Americans vs Europeans

[The cats wrasse]

Dont get me wrong i love my country but is it just me or do we suck at reefing compared to Europeans when i look at our tanks (not mine) i see frag tanks on liverock ...10000 frag plugs of rare highlighter looking coral (scolly garden?) when european tanks seem like they actually try to capture the beauty of the reef over the harboring of rare coral ...just a thought wish i saw more coral in tanks than i did wooden plugs they treat it more like an art than a collection

 

[Neoalchemist]

I think there are just more Americans in their first couple of years of reefing that are super exited to post their pride. The population difference makes for many more American shares. I agree though, im reluctant to post pics of a tank that isn't grown in. I also don't like posting blue light shots because non reefers have no idea what they are looking at.

 

[BullyBee]

We have the same thing in the planted tank world. The grass is always greener on the other side. But it really always isn’t.

There’s probably euros saying the same thing You said about them, only about us.

 

[Neoalchemist]

Americans also have more of an "aquire stuff attitude" than many other nationalities. I like it and can get it therefore it is mine.
Many places dont have access to the American selection either.
We get first dibs on the glowy fire.

 

[The cats wrasse]

Americans also have more of an "aquire stuff attitude" than many other nationalities. I like it and can get it therefore it is mine.
Many places dont have access to the American selection either.
We get first dibs on the glowy fire.

Spot on it's more about the pokemon cards than the game (hoping you have experience in pokemon for that reference)

 

[35ppt]

Redacted

 

[mich2599]

Americans also have more of an "aquire stuff attitude" than many other nationalities. I like it and can get it therefore it is mine.
Many places dont have access to the American selection either.
We get first dibs on the glowy fire.

I agree. We tend to make impulsive buys that we regret a few days later.

 

[BullyBee]

Americans also have more of an "aquire stuff attitude" than many other nationalities. I like it and can get it therefore it is mine.
Many places dont have access to the American selection either.
We get first dibs on the glowy fire.

I respectfully disagree. We don’t have first dibs. Just look at the Philips Coral Care.

You are talking about two totally different schools of thought. For example, with planted tanks euros are all about low flow and filter floss. Americans are all about the horsepower and higher flow. Again the grass is not greener on the other side. It’s about finding the balance of what works.

For canister filters and what not Europe has way more. The American market is not easy to break into. They have the same stuff we have, if not more. A lot of Europe’s stuff is made in Europe too. A lot of out stuff is made in China.

 

[homer1475]

Americans have a "collect it before someone else does" mentality. And we tend to move on to different hobbies faster.

 

[35ppt]

Redacted

 

[BullyBee]

I believe he was speaking more about livestock than equipment.

Ahh gotcha. I was gonna say because I was just thinking how most people don’t even know hydor makes protein skimmers and a bunch of saltwater stuff we won’t see

 

[swiss1939]

I don't know if it is an American VS European thing or just personality styles universal across all cultures. Been on here a short time as I am researching to set up my first tank and I have to say that 90% of the tanks posted are way over stocked in a produce section display that you would see at a grocery store. It is great if you are "trading pokemon cards" like you say, but are very unattractive to step back and take in as a whole. Getting up and close to look at every little detail i'm sure looks great, but there isn't much consideration given to the whole picture. That is not a bad thing, but some people are more visual than others and this hobby seems to predominantly attract scientific and analytic minds more than visual and creative minds. I am willing to bet a lot of it is collector mentality, but I think a lot of it might also be attributed to a few other things:

1. Rock supply used is mostly bulky in generic boulder shapes or in branching styles that are overly "branchy". It takes a lot more rock (cost), work and time time really break up what you got and put that puzzle together in an aesthetically pleasing way. Most people want to throw that rock in the tank and get on with it, cause after all you got into the hobby to get fish and or coral in a tank.. not be a sculptor.

2. It takes a long time to let a tank grow out with what would most likely be appropriate stocking for your tank to get to the point where it looks great. Impatience leads to overstocking.

I'm hoping I will overcome the impatience regarding stocking my tank, and have already butted heads with generic size/shaped rock selections limiting the creativity of sculpting 3d space.

Either way, enjoy what you like and if one style suits you, pay no mind to the stuff that doesn't!

