How do you keep reef keeping from keeping you stressed out?

[revhtree Verified Admin]

This hobby, way of life, can swallow us up and cause us stress when one of its greatest appeals is that of tranquility and peace.

That being said I want to ask you a question.

What are some HEALTHY habits or thoughts you have formed when it comes to keeping the proper perspective that reef keeping is a hobby and is meant to be enjoyed?

How do you keep reef keeping from keeping you stressed out?

 

[GARRIGA]

Keeping it simple and why I'm spending effort testing new ideas out because slave to my tank not my path moving forward. Getting old puts everything into perspective and less time creates priorities where family takes precedence over all other activities.

 

[Floyd-]

Just enjoy the tank and dont keep messing with it. I find im happiest with the tank when not adding new corals and fish.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Reefing is usually stressful when we think we can micromanage everything in the tank. Well, we can’t. There is still much to learn about the ocean, and us hobbyists should realize that we will never achieve perfection. I have a hazardous job that is demanding on my body and mind. Reefing is my stress relief, even when problems arise. :)

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

spending effort testing new ideas out because slave to my tank not my path moving forward

Love this thought! List some ideas you put together!

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Just enjoy the tank and dont keep messing with it. I find im happiest with the tank when not adding new corals and fish.

Wow that's not what I would expect to hear! Do you think it's because if you're not adding new livestock you reduce the fear of losing them or introducing disease?

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Reefing is usually stressful when we think we can micromanage everything in the tank.

This is a great thought and I agree 100%!

 

[GARRIGA]

Love this thought! List some ideas you put together!

AIO custom with larger sumps

Closed loop filtration to minimize or eliminate wave makers

Bottom drilled with plenum plates (undergravel) where I can open gate valves, point powerhead at gravel and get it cleaned by drawing detritus into filtration

One sump to draw water and pass biological media
Second sump return from closed loop filtration which also acts a refugium to polish off organics decomposed, house pods and scrub co2. Fuge lights pegged off pH otherwise ran 24/7 should stabilize pH.

Thinking of possibly an acrylic top to minimize evaporation since Fuge can handle gas exchange. Plus last I need is mold in my house.

Incorporate UV and ozone for occasional processing of organics hoping it solves remnants of coral warfare and reduces overall use of GAC to clear water.

Cryptic zone with sponges somewhere between biological media and refugium to solve DOC which I know next to nothing about but catching up on.

Series of canisters/reactors to house sediment filters and sponges to polish the water along with GAC post ozone.

No skimmer, no socks, no water changes.

Periodic ICP analysis based off AFR dosing to keep it to one doser and possibly only dosed once post lights out allowing bacteria to break down the formate and release the alkalinity for morning lights on. Bolus dosing seems intriguing although I'm taking a different approach. Plus less dosages means less wear and tear on dosing pump reducing point of failure.

Complex build to make life simple. Simple enough family member can pass by and refill the auto feeders and ATO otherwise oversize on that front and enjoy a week away worry free assuming I find a backup solution that works. Finding out 200 miles from home power out and days before I'm back the ultimate stress which then defeats everything else being tested

 

[exnisstech]

For me it's keeping it simple with as little automation as possible. I know some people say automation simplifies things but the threads I read on here when failures happen seem more stressful than relaxing to me. I don't monitor anything. I test weekly unless I'm tracking alk consumption then that gets tested daily as needed. I'm of the mindset that everything will fail at some point so the less items I have to worry about failing the less stressful it is for me. My latest build has a cryptic fuge, an ATS, heaters on an inkbird, ato, lights and powerheads. I manually dose also. I also have backups for all life support items so when one does fail it's a simple fix. Being retired and never traveling overnight make keeping it simple possible. Not a luxury everyone has.

 

[aztoza]

Don’t look too close! Once or twice a week is enough for me to inspect every fish and rock etc. closely. Otherwise I wig out over every little thing. Enjoy from the couch =)

 

[bubbgee]

Stress? I am not stressed...

 

[Reefering1]

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

For me it's keeping it simple with as little automation as possible. I know some people say automation simplifies things but the threads I read on here when failures happen seem more stressful than relaxing to me. I don't monitor anything. I test weekly unless I'm tracking alk consumption then that gets tested daily as needed. I'm of the mindset that everything will fail at some point so the less items I have to worry about failing the less stressful it is for me. My latest build has a cryptic fuge, an ATS, heaters on an inkbird, ato, lights and powerheads. I manually dose also. I also have backups for all life support items so when one does fail it's a simple fix. Being retired and never traveling overnight make keeping it simple possible. Not a luxury everyone has.

I think you can automate without overdoing it and it cause you less stress as opposed to overdoing automation and having to keep up with it all.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Don’t look too close! Once or twice a week is enough for me to inspect every fish and rock etc. closely. Otherwise I wig out over every little thing. Enjoy from the couch =)

Good advice! A lot of things we encounter will resolve on it's on. Doesn't mean we turn a blind eye but we also don't jump into unneeded action.

 

[vlangel]

I have a little automation on my tank (mostly the light programming of the ReefBreeder Photon, an auto flake feeder and 2 battery backup aerator pumps) but my tank is very simple. I decided years ago that everything breaks so the less stuff on the tank is less to break. I have tried to build in redundancy, especially in oxygenation the tank. My display has the return pump which is in the basement sump but also had a powerhead in the display which is in the livingroom. That way aeration comes from 2 difference sources and circuits.
I have found glass tops controlling evaporation way more safe that ATO systems which can and do fail. If I am going away for a week, I do have a 1 gallon reservoir and a float valve ATO that I can use. Dumping all 1 gallon won't change the salinity in my 80 gallon system very much should it fail.

I have moved to mostly omnivore fish that can live on flakes for a week when I go away and I have easy to keep softies/LPS and lots of ornamental macroalgae to take up nutrients. I also do not add fish or coral all the time to minimize the chance of adding disease/pests.

This has tremendously lowered my stress in keeping an aquarium. I love it but am not a slave to it.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Whenever something goes wrong in my tank, I try to keep a positive outlook and focus more on the positives. Coral is dying? At least the anemone is happy.

 

[19Mateo83]

K.I.S.S. - keep it simple stupid… I keep my system simple with a minimal amount of automation. I have my ATO, A4R and acropower on dosing pumps. All I have to do is rinse mesh filter socks and dump skimmer cup once a week, 15g water change and top up dosing containers every 3rd week and feed daily.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

K.I.S.S. - keep it simple stupid… I keep my system simple with a minimal amount of automation. I have my ATO, A4R and acropower on dosing pumps. All I have to do is rinse mesh filter socks and dump skimmer cup once a week, 15g water change and top up dosing containers every 3rd week and feed daily.

I do almost the same thing!

 

[19Mateo83]

I do almost the same thing!

Works nicely right?! :cool:

 

[DanyL]

I think that the more experience one has, the less stressful and streamlined his husbandry becomes.

At first everything is new to us, and while it is far more interesting, it also sparks a lot of questions and worries wether this or that is good or bad, but overtime we learn what’s good and how we should deal with the bad and develop a regular maintenance routine to keep everything going - from that point on it’s 99% just enjoyment for me, watching corals grow and flourish.

That being said, it’s also a bell curve - when you’re successful, you also wind up needing to frag a lot, and when you aren’t keeping up with the speed of growth-to-export (to store/sell other reefers), it can also become stressful at times.