What are the biggest issues that hobbyists face? Help me help you!

[andrewey]

These are topics I think might be worth covering:

1) Control and Identification of general unwanted organisms (e.g. dinoflagellates, aptasia, green hair algae, bryopsis, cyanobacteria).
2) Control and identification of coral-specific ailments (e.g. AEFW, redbugs, nudis, RTN/STN, BJD, etc.)
3) Easy to follow/step by step QT setup and medication dosing instructions
4) Convenient and accurate sources of information for animal husbandry (e.g. minimum tank size, diet, etc.)

5) This one is pretty amorphous, so I don't know how one would tackle it, but I think it is the number one issue new reefers face due to their lack of experience- being able to discern which actions, products, or pieces of equipment are strictly necessary for their tank. This often presents itself with new reefers incorrectly dosing of a variety of products or chemicals, implementing the latest "program", or installing unnecessary equipment- oftentimes these actions cause more harm then good when an individual doesn't fully recognize the pros/cons of each system/tool or the larger implications on marine biology/chemistry.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Fish diseases and parasites. I see a great deal of hobbyist struggling with identification and treatment.

This goes hand-in-hand in educating new hobbyist about the importance of quarantine, observation and understanding the use of medications.

There is very little focus on the importance of quarantining new fish in the hobby from all levels, especially at the LFS.

To many times the new hobbyist is placed in a position where they have to react quickly to a situation they've gotten themselves into and stress themselves in acquiring the equipment/medications needed. More often it's too late.

There should be a "Quarantine awareness" month here on REEF2REEF!

 

[Raege]

Another thought what questions to ask your lfs to build confidence are they running hypo low dose copper that would mask issues? How to build trust they have your long term business in mind not a quick buck

 

[sfin52]

Ones own self. Impatient, spur of the moment decision over thinking no research the list goes on.

 

[Sdot]

Getting accurate information and understanding whats really happening in our boxes of water.

 

[Dbichler]

Biggest challenge for me is my wife thinking I’m too obsessed(“stop checking the tank it’s fine and if it’s not you shouldn’t have added anything”). My wife’s favorite one liner. The next would be cost and then nutrient control.

 

[brandon429]

I am 1000% certain this is a challenge reefers face:

all reefing rules we follow were written by large tank owners and dont account for differences in approaches that can be taken with smaller tanks. Especially in invasion control; many times its far easier to just take your small reef apart and simply clean it, for free, instead of toiling with changing water quality for eight months straight while you make excuses to every viewer about the 'uglies' or why that horrible invasion is actually good for a reef system in the end...while buying several different doser products just to see what might help

when you change the rules you follow based on the size of your reef, and its inherent accessibility, you increase your enjoyment of reefing tremendously and as a side benefit you'll kill far less animals in do-overs.

any tank that can be drained off into 1 brute can allowing full access to the substrate should be following rules designed for accessible tanks, and leave the inaccessible tank procedures to the 600 gallon setups. Those with smaller tanks should be handling their invasions polar oppositely of how large tankers handle them.

 

[Silentdeath5]

Not knowing when to stop adding coral and fish lol. Jokingly putting this but it’s true along with equipment. The point is not to keep messing with the system and let it get to a point of balance. And then not disturbing the balance when you have it good.

 

[Shawn_epicurious]

I just read thru everything on this thread... very interest thread btw and an awesome way to stay in touch with your members... so hats off @revhtree

No one has mentioned lighting. To me, proper lighting in my tank is a complete mystery to me. I have to lean on my LFS guy for this and tbh... I am not sure he is an expert either. I’d like to be able to see some generalized light setting (I use AI) for say... softie, SPS, LPS... mixed SPS dominant with other things...

 

[Johniejumbo]

I could use a detailed glossary of all these hobby terms. LOTS of abbreviations and initials and such used here. Just in one post above I see LFS, sps, lfs, softie, AI, and mixed sps dominant.
I can understand it but someone new to the hobby might need some clarification.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I could use a detailed glossary of all these hobby terms. LOTS of abbreviations and initials and such used here. Just in one post above I see LFS, sps, lfs, softie, AI, and mixed sps dominant.
I can understand it but someone new to the hobby might need some clarification.

Acronyms, Abbreviations, Vocabulary, and Slang for the Reef Aquarist, Revised December 2018

Seawitch submitted a new Article: Acronyms, Abbreviations, Vocabulary, and Slang for the Reef Aquarist, Revised December 2018 The Pacific Ocean Photo is a royalty-free image from Pixabay. Okay, one more time. If at first you don’t succeed, try try again. Some years ago, Uninja, with the...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[salty150]

Going too fast, too soon.

Lack of research.

Wanting fish that aren't "compatible" with your aquarium/other inhabitants.

Skimping on equipment because of cost.

 

[Johniejumbo]

Acronyms, Abbreviations, Vocabulary, and Slang for the Reef Aquarist, Revised December 2018

Seawitch submitted a new Article: Acronyms, Abbreviations, Vocabulary, and Slang for the Reef Aquarist, Revised December 2018 The Pacific Ocean Photo is a royalty-free image from Pixabay. Okay, one more time. If at first you don’t succeed, try try again. Some years ago, Uninja, with the...

www.reef2reef.com

Scratch that lol. This one Seawitch did is pretty good!

 

[BighohoReef]

I'm looking to put a team together that will target the main issues that saltwater aquarium hobbyists face on a day to day basis maintaining a reef tank. What I need from you is to help me put a specific list together of subjects that we need to really target. I would like for you to be as specific as possible please! So in your opinion...

What are the biggest issues that saltwater aquarium hobbyists face maintaining a reef tank?

THANK YOU!

