Dear New Hobbyists…

[corosato]

stepping back from chasing numbers is the best thing I ever did for my tank.....

 

[twentyleagues]

Wait so is it literally harmful to the water chemistry to put your hands in the tank? Been doing so to spot feed…

It can be. Depends on whats on your hands. But this is more figurative than actual.

 

[JayM]

Wait so is it literally harmful to the water chemistry to put your hands in the tank? Been doing so to spot feed…

I don't think putting your hands in is harmful, but it could be. It's all about the law of averages. The more you put your hands in, the more likely it is that you'll introduce something that you may not want there.

It's a good practice to keep things out of the tank that don't belong as much as possible.

 

[Troylee]

Be a thinker... not a tinker...

That’s seems to have you chasing your own tail in circles… lol

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

Wait so is it literally harmful to the water chemistry to put your hands in the tank? Been doing so to spot feed…

Depends on what’s on your hands. I always wash with soap and rinse thoroughly. My hands are in my tanks every other day to feed nori.

 

[GARRIGA]

That’s seems to have you chasing your own tail in circles… lol

Didn't say it was perfect

 

[exnisstech]

Great advice, but it's soooooo hard!

My routine is the same as always, yet nitrate went from low-mid teens to high 20's, phosphate from .1 something to high .2's in about 90 days. Everything looks as well as it ever has but thanks to reading too many conflicting posts here, I can't help but feel I'm staring at a ticking time bomb even though I know that I'm more than likely not.

I would just keep plugging away.
This tank had 22 nitrates and 0.3 PO4 when I tore it down a few months ago

I think one of the first mistakes people make is trying to control too much early on before the tank has a chance to mature and settle into a state of normalcy. Normalcy varies from tank to tank and trying to replicate someone else's numbers ussualy doesn't work, at least not for me. I have 3 tanks running and all have different levels.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Dear New Hobbyists,

Please limit tinkering with the chemistry of your reef tank. The old salts also said it this way. “Keep your hands out of the tank.” It’s for your own good and the good of your animals. Nothing happens fast in this hobby except nuisance algae and livestock death.

Relax, take a deep breath, stop trying to fix every little PH fluctuation and the like. Enjoy the process and learn as you go. You’re building a foundation for an amazing reef aquarium and that takes time!

Have a great day and happy reefing!

SO well said!!

 

[Malum Argenteum]

I can recommend chemistry sets for folks who do want to tinker with chemistry. lol

This one is OK, but the best reviewed sets are the ones that had a little piece of uranium in them, like this one. Most reviewers give them three thumbs up!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

This one is OK, but the best reviewed sets are the ones that had a little piece of uranium in them, like this one. Most reviewers give them three thumbs up!

I feel like I have heard about the Atomic Energy Laboratory before.

 

[JayM]

I would just keep plugging away.
This tank had 22 nitrates and 0.3 PO4 when I tore it down a few months ago

I think one of the first mistakes people make is trying to control too much early on before the tank has a chance to mature and settle into a state of normalcy. Normalcy varies from tank to tank and trying to replicate someone else's numbers ussualy doesn't work, at least not for me. I have 3 tanks running and all have different levels.

Yep. I'm just letting it ride. As of right now, the only losses I've had was a big chunk of GSP and a small piece of Pulsing Xenia (go figure ), and that was a month ago. Everything else is doing great aside from a battle with GHA which is manageable at the moment.

 

[Brine]

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Wait so is it literally harmful to the water chemistry to put your hands in the tank? Been doing so to spot feed…

In addition to folks pointing out what was more to be taken as a term to stop messing with the tank, as opposed to actual hands, I'll also post my personal thoughts on what not "chasing" numbers really means.

IMO, there's nothing wrong with working toward a target, as long as the way to get there and the target itself are appropriate.

it is never a problem to approach appropriate targets in appropriate ways. At worst it is wasted effort and money.

The problems arise with incorrect approaches or incorrect targets.

