Question for new reefers

[vetteguy53081]

Good morning newbies. Now that you have entered the world of "Reefing", Are you glad you did?

What is the one thing you most enjoy thus far?
What is the biggest surprise you have discovered and did not expect?
What do you hope to accomplish before the end of 2024?

 

[shakacuz]

Good morning newbies. Now that you have entered the world of "Reefing", Are you glad you did?

What is the one thing you most enjoy thus far?
What is the biggest surprise you have discovered and did not expect?
What do you hope to accomplish before the end of 2024?

1. yes, although there are days i want to sell everything and quit lol. i guess its the human in me.
2. watching growth/changes that occur from day-to-day.
3. hobbyist prices are shooting up. i expected local reefers/hobbyists to sell frags dirt cheap or willing to trade. seems most just want to become vendors and reel in $$$. but i guess that's another topic of discussion
4. upgrade and transfer to a 60G Cube with little to no die off.

 

[rhitee93]

I'm only about 5 months past having water in the tank. Still very much in the honeymoon period, so no regrets yet.

Biggest enjoyment has been to see the fish go from think and stressed in QT to fat and growing in the display. It's startling to look back at the first pics of my fish compared to now. The clowns are easily 3 times as much bulk.

I've been surprised at how much money I've spent. I am a life-long maker, and have a strong DIY bias, so I tend to beat the cost curve in my more expensive hobbies. This one, not so much. Because my tank is in my office at work, I went a bit more upscale with the fit and finish, and also invested in robust equipment to mitigate leak risks. I'm pretty close to the $100/gal rule of thumb.

I was also surprised at just how long it takes to get a custom tank and stand made.

I hope to get to some stability with the tank this year and get going with some LPS corals. The only coral I have right now is a GSP on an island, and it has tripled in size in the last 3 months. I'm also working to setup a system for my mother.

 

[tuscani]

Good morning newbies. Now that you have entered the world of "Reefing", Are you glad you did?

What is the one thing you most enjoy thus far?
What is the biggest surprise you have discovered and did not expect?
What do you hope to accomplish before the end of 2024?

1. The different personalities and intricacies with livestock and how things coexist
2. The amount of worked required and the fact I am now basically a chemist And all the conflicting info is overwhelming when trying to learn.
3. Continue to learn and get better. And be more disciplined about taking things SLOW. I want all the things now.

 

[_cpate3_]

1. I most enjoy the personality that comes with reefing. If you can say corals have personalities that is. But the fish aren’t bland, and even the inverts are fun to watch.

2. The biggest surprise was how easy it is if you follow rules. As long as you maintain the rules and stability, keeping things alive and growing just comes naturally

3. I did not expect how hard it would be to find specific things when I need them. Usually they’re all over when I don’t, but the moment I need or want something it’s off the face of the earth

4. By the end of 2024 I want to have at least 3 acro colonies grown from frags

 

[Seven Year Nap]

1. I'm still undecided if I'm happy I entered the world of reefing. It's been about 4 months now. I'm passionate about the tank, love how it looks most of the time, but find myself constantly worrying about it when I didn't have that sort of fixation in other areas of my life. I think I need to learn to just let some things be.

2. The aspect I have enjoyed the most is seeing coral growth, and trying to plan out how the tank will look as I incorporate new colors and shapes. I love my fish too, but watching what (little) coral growth I have is very satisfying and can leave me feeling accomplished depending on the day.

3. The biggest surprise for me was just how much can and will go wrong, and the amount of changes I've had to make. Hopefully this corrects itself as I gain more experience, but man, can it be a downer sometimes. Having corals be doing well and then one of them suddenly take a turn for the worse is confusing. Having some corals just not grow even though I "think" all my parameters, flow, and light are sufficient. There is a lot to understand.

Getting Dinos and finally beating them to only have them replaced by Cyano was defeating.
Having to make the decision to get rid of a certain tailspot blenny that took 2 months to decide he likes the taste of scolymia is something I'm currently struggling with. I've gotten attached to him. Still not sure what to do.

4. I just want all my corals and fish to be content and growing. No grandeur aspirations, just moderate, consistent, success in keeping what I have happy.

 

[Kathy Floyd]

1. I'm still undecided if I'm happy I entered the world of reefing. It's been about 4 months now. I'm passionate about the tank, love how it looks most of the time, but find myself constantly worrying about it when I didn't have that sort of fixation in other areas of my life. I think I need to learn to just let some things be.

2. The aspect I have enjoyed the most is seeing coral growth, and trying to plan out how the tank will look as I incorporate new colors and shapes. I love my fish too, but watching what (little) coral growth I have is very satisfying and can leave me feeling accomplished depending on the day.

3. The biggest surprise for me was just how much can and will go wrong, and the amount of changes I've had to make. Hopefully this corrects itself as I gain more experience, but man, can it be a downer sometimes. Having corals be doing well and then one of them suddenly take a turn for the worse is confusing. Having some corals just not grow even though I "think" all my parameters, flow, and light are sufficient. There is a lot to understand.

Getting Dinos and finally beating them to only have them replaced by Cyano was defeating.
Having to make the decision to get rid of a certain tailspot blenny that took 2 months to decide he likes the taste of scolymia is something I'm currently struggling with. I've gotten attached to him. Still not sure what to do.

4. I just want all my corals and fish to be content and growing. No grandeur aspirations, just moderate, consistent, success in keeping what I have happy.

I felt the same way when I started again. Then it just hits and you learn to relax. There are going to be good days and bad days. You do your best and the reward is watching what you created within your own little aqua world.
I feel you on your post. Welcome to R2R.