What separates aquarists with thriving tanks vs those that are falling apart?

[Art2249]

Here is my frag QT at 5 months old. Cycled with frozen shrimp and marine pur spheres in the back

 

[ReefWithCare]

The more natural the tank (liverock, fuge/scrubbers) the more successful I had seen. I don’t see many toy like tanks do well long term because the hobbyist burns out all in the equipment upkeep and expense while I see mostly natural systems do fine with no water changes long term.

 

[theKoolAidMan]

Education and preparation. Being mindful of the changes you make and the effects they can have, and then having the knowledge and plan with how to deal with those effects. Most things you do to your tank have effects beyond those intended. Reefers who are either A. Lucky, or B. prepared are able to have success IMO.

 

[VSVP bet]

Love that this thread has turned into a photo thread!

This tank has been up and running for 18 months. Mixed reef, becoming increasingly sps-dominant.

8 months in on this one. Mixed reef again, anemone and clownfish dominant. Clowns were just added recently, only just starting to accept the BTAs.

Love the stags, what lights do you run.

 

[saltyhog]

If I had to say just one thing it would be EXPERIENCE. That quality seems to supply many of the other ones needed...patience, objectivity, level headed thinking, knowledge, etc, etc.

That said, even that is not the end all. I have a friend in our reef club that has many years more experience than me but can't keep GSP alive, loses fish all the time.

Another quality I don't think I saw mentioned is effort. While systems can be simplified and physical work can be minimized, keeping a reef tank (especially one with lots of SPS) requires effort of some kind...maybe mental, physical, emotional or all the above.

 

[TheHarold]

I think it might just be an IQ thing. Those who can understand basic things they need to do to keep critters healthy, versus those who don't.

 

[TheHarold]

Dedication, decades of knowledge and past experiences

I dont agree with this at all. With basic research, it is very easy to keep a healthy reef. You dont need decades of knowledge LOL. The hobby is NOT rocket science.


If it took you decades to figure out how to keep a fish tank........ erm.... I wish you the best.

 

[Super Fly]

For me it was all about PATIENCE while trying to grasp understanding of aquarium chemistry (exporting waste) and recognizing that what works for others may not work for me.

 

[HB AL]

I dont agree with this at all. With basic research, it is very easy to keep a healthy reef. You dont need decades of knowledge LOL. The hobby is NOT rocket science.


If it took you decades to figure out how to keep a fish tank........ erm.... I wish you the best.

If it makes you feel better
quoting and responding to my opinion in the manner you did without knowing me, then I hope you feel better. I'm just gonna leave it at that.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

A week after my 110 decided the bottom wanted to shoot a crack across it and downsized to a 90 for the time being. PH and Alk went a hair low in the process, but nothing to go crazy about. I do miss all my coralline on the back glass though. Luckily I scraped the old tank and put it all in this one. Now for it to grow.

 

[TheHarold]

If it makes you feel better
quoting and responding to my opinion in the manner you did without knowing me, then I hope you feel better. I'm just gonna leave it at that.

Then you could explain why it takes decades to learn to keep a reef

 

[hart24601]

I have found personally that when I visit local reefs houses and if they have a system that isn’t doing well a single question generally is all I need. When is the last time you did a waterchange?


Now it’s not that waterchanges are the only key to a healthy reef, however it shows the level of enjoyment and engagement the person has with the tank. Generally in poor systems the person says “I don’t remember”. Thriving tanks will say either a specific date or specific reasons for not doing one like moving to a no WC method or combating something like dinos and are watching for changes.


I guess overall it’s having interest in the system, however the waterchange question is one of the best I have found. Sure there are people that are not quite there with keeping some coral and are really trying, but they will get there in time.

 

[rkpetersen]

Love the stags, what lights do you run.

AI Hydra 26HD x 3 on a modified AB+ spectrum, 12 hrs, plus 4 T5 bulbs (B+ x 3, actinic x 1) currently running 2 hours midday but slowly ramping that up. Photos were taken with an orange cell phone filter.

 

[cracker]

I have an example. in my reef tank (experimental) , I have difficulty getting the alk where I want it. 7.8 or so . It likes to stay at 7.3 .I need to realize that's what this setup wants & leave it be. I "think" it's too low,but that's what it likes. another example of " working with" the tank & stop fighting it .

 

[Rcpilot]

I'm shocked at the lack of patience in this hobby. A lot of the problems people have stem from impatience.

Another big one is willful ignorance. People just can't be bothered to put in the time for research. It's all here in the forum. Pick a topic... somebody has already thought of it and written about it. Search button is your best source of information and its FREE. People that are too busy to research and educate themselves, are too busy for a reef IMO.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Experience - Patience - Stability - research - Proper equipment and asking questions if not sure.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER IN THIS INDUSTRY !!!

 

[Bruce Burnett]

I think the tanks with the most tinkering, testing and tweeking do the worst and have the most problems and many Noobs fall into this category.

I agree other than feeding cleaning glass and keeping ato topped off I bet I don't spend an hour a month on the rest of it.

 

[wom001]

Havent read the entire thread but my tank went from Meh to Amazing when i realized that reef fish and hard and not as delicate as many say. Consistency is key, more importantly light and salinity consistency. Dont skip the small things and plan things out and stick to the plan.

 

[Paul B]

I agree other than feeding cleaning glass and keeping ato topped off I bet I don't spend an hour a month on the rest of it.

I would say half an hour.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Its not all of them but the ones i can remeber are glenn f, and paul b use ozone. Both tanks are old. Its possible its because of organic load and that others who dont use it simply perform water changes to compensate for organic removal.

I believe glennf stopped using ozone on his systems years ago.