What are some questions you want to be sure we ask our REEF OF THE MONTH winners?

What are you most excited to read about in our REEF OF THE MONTH articles?

  • I love reading about reef equipment!

    Votes: 17 5.8%
  • For me, it's all about the CORALS!!

    Votes: 30 10.3%
  • Seeing and reading about cool fish that I wish I could keep!

    Votes: 6 2.1%
  • Looking for neat innovations and creative solutions they're using!

    Votes: 54 18.5%
  • Looking mostly for stuff I can try on my tank!

    Votes: 24 8.2%
  • Are you kidding?? I'm excited about ALL OF IT!!

    Votes: 161 55.1%

  • Total voters
    292

Daniel@R2R

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We're starting back up our REEF OF THE MONTH articles (if you'd like to nominate someone CLICK HERE!)!! I'm sooooo excited to see this getting started again!! As we get this going, I wanted to ask what are some questions you'd like to see us ask? Let us know what you want to know from these awesome hobbyists!
 

Mical

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There's a million questions...

What do you keep your param at? (Alk, Cal, Mag, Temp, Ph,...)
What and how much do you feed?
What is you maintenance routine?
What do you test for?
What is your lighting schedule & what kind & how many do you have?
Do you spot feed or broadcast feed your corals?
What pumps (return, powerheads) do you use?


That's just a start. Tank of the Month should almost be an interview...
 

fade2black

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What is the most useful thing you have learned in the past year?
What made the biggest impact on the success of your tank?
What's the worst thing you ever bought for your tank?
How do you get over setbacks?
Where do you see your tank in 1,3,5,10 years?
Does your significant other share in your passion for this hobby or just roll their eyes?
If you could have any tank, what size would it be and why?
 

DivingTheWorld

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I'd probably want to know all of it. True successful reefs don't just happen, they take a lot of time and work. What's their secret sauce? Is it nothing (KISS), or are they dosing a bunch of stuff? What are they testing for and how often? What worked for them and what didn't. Of course full equipment and maintenance details.
 

Biokabe

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I mean, there's tons of stuff to ask, in addition to the obvious:

  1. How much work do they put into the tank each week?
  2. What is their maintenance schedule like?
  3. What, if anything, have they chosen to automate?
  4. What are they testing for, and why?
  5. What major challenges have they faced in keeping the tank?
  6. Have they ever come close to shutting down the tank, and what kept them going?
  7. Why did they choose to keep what is in their tanks?
  8. What special accommodations have they made for any tank inhabitants with special needs?
  9. How do they manage aggression, both between fish and between corals?
  10. What kind of rock did they start with?
  11. What major changes did they make to their reef since its start, if any?
  12. What compromises have they been forced to make, or what animals have they had to give up on keeping?
  13. What do they dream of keeping?
  14. With the exception of "Larger tank" or "Dedicated fish room", what single addition would they love to make to the hardware side of their tank?
  15. How many other tanks have they kept or do they currently keep?
 

Stigigemla

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I would like to have it in a way similar to this as I am curious of everything.
I think an interview is the best type of article.

1. Full tank shot.
a. Tank size. Brand and size.
b. Time. When was the begin of the tank? How long has it been in the shape or direction it is today.
c. Important changes, crashes or similar.

2. Animals
a. Corals - Pictures.
b. Fishes - Pictures (in worst case from other threads with original noted).
c. Inverts - Pictures.
d. Favorite or hated animals. Animals You cant have. Dream animals.

3. Feeding
a. Coral food and feeding schedule.
b. Fish food and feeding schedule.
c. Invert foods and feeding schedule.

4. Water
a. Temperature and other values.
b. Additions. Balling, Triton or other method. Changes from standard of the method?
c. Water changes.
d. Nitrate or phosphate reduction?

5. Circulation and filtration
a. Circulation pumps and total turnover.
b. Skimmer Brand, airflow and water flow. Return flow and pump.
c. Other filters, socks, roller mat, Carbon or phosphate reactor.

6. Light
a. Brand model(s) and quantity. Total power.
b. Lighting schedule.
c. PAR values if possible.

7. Refugium or other.
a. Algae.
b. Light and scheme.
c. Water flow. Internal and through.

8. Stand, placing and similar.
a. Stand type, brand or homemade. Materials.
b. Open placing, build in or special room. Sump / Maintenance room.

