What seems obvious now, but didn't at first?

[Johnd651]

I've seen some posts recently of people coming back to the hobby. I have wondered what ah ha moments have you had? What is easily accessible or available now that would have even been a crazy thought back then.

Ie... the internet and automation. I remember reading books on fish, trying to get as much info as possible when first starting out. It was difficult even finding the books at a library to see which ones would be worth buying and keeping.

Also automation. I remember those plug in dial timers for the lights. That was the extent of automation. Now even a few simple wifi switches and an app like IFTTT allow you to do so much. And that's only a start compared to open source and others.

 

[tzabor10]

Technology is great, but solid practices are always coming in clutch. Like keeping extra live rock in my tank /sump. Getting ready to start a new tank and already have a jump start

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

well i got out in 2008 so LED's were not a thing yet. If they were, they were not widely available.

Now, everything is done through your phone. Return pumps, lighters, heaters, chillers, wavemakers.

Its pretty cool that t5's are now dimmable. Very underrated source of light.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

How important water parameters are, and how a swing in certain chemical levels can have a very good or very bad effect on your tank.

 

[brandon429]

Prepare for this:

Like 1982, in 2024 they'll be told cycling requires 2-4 weeks. Some take ninety days, they say.


reef conventions align 300 vendor tank displays to start all on the same date, some stocked with 100K in items for sale. Nobody puts 100K of life into an uncycled reef.


So there has to be a method in play giving to-the- day exact cycling methods as the results.


But they won't be told this in any training material, it's hidden for the elites.

They will be trained that all cycles are highly variable, open ended waits, ranging 30-90 days
Nitrite care will be huge in the 1982 method order of ops. Enough to cause then to buy 2-3 extra bottles of bacteria and a likely cost of an extra $125 in test gear.



Rarely along the way will peers tell them in 2024 we don't need test kits anymore to cycle any reef tank. Threads exist where 40 page work threads with a hundred completed jobs on file all getting an exact start date, not an open ended wait.

The new keeper will automatically follow the 1982 training from peers since that method gets all the sticky time in forums that rarely update stickies on cycling.

It will cost them time and some money too, in unneeded gear purchases and extra bottle bac to resolve the 'stuck' cycle.

Not one time will disease preps be mentioned to them, it's 100% not needed material in 1982.

But in 2024, to fail to not link the disease forum as the first self- directed study to 100% of new readers, trainers are committing forum crimes of a grievous nature says the workload daily in Jay's disease forum. It's the busiest forum on the board i bet for new cases to work, and nobody has linked that material as the first- go reading


To not direct new readers to work threads that cycle hundreds of tanks without using any kits and all cycles are given an exact completion date (preplan for the convention, you're in now) is merely a heels- in battle to keep the old ways alive, without any consideration of the results of that type of cycling in Jay's disease forum.

Let the edict read:
When convicted in a reef court of law, old cycling science teachers will do 100 hours community service at the nearest zoo.

They will also provide to the court a 750 word essay, use spell check, within 4 weeks of conviction that details what they will do differently that that time. All first-go convictions can be erased after 90 days deferred adjudication if the essay demonstrates acceptable change of position.