Nutrients: 16 years of knowledge.....

[litlsea]

Hello fellow reefers,

I just sat through the recent video from BRS and I think this is a wealth of real information gleamed from experience and testing. Granted it is a little long but there is so much to learn from this that it should be required watching for almost anyone involved in reef keeping or considering getting involved. Any way that helps reefers from potentially trying to reinvent the wheel when issues come up is a good thing. Look for it. They learned all this after 16 years so why wait that long. This can help many of us now.

 

[Doctorgori]

Exactly and thank you...
enjoyed that vid also, just finished it this morning. I started reefing in the 80’s and still have lots of learning to do and thats what makes this hobby great; always a student. Thanks for the video BRS

 

[Flippers4pups]

This is nothing new. Those of us that have been in the hobby a very long time have been aware of chasing numbers only causes more issues.

Believe me, BRS isn't the only source of good information and what they say isn't always gospel. Do your research based on multiple sources and then come to your own conclusion.

 

[litlsea]

I think your looking at this from a glass half empty point of view rather than half full. Whether its new or not its all in one place and its not just numbers. Its not whether BRS is the only source or that they are always right. The whole idea of doing "our" research based on multiple sources is in my opinion what leads to many hobbyists failing. There are just so many opinions that its only luck of the draw that they pick the right one. Add to that the plethora of "cures" that every LFS carries and a lot of hobbyists will fail. Just look on kijiji at the pile of tanks for sale that are a year or 2 old. I am not saying that there is only one way to skin a cat but learning a little bit about it before grabbing a knife is a good idea. I respect all us old timers opinions but some people do not have 16 or 32 years to learn it all. I saw no bad advice in the whole video imho.

 

[stanlalee]

Can you at least link the video so I can amuse myself.

 

[litlsea]

Her is your two hours + of amusement.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I think your looking at this from a glass half empty point of view rather than half full. Whether its new or not its all in one place and its not just numbers. Its not whether BRS is the only source or that they are always right. The whole idea of doing "our" research based on multiple sources is in my opinion what leads to many hobbyists failing. There are just so many opinions that its only luck of the draw that they pick the right one. Add to that the plethora of "cures" that every LFS carries and a lot of hobbyists will fail. Just look on kijiji at the pile of tanks for sale that are a year or 2 old. I am not saying that there is only one way to skin a cat but learning a little bit about it before grabbing a knife is a good idea. I respect all us old timers opinions but some people do not have 16 or 32 years to learn it all. I saw no bad advice in the whole video imho.

No argument here. When i started out there wasn't any internet, only books and advice from a LFS. A great deal of "success" and failure came from this.


I would agree that there is a great deal of information out there now that has new hobbyists confused and bewildered on what to do. Information over load and in the mix is companies competing for sales, such as BRS. If you watch all their videos over the years you will notice they most always point to a product they sell, not what else is out there available.

Those of us that have been in the hobby a very long time do have a vast knowledge of what works and how to be successful. This knowledge gets overlooked more often than not because of multimedia, internet......

I couldn't begin to tell you how many times i've helped a new hobbyist because they took what a video told them and went out and bought all the gear and followed what they said only to be in a bad place with their tank. It's staggering.

I will say that there is a void of the basics out there. The basics must be followed and mastered before adding any high end techie gear, magic potions....etc.

 

[Doctorgori]

yeah BRS is wrong sometimes but they are usually forthright about it and flexible enough to change. So anymore its been a evolution for me. Nitrate matters and avoiding code orange on my jr lab grade ATI is no longer good enough. Flow is up, wall-o-rock down. et

 

[Deep]

Those of us that have been in the hobby a very long time do have a vast knowledge of what works and how to be successful. This knowledge gets overlooked more often than not because of multimedia, internet......

The problem really is that it not easy to identify these people in the hobby a very long time that do have a vast knowledge of what works. And there is so many conflicting opinions made by these senior reefers themselves so sometimes it is just easier to listen to someone like BRS who make great videos.
Infact the best part about BRS videos and Ryan is that they admit they make mistakes and acknowledge there is no one way of doing things.

 

[MarshallB]

When it comes down to it, we are controlling and monitoring life. There are just so many variables that differ tank to tank that when it comes to some things there is just not 1 right answer. Somethings work for some, and not others. Honestly the mystery and challenge is what brings me the joy in the hobby. If every problem had a perfect solution I would most likely get bored quickly.

 

[Twoddler]

I'm a new reefer, in my 5th mth I've had my ups and downs but seem to be sailing a steady ship at the moment, yes I've posted for help and advice, and received it, although some have been conflicting, but they gave me informed choices to make.
My point is after watching 10mins of this video I learned the average lifespan of a reefer is only 12mths and not many tanks survive more than 2 years. Is this true? Because as far as Im concerned it's the best thing I have ever done.

 

[MarshallB]

I'm a new reefer, in my 5th mth I've had my ups and downs but seem to be sailing a steady ship at the moment, yes I've posted for help and advice, and received it, although some have been conflicting, but they gave me informed choices to make.
My point is after watching 10mins of this video I learned the average lifespan of a reefer is only 12mths and not many tanks survive more than 2 years. Is this true? Because as far as Im concerned it's the best thing I have ever done.

It's absolutely true. I'm relatively new to salt water, but have played with fresh water for a dozen or so years. The first year for any tank is truly the most difficult part of the hobby. Saltwater being significantly more expensive I can see how easy it is to lose patience when it seems like money is just being wasted with a algae filled tank, a dead fish or two, that prized coral dying off.

The first year is just so unstable. Both the tank and the new hobbyist. After that year the tank is many times more stable than it was previously, and the hobbyist posses significantly more knowledge than when they first started.

Failure in this hobby can happen quickly in that first year and could cost someone hundreds or thousands of dollars in loss depending on the severity of the failure.

Also, trying to explain to a significant other why this few thousand dollar hobby isn't fruitful yet can spell death quickly.

 

[Doctorgori]

The problem really is that it not easy to identify these people in the hobby a very long time that do have a vast knowledge of what works. And there is so many conflicting opinions made by these senior reefers themselves so sometimes it is just easier to listen to someone like BRS who make great videos.
Infact the best part about BRS videos and Ryan is that they admit they make mistakes and acknowledge there is no one way of doing things.

problem is it’s so easy to become some overly polite know it all internet guru with a youtube channel. Sure Melev and Mr.Saltwater are absolutely competent but a lot of the youtubers are not even close.
So yeah sometimes the who’s who of the forums are very often wrong. Proclaiming who they know, name dropping reefing celebs and bragging about how long they’ve been reefing. It’s hard to know who and what to believe....
Heck honestly I’ve seen 2yr reefers with tanks better than mine.