What qualities do you view as being most important in Reefing?
- Thread starter polyppal
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- Tagged users revhtreeDaniel@R2R
I chose "Patience". A quality not listed though is "Critical Thinking". There are always a lot of claims made in this hobby that just don't hold water when looked at with a critical eye. The ability to separate fact from crap is really important in this hobby.
Theulli
Active Member
Surprised that I don't see it on here. I think the single most important skill for aquarium keeping is observation skills. The ability to observe the environment and develop an understanding of 'normal state' so that deviations can be investigated is totally invaluable. It's also where a lot of people fail - you may not know normal and overreact to something that isn't a problem (ex: a coral shedding), you may not know normal and miss the early signs of an issue.
I voted patience, testing and experience. I was tempted to pick knowledge over experience, but I believe that some mistakes, mishaps and conundrums need to be actively problem solved and not just read about beforehand. Knowledge is power in any hobby requiring the care of sensitive animals, but the experienced application of that knowledge is what gets the results.
And patience and testing. Patience is probably #1...so many mistakes and unnecessary deaths can be avoided by being patient, waiting to add a coral at the right time, giving a frag the chance to encrust or adapt to parameters and your biome, salinity and nutrients. Can I honestly care for an acro right now? Should I move that torch or wait to see if it's just a minor irritation? Are you ok with changing parameters slower thab you'd like? The ocean fluctuates in nature but by and large stays within a very set range. Changing that dynamic in a large way in a short time is a bad idea with slow, finicky animals like coral. A lot of coral grows slower than the average plant...meaning sudden changes will shock and ultimately stress your animals.
Finally, regardless of where you fall on the scale of the importance of various trace elements, nutrients and the important macro parameters, you need to at least be aware of where your tank is at on a semi-regular basis. Testing is important if only to ensure you are staying within a stable range, whether it be automated or manually done. Some parameters, when out of whack and unmonitored, can do catastrophic damage in a relatively short time. Can you imagine keeping a high end sps colony without monitoring your alk? It would be unnecessarily difficult and likely impossible without some monitoring, testing, and routine.
I also think it's important to not overreact to testing. This ties into patience and experience. A newer reefer might see high phosphates and panic, whereas an experienced reefer may know the reason why, or have a plan of attack that is measured, safe and effective from previous experience and not let that make them do something rash.
And patience and testing. Patience is probably #1...so many mistakes and unnecessary deaths can be avoided by being patient, waiting to add a coral at the right time, giving a frag the chance to encrust or adapt to parameters and your biome, salinity and nutrients. Can I honestly care for an acro right now? Should I move that torch or wait to see if it's just a minor irritation? Are you ok with changing parameters slower thab you'd like? The ocean fluctuates in nature but by and large stays within a very set range. Changing that dynamic in a large way in a short time is a bad idea with slow, finicky animals like coral. A lot of coral grows slower than the average plant...meaning sudden changes will shock and ultimately stress your animals.
Finally, regardless of where you fall on the scale of the importance of various trace elements, nutrients and the important macro parameters, you need to at least be aware of where your tank is at on a semi-regular basis. Testing is important if only to ensure you are staying within a stable range, whether it be automated or manually done. Some parameters, when out of whack and unmonitored, can do catastrophic damage in a relatively short time. Can you imagine keeping a high end sps colony without monitoring your alk? It would be unnecessarily difficult and likely impossible without some monitoring, testing, and routine.
I also think it's important to not overreact to testing. This ties into patience and experience. A newer reefer might see high phosphates and panic, whereas an experienced reefer may know the reason why, or have a plan of attack that is measured, safe and effective from previous experience and not let that make them do something rash.
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Paul B
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Experience. If you have experience those other things will fall into place by default. 
Patientman
Well-Known Member
Checked "other" … the MOST IMPORTANT quality in reefing is the pleasure you get from doing it! That justifies all the others!
