What Makes Reefing “Difficult”?

[Reefer Matt]

Hey Reefers!
This is a loaded question with a million answers, I get it.

But at its core, what makes reefing difficult? Is it laziness, finances, ineptitude, or just bad luck?

What are your thoughts? Anything that could help solve that issue as well? It seems like we overcomplicate things sometimes.

 

[threebuoys]

Hey Reefers!
This is a loaded question with a million answers, I get it.

But at its core, what makes reefing difficult? Is it laziness, finances, ineptitude, or just bad luck?

What are your thoughts? Anything that could help solve that issue as well? It seems like we overcomplicate things sometimes.

For me, frustration when something doesn't behave like I expected. I'm sure I overcomplicate some things, I'm sure I'm inept at some things, and I'm sure I have my share of bad luck. Problem is, I find it difficult to determine which of these three issues is at fault!.

I'm "lucky" (not sure being retired and old is good luck!) that I have enough time to devote to the hobby now. When I first got involved 50 years ago, work and family took so much time I had to give the hobby up after 10 years. Ony got back in 4 years ago. It is an expensive hobby...both time and money.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

what makes reefing difficult is expecting a hobby to be easy in the first few years, just like learning an instrument, it takes time and practice to get good.

 

[GlassMunky]

I think one of the biggest things that makes reefing difficult Is the fact that you’re dealing with biological and chemical processes. And to that end, almost every single tank is its own unique system with its own unique set of challenges, and because of those differences, what works well for one person may not work at all for another person, even though on the outside the two tanks may seem almost identical. You have people who have an expectation of “well it worked for somebody else so it should work for me” but that’s not always the case. there’s hundreds or thousands of different biological and chemical processes going on constantly in a reef tank and we’re only able to monitor and keep track of and adjust a handful of those. We don’t even know some of the other things that are going on, so just the variability from Tank to Tank and, having some information not be able to be transferred from Tank to Tank makes it difficult.

 

[dangles]

We as Americans are conditioned to want black and white, simple answers. Very few of us are capable of nuance anymore. We just can't compute an answer that starts with "it depends..."

And god-forbid we have to have some patience!

I think that is the root of the difficulty. Once you accept that there is (almost) no such thing as a SINGLE black and white answer here, and good things take time, you'll do just fine

 

[hoffmeyerz]

Trying not to over think and over react!!!

 

[CBonito]

I don't think it's hard because I am an expert and I know everything.

I'd say it's the frustration of ineptitude....why everyone comes out and says "I dunno, what's going on here?"
There are no real experts. There are people who know more than others, but everyone is still a student, like it or not.

And everyone wants to know the answers, but for too many things, there are no real answers because there are so many variables. Humans want to believe there is an answer for everything and there is, but we just don't know the answers...and that's frustration over ineptitude...at every level.

So yeah, it's definitely ineptitude.

And with regard to finances...if the finances arent there to do something the right way and it's going to lead to problems...is that not a form of ineptitude to say "Yeah, I know that's screwed up, but I'm going to do it anyway...". I think so, and Guilty!

Laziness - another form of ineptitude. "I know I need to get that dead fish out of there man...but I just can't get off the couch right now..."

Now bad luck...^%it happens! Nothing you can do about that. You could be the "best" or the worst...bad luck is the great equalizer.

The difference between those who do well and those who don't is the want. If you want to do well, you're going to continue to improve and if you don't, someone's gonna eventually get a good deal on some used stuff.

 

[PeterErc]

Nothing, just because it doesn’t go the way you want it, it’s difficult. Pretty simple when it goes the way you want

 

[Dmax]

Patience.

 

[Reefer Matt]

And everyone wants to know the answers, but for too many things, there are no real answers because there are so many variables. Humans want to believe there is an answer for everything and there is, but we just don't know the answers...and that's frustration over ineptitude...at every level.

I agree completely. For me, instead of always searching for the “why”, I address the “what”. If things seem off in one of my tanks, I do a water change (that probably needed to be done anyway). That usually fixes a small issue like coral not opening well. I could spend days researching and trying things to dose and whatnot, or just do the water change. That doesn’t mean it will work for everyone, but I bet it will for a lot of Reefers.

 

[Tuna Melt]

I think what makes reefing difficult are the number of variables, and you need to get a B+ on most of those variables to be "successful".

Chemistry:

• PH
• Alk
• Calc
• Mag
• Phos
• Trace
• ETC.

Lighting:

• Par
• Spectrum
• Distribution
• ETC.

Flow:

• intensity
• pattern
• placement

Biology:

• aggression
• compatibility
• diet

Microbiology

• microbiome
• pathogens
• etc

The list goes on and on. Getting most of these right but messing one up can tank the tank!

 

[CBonito]

Patience.

Patience isn't something you can teach someone else either. It's something you have to teach yourself. And you never master that...you can up the threshold, but we all have our limits there too.

 

[Reefer Matt]

I kind of disagree with a lot of what was said. What makes reefing difficult are the number of variables, and you need to get a B+ on most of those variables to be "successful".

Chemistry:

• PH
• Alk
• Calc
• Mag
• Phos
• Trace
• ETC.

Lighting:

• Par
• Spectrum
• Distribution
• ETC.

Flow:
intensity
pattern
placement

Biology:
aggression
compatibility
diet

Microbiology
biome
pathogens
etc

The list goes on and on. getting most of these right but messing one up big time can tank the tank!

I agree with that too. But the way to keep all those things in check can be “easy” for those willing to do so. It depends on character. Example: I am a mechanic and have machinist friends. We annoy each other with our difference in habits. (They are meticulous, I am not. ) Yet we each can accomplish the same thing in a different manner when it comes to reef tanks.

 

[Doctorgori]

cost

 

[CBonito]

I agree completely. For me, instead of always searching for the “why”, I address the “what”. If things seem off in one of my tanks, I do a water change (that probably needed to be done anyway). That usually fixes a small issue like coral not opening well. I could spend days researching and trying things to dose and whatnot, or just do the water change. That doesn’t mean it will work for everyone, but I bet it will for a lot of Reefers.

Right! but if you DON'T do that water change, and you lose your 3 favorite acro colonies, freak out, rage quit and sell everything...that's definitely ineptitude. I see it all the time, and while it's humorous, it's also an injustice to the poor sappo who is now working on his car instead of his tank.

And I don't mean to use ineptitude as a bad word because if you remove all ego from it, ineptitude is just a case of "I want to do this, but I don't understand how it works..." or maybe "I'm trying to do this, but I must be doing it wrong..." or "I don't know what the heck is going on here and I need some help."

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Finances for me

 

[Cell]

The extreme consistency and patience necessary in a world of instant gratification and knee jerk reactions.

 

[JayM]

The hardest part for me was the desire for the results I want/expect to be instantaneous. Once I got past that I find reefing to be rather easy. With patience and a little bit of regular maintenance and the tank pretty much takes care of itself.

 

[Troylee]

Def patience for me lol…

 

[Ben's Pico Reefing]

Consistency and Keeping from fixing what isnt broke. We want to add change do sometging different and it throws the balance off. If your going to change the tank always change. If you leave and sit, dont fiddle. New technology, automation, lack if money or even change in our lives can cause us to change something in our tanks for more convenience.