Im glad weve made it this far. It's wild, isn't it? What was considered high-tech when you first got into the hobby?
Back in '91, I had a 29G with an HOB filter as well as an undergravel filter. That's about it. Skimmers were becoming popular but I opted out of that due to size constraints. Nothing in the way of electronics were available. Jeez, the Internet was still a few years away from launch!
Did you have any more trouble with that one versus now?
Yep. And it was secondary to a complete lack of knowledge rather than the gear I was using. I made pretty much every mistake in the book. But after the tank cycled and the (over) stocking issue was solved, the tank did pretty well. I kept it active for about 3 years before I broke it down and rehomed the inhabitants. My success was attributed to blind luck rather than skill.
Ha, fair. I was asking more because I'm looking at monitoring and automation. I'm a newbie with around 5 months - I have a few soft corals doing well and growing, so naturally I want to eventually get some harder LPS or SPS. I do not want to kill them
I'm having trouble justifying the cost of controls and whether continuous monitoring and controls would minimize the risk of killing them when I first go into that. *noting the effects on the coralsHa, fair. I was asking more because I'm looking at monitoring and automation. I'm a newbie with around 5 months - I have a few soft corals doing well and growing, so naturally I want to eventually get some harder LPS or SPS. I do not want to kill them
I don't have enough experience to know when to test parameters once I get the more sensitive species of coral. I imagine it would help with controls.
Do you think there is good experience and learning not doing it automated and possibly ticking off the harder corals? Or could I learn it easier by having water parameters trended over time and noting the effects on the water?
I know convenience is also a major pro for getting controls but I don't test anywhere close to multiple times a day so it's not currently a big inconvenience.
Also it would clean up all the wiring and eliminate some standalone OEM controllers (wavemaker etc) .
Kind of thinking out loud but but your input would be valuable and appreciated. Just don't want to drop 3,000 dollars on stuff that I can't fully justify.
OK. Got it. Well......With my last tank, back from '08 to '13, I had no automation. I ran softies and LPS in that tank (90g). I tested Nitrates, pH, Ca, MG and ALK (plus a fee others) weekly. That's about it. And I was successful.Ha, fair. I was asking more because I'm looking at monitoring and automation. I'm a newbie with around 5 months - I have a few soft corals doing well and growing, so naturally I want to eventually get some harder LPS or SPS. I do not want to kill them
I don't have enough experience to know when to test parameters once I get the more sensitive species of coral. I imagine it would help with controls.
Do you think there is good experience and learning not doing it automated and possibly ticking off the harder corals? Or could I learn it easier by having water parameters trended over time and noting the effects on the water?
I know convenience is also a major pro for getting controls but I don't test anywhere close to multiple times a day so it's not currently a big inconvenience.
Also it would clean up all the wiring and eliminate some standalone OEM controllers (wavemaker etc) .
Kind of thinking out loud but but your input would be valuable and appreciated. Just don't want to drop 3,000 dollars on stuff that I can't fully justify.
