I’m not sure it’s a generational thing—plenty of Gen Z reefers are as passionate and responsible about the hobby as older generations. Regardless of generation, the true problem lies in social media trends and fishkeeping fads that offer poor advice, and social media as a whole has diminished the critical thinking skills and common sense of many individuals, both young and old. I would hardly say that “newer generations are getting dumber”, as myself and many other young reefers are as knowledgeable in maintaining a thriving reef system as many before them, and aspire to be as great. We tend to see negative trends and apply them to younger people, but I’m sure there are plenty of older individuals entering the hobby with the same inexperience and misinformation as young people.
Now I can’t speak on behalf of gen alpha and how they would turn out as reefkeepers. I certainly agree that social media has brought about a need for instant gratification that is not sustainable for fishkeeping, but I do think with the proper education and experience, even younger, more technology-dependent generations can still become great reefkeepers.
The hobby itself also evolves. One could also make the claim that older generations are less responsible, relying on habits and practices now deemed unsafe for reef tanks or even the reef keeper. So the debate about with generation is more responsible in the hobby is quite subjective and it is hard to definitively say. I think regardless of generation, you’ll see an equal amount of good reefkeepers and bad reefkeepers, and it’s really more up to the education of that individual and their willingness to learn about the hobby & its best practices and pursue it long-term.
Classic boomer
