Has reefing become too complicated?

[Sump Crab]

Hundreds of threads talking about parameters, dosing all kinds of wacky stuff, disease prevention, insanely expensive and complicated equipment, etc. and it has me wondering if reefing has just become too complicated in general - especially when it comes to new people entering the hobby.

Here I am, a reefer of almost 20 years who never doses anything, don’t test for anything, have zero automation besides ATO and a light timer and my tank seems to do a lot better than the majority I see on here.

Is it time that the hobby takes a step back and get back to the basics?


*Note that I am completely aware that there are many people striving to keep acros and difficult to keep critters like that and also hobbyists who are complete tech heads who love the automation stuff. I’m not really taking about the niche keepers like that. I’m just talking about regular everyday people who want a cool reef tank and not a whole lot more.

 

[Lebowski_]

Reefing and how complex it is directly ties to expectations.

I've had low tech softie reefs that I barely touched, but my expectations were low. A little growth here and there, I was happy.

If my goal was a vibrant SPS and LPS reef that constantly provided fragging opportunities, and was able to keep all of the high end coral, then I would spare no expense (including time) to make sure if was always running at peak performance.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

I do think we can overcomplicate the hobby. I think we have lots of choices and gizmos now and that's a good thing, but it means we need to be careful that we don't just throw a bunch of things in and on our tanks.

IMO now more than ever, hobbyists need a philosophy of reefing to help guide them in making choices for their tank. Know what your system is. Know why it's designed the way it is. Don't add things that don't fit that system.

My .02.

 

[exnisstech]

I think it's a complicated as one wants to make it.
Personally I'm a simple kind of guy but I dose 2 part to keep alkalynity stable and am experimenting with microbactor 7 on a newer build.
I think there are just so many post about all the automation, miracle in a bottle etc. that new folks coming into the hobby think that's how it has to be. God forbid some green hair algae appears then the chase begins lol

 

[j.falk]

I think the most complicated thing about reefing today is the abundance of information (and mis-information) and trying to make heads or tails out of it all. Especially if you are new to the hobby and don't have any experience with how saltwater aquariums are setup and maintained.

I read through the new threads every morning and shake my head at a lot of the things people think are "problems" when they really aren't. People get too upset and worried over trivial things and make drastic changes only to create MORE PROBLEMS!

But then I read stuff like, "IF YOU ADD 3 POUCHES OF TROPICAL PUNCH KOOL-AID TO YOUR TANK ON A DAILY BASIS IT WILL SOLVE ALL OF YOUR AQUARIUM PROBLEMS!", and wonder where people come up with this ****?

 

[Slocke]

I have two tanks. One where I dose, give weekly water changes, change filters, add weird chemicals, add new bits of tech. The other gets none of those. I haven’t even tested the water in months.

The second one is the one that never shows any issues

 

[Reefer Matt]

Humans naturally overcomplicate things, imo. As with any other hobby, some trial and error is required. Solely relying on outside info will usually confuse and complicate situations that may have a simple fix.

Reefing in general can be easy and uncomplicated for most people who are patient enough to try.

 

[am3gross]

I think that if you compare tanks of the old to tanks of the new, that is where it gets complicated. There is no way that you will put todays Walt Disney in a tank from the past and keep the colors that you do today. Just my opinion there. If you want the colors you have to pay to play while learning to play at the same time.

 

[fodsod]

It's as complicated as you want it to be I suppose. There is certainly a learning curve that carries a "buy in cost" you pay up front. That's not just equipment, it's the mistakes that cost you progress (initially) and of course critters. I'm sure many of us have a pretty long list of "former" fish and corals that add up to quite a bit of cash.

Other than basic maintenance I don't really touch my 50g FOWLR tank. It has a HOB skimmer and a Fluval canister filter. Pretty basic stuff. I haven't actually checked anything in that tank in months. It's been running now for almost 10 years so it's pretty stable as long as I don't slack on the water changes.

My 90g display is slowly getting more complicated but I want those hard to keep acros and sps. It's more of a personal challenge to me now and I'll spend the time and money to do it. Not to mention, I really enjoy it.

I see it more as training for my next bigger tank.

 

[KrisReef]

Is it time that the hobby takes a step back and get back to the basics?


*Note that I am completely aware that there are many people striving to keep acros and difficult to keep critters like that and also hobbyists who are complete tech heads who love the automation stuff. I’m not really taking about the niche keepers like that. I’m just talking about regular everyday people who want a cool reef tank and not a whole lot more.

When I hang out (sometimes "work") in this hobby I find that a lot of folks start out with the dream of keeping 2 clown fish, one anemone, and a blue tang in a 40 gallon (0r less) tank. Some will argue either that it can, or it can't work and then add, "Unless you add".... a lot of equipment, testing, and water changes, and what not.

So just getting started in the hobby, depending on what people dream they want will determine just how many high tech ($$$$$-really) solutions they need to get the tank working for them, instantly!

If they manage to get a tank working, they generally visit a lot of pet stores and specialty shops and hobby fares along the way and so many of those folks "Progress" in the hobby, their dream tank becomes more complicated, larger, or improved to allow them to upgrade their dream.