Grill
Active Member
I checked "other"
Products, equipment, money, technology, access to information (forums) etc. are important but = nothing without a regular husbandry regimen.
I also think its the number 1 reason people leave the hobby... unable/unwilling/loathe to follow a regular husbandry regimen.
See reef tank and get awestruck.
Buy reef tank/livestock and constantly chase issues. Parameters, nuisance algae, disease, equipment fails etc.
Don't realize amount of time needed to maintain reef tank.
Lose interest in reef tank and sell for less than half of original purchase.
Products, equipment, money, technology, access to information (forums) etc. are important but = nothing without a regular husbandry regimen.
I also think its the number 1 reason people leave the hobby... unable/unwilling/loathe to follow a regular husbandry regimen.
See reef tank and get awestruck.
Buy reef tank/livestock and constantly chase issues. Parameters, nuisance algae, disease, equipment fails etc.
Don't realize amount of time needed to maintain reef tank.
Lose interest in reef tank and sell for less than half of original purchase.
rtparty
2500 Club Member
Experience - No book, video, talk, piece of equipment, and/or mentor can teach experience. YOU have to go through it all. You have to kill fish and coral. You have to flood the floor once. You have to gain the experiences yourself and learn to overcome them.
Patience - this is a no brainer. This is simply a life trait that will benefit us in everything we do. Not making knee jerk reactions is paramount to success in this hobby. There is no finish line in what we do. No end game. Rushing things gets you nowhere.
Planning - almost every single thing can be overcome in this hobby with proper planning. If you make maintenance hard, you won't do it. If you add the wrong fish, you will pay for it. If you add the wrong coral, it will take over. If you plan well, you will have redundancy. If you plan well, you can overcome the obstacle of money.
Which brings me all the way back around. Until you experience thigs first hand, you won't know how to plan well for your next system. It is a circle and we are always moving on it
Patience - this is a no brainer. This is simply a life trait that will benefit us in everything we do. Not making knee jerk reactions is paramount to success in this hobby. There is no finish line in what we do. No end game. Rushing things gets you nowhere.
Planning - almost every single thing can be overcome in this hobby with proper planning. If you make maintenance hard, you won't do it. If you add the wrong fish, you will pay for it. If you add the wrong coral, it will take over. If you plan well, you will have redundancy. If you plan well, you can overcome the obstacle of money.
Which brings me all the way back around. Until you experience thigs first hand, you won't know how to plan well for your next system. It is a circle and we are always moving on it
OP
OP
polyppal
2500 Club Member
Interesting that 240 or so reefers have voted now, and ‘products’ has zero votes. Technology only has 2 votes. Says a lot for the way many look at the hobby! Theres no magic snake oil or doodads that's are going to lead you to success.
RedfishReefer
Community Member
me with no friends in the hobby xD
I think Support is under underrepresented by vote so far. Most of us are here for either support or community ( which I would consider another sort of support (
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1.) Knowledge - This goes with experience and the more research through books, videos, R2R and other forums and living with your own reefs.
2. Patience - Nothing good happens in this hobby quick. Planning takes time, growing corals take time, learning the fish you want to add to your tank and order to stock them. The fish’s specific diet. Flow for your corals, lights & parameters. Then running it as all one functional ecosystem at the same time. It’s pretty incredible what we all do for a hobby huh!?
3.) Equipment - Shocked this isn’t higher on the poll. If you don’t have the proper equipment that is good quality I don’t know how any reefer could do well. That simple on this one!
2. Patience - Nothing good happens in this hobby quick. Planning takes time, growing corals take time, learning the fish you want to add to your tank and order to stock them. The fish’s specific diet. Flow for your corals, lights & parameters. Then running it as all one functional ecosystem at the same time. It’s pretty incredible what we all do for a hobby huh!?
3.) Equipment - Shocked this isn’t higher on the poll. If you don’t have the proper equipment that is good quality I don’t know how any reefer could do well. That simple on this one!
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