Why are all Tanks of the month SPS dominant?

i cant think · Oct 1, 2022

Daniel@R2R said:
Hi everyone, I spearhead the effort to select Reef of the Month features. So let me try and answer some of the questions/criticisms raised in this thread.

First, how are tanks selected? Well, we rely primarily on you guys for nominations, so...if you see a tank you want featured, please do us the favor of nominating that tank HERE: Official REEF OF THE MONTH Nomination Thread!

We really do try to have diversity reflected in the reef of the month (both in the aspect of tank sizes as well as the type of livestock kept), and while I agree that the majority of the tanks featured are SPS dominant, I do think we do a fairly good job of keeping a fairly diverse group featured.

Now, why are most of the tanks we have featured SPS dominant and/or large systems? Frankly, because most of the ones nominated by you guys in the community fall into that category. You want more diverse tanks? Help us find the great ones to feature! I'm always on the lookout for awesome tanks that don't fit the "stereotypical ROTM" reef profile. By the way, October's ROTM is going to be something you guys will enjoy a lot I think!

You can check out all of our previous Reef of the Month features HERE: Reef of the Month Spotlights

Here are some examples of some of our Reef of the Month Spotlights that either aren't in the "large tank" category or aren't in the SPS dominant category (and sometimes not in either category):

From this year:

REEF OF THE MONTH - March 2022: Roberto Denadai's Beautiful 80-gallon SPS Reef

REEF OF THE MONTH - May 2022: Inland Reef's Amazing Coastal Lagoon

REEF OF THE MONTH - June 2022: Reefer_punk's Beautiful DSR Reef! No Water Changes in 4+ Years!

From previous years:

REEF OF THE MONTH - March 2021: Florida_Reef_Keeper Brandon McHenry's Amazing AIO SPS Reef!

REEF OF THE MONTH - April 2021: Jack Ravensbergen's Awesome Cube Reef!

REEF OF THE MONTH - May 2021: Tigahboy's Macroalgae Paradise!

Reef of the Month, April 2019, @alexandrfeist

January 2019 Reef of the Month: Michael J. Cuttone

R2R Reef Spotlight: PongPit's Amazing SPS Nano Reef

R2R Reef of the Month: Elder1945 - An Innovative Reefer's Spotlight - July 2018

Thankyou for answering some of our questions! Hopefully in the future we see more nominations for tanks outside of SPS heavy/only.
When do the nominations for November start?

Garf · Oct 1, 2022

Daniel@R2R said:
Hi everyone, I spearhead the effort to select Reef of the Month features. So let me try and answer some of the questions/criticisms raised in this thread.

First, how are tanks selected? Well, we rely primarily on you guys for nominations, so...if you see a tank you want featured, please do us the favor of nominating that tank HERE: Official REEF OF THE MONTH Nomination Thread!

We really do try to have diversity reflected in the reef of the month (both in the aspect of tank sizes as well as the type of livestock kept), and while I agree that the majority of the tanks featured are SPS dominant, I do think we do a fairly good job of keeping a fairly diverse group featured.

Now, why are most of the tanks we have featured SPS dominant and/or large systems? Frankly, because most of the ones nominated by you guys in the community fall into that category. You want more diverse tanks? Help us find the great ones to feature! I'm always on the lookout for awesome tanks that don't fit the "stereotypical ROTM" reef profile. By the way, October's ROTM is going to be something you guys will enjoy a lot I think!

You can check out all of our previous Reef of the Month features HERE: Reef of the Month Spotlights

Here are some examples of some of our Reef of the Month Spotlights that either aren't in the "large tank" category or aren't in the SPS dominant category (and sometimes not in either category):

From this year:

REEF OF THE MONTH - March 2022: Roberto Denadai's Beautiful 80-gallon SPS Reef

REEF OF THE MONTH - May 2022: Inland Reef's Amazing Coastal Lagoon

REEF OF THE MONTH - June 2022: Reefer_punk's Beautiful DSR Reef! No Water Changes in 4+ Years!

From previous years:

REEF OF THE MONTH - March 2021: Florida_Reef_Keeper Brandon McHenry's Amazing AIO SPS Reef!

