To the 10 percent - a philosophical question

[World Citizen]

Guiding new fans in the hobby made me see my own journey.

Looking backwards, I started simple.. got fooled by marketing of products and got lost in achieving 98% success over 95% success.

I tell all of them you are not spending more money to get from 50% to 90% success. All the marketing out there is only the last few percent.

Don't think all those expensive tools, products, tech, bottles and so forth will bring you success over failure. You can't buy anything that compensates a failing approach as a base.

Get the basics right, automate things you don't like to do.. but stick to the basic's.

Don't buy premium lights if you have dying coral. Your lights are probably fine. It won't fix it.

Don't buy automated testers if you have a nitrate problem. The testers won't fix the problem..

Don't buy bottles or bags of stuff that should resolve problems as a continues solution. Maybe temporary to fix things, but even that doubtfull.

Nothing you can buy fixes a bad basic approach of keeping reefs.

ICP and trace dosing is NEVER going to fix a basic problem.

If your tank cant keep coral on waterchanges, skimmer, pump, heater, current and live rock... you are doing something wrong. Nothing you buy will fix that.

Get the basics right to get to 90% success.

 

[Vivid Creative Aquatics]

I have been reefing for only about 13 years (still a newbie compared to the long timers), but for me, it has been more of the slow and steady approach - i guess it's the "taste the soup along the way and adjust" as you put it.

Once I started, i don't think i have ever actually considered getting out - its just a apart of who I am and what i do. i can't imagine not having at last one reef tank (right now I have 4)

With that said , i don't make any drastic change and in don't generally move quickly when things go sideways. I have never had a major tank crash or other tank-ending event. Maybe, had something like that happened in the early days, i may have stopped reefing - its hard to say.

In my mind, the excitement around keeping a reef tank can sometime mask the effort and dedication it takes to be successful. As a result - many drop out early, because you have to enjoy putting in the effort to get the result and if you don't, it usually doesn't end well.

 

[JoJosReef]

Switched from dry rock to ocean live rock/sand, and that changed the whole experience for me. The dry rock start was wearing me down fast--not so fast to prevent me from getting a second nano and ordering from TBS. That tank made the difference.

 

[CHSUB]

I think when a reefers learns how to deal with algae everything else is easy, but getting over that hurdle is a “make or break” in this hobby.

 

[t5Nitro]

100% taste the soup. I’ve been back in the hobby for just over a year after about 3 decades away. Long story short, during my research I was amazed about how much more difficult it had become. All of the “must have” equipment, testing for a dozen different things, sending water to a lab, etc.

KISS and patience are the two best tools you can utilize until you get some experience.

That last line is key. I have a full mixed reef, haven’t changed water in 3-4 years, check SG, alk and calcium maybe once every 2 months. All I do is feed the tank frozen food and intermittently fill back the AFR and kalkwasser reservoirs. The hobby difficulty and workload is definitely user dependent. Make it more difficult than it has to be and you’re more likely to burn out early unless it’s your retirement gig and you enjoy the daily tinkering. My general advice is to stop touching the tank so much. Hands off approach is way nicer.

 

[BryanM]

I'm new, so not as relevant as others... though I did this a long time ago and just got back in to it.

I think the hardest thing for me is patience, and I don't have a lot of it sometimes.

If you're like me, then you better have slightly deep pockets to be able to start with quality live rock and sand. I think my tank might be a testament to that, in so much at the 3.5 month mark I have 6-7 fish, a dozen corals or more, a medium size CUC, and so far, knock on wood, no real issues or setbacks.

This site, and my choice to spend on live rock, I think will have made a big enough difference that I'll be in that 10 percent eventually

 

[ZoWhat]

I'm curious as to those of you who have made it past that benchmark: How did you do it?

TBH a person's will / drive to go thru hard times must be much higher than just casual enthusiasm for the hobby

Most ppl have waaaay too high of expectations that they'll easily create a jaw dropping reef tank like you see in Tanks Of The Month pics.

Reef husbandry is hard as helll figuring out your own "secret sauce". But thru LOTS of research you achieve certain milestones thru husbandry skills and TIMING.

You gotta want it and have patience....and the understanding your tank will never be a Tank Of The Month.... and just enjoy what you have

Sooooo. A true drive for the hobby, a lot of patience, lot of acceptance over what you're able to create based on limitations

And oooooh....lots and lots of

 

[bobnicaragua]

I started reefing in the late 90’s. I would buy Fiji live rock at the local fish stores and use fluorescent lighting. I’d stock the tank for a couple months and then add coral. Salinity was the only thing I tested. I kept up with water changes and didn’t dose anything. Reefers fed less back then. Nobody got dinos.

LEDs are harder to set up and tend to have more shadowing. Dead rock is a nightmare. Modern homes are energy efficient, so co2 builds up.

The powerheads, skimmers, pumps and dosers are better today, but the hobby is more expensive and difficult to learn with so much conflicting online info.

 

[BryanM]

I forgot to add that even in this online age, many people will never find this site, which is a treasure trove of information, some you certainly need to fact check.... And generally nice, helpful people.

There's no way I'd be where I am without this site.

 

[buruskeee]

subtopic: I don't understand this ugly thing that has come about in my absence. Why does everyone assume a tank will have to go through this stage? (My new tank is now at about 120 days of functioning. It's not ugly; I'm fairly sure there won't be either - but I keep my tank in a perpetual artificial state of imbalance)

120 is still fairly new. Not every tank goes through one - many who’ve transferred and upgraded from a smaller tank won’t see that, but also starting with actual live/established rock also minimizes it.

