Top 10 Things Every Reefer Should Know! What would you add?

[Daniel@R2R]

I would like to print this and hang it in my shop

Haha! Go for it.

 

[Sea MunnKey]

What? I don't need any Top 10 Reefers Must Know, What to Add!! I demand Instant knowledge & pure intellectual geniuses input from ALL OF YOU at any given time of the day, 24/7, nite or day, 365 days/yr, emotionally or in mere physical presence ... no excuses! I've got R2R ... know what I'm sayin' . THANK YOU'S!!!

 

[Tjm23slo]

1) A little goes a long way. (Carbon dosing, GFO, Aminos, food, etc)
2) Beginner corals are generally mildly invasive and are hard to move once they set hold. Not all.
3) Nutrients in the water column are necessary. refer back to #1.
4) Trust advice with your eyes not your ears. (Everyone has an opinion, take advice from those with nice tanks)
5) Water quality > Water Flow > Lighting
6) Water changes are not evil
7) if you figure out your mistakes, they are the greatest teachers. Just remember them.
8) Tanks are best bought in 2'x2' multiples as lights are generally built for this dimension.
9) SPS and a single LED light will work but your will get shading.
10) Rocks are detritus traps, elevate your rock work.

 

[Peace River]

[...]

8) Tanks are best bought in 2'x2' multiples as lights are generally built for this dimension.

[...]

Great point that is not mentioned as often as it should be IMO.

 

[Treenk]

Step 1-10 read more than you ever thought you would, ask as many questions as possible, feel like you know a much smaller % of the hobby than the day you started.

 

[Reefs anonymous]

Dont use table salt!

 

[mta_morrow]

Always have measurable nitrates and phosphates.

 

[Reefs anonymous]

Double post

 

[Javamahn]

You system is totally unique and so what works for others may not work always for you and vice versa.

 

[Dragon52]

No matter how much you think you know you really know only half of what you think. Always be ready to learn

 

[reef_daddy]

Replace your heater proactively.

 

[Twitchy]

Always listen to good advice... Doing it right the first time always costs less then doing it again.

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

1. Priorities: Water Parameters (stability), Lighting, Flow, Nutrition
2. Test your tank (log results)
3. Do your due diligence, research
4. Take your Time
5. Test your tank (log results)
6. Don't add it to your tank unless you always want it in your tank (I'm looking at you Xenia, GSP)
7. There's nothing wrong with DIY
8. Test your tank (log results)
9. Money doesn't fix the problem
10. Test your tank (log results)

 

[waterskiguy]

A LOT of good points here. Mine are constantly changing, but are (loosely) as follows:

1) Patience is key. Only bad things happen fast in this hobby.

2) Map out a plan for how you want to run your tank and what you're going to have in it. There are a thousand different ways to run a tank. Most of them have a certain relevance, only to certain types of systems. You should be able to weed out a lot of bad information (for your style, size...) by having a plan and following advise from people that are successful with similar styles etc.

3) Stability is key. When doing #2 (lol) make sure you make a plan of where your parameters are going to be and keep them close. Don't chase unnecessary numbers.

4) Research, Research, Research, Research, Research, Research, then more Research. Don't go into anything blind, unless you're going into uncharted territory.

5) Don't go into uncharted territory. You're not going to be the first one in the hobby that will be able to achieve somethings that others have failed continually either

6) Test for everything (trace, minor, major elements) you add to your tank. See #3

7) Quarantine anything you can, including corals, fish and invertebrates.

8) You get what you pay for, when it comes to equipment, livestock and anything else in life.

9) Always ask questions and advise. Don't take opinion as fact. Revert back to #2. Ask questions to people that have successful tanks similar to what you want and follow them as much as closely as you can.

10) Be your own individual. Nobody is better because have more expensive corals or certain lights. Watch YOUR tank grow and thrive. Learn what it takes to grow what you want to grow.


Most importantly, enjoy this wonderful hobby and never stop learning.

 

[flsalty]

1. Research everything. Read. Read. Read. This pertains to everything. Nitrogen cycle. Water chemistry. Filtration. Lighting. Flow. These are all things one should research before buying anything. If you don't understand something you read, ask.

Like a specific fish, coral, invert? Read everything about that animal you can find. At least read everything on the first page of a Google search. Same goes for plants like macros.

2. Learn from your mistakes. Even with all that reading you are going to make mistakes. Pay attention to what you are doing so you can figure out how you made the mistake.

