefers at your lfs. I ask them about their system and many can't answer basic reefing questions, then they tell me im wrong when I respond to their systems issues.
Then they show you a pic and say its been like this for a year.
Happens all the time.
I tell them all to go find a system that you like that has a build thread from day one to current and learn one way to operate a system.
Once you have had a successful reef system for a year you will understand why its important to have a plan before changing things.
To many chefs in the kitchen creates confusion.
We live in "The Land of Confusion", which the internet can be if you listen to to many at once.

 

[strich]

As a novice reefer I can confirm that it can be incredibly tempting to grasp on to solutions when presented confidently, specially when it comes to problems that feel like they have a ticking clock on them which many seem to be in this hobby - Quick you need to stop this parameter from getting too high/low! Quick you need to seed this bacteria or it'll crash/bloom! Quick you need to tip your tank upside down or this disease will kill us all!

I'd like to call myself well researched - I've spent a few years on this forum already and only just recently got my first tank - but even this week I had to stop short of some drastic measures on my Ick outbreak. I don't know yet if it's the right call or not, but I could definitely see someone in my shoes jumping at solutions as quickly as possible.

 

[kingranch2003]

The point of the thread is the discussion itself, not whether if my observation meets you’re scientific standard.

 

[commod0re]

I think you should not base your ideas of what is commonplace on what occurs on a forum boaed specifically meant for people to ask for help on their problems. The cohort of aquarists who don’t do things the slow way are over represented within the cohort of aquarists who are having problems

It’s like going to a troubleshooting forum for a truck or a 3D printer, seeing all the people asking for help, and concluding that particular truck or printer must be riddled with problems, without seeing the thousands or millions of others who are not having any of those problems and therefore did not post on a forum

R2R members are a minority of reefers, those who post to ask for help like this are an even smaller one. It’s not only not useful to try to draw conclusions like this from such a skewed perspective, but is in fact actively harmful not just to yourself, but also anyone else you manage to convince to think like this

 

[Lowell Lemon]

I used Vibrant once....

 

[Paul B]

I used Vibrant once...

Did you grow any hair?

 

[BeanAnimal]

I don't pay attention to anything Bean says.

You can ignore me Paul... but precious will be mine one day.