What Do You Look At First In Your Reef?

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Photo by @kaduozores of his awesome reef which is our Reef of the Month this month.​

Most of us develop a ritual when we walk up to the tank.

Maybe you stop to watch that one fish that's just so beautiful or has such great personality that you have to check in with him each day, or maybe you immediately count all the fish in the tank to see if anybody is MIA. Maybe you scan the corals for new growth. Maybe you check the water, look for a problem, or simply stand there for a minute and take in the whole scene.

When you approach your reef, what draws your attention first?

BONUS POINTS: What are you hoping to see when you look—and what’s the first sign that makes you realize something might be wrong?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

To see if everything is still alive and nothing died yet

 

[exnisstech]

Very first thing I see is dirty glass. A 4ft peninsula is the first thing I see when coming down the hallway from the BR. I face a long side with the opposite side facing a sliding glass door for back lightning. I see all the snail trails and often I'll clean it before I get a cup of coffee lagoons tucked into a corner never look this dirty lol.
After that I inspect coral and I do a head count of fish when the lights come on and I feed.

 

[kaduozores]

I check that everything is generally okay, observe all the fish to see if there are any signs of aggression, and then examine all the corals, looking for signs of STN and/or RTN.

 

[ScottJ]

I voted 'other.' I always look to see if my urchins have either knocked down a rock, or are carrying off a coral or hapless snail.

 

[StartingATank]

Usually I go in this order. Eyecatching corals -> glass -> fish -> recent additions, and then I go on like a 10 minute investigation of every small nook in the rock looking for pests and stuff

 

[Tahoe61]

Water levels in tank and ATO container.
Inspect corals and fish.
Feed and dose.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I voted 'other.' I always look to see if my urchins have either knocked down a rock, or are carrying off a coral or hapless snail.

That is something I always checked in my tank as well, as that happened way too much

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I checked 'other' - I always check the floor first, for both water and fish. My eyes go upwards from the floor

 

[DmitryB]

First thing I do is headcount of fish, taking into consideration the ones that are not active swimmers. Then quickly scan the corals. Then sigh at the algae on the glass.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

First thing I do is headcount of fish, taking into consideration the ones that are not active swimmers. Then quickly scan the corals. Then sigh at the algae on the glass.

Yep I was the same way about the algae on my glass, haha