Reefkeeping Fads??

[returnofsid]

First, a disclaimer: This thread is designed to allow controversy and debate, as long as it's done respectfully.

Most of us are aware that, even in our hobby, Fads exist. Some of these fads are types of corals going into and out of style, some fads deal with lighting or other types of equipment.

What are some of these fads?

How have you given into a specific hobby related 'fad?'

Do you feel these fads are good or bad for our hobby and why?

How have these fads effected our hobby, as a whole?

Have any of these fads need particularly positive or negative, towards the natural ecosystem?

Do we, as hobbyists, have control over any or all of these fads and how they effect our hobby?

As an example of a possible fad in the reefkeeping hobby...

15 years ago, Acans were difficult to sell, because no one liked them. Some fish stores would typically give them away or sell them very inexpensively, as a loss leader item, just to get customers in the door. I don't believe that Acans are naturally any more beautiful now, than they were 15 years ago, so what's happened?

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

I think that acans have acclimated more to captivity, and improved in coloration, just like chalices. Not a fad with some of the colors I see

 

[emerald525]

Great thread. I have always like acans by the way and it was one of the first corals I bought. I agree there seems to be the next latest and greatest thing. Right now as far as lighting I feel like people are going crazy for LEDs. Don't get me wrong, I have seen some sweet LED setups but personally I think I'm going to wait it out and see how the technology goes and expect the prices for fixtures to drop.

 

[Aquaph8]

Acans are that coral that I love looking at but never buy cause its the first thing that gets eatin by that rouge fish. Just like everything else in this hobby, they got big when they got a name. On top of that lighting got better and we get better colors out of our corals than we did back then, and knowlege in general also got better and more wide spread thanks to awesome forums like this one.

As far as fads go sometimes I feel we do lose out a bit when corals/fish/equipment get marked up 500% but at the same time it keeps people from going in and buying a ton of stuff and not taking care of it. We as hobbiest owe it to our animals to care for them the best we can and I think people take a lot better care of that fish if it cost $200 as opposed to $20. I can tell you how many times I went in a LFS back in the day and saw someone buying 10 fish for a tank that wasn't even cycled yet. Yeah it cost more in the end but it slows a lot of us down to a pace where we should responsibly be at IMO.

Love those fish like you would your dog, they are amazing creatures.

 

[returnofsid]

I'm glad LED lighting has been brought up. Of all the 'fads' that our hobby has seen, though I don't think LEDs will be a 'fad', I do feel that this one is a good one for our hobby and the environment, as a whole. I believe that most fads have more of a negative impact on our hobby AND the ecosystem. LEDs, IMO, will have a good impact, as interest in them grows. I hope that we find that LED lighting is much more environmentally friendly than the types of lighting LEDs replace.

Now onto what I believe was a very negative 'fad.' A few years back, Benghai Cardinals went through a fad. Shortly after they were 'discovered,' everyone had to have them, well, because they're just so darned cool looking. Unfortunately, even though they're easily bred in captivity, the wild populations were decimated and continue to be so. Fortunately, their 'fad' status has ended or at least slacked off, so hopefully the wild populations will be given a chance to recover.

 

[brahm]

I've tried to post something 2 times now, but I end up just ranting so I'll keep it simple.

1) Basically yes there are fads different things become more popular over time as others fade
2) You are wrong about acans. NO Acanthestreas were coming in ID'd as such until the mid/late 2000's. It took me many conversations and requests with wholesalers to try to get there attention in regards to bringing in acans to keep up with the demand. So much so I was offered to help WS @ Bali facility learn how to ID them. (I unfortunately did not get to Dave up on this )
3) I used to buy (and sell) corals like this from the wholesalers all the time back in the days.. This is from 06' It cost me 20-30$. I would have sold the ENTIRE piece for 80-100. These days If I had taken a "NICE" photo w/a little shop "adjustments", of say a selective cut frag of the "best part" via a macro lens I could command 100's per eye.

and this is the acan that started it all for me I bought it as a "blasto" back in the days.

 

[M@!]

LFS told me he used to give away picasso's for nothing. Nobody wanted weird looking clowns. Can anybody validate?

 

[lawnman]

I like the fads when it comes to corals it keeps the hobby fun. But i am one of those people that likes to have the latest and greatest and will pay for it. When it comes to LED lighting I could care less about the fake thunderstorms. When I first started the acans were the it coral. Now it seems like chalice is it. I myself get really wrapped up in the zoa paly fad. I personally think R2R members follow these fads more than other forums especially the chalice. I am on another forum where it is hard to give chalice away. I really like the naming of corals with crazy names which I see used here alot more than other sites. If you want to know what the latest fad is R2R is the place to find it. I love this place.

