To all the hobbyists getting started

[ZoWhat]

I'm seeing a major increase of Emergency threads on R2R with a general question of "Why are things going wrong?"

Seems like a mass majority of threads is a direct result of the hobbyist not allowing enough time to pass for water chemistry and all ecosystem items like LR, substrate to mature.....to be cultivated.

Starting a reef is not a turnkey operation.

You wouldn't buy a $60,000 muscle car right off the lot and with 100miles on it, take it to a Track and race it hard. Pushing the 100mile engine to extremes. You brake an engine in slowly. Allowing integral parts and fluids to brake in together.

Tanks and corals is a process of cultivating an ecosystem with balanced water chemistry over time.

But many of us with mature tanks have made same the mistakes as well....buying our first batch of corals, killing them in an immature tank. Then finding more success when 12mos has past

BOTTOMLINE: you have picked a hobby that takes 9-12mos of well planned out maintenance to cultivate an ecosystem worthy of supporting corals.

Short cuts = FAIL

Allowing an ecosystem to mature over time = a great chance at success

 

[PeterC99]

I'm seeing a major increase of Emergency threads on R2R with a general question of "Why are things going wrong?"

Starting a reef is not a turnkey operation.

It's not like buying something awesome on Amazon and immediately enjoying the benefits once you rip off the shipping box tape.

Reef, corals is a process of cultivating an ecosystem with balanced water chemistry.

Seems like a mass majority of "Why are things going wrong?"....threads is a direct result of the hobbyist not allowing enough time to pass for water chemistry and all ecosystem items like LR to mature.

But many of us with mature tanks have made the mistakes as well....buying our first batch of corals, killing them in an immature tank. Then finding success when 9-12mos has past

BOTTOMLINE: you have picked a hobby that takes 9-12mos of well planned out maintenance to setup an ecosystem worthy of supporting corals.

Short cuts = FAIL

Allowing an ecosystem to mature over 9-12mos = a great chance at success

Words of wisdom!

 

[Frithton]

We've come up with so many additives to dose with hopes of avoiding the cycling process that one forgets there is a difference between cycling and, as you mention, a tank that is mature. I see so much focus on the cycle and less on how mature the system is.

 

[JCM]

I feel like a broken record occasionally but use real live rock!!!

It may not give you an instantly successful sps tank but it will sure speed things up. No bottled product will give you the diversity of live rock from the ocean.

 

[ZoWhat]

We've come up with so many additives to dose with hopes of avoiding the cycling process that one forgets there is a difference between cycling and, as you mention, a tank that is mature. I see so much focus on the cycle and less on how mature the system is.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Please help my hammer coral is not looking the same way as when I bought it, water perameters are good, does anyone know what’s happened or what’s going to happen!?!?!?
Hahah too many of these post I agree but it’s been that way for yeeeeeears now.

 

[uhgster1]

This should be a sticky in the new reefers intro!

 

[GHOSTLY]

Very true. Although I find lots of people (including me) have problems with pest. I'm still very new but this helps!

 

[CanuckReefer]

I'm seeing a major increase of Emergency threads on R2R with a general question of "Why are things going wrong?"

Seems like a mass majority of threads is a direct result of the hobbyist not allowing enough time to pass for water chemistry and all ecosystem items like LR, substrate to mature.....to be cultivated.

Starting a reef is not a turnkey operation.

You wouldn't buy a $60,000 muscle car right off the lot and with 100miles on it, and take it to a Track and race it hard. Pushing the 100mile engine to extremes. You brake an engine in slowly.

Reef, corals is a process of cultivating an ecosystem with balanced water chemistry over time.

But many of us with mature tanks have made the mistakes as well....buying our first batch of corals, killing them in an immature tank. Then finding success when 9-12mos has past

BOTTOMLINE: you have picked a hobby that takes 9-12mos of well planned out maintenance to cultivate an ecosystem worthy of supporting corals.

Short cuts = FAIL

Allowing an ecosystem to mature over 9-12mos = a great chance at success

Sound advice..... I tend to consider it more of a trade than a hobby over the years. Something that takes years of learning, and honing of skills. Of course mistakes happen along the way, but they are learned from rather than constantly repeated.

I would also equate a lot of the fails to 'i gotta have it NOW' or be the first to break the news by the second type behavior that has IMO permeated society these days...

 

[GuppyHJD]

I'm seeing a major increase of Emergency threads on R2R with a general question of "Why are things going wrong?"

Starting a reef is not a turnkey operation.

It's not like buying something awesome on Amazon and immediately enjoying the benefits once you rip off the shipping box tape.

