I think testing your levels, proper maintenance and being knowledgeable about your livestock makes you an advanced reefer. What you keep makes no difference.
Does Having SPS Make You An Advanced Reefer?
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Others being who exactly??
No matter what someone's knowledge in this hobby there's still constant learning.
Chameleon
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That means everyone is an advanced reefer (except two people) and its all relative. I say except two people because if the def for advanced is 'Being at a higher level than others' then you must be at a higher level than at least two people because others is plural. Sorry bottom two reefers in the world your not advance. (BTW that was all a joke)
Being an advanced reefer has nothing to do with the livestock you keep. Its a deep understanding of how 'your' tank works and having the ability to manipulate down the desired path. This comes with experience. Yes reading/learning helps and makes experience come faster, but no its not enough in itself to ever become advance. You need experience. When I started I though I could do it all because I had read every book on coral husbandry, I knew about various diseases and the optimal treatment courses, and I had a wealth of resources at my disposal if anything ever went awry. It turns out though I was wrong. Certain nuances in coral and fish health cant be described in a book or a reef forum.
Things come up when reefing that until you deal with it you will have no clue how to work through it or pinpoint the issue. Once you start getting the been there, worked through that, can deal with that again feeling when you hear about other's reefing ailments you are on the road to becoming an advanced reefer. Being advance in any field is a never ending process and the longer you push the boundaries of your abilities and know how the more and more advanced you will become.
I vote no! some sps are easier to keep than softies... pavona cactus for example you cant kill. it will thrive under normal home lighting with excessive nutrients loaded in the water. montipora is another loves low light and nutrient rich water...
+1 or 2
No disrespect, I just think one has to be careful starting discussions on what's expensive and what's not, on what's advanced and what's not, as it can come off pretty elitest.
I can agree with that.
Peoples opinions are going to differ on these topics. I'm cheeeeeap, so lots of corals carry high pricetags to me. It hasn't stopped me from having a tank full of eye popping colors though. I don't really consider myself "advanced" either. Just because I have years and years of experience in the hobby and have grown enough frags to fill up 20 tanks doesn't make me an expert. Neither does growing sps from 1/2" frags to 6" colonies. I have my way of keeping reef, and am informed on several different methods. Chances are I know more than most about reefkeeping, but there's still so much to learn.
Agreed Pete. I suspect that the more one learns, the more one realizes how much they don't know. I'm new. I have little to no experience. I spent far more than I should have, or had to, on my tank. I've killed more pieces than I've sustained it seems, and I am having an absolute blast doing so. I'm not advanced, but I'm advancing, however slowly. LOL
That's the nature of the beast.
Getting to where you know why some of your coral dies is a step in the right direction. I lost some sps a couple weeks ago. I took a step back, thought about it, and realized it was a warm week and the air conditioning hadn't been on. 86° has a tendency to do that haha.
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I would agree with folks who have suggested that an "Advanced" reef keeper has a deep (or deeper) understanding of the hobby.
However, different people are going to have deeper understandings of different aspects of the hobby, which covers quite a lot of subjects. That's one of the nice things about this hobby; we all have different things that interest us, and we choose to focus on those.
You could be an expert on carpet anemones, and if you have kept several of the species alive long term, you may qualify as an advanced reef keeper, even if you never kept an SPS coral, or any coral for that matter.
Same for a lot of the harder to keep organisms (sponges, certain fish, various filter feeders, etc.).
You could also be an expert on the process or technologies available to hobbyists, and IMO, that would qualify as "Advanced" if you did things like designing or studying skimmers, lighting systems, test methods, supplements, etc.
However, different people are going to have deeper understandings of different aspects of the hobby, which covers quite a lot of subjects. That's one of the nice things about this hobby; we all have different things that interest us, and we choose to focus on those.
You could be an expert on carpet anemones, and if you have kept several of the species alive long term, you may qualify as an advanced reef keeper, even if you never kept an SPS coral, or any coral for that matter.
Same for a lot of the harder to keep organisms (sponges, certain fish, various filter feeders, etc.).
You could also be an expert on the process or technologies available to hobbyists, and IMO, that would qualify as "Advanced" if you did things like designing or studying skimmers, lighting systems, test methods, supplements, etc.
sealbeach1
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I prefer to use the term more dedicated to the hobby...
I'm not sure how official any of these rankings are anyway. There is no credentialing process that I'm aware of for reef keeping. Maybe we need to start a graduate program
Correct, it's a recognition that have to be earned.
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Wow, that was Spot on.
I think people think SPS keepers are "Advanced" because so many people say they cannot keep SPS and I have heard people say it is "Impossible".
Well I have kept SPS for years now and for me it is the easiest to keep Coral.
For me they are essentially bulletproof.
Most people say LPS is easy.
Especially Chalices.
But they receed on me all the time.
I have a ton of trouble with LPS.
But SPS is "Bulletproof" for me.
Everyone has the Corals that they cannot keep.
A lot of it is how it is set up.
I think a lot of new Reefers try SPS and kill it but they have week lights and no flow and assume SPS is impossible.
They just needed to set up their tank right.
I think that keeping SPS is an indicator that you may be advanced but does not necessarily mean you are advanced.
For instance if someone comes up to me and says that they keep SPS I would assume they are more advanced than someone who comes up to me and says their favorite Coral is Xenia.
But it is just a generalization or a stereotype and I may be wrong in my assumption and maybe the other person just loves Xenia and not a Noob and the SPS is a Noob that just has their Tank set up properly for SPS.
If I had to bet on which one is Advanced I would put my Money on the SPS Person.
But I could be totally wrong.
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Haha, I can relate to that statement.
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One way to look at it.
But then again not everyone tries to make money selling corals.
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