3. Share what you have learned, whether it is a success or failure. That is how we all learn.

4. Nobody is going to know everything. Most of us don't even know what it is we don't know.

 

[Anchor]

So this is based on my own mistakes.. and a few of others mistakes.

1. RO/DI is king
2. Know water chemistry
3. Patience is as much King as RO/DI
4. Research everything - Which includes - , Know what you are buying before you buy it, especially animals., Not all chemical additives are actually beneficial., Iodine can kill., sludge and algae chemicals CAN cause as many problems as they solve. If it comes in a liquid form - think twice or maybe 10 times before you buy or use it., Carbon can spoil your best intentions., KNOW WHAT THE NITROGEN cycle is,. Did I say research everything? Oh yeah.. at the beginning of the point.. sorry...
5. If you dont cover your tank.. that $200 fish will test your carpet as a long jump mat.
6. Here is an oldy but goodie.. NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS FAST!!
7. dKH, Calcium, Ammonia, Nitrite/Nitrate, are your required test kits. Then Phosphate.. anything else is pudding.
8. Update your build thread more than once per year.
9. Do Not Depend on you LFS for answers. They are a guide at best.
10. What, When, Where, Why and How are important questions. Dont be afraid to ask.. Dont hesitate to ask.. Oh Just ask for crying out loud..!
11. If you have gas, it could be corn... (corallary) Never trust a fart.

 

[120reefkeeper]

1) Use RODI water only...and be sure to add salt
2) All fish are jumpers...except that one that you wish you'd never bought... he'll be in there staring at you everytime you walk by the tank for the rest of your life.
3) Vacations are the number one cause of tank crashes
4) Cheaping out on equipment leads to house fires
5) LEDs are THE BEST form of reef lighting...or was it MH? ...or maybe T5...?
6) Anything desirable in your tank can die due to minor fluctuations in stability...
7) Anything undesirable in your tank (aiptasia, dinos, cyano, flat worms, ich, asterina stars, or pretty much any other pest...) will survive a nuclear holocaust, Darla, the zombie apocalypse, and outlive your great-grandchildren
8) Rev updates his build thread once a year
9) If you're adding 1 last fish to your stocked tank, it will either carry disease, eat things you don't want it to, or die within 48 hours
10) Ask 10 reefers a question, and you'll get 17 opinions.

That is the most phenomenal list I’ve ever seen and 100% correct!

 

[Rick Mathew]

There's so much to know and learn in this hobby and it can almost be overwhelming! But there are some basic, core things that every hobbyists should know! I thought it might be fun to try to narrow it down to the 10 Top things you should know! So for the question today why don't you help us do just that!

What is something that every saltwater reef aquarium hobbyist should know that should be included in the TOP 10?

1) Spend time Exploring and researching before you make a move
2) Get the mind Set you are caring for living things...This should be a key driver on your decisions
3) Learn what is important and what is trivial to keeping your critters healthy and safe
4) Don't jump to high complexity quickly
5) Let your eyes tell you what is happening...Look at your tank often...Observe...Observe...Observe
6) Patience
7) Patience
8) Patience
9) Patience
10...Did I say be Patience

 

[Brew12]

Number 1 thing every reefer should do is read the Kruger-Dunning study. Once you get there then you start to understand just how little you know and that odds are if you think you know something you are wrong.

Take flow.... drives me crazy. I have no idea what "high flow" is. Why do we bother with tank turnover numbers? If all we need is 50X tank volume in power heads, lets put them all in the sump and let them run there. What good is turbulent flow in an area with no coral? What good is laminar flow in an area with no coral? Does it really matter if flow is unidirectional? Why? Can you prove it?

This holds true for lighting, chemistry, feeding and fish husbandry.

If I may quote Lord Kelvin "When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarely, in your thoughts advanced to the stage of science."

 

[marco fish]

Find a salt that suits your water parameters, it makes doing water changes a much easier and less daunting task!
if your salt doesn’t match your water parameters, then make sure to match them, whether it’s using a buffer to raise Alk, Cal, or Mag, especially in tanks where more sensitive corals like SPS are involved.
Use a par-meter to test the intensity of your lights, especially when it comes to LED’s. Those little things are very powerful !!!!!
And lastly Stability, Stability, Stability... when you Feed, Test, perform Water Changes, and always Log everything that you do to your Reef, use a notebook or an app.