Back to the basics...and beyond?

[hart24601]

Woot for GRIS shout out, horrible about AC&C as others have talked about. You lost me a bit with the stability blog (hey we can disagree - I don't consider stability and lack of husbandry the same), but got me back with this one. I picked up a copy of "The reef aquarium, vol 3" and it's shocking to me how much good advise is in that book complete with references and details like sump plumbing. I bet 25-50% of questions on forums (aside from LED lighting) are answered in that book but with considerably and consistently more detail and less confusion. It's easy to look at threads and pick out what posts give decent advise and which ones are trouble, but that comes with experience. It surprises me how many reefers think books are out of date, but I think they are more valuable than ever to get a basic level (through advanced if desired) of knowledge and not have to sift through all the good and bad internet posts. [FONT=Arial, sans-serif] [/FONT]

 

[uniquecorals]

Woot for GRIS shout out, horrible about AC&C as others have talked about. You lost me a bit with the stability blog (hey we can disagree - I don't consider stability and lack of husbandry the same), but got me back with this one. I picked up a copy of "The reef aquarium, vol 3" and it's shocking to me how much good advise is in that book complete with references and details like sump plumbing. I bet 25-50% of questions on forums (aside from LED lighting) are answered in that book but with considerably and consistently more detail and less confusion. It's easy to look at threads and pick out what posts give decent advise and which ones are trouble, but that comes with experience. It surprises me how many reefers think books are out of date, but I think they are more valuable than ever to get a basic level (through advanced if desired) of knowledge and not have to sift through all the good and bad internet posts. [FONT=Arial, sans-serif] [/FONT]

Excellent points! I think having a good foundation (provided by some of the excellent books out there, among other sources) provides the knowledge the reefer needs to ask more questions, postulate theories, and solve problems...LOL about losing you on the Consistency piece...Hey, that's the beauty of the hobby- you can have multiple approaches and opinions and still be in agreement on some while disagreeing on others...Also, a lot of my opinions have been tempered in recent years by my experiences in large scale coral cultivation at Unique Corals. Patterns do emerge that are somewhat different than what I have been used to seeing in home aquaria over the decades...so it gives me a different perspective..And heck, even a stodgy old guy like me changes his philosophies- er- evolves them- over time...Part of the fun, I guess!

Thanks for being a long for the ride- and go right on sharing your opinions! That is what makes this hobby- and this forum- for that matter- so enjoyable!

Thanks!

Scott