 

[The cats wrasse]

I don't know if it is an American VS European thing or just personality styles universal across all cultures. Been on here a short time as I am researching to set up my first tank and I have to say that 90% of the tanks posted are way over stocked in a produce section display that you would see at a grocery store. It is great if you are "trading pokemon cards" like you say, but are very unattractive to step back and take in as a whole. Getting up and close to look at every little detail i'm sure looks great, but there isn't much consideration given to the whole picture. That is not a bad thing, but some people are more visual than others and this hobby seems to predominantly attract scientific and analytic minds more than visual and creative minds. I am willing to bet a lot of it is collector mentality, but I think a lot of it might also be attributed to a few other things:

1. Rock supply used is mostly bulky in generic boulder shapes or in branching styles that are overly "branchy". It takes a lot more rock (cost), work and time time really break up what you got and put that puzzle together in an aesthetically pleasing way. Most people want to throw that rock in the tank and get on with it, cause after all you got into the hobby to get fish and or coral in a tank.. not be a sculptor.

2. It takes a long time to let a tank grow out with what would most likely be appropriate stocking for your tank to get to the point where it looks great. Impatience leads to overstocking.

I'm hoping I will overcome the impatience regarding stocking my tank, and have already butted heads with generic size/shaped rock selections limiting the creativity of sculpting 3d space.

Either way, enjoy what you like and if one style suits you, pay no mind to the stuff that doesn't!

If I could give any advice for someone starting a tank would be mushrooms are the best coral and if you want to see something grow in the mean time grab some finger leather ...I recomend buying your "growers" 1st as you can frag them and trade them for other stuff

 

[swiss1939]

I'd say that as a visual artist, I think a square in 2d space and cube in 3d space is a much harder frame to design a visually appealing composition for because the proportions between edges are so uniform which is by default a less appealing composition. So for aquascaping circumstances, a cube tank is going to generally be harder to make look great for a non-visual person, and those people maybe try a long wide tank to get easier visually appealing results from.

 

[35ppt]

Redacted

 

[swiss1939]

Agreed! The 40 breeder-ish dimensions are my favorite by a mile. 40 breeder, 4' 120, 6' 180 etc.

Not to sidetrack the thread too much, but I went with a cube Reefer 170 and found it much more challenging to design a scape for given all the elements you need to balance together both visually, physically and biologically. Trying to make it all fit in a cube without hitting the edges while being structurally sound, visually appealing to humans and marine life alike is no simple task. The 40 breeder I think is a good choice for someone less interested in aquascaping.

I'm also looking at the Mr. Aqua 12 gal rimless which is a very wide and short tank to create more widescreen style compositions which I think are great visually! Cause you can't just have one tank!

 

[TerraFerma]

Americans also have more of an "aquire stuff attitude" than many other nationalities. I like it and can get it therefore it is mine.
Many places dont have access to the American selection either.
We get first dibs on the glowy fire.

https://www.sewatec.com/ - a European aquarium equipment seller - seems to have all the stuff Bulk Reef has and much, much more.

 

[bob salzlein]

Dont get me wrong i love my country but is it just me or do we suck at reefing compared to Europeans when i look at our tanks (not mine) i see frag tanks on liverock ...10000 frag plugs of rare highlighter looking coral (scolly garden?) when european tanks seem like they actually try to capture the beauty of the reef over the harboring of rare coral ...just a thought wish i saw more coral in tanks than i did wooden plugs they treat it more like an art than a collection

Your right! Europeans have no interest in frags. Americans want frags and deep blue lights

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Your right! Europeans have no interest in frags. Americans want frags and deep blue lights

This is exactly the point I wanted to touch on. It seems that Americans have that capitalist mindset, that the minute something is fraggable, it's on a plug and sold for the highest price.

I wonder if the Europeans think of it the same way. I'm sure there are Europeans that think that way, but for example in my city, I know more "hobbyist" with frag tanks and less hobbyist with beautiful tanks. I wonder what that ratio is for them?

 

[The cats wrasse]

I hardly see sea fans and dull colors in their tank

This is exactly the point I wanted to touch on. It seems that Americans have that capitalist mindset, that the minute something is fraggable, it's on a plug and sold for the highest price.

I wonder if the Europeans think of it the same way. I'm sure there are Europeans that think that way, but for example in my city, I know more "hobbyist" with frag tanks and less hobbyist with beautiful tanks. I wonder what that ratio is for them?

yeah most people i know use 5$/lb fiji liverock as frag racks lol ....if im going to do a start from frags only kind of thing i might as well blend up all my coral dump it in the tank tunrn off the flow for a while and just see what grows in a year