Reef, corals is a process of cultivating an ecosystem with balanced water chemistry.

Seems like a mass majority of "Why are things going wrong?"....threads is a direct result of the hobbyist not allowing enough time to pass for water chemistry and all ecosystem items like LR to mature.

But many of us with mature tanks have made the mistakes as well....buying our first batch of corals, killing them in an immature tank. Then finding success when 9-12mos has past

BOTTOMLINE: you have picked a hobby that takes 9-12mos of well planned out maintenance to setup an ecosystem worthy of supporting corals.

Short cuts = FAIL

Allowing an ecosystem to mature over 9-12mos = a great chance at success

Zoa what,
I am ok with the time to let things mature.
I find very confusing the huge mix of answers when I search a question, or even visit my LFS. It has almost become a game. I have been to over 10 LFS within 3 hours of my house. Much of the wisdom passed from the local store on what I would hope be basics / fundamentals just swings all over the place.
My tank is six months since cycled. The tank has had rock/water for 9 months but my cycling got interrupted and what I now believe some bad information from two different LFS.
When in a high tech store near me, he advised me to reduce the size of my water changes and increase the frequency - his advice - weekly 10%. I have been doing monthly 25%. He advised on my magnesium and ALK numbers to do not use chemicals for the first year and get my tank working with filtration and water changes.
The other store that frankly has much better looking corals and fish but much more old school supplies - Kalkwasser vs reactor. Salifert testing vs Spintronic. This store advised me recently - don't do a water change until my Nitrates or Phosphates need dilution. I have been testing every three days and working to get my parameters in line. Currently temp 79.0, Salinity 1.026, Ph 7.8, Alk 9.8, Nitrate 12, calc 465, Magnesium 1440 and phosphates .13. My magnesium was 1200 two weeks ago, so I have been adding IONS magnesium supplement to work it up to 1400 goal.

Over the past 3 months I have killed a dozen frags - probably some poor choices for the stage of my tank, some with poor dipping technique and burned them, three that had a chance of surviving until my "might be reef safe Lemonpeel angel" ate the Duncan, Candy Cane and Zoas and some with parameter movement.

My view at this point - and is changing with the time in the aquarium is sorta like cooking - 10,000 ways to make dinner. Some terms are used casually such as "stable" "parameter swings" and "flow". What is the definition of a stable tank? What can I look at or measure that would tell me my tank has reached this goal? What is a parameter swing? If my ALK moves up from 9.4 to 9.9 in a week - is that too much? The packaging on Seachem and Brightwell products might be scientifically accurate but almost everything I read or hear talks about ALK in dK but Seachem much be in ppm thus involving 2.8 factor math. My "go to LFS" answered my flow question in terms I can understand...is the anemone out or closed up. If out -
Closed - too much flow (or digesting dinner)
Lazy fingers gently moving in different directions - flow close to perfect
Fingers all out to one size flapping like the leash behind the running dog - too much flow

Ok...back to my afternoon project of supergluing my fingers to the frames of my glasses

Thank you for the thought provoking post.
So much to learn...glad I am not one of my coral frags.

 

[brandon429]

Bottom line: skip disease preps, buy new fish over and over. Your cycle will complete no matter what you do, but that brook, uro, crypto, neo 'll get ya.

 

[Clo]

I think the problem is people see it as just "keeping fish and corals" instead of cultivating a miniature ecosystem. Developing an ecosystem takes time, it's the same thing as how long it takes to fix an ecosystem that's damaged (remember our coast lines?).

 

[PeterC99]

Zoa what,
I am ok with the time to let things mature.
I find very confusing the huge mix of answers when I search a question, or even visit my LFS. It has almost become a game. I have been to over 10 LFS within 3 hours of my house. Much of the wisdom passed from the local store on what I would hope be basics / fundamentals just swings all over the place.
My tank is six months since cycled. The tank has had rock/water for 9 months but my cycling got interrupted and what I now believe some bad information from two different LFS.
When in a high tech store near me, he advised me to reduce the size of my water changes and increase the frequency - his advice - weekly 10%. I have been doing monthly 25%. He advised on my magnesium and ALK numbers to do not use chemicals for the first year and get my tank working with filtration and water changes.
The other store that frankly has much better looking corals and fish but much more old school supplies - Kalkwasser vs reactor. Salifert testing vs Spintronic. This store advised me recently - don't do a water change until my Nitrates or Phosphates need dilution. I have been testing every three days and working to get my parameters in line. Currently temp 79.0, Salinity 1.026, Ph 7.8, Alk 9.8, Nitrate 12, calc 465, Magnesium 1440 and phosphates .13. My magnesium was 1200 two weeks ago, so I have been adding IONS magnesium supplement to work it up to 1400 goal.

