Is a reef tank ever actually finished?

[Alemoki]

Question to everyone.

Have you ever sat back and looked at your setup and thought, "That's it! It's now done!"

Last night I had a friend over who I was discussing my future aquarium project with and he commented how he knew I would be doing a new one soon as in his eyes my tank was now complete.

So do you think a reef tank can ever be finished or complete?

Is it always a work in progress?

Is maybe the completion of an initial goal the "finishing of the tank" after which everything else is just a bonus?

Would love to hear everyone's input into this!

Personally, although the initial goal of my tank has been achieved, I don't think I will ever be able to sit back and say "that's it!"

 

[NowGlazeIT]

I voted a set up is never finished because I believe there are stages we go threw. The best stage is when we are just growing out the coral and balance has been achieved. But that is not the last stage imo.

 

[andrewkw]

All morning I've been thinking of something similar. First let me say there is always work to be done in a reef. Once you achieve "perfection" if you somehow make it to that point corals are still going to grow. Fish are going to age ect. You can get to the point where you are not going to add a fish until it dies, but you are still going to have to trim corals and or potentially remove some to make room for what is growing.

I'm currently trying to decide if I should jam more corals into my main display or accept it's full.

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

I don’t think it’s ever finished. Once it’s full and all grown out then I’d probably trim everything way down and rearrange it like Melev did a year or two ago.

 

[Ucyibd1]

I myself will probably never stop tweaking/upgrading equipment. So never finished here.

 

[Bob Weigant]

I won’t ever say that’s it I’m full. I always see something I want

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

I myself will probably never stop tweaking/upgrading equipment. So never finished here.

This is a really good point. Would you say it’s upgrading current stuff or adding stuff you didn’t previously have?

I feel like for me it’s mostly been adding stuff I didn’t have before

 

[ca1ore]

I said ‘other’. It is certainly possible to achieve one’s initial vision after a period of time, so in that sense the tank is ‘finished’. But stuff continues to grow and deviates from that vision necessitating a form of a reset.

 

[zoomonster]

Definitely never finished... especially spending money lol. Doing a remodel, replacing lights etc and its a money pit all over again. Live sales and auctions will be the ruin of me.

 

[Dfrost]

I always have a plan. Corals wanted, fish wanted and follow the plan. Takes a while. Once I have everything checked off... I'm done! Sit back, watch, maintain and enjoy!
Oh...and on to the next tank plan! Lol...
That's why I have three!

 

[Ucyibd1]

I guess I say both, technology is always changing. As equipment proves its worth, I like to add/upgrade.

 

[Ucyibd1]

This is a really good point. Would you say it’s upgrading current stuff or adding stuff you didn’t previously have?

I feel like for me it’s mostly been adding stuff I didn’t have before

I would say both. Technology is always changing, as equipment proves its worth I will add/upgrade it.

 

[Admann]

I answered never finished, I guess because even though my lighting for the new build is LED/T5, I realize I am trying to replicate the MH 14000K look I had in my 1st tank, a JBJ28. Boy I could have saved some money on lighting for the new one, duh.

 

[NanoDJS]

Do the corals stop growing ? This is how I have 5 systems lol NEVER DONE !!!!

 

[KrisReef]

Finished is another way of describing an end. Lots of people quit, or tanks get upgraded, or else the owner dies and the tank is finished.

 

[Alemoki]

Lots of great responses here and many which resonate with my own view!!

I agree that we will never be able to stop tinkering on the tank, even if it's just maintainance, so in that regard it's never done.

 

[Nano sapiens]

Interesting question. I would say that with enough time, patience and perseverance that a reef aquarium can reach a state that the owner would consider 'What was originally envisioned' (best to take photos and bask in the moment). If the aquarium is continued for a longer time, then either the reef keeper can actively attempt to maintain that 'perfect vision' by pruning, etc...or allow the system to gradually change over time and produce a more haphazard, natural look of it's own as the corals and other organisms grow/compete. This latter state I actually find most interesting and is why I tend to keep my systems running for a long time.

 

[Ike]

For a successful SPS tank, the last stage is endless trimming and "weeding". They can become a bit of a runaway freight train and difficult to keep up with. A year after my TOTM I was having to constantly trim and worry about space and turf wars as well as keeping nutrients up. About 6 months after my TOTM shoot it was a month of two of basking in the glory of a great tank, then I just felt like an underwater weeder trying to prevent one coral from taking over another....

In short, with success, you're sort of finished with the most fun parts of reefing and you have no real estate left and it's all maintenance.

 

[Devaji]

hmm interesting question I am gonna have to say other too.

I think in reefing we tend to always mess with out tanks i bit to much I get it it nice to change the aquascape move more challenging corals etc. but it so nice to see a clean well laid out tank that makes me happy even its is a softie tank something about the look of "complete" that is pleasing to the eye.

I guess that is why we all want bigger or more tanks. i say have one project tank that you can play with and one main DT where you let things grow in and just maintain it.

 

[Indytraveler83]

I think part of the attraction of the reef is that it's never quite done.

Now 90% of the work and money might be dumped in the first 6 months or so, but there's always coral to move, equipment to tweak and something to add/subtract.

I have an African cichlid tank that's "done." I can't add anything to it, and the setup is exactly what I wanted. I've envisioned this type of tank for years. And now I'm thinking about what I'm gonna do with it when the cichlids are gone...