REEF OF THE MONTH - April 2021: Jack Ravensbergen's Awesome Cube Reef!

REEF OF THE MONTH - May 2021: Tigahboy's Macroalgae Paradise!

Reef of the Month, April 2019, @alexandrfeist

January 2019 Reef of the Month: Michael J. Cuttone

R2R Reef Spotlight: PongPit's Amazing SPS Nano Reef

R2R Reef of the Month: Elder1945 - An Innovative Reefer's Spotlight - July 2018

My softy from 10 years ago, I loved it;

Daniel@R2R · Oct 1, 2022

i cant think said:
Thankyou for answering some of our questions! Hopefully in the future we see more nominations for tanks outside of SPS heavy/only.
When do the nominations for November start?

Nominations can be made at any time. There's no window for those. Just post them in here: Official REEF OF THE MONTH Nomination Thread!

In order for a tank nomination to be considered:

The tank must have an up-to-date build thread on Reef2Reef (an update within the last month). If you want to see a tank featured that doesn't have a build thread, invite the tank owner to start one HERE in the appropriate category.
There must be really good pictures of the reef.
The owner must be willing for their tank to be featured.

Miami Reef · Oct 1, 2022

@Daniel@R2R @maroun.c

You guys have been so helpful in explaining and answering our questions! Thank you so much!

Daniel@R2R · Oct 1, 2022

Check out October's ROTM: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/r...unlit-reef-a-living-memorial-to-kelly.939510/

Miami Reef · Oct 1, 2022

Daniel@R2R said:
Check out October's ROTM: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/r...unlit-reef-a-living-memorial-to-kelly.939510/

Wow!! I love this!

AKG · Oct 1, 2022

Lol why would you build a tank to appease others instead of yourself? That's why I'm so bad at tank updates.

Do what makes you happy and if someone wants you to be totm they will ask you. At the end of the day totm means nothing to me. My goals aren't aligned with anyone else's, and the same generally applies to everyone here between eachother. You don't need fancy equipment or even a sump or skimmer for a good looking tank and the sooner you realize that a good looking tank is almost exhaustively a function of time and care, the better it will become over time, and the more money you'll save to do the next tank, and the next tank, and the next tank.

And I promise you'll feel good not competing and comparing your tank directly with people who in some cases have been at this for 30++ years.

Rmckoy · Oct 1, 2022

Daniel@R2R said:
Check out October's ROTM: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/r...unlit-reef-a-living-memorial-to-kelly.939510/

I was trying to remember this build to nominate it .
the story For this build is also touching if I remember properly .

there is another 5000 gal concrete basement build that’s pretty cool as well

BaliReefBox · Oct 1, 2022

I can see/predict

a smaller non sps winner in the near future..

maroun.c · Oct 2, 2022

AKG said:
Lol why would you build a tank to appease others instead of yourself? That's why I'm so bad at tank updates.

Do what makes you happy and if someone wants you to be totm they will ask you. At the end of the day totm means nothing to me. My goals aren't aligned with anyone else's, and the same generally applies to everyone here between eachother. You don't need fancy equipment or even a sump or skimmer for a good looking tank and the sooner you realize that a good looking tank is almost exhaustively a function of time and care, the better it will become over time, and the more money you'll save to do the next tank, and the next tank, and the next tank.

And I promise you'll feel good not competing and comparing your tank directly with people who in some cases have been at this for 30++ years.

It was never intended to be a competition and it isn't. It's a fun article and recognition of ones effort. It also is a chance for people to get a one stop look, at years of progression of a tank as well as successes and failures and also get to see equipment choices and different methodologies of many successful tanks.
I joined forums around 20+ years back and I other than the photography subforums I spend most of the time in tank build threads and TOTM threads and believe that allowed me to be much more informed and better plan and run my tanks. There was years I had a small tank that made me happy and that was perfectly fine and then other years that I invested more time and effort in bigger nicer tanks and thats was also fine abd rewarding. I run multiple tanks now, one of which is my 400 G that made TOTM few months back yet I enjoy my other smaller tanks as much.
My tank got chosen for TOTM couple times earlier but i still felt it wasnt there and asked to delay it.
My latest tank is a smaller cube which will have more softies and lps and is planned to beat all my other tanks in terms of scape, coral selection, fish selection.... so definitely not about size or sps but about keeping healthy inhabitants and caring for their wellbeing first, then having something that makes one's happy. If it ends up making other people notice it aNd get chosen for TOTM then why not, it's a somehow logical result of years of effort and not an aim.

