Reefing "Non-Negotiables"...

[AlyciaMarie]

I was inspired by my own thread from earlier (), and it got me thinking... What are your reefing "non-negotiables"... Those few things that you believe to your core, and you will never compromise on. For example:

• I can't have a tank without _____ equipment
• I will never own a _____ and a ____ a the same time
• No one should ever keep a ____ in this size tank
• I will always test ______ no matter how my reef looks
• You should never _____ unless you have ______ amount of experiance
• Etc.

 

[exnisstech]

ATO I have one on every tank.

 

[edsbeaker]

I admit I’m pretty lazy about chores. So for me…

• I can't have a tank without as much as possible being automated.

 

[TX_REEF]

My ATO reservoir must be large enough to handle at least one week without refills. Life gets busy.

 

[prairies]

I'll never have a fish which requires multiple feedings per day. Once a day for me.

 

[Evil1]

I would never get a reef controller. I like testing and quite frankly I do not trust all that automation. Doser and ATO is all I need.

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

Oooh! Fill in the blanks! Even though I have little relevant experience to share, I can't pass up a fill in the blanks test!

• I can't have a tank without _____ equipment
• I will never own a _____ and a ____ a the same time
• No one should ever keep a ____ in this size tank
• I will always test ______ no matter how my reef looks
• You should never _____ unless you have ______ amount of experiance

• I can't have a tank without a tank.
• I will never own a reef tank and a Maserati at the same time.
• No one should ever keep a Thrasher Shark in this size tank.
• I will always test everyone's patience no matter how my reef looks.
• You should never eat home-made blowfish sushi unless you have a significant amount of apprentice experience.

 

[dvgyfresh]

No reef of mine is complete without anemones

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

I can't have a tank without _ATO_ equipment
I will never(be able to) own a _reef tank_ and other nice things the same time
No one should ever keep a _neon tetra_ in anything smaller than a 120g tank
I will always test _alk_ no matter how my reef looks
You should never _give up_ unless you have _115 years_ of experiance
Etc.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

ATO I have one on every tank.

Literally the biggest game changer in my tank.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I will never have another tank that doesn't have an ATO

 

[69cam]

Kalk..

 

[skey44]

I have two tanks and my frag tank would be a good example of must have equipment for me vs luxuries. So on it I have a lot of used equipment but it’s still nice and functioning. So here’s the list of must haves:
1. Herbie drain with gate valve on overflow.
2. Vortech (old white control box mp 10 from circa 2010 on my frag tank.)
3. Name brand established lighting. Kessil on my frag tank is from my display after lighting upgrade. I also have other used Kessils I need to sell or just save
4. Tunze ato, just buy and be done with it. I splurged for the newer nano 3 and it’s been awesome.
5. Sump, I have a very old simple acrylic sump on my frag tank.
6. Efficient name brand skimmer. Tunze 9004 on the frag tank has been hanging around since 2017.
7. Switchable outlets. This is a must have. Also must have an open outlet with switch to utilize utility pump as needed.
8. Simple dosing- I love the simplicity of Tropic Marin AFR and dosing diluted kalk in my ato.
9. Tropic Marin salt. It works great. My systems are small so no need to compromise.
10. New must have unlocked… now that I’ve had a controller on the main display… I’m definitely going to eventually cave on the frag tank. I have the hydrosx4 xp8 combo on the display. I’ll likely spring for the launch for the frag tank. The peace of mind the controller gives me on holiday or at work really helps my anxiety about the tanks. I also plan to add some cameras in the near future.

Cool think 10 is enough… I’ve gotten boogie apparently. Must have a controller…
That’s why we can’t have nice things at my house bc then it becomes a “must have.”

I don’t really care about certain fish in tanks but I do believe larger tang species need to be planned for… powder blue, dussumieri, naso, unicorn, etc.

I will never own a reef and a modified 4x4. Love both hobbies but can’t afford both at this time!

I think alkalinity, phosphate, and nitrate should be tested at least weekly.

I’m not one to discourage people from trying challenging things. I think this hobby creates a lot of fear and false borders for people. I’m not saying to not do your research, but I think we try to gate-keep certain species or progress. I also think some people are built for success in this hobby and other’s are not. Lots of people trying hard things that are above their head get weeded out and were probably not meant for this hobby to begin with.

 

[Dom]

 

[jsmkmavity]

Clown/anemone pair

 

[skey44]

I’ve been thinking about patience in the hobby lately. It’s weird bc on one hand you need to take a measured approach and not jump to action very fast- eg treatment of various ugly stages can move as fast or slow as you’d like with CUC additions, manual removal, and feeding modifications. There also needs to be a sense of urgency for certain tasks such as emergency water changes and corals falling or touching each other.
Balanced patience Vs appropriate urgency.

 

[X-37B]

I will never start a tank without Live Rock for the win.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Clown/anemone pair

That was something we felt like we had to have in our tank!

 

[X-37B]

I was inspired by my own thread from earlier (), and it got me thinking... What are your reefing "non-negotiables"... Those few things that you believe to your core, and you will never compromise on. For example:

• I can't have a tank without _____ equipment
• I will never own a _____ and a ____ a the same time
• No one should ever keep a ____ in this size tank
• I will always test ______ no matter how my reef looks
• You should never _____ unless you have ______ amount of experiance
• Etc.

You should never "start" unless you have a "R2R" amount of experience!

 

[Dom]

I’ve been thinking about patience in the hobby lately. It’s weird bc on one hand you need to take a measured approach and not jump to action very fast- eg treatment of various ugly stages can move as fast or slow as you’d like with CUC additions, manual removal, and feeding modifications. There also needs to be a sense of urgency for certain tasks such as emergency water changes and corals falling or touching each other.
Balanced patience Vs appropriate urgency.

In my view, patience and urgency are different things.

Urgency can lead to over-correction, compounding the problem.

Patience is a willingness to accept that corrections, most often, do not lead to overnight fixes.