I'm just as smart as that guy!! What the heck?

Rakie · Sep 1, 2018

It's not about being smart, it's about being afraid.

For twenty plus years people have said po4 was poison -- yet none of the predominant growers, vendors, or aquarists of the year believe that. Before that no3 was the devil. T5's at one point "would never be capable of sustaining life". Then LED's.

Nobody is more intelligent, or less so -- They're more timid, or less so.

With great risks come great rewards. Stop being such a reef pansy. Try something different. The guys who succeed and are looked up to certainly do...

Reef-junky · Sep 1, 2018

It’s not necessary about being the smartest anyway. If you have access to people who know more then you then you can be successful. I think that’s why things like this site attract people. I’ve seen a couple instances where rich people had the money to do something but not the technical knowledge and hire experts to do the job. They end up with great success.

cgdcinc · Sep 1, 2018

Every tank is different! It’s not the smartest or the strongest that survive.......It’s one most adept at change. It’s when we really become in tune with our set ups, that I think we have the most success.
No sooner than we think we have it figured out, that’s when we get kicked in the head and have to learn to adapt to a condition that we didn’t anticipate. Hopefully it’s not something catastrophic that we can’t come back from.
Words of wisdom after my second martini [emoji483]

DesertReefT4r · Sep 1, 2018

It is challenging keeping high demand creatures like corals alive and happy, part of the reason most of us enjoy reef keeping. As we learn more about how to keep a reef tank with researching, time and real world experience our tanks ride that up and down roller-coaster with us. Along with tank maturity and biological diversity many of us have ups and downs with coral health. I feel like I have a good knowledge of reef keeping and have over 10 years of real world reef keeping craziness to help guide me. Even so I am never 100% happy with my tanks and or corals. I see other tanks and wonder what am I missing!? But on the other hand that same person who's tank looks so nice to me will see my tank and think it looks great/better than their's and I'm like no way all my sps are brown right now.

Humblefish · Sep 2, 2018

Brew12 said:
Someone with a fish disease problem? Quote Humblefish

Everyone is "smart" in their own unique way. I know fish diseases, but I'm the last person you'd want helping build an aquarium stand.

Sallstrom · Sep 2, 2018

I think sometimes it seems like many look too much at those "smart guys" with great tanks, thinking "if I do the same my tank will look the same". It's a bit the same with following a "method" to 100% thinking that that will guarantee your tank to be successful.
I think everybody is smart enough to figure out their own method which works for their tank given some time. Your tank is your experiment. It's unique and you'll have to figure out how it works. Sometimes it takes a year, sometimes five years. Nobody knows your tank better than you

reefwiser · Sep 2, 2018

There is no smart person in all aspects of the hobby. Some people have promoted themselves in that way. But everyone makes mistakes and has learnings at different times in the hobby. We are all on a path with many different turns. At each turn we all make a choice based on what we learned from the last turn on the path we made. Many people are "smart" in one thing in the hobby but may be really stupid in another area of the hobby that they have yet to have a "learning experience" in yet.

MnFish1 · Sep 2, 2018

Brew12 said:
I feel no need to be smart, I borrow other peoples intelligence!

Someone with a fish disease problem? Quote Humblefish
Someone with a cyano problem? Quote Lasse
Someone with a chemistry question? Quote RHF
Someone with a lighting question? Quote Dana Riddle
Someone with a bacteria question? Quote Dr Tim

It's easy to look smart when you can copy and paste from people like this!

You forgot 'Someone with an electrical problem? Quote @Brew12'
.

MnFish1 · Sep 2, 2018

revhtree said:
"Wow you have an amazing tank" so are you smarter than me? I don't think so.

In this hobby you'll face trial and tribulations just like anything else in life. Joyous times and sad times. Growing times and just plain ignorant times! That being said have you ever seen someone else's amazing tank and think to yourself, "I'm just as smart as that guy?"

I don't mean this to sound bad or judgemental trust me, but I've known people and based on what I know about them and have seen of them I'm kinda shocked at how successful they really are when it comes to growing corals in their reef tank. There are many things we can successfully do in a reef tank but for argument sake let's talk GROWING CORALS! When I say growing corals I mean things like, corals are thriving, corals are colorful, corals are growing, etc.

So WHY oh why am I struggling to keep monti caps alive or keep basic "beginner" corals alive much less keeping them colorful? This is a rhetorical question because for some reason my "new" tank just started clicking and corals are growing and sps are colorful and coralline is the most dominant algae! My new, almost 1 1/2 year old tank is doing better than ever!

I'm just as smart right? So what the heck am I doing now that I wasn't doing then?

Honestly?

I'm hesitant to say because of the newer methods of maintaining a reef tank but for me I believe it's as simple an answer as this, water changes! Could that be the final piece to the puzzle? I've added more flow, I've added more equipment, I've added UV, I've tweaked my CUC, I've changed my filters, I've done this and done that but not until now have I seen glimpses of glory past. Glimpses of color and growth. Glimpse of, gasp, success?

Maybe the combo of gear and measures I have taken have finally equaled something more than negative? Maybe my aquarium is reaching maturity? Maybe the water changes have been the cherry on top of the proverbial reef tank cake! Maybe it's luck?