Over the past 3 months I have killed a dozen frags - probably some poor choices for the stage of my tank, some with poor dipping technique and burned them, three that had a chance of surviving until my "might be reef safe Lemonpeel angel" ate the Duncan, Candy Cane and Zoas and some with parameter movement.

My view at this point - and is changing with the time in the aquarium is sorta like cooking - 10,000 ways to make dinner. Some terms are used casually such as "stable" "parameter swings" and "flow". What is the definition of a stable tank? What can I look at or measure that would tell me my tank has reached this goal? What is a parameter swing? If my ALK moves up from 9.4 to 9.9 in a week - is that too much? The packaging on Seachem and Brightwell products might be scientifically accurate but almost everything I read or hear talks about ALK in dK but Seachem much be in ppm thus involving 2.8 factor math. My "go to LFS" answered my flow question in terms I can understand...is the anemone out or closed up. If out -
Closed - too much flow (or digesting dinner)
Lazy fingers gently moving in different directions - flow close to perfect
Fingers all out to one size flapping like the leash behind the running dog - too much flow

Ok...back to my afternoon project of supergluing my fingers to the frames of my glasses

Thank you for the thought provoking post.
So much to learn...glad I am not one of my coral frags.

Great post! And you make a very fair point! Tons of info out there and this is a complex hobby.

Recommend you find a top private coral seller in your area and have him/her take you under their wing. I found @StourysReef and he has become my mentor. I buy most of my corals through him and he sits me down and explains everything to me.

 

[Clo]

Great post! Tons of info out there and this is a complex hobby.

Recommend you find a top private coral seller in your area and have him/her take you under their wing. I found @StourysReef and he has become my mentor. I buy most of my corals through him and he sits me down and explains everything to me.

But how did you find him? For someone like me that's shy, I would have a hard time approaching someone just to ask them how to do things.

 

[PeterC99]

But how did you find him? For someone like me that's shy, I would have a hard time approaching someone just to ask them how to do things.

They are out there advertising their corals on local reefing sites. They have lots of posts and LOTS of recommendations from satisfied customers. The good coral sellers want you to succeed! Win/win situation!

 

[missourimud]

Then of course there are true professionals. I dont know if anyone has seen but Andre of Moonshiners literally set up a massive tank, tossed all sorts of amazing colonies into it, thousands of dollars worth and boom- can run it no problems.
Just like those brand new race cars, they do in fact take virtually brand new engines out and flog the life out of them!

There is such a thing as instant gratification, its the experience of who is in the drivers seat that makes it work. That knowledge base takes time to develop.

 

[PeterC99]

But how did you find him? For someone like me that's shy, I would have a hard time approaching someone just to ask them how to do things.

Understand being shy but this hobby unites Reefers. It’s an interesting family that is very inclusive and helpful. You are part of that family now. Friends are easy to make here and most are very happy to help! Every now and then you may touch a nerve, but those pain points are very important lessons!

Chin up and good luck! Please feel free to PM with any questions - we are here to help and I am looking forward to reading and seeing pics about your successes.

 

[paintman]

Then of course there are true professionals. I dont know if anyone has seen but Andre of Moonshiners literally set up a massive tank, tossed all sorts of amazing colonies into it, thousands of dollars worth and boom- can run it no problems.
Just like those brand new race cars, they do in fact take virtually brand new engines out and flog the life out of them!

There is such a thing as instant gratification, its the experience of who is in the drivers seat that makes it work. That knowledge base takes time to develop.

Been involved in racing for over 50 years. Don't know what kind of race cars your talking about but. The ones you buy from a dealershipfor 60K are not race cars! They are mid life crisis cars for guys on Viagra. Real race cars do in fact mature their engine before they are raced. It's called break in time on the dyno. Much like maturing a tank it needs to break in.

 

[Billldg]

But how did you find him? For someone like me that's shy, I would have a hard time approaching someone just to ask them how to do things.

That's were R2R and this great reefing family that makes it up comes into play. Ask all the questions you want and we will answer it the best way we can. We are here to help each other, no matter how long you have been in this hobby. Tag a #reefsquad member if you have a question.

 

[jimk60]

That's were R2R and this great reefing family that makes it up comes into play. Ask all the questions you want and we will answer it the best way we can. We are here to help each other, no matter how long your have been in this hobby. Tag a #reefsquad member if you have a question.

I agree with this! Unfortunately sometimes the people who are eager to help don't always have the best answers. Some threads have so much different solutions to a problem I don't know how anyone sorts it out. You can't go wrong with the reefsquad!