Reef Aquarium Discussion

[ddrueckh]

I noticed a trend. When someone posts pictures of their tank (a big beautiful SPS tank), questions asked by fellow hobbyist tend to be about what parameters the tank is kept at and what equipment is in use. While these things are important, I feel we put too much emphasis on these items.

I think we can all agree there is a range that parameters can be kept in. As long as you maintain “stable” parameters within that range, you should be successful.

I think we can also agree that as long as you have decent equipment, you should also be able to have a successful reef. Switching from one brand skimmer to another brand probably won’t magically make your reef like the one mentioned above.

Why don’t we ask more questions regarding maintenance and methodology? Since we have seen very beautiful tanks using a variety of equipment, Isn’t it more important to know what type of system is being run and what methods are used to achieve success rather than what brand LED lights are being used etc? Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[P-Dub]

I noticed a trend. When someone posts pictures of their tank (a big beautiful SPS tank), questions asked by fellow hobbyist tend to be about what parameters the tank is kept at and what equipment is in use. While these things are important, I feel we put too much emphasis on these items.

I think we can all agree there is a range that parameters can be kept in. As long as you maintain “stable” parameters within that range, you should be successful.

I think we can also agree that as long as you have decent equipment, you should also be able to have a successful reef. Switching from one brand skimmer to another brand probably won’t magically make your reef like the one mentioned above.

Why don’t we ask more questions regarding maintenance and methodology? Since we have seen very beautiful tanks using a variety of equipment, Isn’t it more important to know what type of system is being run and what methods are used to achieve success rather than what brand LED lights are being used etc? Thanks for your thoughts.

Truedat...

 

[Servillius]

Most of us can ride a bike. I bet none of us can describe the knowledge necessary to tell another person how to stay balanced on one. We can suggest ways to learn, but how you stay up is personal knowledge. We all learn it on our own.

Some things about keeping a tank feel like that. I read 10 people saying X. After years of doing it, I bungle into X and only then does what they were saying make any sense.

Crossing that gap and communicating effectively about the ways to maintain a tank requires some pretty dry, boring process control discussions. People don’t frequently seem interested in those.

 

[Waters]

I think the reason why a lot of those questions are asked is because they come from people newer to the hobby......they aren't even thinking about maintenance so much yet....more so just wanting to make sure they are on the right path. I do agree that there are a range of numbers that you can be successful with but a lot can be gained from knowing what equipment and numbers are working for other hobbyists. Just because a range of temperatures for example will work, one species of coral might like it closer to 76 while another might like it closer to 80. Another example would be ALK........there is a huge swing that you can be successful with but a lot changes in the water chemistry from one extreme to the next.