I don't know but one thing I do know is that my reef addiction is at an all time high! As you can tell by my ramblings, quotes and exclamation points I am fully persuaded that I am on the road to reef glory!

For those of you that care I started changing about 15% of water each week for a 60% monthly turn over. That's no small feat for me and my 400+ gallon system but man for now it seems totally worth it!

For those of you who will ask for photos.....soon! It's not amazing yet but frags are growing and colors are awesome! For now here is where it all began....

Would love to hear your thoughts on this?

Are you just as smart as "the other guy?"

I have come to the conclusion that I have become more successful the less I add to my tank. I think there is a lot to the chemical warfare that corals etc use to compete with each other that we dont understand well. Now that I have a group of 'animals' that seem to be able to survive in the same place they are all doing well. But - Certain Birdnest coral - I can add them - and within 2 weeks they are dead. Though they have thrived in another tank with the same parameters - and while all of the other corals in my tank are doing well.

alanbetiger · Sep 2, 2018

There's basic knowledge that everyone needs to know about. But at the end of the day we are building ecosystems in these small boxes and each have their own specific traits, good and bad. Adaptation is probably more important than being "smart". I think most people that have had multiple tanks over their life will notice that one type of fish or one type of coral did really well in one tank. Then when they set up a new tank/upgraded all of a sudden some other coral/fish did way better even though it's the same person in charge of everything.

Chukthunder · Sep 2, 2018

Hopefully I'm making mistakes and learning from them.

A tank's success or failure might be independent of the reefer, occurring because a member of your household is feeding the tank without your knowledge.

Reef-junky · Sep 2, 2018

Chukthunder said:
Hopefully I'm making mistakes and learning from them.

A tank's success or failure might be independent of the reefer, occurring because a member of your household is feeding the tank without your knowledge.

Put a lock on the fish food

; /

fish farmer · Sep 2, 2018

I saw a couple of amazing tanks in person many years ago. One was kept by a brain surgeon and the other was Todd's Reef ( another medical professional)....yes they were smarter than me, ha ha.

sfin52 · Sep 2, 2018

skimjim said:
I know the majority of seasoned Reef Central people (3000+ posts) all think they're God.....

(oh no he did'ant) Oh YES I did say that!

I highly dislike RC and their Knights-of the-Roundtable cliques. "Off with their head if they don't believe in what I believe in. Dilly dilly"

That's why I'm a R2Rer.....more Vendors. More Biologists. Friendlier crowd....Less flaming from PUNKS who it's their way of thinking or the Highway...

And R2R Tastes great, less filling, low carbs and GLUTEN FREE....

DILLY Dilly

sfin52 · Sep 2, 2018

I feel that all of us are smart as the other guy behind the phone or screen. If we are willing to listen to others and learn than we are just as smart . It's all about learning from observations and others that make us smart .

Katrina71 · Sep 2, 2018

I take my previous post back. I'm lighting challenged and sit in awe of those of you that are successful at it.

Slarti · Sep 3, 2018

Can there be something like 'to much advice/information'? Of course I need help but I have found when I start looking for said help it sometimes just plain confuses me and pushes me in a direction I never intended.

As for smarter? Maybe a little more experience but in the end I think every single tank is unique and sometimes trying to use a boilerplate solution just ain't going to do it for you. I had enough issues and tried enough 'solutions' to know some work well...some work for a while and then not, some did not work for me at all and some I did not even bother to try. In the end it comes back to the experience and a combination that works well for you.

I like the water changes as I get NSW and I think it puts back regularly whatever get taken out. I also started a process of cleaning the sandbed and boy was that a messy affair in the beginning. But slowly it improved and I am not there yet but I am much closer...

fishybizzness · Sep 3, 2018

Slarti said:
Can there be something like 'to much advice/information'? Of course I need help but I have found when I start looking for said help it sometimes just plain confuses me and pushes me in a direction I never intended.

As for smarter? Maybe a little more experience but in the end I think every single tank is unique and sometimes trying to use a boilerplate solution just ain't going to do it for you. I had enough issues and tried enough 'solutions' to know some work well...some work for a while and then not, some did not work for me at all and some I did not even bother to try. In the end it comes back to the experience and a combination that works well for you.

I like the water changes as I get NSW and I think it puts back regularly whatever get taken out. I also started a process of cleaning the sandbed and boy was that a messy affair in the beginning. But slowly it improved and I am not there yet but I am much closer...

As with everyone else at some point, I have recently been going through a lot of issues with my tank. I have been given alot of great advice on this forum and I am grateful. Have I followed it all, not fully. I fully believe that every tank is different and that I have to figure some things out on mine myself. It's an ongoing experiment. I was definitely at the point of getting out of this hobby but my wife encouraged me to stick it out. If something is not working, try something else is definitely working for me. I was using nsw and switched back to asw. I believe that something was coming in with the water, parasites pollutants, that was a factor in my new fish dying within a week or two of adding them. I will probably switch back eventually but for now everything is stable. Am I not as smart as the next guy, I don't think so. As stated previously, we all have our strong points. The fact that my tank is still running without a major crash for 1 1/2 years even after going through Irma and Maria and being without power for several months running the tank off of a generator makes me pretty darn smart imo..[emoji16]