Knowing all of this, if a noob walks into a store where I am available for a conversation I will generally try and figure out what they are dreaming about and help them understand what they need to know to keep a tank running to fulfill that desire. Selling a person a 40 gallon Dory tank when they are aiming (eventually) for a doplhin / reef crest tank isn't really very far sighted if you think about folks you have met and watched who get in and out of this hobby. Helping them succeed with their dreams is a huge challenge, as is helping them purchase the exact equipment you want later when they decide to exit the hobby.

Always trying to figure out where you are going to land before you take off helps with the flight plan.

 

[Dburr1014]

Not a lot of people had success when things were simple.
Now with controllers and advances, many people have success.
Coincidence? I think not.

 

[leon.1980]

I think it's a complicated as one wants to make it.
Personally I'm a simple kind of guy but I dose 2 part to keep alkalynity stable and am experimenting with microbactor 7 on a newer build.
I think there are just so many post about all the automation, miracle in a bottle etc. that new folks coming into the hobby think that's how it has to be. God forbid some green hair algae appears then the chase begins lol

I feel like that people see the real reefs and then think they can have the same thing are very unreasonable. Most people don’t realize no matter what we do (unless we own a tank that can house hundreds of fish) we will never mimic everything a bout a real reef.

 

[Sump Crab]

Not a lot of people had success when things were simple.
Now with controllers and advances, many people have success.
Coincidence? I think not.

I might be crazy but I feel like the % of “successful” long term hobbyists was greater in 2010 than in 2023.

 

[Double monti 61]

No

 

[Cichlid Dad]

I think imho, that some like the gadgets, others like simplicity. I think the information has gotten better, you just have to dig though the bs to find it. It is the reefer not the equipment. You can have a thriving acro tank all low tech, and you can have a hot mess of a tank with all the the gadgets in the world.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hundreds of threads talking about parameters, dosing all kinds of wacky stuff, disease prevention, insanely expensive and complicated equipment, etc. and it has me wondering if reefing has just become too complicated in general - especially when it comes to new people entering the hobby.

Here I am, a reefer of almost 20 years who never doses anything, don’t test for anything, have zero automation besides ATO and a light timer and my tank seems to do a lot better than the majority I see on here.

Is it time that the hobby takes a step back and get back to the basics?


*Note that I am completely aware that there are many people striving to keep acros and difficult to keep critters like that and also hobbyists who are complete tech heads who love the automation stuff. I’m not really taking about the niche keepers like that. I’m just talking about regular everyday people who want a cool reef tank and not a whole lot more.

Opposed to when I started 4 decades ago, I would say it has become simplified-automated and with much more information about husbandry-fish-corals-equipment and disease management

 

[Mr Fishface]

I think things become too complicated too quickly for people entering the hobby. I think it would be normal progress for someone to start with no tech and slowly add more as you go. There feels like a large amount of pressure to start the hobby with everything at one time and it becomes overwhelming.

Looking at my local Facebook clubs, many people leave the hobby 8-10 months after they filled the tank. Only a handful of us have been in the hobby for more than a couple of years. I've been in the hobby for ~7 years and I really believe information is the biggest hurdle people face. While I've seen local shops give bad advice, the internet is full of old wives tales and miracle cures. It can be difficult ebough for experienced people to decipher which info to follow.

 

[forneyjohn19]

Putting out a different viewpoint, many of the fundamentals of reefing are simple concepts. What has happened is we have found complicated machinery/methods that work better than older machinery/methods. Keeping nitrates and phosphates in check could always be done solely with water changes. But, protein skimmers, refugiums, and carbon dosing also achieve the same goal.

Also, reef keeping as a hobby has evolved, and the goalposts have moved. 20 years ago keeping a tank of softies was difficult, and acropora were out of the question for most people. Now, a stunning acro tank is doable (not easy, doable) for anyone who puts the time and effort in.

The bar is no longer “keep it alive”. Instead, we seek to pull out the brightest colors, get an extra 10% growth, and keep more fish in the same size tanks.

Finally, the internet has made reef keeping a competition. We see the gorgeous, top 1% tanks (reef of the month, sorry R2R) and that is the unspoken standard. Each hobbyist should remember that they get to choose their goals and their path. If an easy to keep, low maintenance softy tank makes you happy, then go for it!

Just my thoughts ‍

 

[00W]

I started 35 years ago.
Some of the stuff now I love.
I love my new skimmer, for instance.
Way better.
Some stuff I'm just not that into.
I believe the internet is good and bad for the hobby.
This site is great and I've learned a lot from a lot of cool, knowledgeable people.
If your phone had a BS filter that would be great.
I believe our job as hobbyists is to pass on helpful, correct knowledge and answers to all the new ones out there. It's easy to go astray in this hobby. I research everything 100 times and make no snap decisions-that's just my personality.
Patience is the key.
That doesn't answer the question of has reefing become to complicated.
All I can say is it is what you make it.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

I might be crazy but I feel like the % of “successful” long term hobbyists was greater in 2010 than in 2023.

Also is a glut of hobbyists entered (and leaving) since 2020.