9. Other tanks in the system.
a. Something from 1 to 7 above.

10. Maintenance
a. Daily.
b. Weekly.
c. More seldom.
d. Logbook and if: What do You log.

11. Automatíon
a. Temperature.
b. Light control.
c. Circulation control.
d. Aquarium controller.

12. Inspiration
a. Is the tank inspired from a special place in the nature or another tank. (Link if possible)
b. Do You have a mentor or special aquarists You learn from? (Links if possible)
c. Books or sites that has inspired You.

13. Thanks
a. Persons, organizations or companies that is or has been important.
 

ZoWhat

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Id like to know where did they come up with all their money for their reef tank...

Raining Money GIF by memecandy
 

DxMarinefish

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I would just like them to be Honest and tell us the Good, Bad and Ugly of their reef journey.

It's a life style after all and we all have good days and bad days.;)
 

KrisReef

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Wow, I hope I don't get TOTM. I can't answer a tenth of these questions. :oops:
You need to start a build thread, maybe have a catchy title~; "How to Keep a Reef for 50 Years" or something like that.

Then you can answer the most important questions:
1. How long do you quarantine your fishes?
2. Where can you find good substrate for your refugium?
3. Boxers or Briefs?

I thought to nominate you but they want a build thread. :)

supermodel runway model GIF


Edit; Oh yeah, I forgot. We also need to know how to get a supermodel to help with keeping the tank going!
 

Paul B

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You need to start a build thread, maybe have a catchy title~; "How to Keep a Reef for 50 Years" or something like that.
I forgot most of it, I don't know what brand my tank is, No quarantine, driveway gravel may not be accepted today as substrait, Briefs, I was already TOTM so disqualified even before I start. :confused:
 

ca1ore

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I am mostly interested in anything somebody might be doing that is different or unusual. I recall a build, for example, where a chap was using solar tubes to light his tank. Or perhaps innovative flow devices. All great tech, but kessils, Radions, Vortechs, gyres ..... boooooring LOL.
 

arussellnsg

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Start from Day1 and tell me about what went down during the first year. Any Bad test results and what did you do to correct it.
High Calcium, High Mag, and High PO4 is my main issue looking for advice and/or Hope for future
 

Jbell370

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I would like to see how it runs, how is the sump setup, temperature it's kept at, frequency of water changes, methodology. I guess I want to know more about the guts if it.
 

justfalsefacts

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What have been some of your biggest obstacles with your rig, and how did you go about fixing them?

What was some of the best advice you received from fellow reefers in the beginning months of your tank, and which pieces of advice did you receive that still hold true today?
 

Mastiffsrule

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You need to start a build thread, maybe have a catchy title~; "How to Keep a Reef for 50 Years" or something like that.

Then you can answer the most important questions:
1. How long do you quarantine your fishes?
2. Where can you find good substrate for your refugium?
3. Boxers or Briefs?

I thought to nominate you but they want a build thread. :)

supermodel runway model GIF


Edit; Oh yeah, I forgot. We also need to know how to get a supermodel to help with keeping the tank going!

How did you do that? My first question before I even opened the thread was going to be boxers or briefs. Crazy hilarious.

So, that only leaves with me the 1 question we should ask that makes a true aquarium keeper. Why? Why are you investing the time and money? For some it is the pets that join the family, some the hobby to keep busy, some the pretty looking furniture, etc.
 

KrisReef

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How did you do that? My first question before I even opened the thread was going to be boxers or briefs. Crazy hilarious.

So, that only leaves with me the 1 question we should ask that makes a true aquarium keeper. Why? Why are you investing the time and money? For some it is the pets that join the family, some the hobby to keep busy, some the pretty looking furniture, etc.
Could be the meds, could be the supplements? I don't know why or how I got bent this way but I can't hide it very well. :)

Final question (someone else mentioned this sometime back on another thread)

"How do you know when your reef is finished?"

I've been contemplating that one since I read it and "it crashes" isn't a viable answer.

Coral Reef Swimming GIF by Brookfield Zoo
 

Aquatic acrobat in your aquarium: Have you ever kept an eel?

  • I currently keep an eel in my tank.

    Votes: 29 14.8%
  • I have kept an eel in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 33 16.8%
  • I have not kept an eel in my tank, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 35 17.9%
  • I have no plans to keep an eel.

    Votes: 96 49.0%
  • Other.

    Votes: 3 1.5%
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