Biggest challenge I would say is pest. Our local LFS gets a lot of corals from local hobbyist which some are really good about pests and some not so much, we also get corals from our community as well. Early in in the hobby we weren’t as diligent in inspections, qt, dipping and monitoring which lead us to pest issues and a restart early on. The loss was minimal but the knowledge made it worth it, it changed the way we reef and cared for our creatures. Do we still find pest absolutely, do we still find some of them challenging, of course. We are better prepared though to tackle the pests we face.

 

[AZMSGT]

Other than what’s already been said, I see and try to help allot of people with RODI units.

For instance some people will come on and say my RODI unit has High TDS. When you dig down to the root causes you find that 1. They only own an RO unit. No DI side because they bought it at a big box store. 2. their DI resin is channeling or bad.

Also people willing to just trash their old systems and buy new when in reality they just need to change filters and or get a pump.

Getting the RODI right will help people get the best water to start with.

If it where me, I would start your help guide on the subject of water. Getting a report of what a persons water is to building out the right RODI system. Does it need a cloramine filter?

Then adding a salt to the water. And so on..

We need good quality water to start down the right path to good reef keeping. Wether a person buys it or makes it.

 

[canadianeh]

Reef chemistry and dosing requirements. How much do I need without second guessing? I guess having Trident and Reefbot and the like are good now, but for people who don't have them it would be nice to have a chart that dictates x amount of dosing equal to x amount of water chemistry element.

Secondly, test kits. It is hard to believe that in 2020 only Hanna and Exact iDip make digital tester. Hanna seems to be more widely used and more reputable than iDip. Since there are not many of them this translate to higher cost to acquire them. I think they are under invested and I would love to see more reliable options for digital tester as I personally depend on my family to read the color shades for me.

Thirdly, fish medications. I also believe that this area is also under invested. In 2020, we still don't have medication that is easier to use and faster to eradicate ich and other diseases. The ones that we have takes weeks or months to see the result. I want to see quicker solution and more effective and readily available. In relation to this, I think LFS should be mandated to sell disease free livestock and make QT is mandatory. I don't mind paying a higher price if livestock is healthier and quarantined.

 

[Heabel7]

I'm looking to put a team together that will target the main issues that saltwater aquarium hobbyists face on a day to day basis maintaining a reef tank. What I need from you is to help me put a specific list together of subjects that we need to really target. I would like for you to be as specific as possible please! So in your opinion...

What are the biggest issues that saltwater aquarium hobbyists face maintaining a reef tank?

THANK YOU!

The biggest issue maintaining a reef would be thinking that your tank is going to look like the “tank of the month” (TOTM) right away and more importantly all the time. It takes time for a new hobbyist to achieve that beautiful reef. An everyday status check and understanding your “personal” reef will go a long way to your future success. There is constant invisible changes in your reefs tanks waters parameters, pay close attention to your corals and how they respond. To understand when your reef is happy and stressed takes patience and dedication to your personal piece of the ocean. NO two reefs are the same!

In addition, “take it slow”, “don’t change things too fast”, “nothing good happens in a reef tank quickly” etc. These are all correct to a point. However, don’t take it so slow you cannot achieve a beautiful tank in 2ish years. I’m over 5 years into this hobby and have taken it so slow that even before my tank crashed 8 months ago (self inflicted idiot mistake). I didn’t have a tank that I was truly proud of. In fact, taking it slow may contribute to excess algae. If you got nothing but rocks in your tank, then excess nutrients go the only place they can go.....to algae. You NEED corals to cover the rocks to give less surface area to algae and uptake some of the algae fueling nutrients. Coraline algae will not win that battle in my experience.

LIST
1. You are new and TOTM takes time and dedication
2. Learn your reefs/corals sweet spot, for water parameters and lighting and keep it there. Do this by micro analyzing your corals polyp extension, and coloration daily. Once you got it, You can tell just by looking at your corals it something is off.
3. Patience to a point, don’t overdo it.
4. Not watching or reading enough before you get started in the reefing hobby and or make changes to your current reef, dive deep into research and ask questions on a forum such as reef2reef or another trusted source. (Just binge watch BRStv, they cover 95% of all tasks & issues, great starting point)

Bonus. If you do not dip and quarantine you WILL get unwanted hitch hikers. It’s just part of the game. Most don’t know it until it’s too late. It’s a risk most take as well. It’s just part of the hobby. Luckily most can be dealt with, without taking down your tank. But make no mistake, dealing with them can be difficult and most will never go away without a complete reset.

 

[Reeferdude1888]

I think over the years things have advanced to a stage that we in keeping reefs in the home is great but also I think that Wee are getting to a stage were we are keeping our reefs to sterile and when this happens then you end up with things like dinos and fish with really poor immune systems .
Just my opinion .

 

[schneidergarrettt60]

Significant others not knowing the obsessions of reef tanks and cost of having one.
Always getting yelled at for buying "stupid fish ****."

 

[NS Mike D]

I think over the years things have advanced to a stage that we in keeping reefs in the home is great but also I think that Wee are getting to a stage were we are keeping our reefs to sterile and when this happens then you end up with things like dinos and fish with really poor immune systems .
Just my opinion .

^. This. Every day there is a new thread with a reefer having algae issues where the knee jerk reaction is post after post advising to lower their nutrients. when the OP never posted their NO3 & PO4 numbers. Follow up is that they don't know them, they are testing with API and/or they have zeros.

Then it turns out they are dealing with either cyano or worse, dinos.

and they started with dry rock.

and they aren't aware that a CUC is more than snails but an entire world of micro fauna.


These seem to be a mystery and even more of a mystery is the number of experienced posting to lower NO3 and PO4 even before knowing if NO3 and PO4 are elevated.


I don't know how to condense this to a single specific issue but boy is it a head scrathing common issue, IMO.