Where do you think the hobby is heading? Any predictions or observations?

[bushdoc]

Instant, inflatable live rock seeded with Dr Hansen’s Mycobacterium leprae will greatly simplify reef keeping.
Tactical LED lights will cause your coral growth to explode.
If for any reason you are not successful with Reefkeeping, you can always choose less expensive option of virtual reality set and have virtual tank managed by AI.

 

[Pipo5]

VARY VARY EXPENSIVE

 

[Dburr1014]

Everything gets shut down because of the snowflakes that think we are destroying the reefs and causing the earth to warm up and they think we are the reason the ice caps are melting.
There will be no more reef aquariums in a household. You will have to go to a museum to see anything that came from an ocean.

What a sad sad world.

 

[CoastalTownLayabout]

Everything gets shut down because of the snowflakes that think we are destroying the reefs and causing the earth to warm up and they think we are the reason the ice caps are melting.
There will be no more reef aquariums in a household. You will have to go to a museum to see anything that came from an ocean.

What a sad sad world.

and all that will remain will be two angry old men arguing over sand on an internet forum.

 

[CubsFan]

Everything gets shut down because of the snowflakes that think we are destroying the reefs and causing the earth to warm up and they think we are the reason the ice caps are melting.
There will be no more reef aquariums in a household. You will have to go to a museum to see anything that came from an ocean.

What a sad sad world.

Sounds like someone needs a hug.

 

[LadAShark]

Macro tanks are about to become much more popular.

Who said macro isn't starting to become more expensive? If you don't realize there are reasonably/cheaply prices vendors, you could easily pay $30+ for a tiny "frag" of something

I've literally seen bubble algae for sale, if I could remember the vendor I saw selling it.

 

[Dburr1014]

Sounds like someone needs a hug.

I'm here, waiting....

 

[brandon429]

I predict massive amounts of random antibiotics available online to any clicker with a debit card will be guess-dosed into a reef tank for any malady, circumventing basic spot checks such as salinity refract calibration, husbandry issues, temperature issues, parameter verification from calibrated digital meters, dosed into the tank in place of any sort of real troubleshooting that made the hobby last this long. several articles on the popular blogs are already doling out cipro undiagnosed and unmatched like so much pez candy, let this momentum build - totally resistant disease strains coming soon to a theater near you

rip reefing, 1962-2025.

 

[Lebowski_]

Instant, inflatable live rock seeded with Dr Hansen’s Mycobacterium leprae will greatly simplify reef keeping.
Tactical LED lights will cause your coral growth to explode.
If for any reason you are not successful with Reefkeeping, you can always choose less expensive option of virtual reality set and have virtual tank managed by AI.

Not just explode in colour, literally explode. Tactically. Lights come with a hand made, artisan leather strap, drop shipped from China, sold by some annoying dude on youtube with a beard.


Sadly, I think LFS' are under siege. I only buy livestock from LFS normally, but even I made my first online order this week because the prices justified the shipping and the selection was great.

I will really miss the social aspect of going to an LFS and talking shop.

 

[jpughmom757]

I believe the hobby is pricing itself out of reach by the average person. The order of magnitude for saltwater versus fresh water is unbelievable. The cost of equipment is baffling. The availability of fish and coral at reasonable prices is also. In the long run, I fear fewer and fewer people will get involved and creativity will suffer.

Hope I'm wrong, but the changes I've observed over just the past 3 years suggest otherwise.

I have a 175 chichlid tank in my wall that i have had for years and honestly i made the jump to salt water because atleast here in VA the price of chiclids and supplies has gone up to about the same if not more than some salt water. So i figured im guna spend the money anyway lol going to bring the ocean to me.

 

[TheScientificReefer]

I will really miss the social aspect of going to an LFS and talking shop.

I think a lot of LFS have to modernize as well. A good many of shops have done a great job of doing so too. But as knowledge expands a lot of reefers can recognize unhealthy corals and fish and will stop going to LFS that carry badly maintained stock. Because of that they'd rather order from reputable online vendors.
Not only that but maintaining a LFS long term is extremely hard to get into... Its a uphill battle no doubt whenever running a business revolving around livestock.

I love the aspect you brought up though there's nothing cooler than going to a LFS striking up a conversation with a fellow reefer and showing each other pictures of your tanks, exchanging information, and wishlists...etc

 

[paintman]

At some point......someone or some country will either figure out how .......or already has and is just waiting for the right moment....... to hack into our phones and the wifi/cloud and collapse/lockup everything including alll the blinky blinky contollers. And your all going to sit and wonder....."How did we get here" Waaaiiiittttt for it!

 

[Derrick0580]

Wholesalers are going to run lfs’s out of business with their pricing. They are setting their wholesale prices as if they only sell to retailers running coral farms like wwc or top shelf. Small mom and pop shops can’t be buying nice frags at $300 a pop when they can’t make $500 on it to just barely make a profit by the time you add 30% for shipping and other stupid fees. And the same small shops can’t keep ordering the same ole generic stuff week in and week out and keep their loyal customers happy.

 

[Derrick0580]

LFS's will dissapear, online vendors will get bigger and stronger, eventually will be 2-3 main vendors that will control prices. Customer service will continue to suck and get worse, and prices will forever increase.

Sounds like you are describing BRS!

 

[mangolove]

I see the hobby becoming more restrictive from collecting wild caught animals. I think it will eventually go to all or mostly captive bred and aquacultured.

This is interesting since last week I've read an article in the NY Times where they were saying : " Get the corals out of the ocean!" because of the massive coral bleaching events.... So I really would promote rescue and selling those corals before they bleach.