Incorrect approaches include, for example, raising pH with a buffer (or kalkwasser) without knowing it boosts alk and paying attention to the alk levels. Much of this aspect comes from manufacturer claims, which even if correct in some settings may not be appropriate in others that are not clarified.

Incorrect targets sometimes arise by trying to mimic another tank that one admires, but which may be different from your own tank in some important way. Undetectable nitrate or phosphate, for example, is fine is some tanks and a problem in others. Unit of measure confusion also can lead to incorrect targets. dKH vs meq/L for alk, for example. Folks posting values should always, IMO, post the units.

New reefers have a hard time knowing what are appropriate targets and approaches and often succumb to LFS recommendations or the easiest seeming solution or the one used on a tank they admire. They should be especially careful to know what is being suggested to them and why.

 

[tbrown]

Accroding to some posts I have read.

A lot of reefs are set up in a spur of a moment by the lfs con job.

This information is a difficult pill to swallow after being told how quickly it is to establish a reef by someone trying to make sales.

But it's a Nemo fish and they're super easy! And Anemones are a great beginner coral.

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

Dear New Hobbyists,

Please limit tinkering with the chemistry of your reef tank. The old salts also said it this way. “Keep your hands out of the tank.” It’s for your own good and the good of your animals. Nothing happens fast in this hobby except nuisance algae and livestock death.

Relax, take a deep breath, stop trying to fix every little PH fluctuation and the like. Enjoy the process and learn as you go. You’re building a foundation for an amazing reef aquarium and that takes time!

Have a great day and happy reefing!

I feel personally attacked by this post LOL

I am not a patient person. I got a lot more patient after having my baby, but it turns out a kid requires nothing like as much patience as it takes to tolerate setting up a new tank! Thankfully, my goal is to have a naturally-thriving ecosystem that doesn't require tinkering, or else I'd already have a cabinet of chemicals by now.

Quick question I'm sure someone in this thread will know the answer to: is it bad to dip my test sticks directly into the tank water? I've been too lazy to fill up the test tube first. Also, do I even need to be testing at all right now? My nitrites are at zero, nothing is going wrong, and there's no new livestock LOL.

 

[Goaway]

Quick question I'm sure someone in this thread will know the answer to: is it bad to dip my test sticks directly into the tank water? I've been too lazy to fill up the test tube first. Also, do I even need to be testing at all right now? My nitrites are at zero, nothing is going wrong, and there's no new livestock LOLOL.

The strips have reagents/chemicals on them. Its best to just use the tube to prevent the reagents from leaking into your aquarium water.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Wait so is it literally harmful to the water chemistry to put your hands in the tank? Been doing so to spot feed…

Personally I don't think so (assuming your hands are clean), I agree and believe what Randy said, it more implies that putting hands in the tank is to fidget and move things around. I think the general idea is "leave the tank alone", hence, 'keep your hands out of the tank'.

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

The strips have reagents/chemicals on them. Its best to just use the tube to prevent the reagents from leaking into your aquarium water.

I guess I do actually care about the well being of my tank inhabitants. But using the tube will involve putting my hands in the tank, haha.

 

[Stang67]

I hope once you get to "experienced" level you unlock the tinkering skill. I'm 5 yrs in and love to tinker with my Moonshine Method.

 

[Dom]

Dear New Hobbyists,

Please limit tinkering with the chemistry of your reef tank. The old salts also said it this way. “Keep your hands out of the tank.” It’s for your own good and the good of your animals. Nothing happens fast in this hobby except nuisance algae and livestock death.

Relax, take a deep breath, stop trying to fix every little PH fluctuation and the like. Enjoy the process and learn as you go. You’re building a foundation for an amazing reef aquarium and that takes time!

Have a great day and happy reefing!

Sage advice, Rev.

But we live in a world of instant gratification. People see a nice tank and feel they "have to have one". But they think of a reef tank like they think of a new flat panel TV; pull it from the box, plug it in and enjoy.

New reefers need to think of their tank as a garden that needs to be nurtured and allowed to mature into the abundant colors and aromatic blends we enjoy about a garden.