Daniel@R2R · Oct 2, 2022

BaliReefBox said:
I can see/predict a smaller non sps winner in the near future..

Are you nominating one?

That would be helpful.

hart24601 · Oct 2, 2022

It’s a great point and while I was totm 2014 era sps tanks were still not common. Honestly most the featured tanks with acro only all blend together for me now and it would be refreshing to see some variation in totm or highlighted tank. I think a large part is newer reefers gravitate to the most expensive and hardest as the pinnacle of the hobby but once folks have been around a while it’s easy to get jaded by fake vendor pics, orange filters and unrealistic corals.

i cant think · Oct 2, 2022

Just wanted to add some more softie and LPS love with some of the basics

If theyre not great photos then the reason why is these are just test photos for a new filter.

brucey · Oct 2, 2022

Paleozoic_reefer said:
Let me propose to R2R to create a “Softie Reef of the Month”! I’ve seen some incredible softie tanks, nem tanks, and mixed reef tanks not only in this forum but on social media sites as well. We gotta spread the love so beginners know that there are alternatives in this hobby.

And a mixed reef TOTM

On balance much harder to keep everything happy rather than just a load of acros

i cant think · Oct 2, 2022

brucey said:
And a mixed reef TOTM

On balance much harder to keep everything happy rather than just a load of acros

This. Keeping leathers with stony coral has proven MUCH harder to achieve than keeping a tank full of Sticks. I now have no problem with keeping both (so far) however in the earlier stages of my 4’ tank when almost everything was frags 2 years ago, it was so much harder to get everything thriving. Now I have colonies of almost everything and it is easier to deal with as die off can be solved quite fast at the rate some of the coral grow. I will admit my tank isn’t what someone would expect in a mixed reef tank but I prefer to have my showing tank being a natural looking reef which shows off all the coral types you may find out diving.

Perry · Oct 2, 2022

Eye of the beholder, like art, to some a masterpiece is just wall decor, while others consider valuable. Acro keeping to me is as captivating as it was in 2005 when my salt journey began. A year later, I was introduced to sps, and still hooked. My favorite acro dominant tank of all time.
Credit:

Krzysztof Tryc Tank

Article/Author: Ricardo Pinto Reefs.com 2011

Daniel@R2R · Oct 2, 2022

Good morning, friends. I want to point out that since this thread was started, no new nominations have been made. If you are aware of tanks that we should be featuring as ROTM (especially ones that are different from the perceived norm) then please nominate those tanks.

Nominations can be made at any time. Please post them in here: Official REEF OF THE MONTH Nomination Thread!

In order for a tank nomination to be considered:

The tank must have an up-to-date build thread on Reef2Reef (an update within the last month). If you want to see a tank featured that doesn't have a build thread, invite the tank owner to start one HERE in the appropriate category.
There must be really good pictures of the reef.
The owner must be willing for their tank to be featured.

doubleshot00 · Oct 2, 2022

Daniel@R2R said:
Check out October's ROTM: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/r...unlit-reef-a-living-memorial-to-kelly.939510/

That one was a long time coming. My top 5 favorite tanks on here.

i cant think · Oct 2, 2022

Daniel@R2R said:
Good morning, friends. I want to point out that since this thread was started, no new nominations have been made. If you are aware of tanks that we should be featuring as ROTM (especially ones that are different from the perceived norm) then please nominate those tanks.

Nominations can be made at any time. Please post them in here: Official REEF OF THE MONTH Nomination Thread!

In order for a tank nomination to be considered:

The tank must have an up-to-date build thread on Reef2Reef (an update within the last month). If you want to see a tank featured that doesn't have a build thread, invite the tank owner to start one HERE in the appropriate category.

There must be really good pictures of the reef.

The owner must be willing for their tank to be featured.

Is there any specific time that a tank has to be set up for?