A customer recently came into our retail outlet for the first time. He had set up a reef tank for the first time with advice from another store, a traditional pet shop that sells all sorts of animals and is staffed with kids that are not in the reefkeeping hobby. He told us a story we often hear: his corals always die, he bought a fish recently at another store and now all his fish are dying, and he has uncontrollable algae everywhere in his tank. He was obviously agonizing over his now ugly tank and nagging wife that scolded him for how much he has spent on now dead animals and ordered to him shape it up or get rid of it!
This is a common tale, it happens all the time. Unfortunately when folks like this do tear down their tank they forever perpetuate the myth I hear all the time from non-hobbyists---reef aquariums are impossible to keep!
Well, seasoned hobbyists know better, right? However, I see threads on all the boards all the time about the same sorts of things. I've been in the hobby since 1965 and am always mystified how things can become so convoluted and difficult in this hobby. Fancy expensive bells and whistles equipment that can be controlled by your phone while you are on the other side of the globe, crazy silly designer names, $1000+ one inch frags, $5000+ fish, the pyramid scheme of limited edition corals, and so forth. It makes my head swim and confuses and intimidates a lot of hobbyists. Is any of it real or necessary?
Here's a video I made talking about these issues. Nothing fancy, not a grand production, just an old guy rambling on. For you well seasoned hobbyists that have it all figured out this will be laughably basic and you'll chuckle at my ignorance. I have folks come into our aquaculture facility all the time that have been in the hobby for a few months and tell me how I'm doing it all wrong, so what the heck do I know?
There are new hobbyists entering the hobby all the time, and folks just coming to this forum for the first time, so maybe this will assist them in a small way.
All the best and happy, and relaxing, reefing!
This is a common tale, it happens all the time. Unfortunately when folks like this do tear down their tank they forever perpetuate the myth I hear all the time from non-hobbyists---reef aquariums are impossible to keep!
Well, seasoned hobbyists know better, right? However, I see threads on all the boards all the time about the same sorts of things. I've been in the hobby since 1965 and am always mystified how things can become so convoluted and difficult in this hobby. Fancy expensive bells and whistles equipment that can be controlled by your phone while you are on the other side of the globe, crazy silly designer names, $1000+ one inch frags, $5000+ fish, the pyramid scheme of limited edition corals, and so forth. It makes my head swim and confuses and intimidates a lot of hobbyists. Is any of it real or necessary?
Here's a video I made talking about these issues. Nothing fancy, not a grand production, just an old guy rambling on. For you well seasoned hobbyists that have it all figured out this will be laughably basic and you'll chuckle at my ignorance. I have folks come into our aquaculture facility all the time that have been in the hobby for a few months and tell me how I'm doing it all wrong, so what the heck do I know?
There are new hobbyists entering the hobby all the time, and folks just coming to this forum for the first time, so maybe this will assist them in a small way.
All the best and happy, and relaxing, reefing!