I didn’t get my ugly stage until about the 6 month mark. Ugly stages vary too. Every one always has the initial diatom “ugly” stage but Dinos etc are rather common when folks let nutrients bottom out early before bacteria and other good biome is established.

Typically any month, early or late, in the first year will have a high chance of cyano or GHA or some other thing.

 

[buruskeee]

I would buy Fiji live rock at the local fish stores and use fluorescent lighting…

Nobody got dinos…

Dead rock is a nightmare.

This . The biggest differences with old reefing days and now is dead rock. I also believe a lot of PO4 problems (super low or high) is because of these dead rock. Dinos was never this prevalent when everyone only had live rock to pick from.

 

[Fenral]

This . The biggest differences with old reefing days and now is dead rock. I also believe a lot of PO4 problems (super low or high) is because of these dead rock. Dinos was never this prevalent when everyone only had live rock to pick from.

Yes, those old days... my wife and then-girlfriend didn't come to visit for 2 months while I was "cooking" the live rock...

 

[00W]

First time I saw my buddy's tank I was hooked.
That was almost 40 years ago.
I've always had a tank
I don't really think about it.
It's what I do.
It's who I am.
It's my Zen.

 

[Fenral]

First time I saw my buddy's tank I was hooked.
That was almost 40 years ago.
I've always had a tank
I don't really think about it.
It's what I do.
It's who I am.
It's my Zen.

I like this thought - I think my tank is still cheaper than the therapy...

 

[00W]

I like this thought - I think my tank is still cheaper than the therapy...

I leave the house @2am.
I get home @5pm.
First thing I see is all my friends.
No matter what happened today, they don't care.
They love me anyways.
Doesn't get any better than that.

 

[Labridaedicted]

Oof, been at this almost 25 years now. The trick is to always learn from your mistakes, always strive to learn more from others, and make sure to find ways to keep it interesting.

The large majority of folks that jump ship are in two categories, they suffer a catastrophic loss in the tank or they get bored with it. If you manage to stick past those two you're probably a lifer. I've had 2 catastrophic failures over the years resulting in almost a total loss and due to moving also have had new systems set up atleast 4 times. Still have more to learn even if there's plenty I already have

 

[pwfess]

There aren't many reefers out there that hold on for longer than a year or so. I'm curious as to those of you who have made it past that benchmark: How did you do it? How did you frame the failures (we all have them, admit it or not)? How did you survive to make it into the 10 percent? Do you treat reefing like baking or cooking (measure everything, put it in the oven, and pray? Or do you taste the soup along the way and adjust?)

I'm just curious - I'm hoping this helps some of the younger crew survive.

I’m just at a year. Lots of highs and lows. Having to take the whole tank down before livestock due to bracing the tank and cracking my sump, Beat SCA Dino’s, beat montipora eating nudibranchs, then came intense GHA and cyano.
I was too mentally and financially invested to ever consider giving up.
What’s helped me is Mack Dino group, reef moonshining, and tons of experienced reefers in the groups that I got to know. They dealt with my constant questions. And they’re the reason I don’t panic and have made some saves. Like my holy grail torch.
I also specifically buy coral from one supplier (well I have the past 6 months, just bought from a different one for first time last week lol) and reach out to their customer service if an issue arises (they helped me beat montipora eating nudibranchs).

 

[pwfess]

There aren't many reefers out there that hold on for longer than a year or so. I'm curious as to those of you who have made it past that benchmark: How did you do it? How did you frame the failures (we all have them, admit it or not)? How did you survive to make it into the 10 percent? Do you treat reefing like baking or cooking (measure everything, put it in the oven, and pray? Or do you taste the soup along the way and adjust?)

I'm just curious - I'm hoping this helps some of the younger crew survive.

It’s really only 10% that make it a year or more? Jeeze that seems low…and sad

 

[Mangimi]

I started reefing about 15 years back to keep cuttlefish. I had no space, and even less money, but I made it work.

After the cuttles died and the next attempt failed, I re-did the tank and filled it with fish. I was bored by it, but hey better than nothing. I had to go abroad for half a year and had to sell the tank (about two years after I started it).

5 years later I tried again with an ADA 60F (?) shallow reef. It worked, but I was never happy with the corals, the scape, the lights, the noise etc., so I stopped after not even a year I think.

Then 1.5 years ago I started again with a Waterbox Peninsula 25, changed it last Christmas with a Red Sea Reefer 200XL (because my house wouldn't tolerate anything larger). Over time I got all the good stuff, MP10s, Radion, Reef Factory filter roller, Red Sea ATO+, it's an awesome tank now, colors are good (IMO) and it runs pretty decent except for the algae on the glass.

BUT: Now I'm already annoyed, I rarely find time for water changes, I don't look at it as much as I should. It's just work for me. And I'm also tired of watching fish, they are quite boring. Tired of dosing stuff to keep corals happy, measuring all the time etc. I wish I had cephalopods again, but they are too demanding, requiring to be fed by hand daily, something that I don't have time for.

Hopefully if I just keep going the joy will spark back in.

 

[fish farmer]

It’s really only 10% that make it a year or more? Jeeze that seems low…and sad

When my local club was going strong in Vermont (2005ish), we had our own forum/website, a new reef store, a wholesaler trying to get established in Vermont, and we were able to get a couple of industry speakers. At least 3 of the "two years in" guys were planning big in wall tanks...then they started having kids. A lot of our meetings became tank clearance sales. I know one, maybe two guys that still have tanks running out of at least a dozen forum members. The forum disbanded around 2014. The dedicated reef store barely lasted 5 years.