 

[iamvictor2k]

speaking of clown fish. they were a fad( yet still popular) brought on by a movie finding nemo. allot about clowns have changed and adapted since the movie was released.
I believe before the craze fad of clowns he probly would have had to get rid of "funny, or different looking" clowns. i think it had a positive impact on the environment as they werent commonly breed back then.

 

[ca2or]

LED's aren't a fad. But sales on MH's are going to be

 

[brahm]

LFS told me he used to give away picasso's for nothing. Nobody wanted weird looking clowns. Can anybody validate?

Funny you should say that. I used to be an ORA dealer back in the days. The "defects" were pennies on the dollar then the ones with the "perfect" lines.

 

[Cyber-Burn]

I think there are and have been several fads in our hobby, some of them good some of them bad. I think the LED fad going on right now is good because it is driving R&D and making manufacturers want to chase the dollar with better products. I for one moved to LEDs because of the energy consumption and what I perceive as benefits of the systems.
Corals wax and wane from popularity in fad status as well. As well as most everything else in our hobby. Skimmers? Filtration? DSBs and Bio pellets, there is always something that is the newest best thing for your reef. I'm not saying its bad because it keeps the hobby alive and the vendors in business but our hobby is rife with "fads".

 

[returnofsid]

So let's hear some other opinions about fads that our hobby has experienced, past and present!

Hmmmm, what are member's opinions of what the "next fad" might be?!

 

[brahm]

Lithophyllon and Leptoseris, they are like chalices but a little more interesting. They have a little bit of movement to them, encrust, plate.. etc. Eat and grow quickly. And there are some very interesting ones out there.

If there was a Fad I would like to see catch on it. It would be minimal speices tanks. I've always wanted to have a very mature tank with a total 3-5 very complimenting corals vs the current trend of pack in as many amazing pieces as and once they grow they all just blur together. (Of which I am a victim off).

But just picture a bare buttom tank with an acan or a chalice encrusting the entire bottom, 1 or 2 nice looking rocks with a platting acro or monti on one side, and a birds nest on the other, with a high light anenome or some sort of high like bright coloured coral ontop of the whole thing...and just a few fish who's colours contrast the colour of the corals to make everything just really pop.

 

[Jlax132]

How about the crazy chalice fad and chalices like my Miami sellin for $500 and eye. So many designer names and so many people rushing to have the latest and greatest chalice. That's why the tag is so pricy, a simple fad people are having. 5 years from now I am going to porbably be buying a my Miami chalice with 5 eyes for $50 because the whole fad wil end. Just my opinion.
Jeff

 

[emerald525]

There have been a lot of denitration fads. I remember reading about vodka dosing and then suddenly the biopellets took off. I heard rave reviews and I heard where it didn't work well for other people over time. I have not tried either as I find with regular water changes and a big skimmer I don't have too much trouble. As the saying goes. If it ain't broke don't fix it!

 

[brahm]

A lot of people still do VSV (or any combination of ) It's not a fad. If you want to have a heavily stocked SPS tank where you feeding a lot to keep your fish and corals healthy but require the ability to lower nutrients greater then what water changes alone can do. This is the way to go, that or biopellets, or probido, or zeo. Basically any sort of carbon/bac dosing. They are all different means to the same end, but ti's not something everybody needs. My current tank has a very low bio load in terms of fish so I can get away with just water changes/gfo/carbon. I couldn't do that on my old system.

 

[Captain Nemo]

Personally I believe that the "fads" are all dreamt up by the wholesalers and the production companies. What I mean is that a wholesaler gets a weird fish in, gives it a nifty name, and markets it as "rare", demand skyrockets and so does the price. Same with production companies, howerver the good news about them is that these fads drive the R&D and push them to want to make the sell and to market the next big thing. As far as the next big fad, I think someone will discover some type of coral with crazy colors, like the rainbow acans or something, and say its from the dead sea and the only living coral from there or something like that, LOL!

 

[my2girls]

I personally think R2R members follow these fads more than other forums especially the chalice.

I cut up lawnman's quote but definitely agree that R2R caters to fads. There was a thread the other day about 2012 top 10 zoas. What is that? I didn't post to it because it would have come off bad, real bad. Sometimes this forum makes me sick. I have no patience for those following fads who have living stamp collections. Call me a hater, I don't care. I remember when Sunny D was an orange drink, not a zoanthid.

I went to see a fellow reefer's tank the other day and he didn't have a single named coral. He also isn't online so he has no clue about the name game. It was refreshing to see that he just cared about the animals and how to care for them.

That's my rant. I feel better now.

 

[cdness]

I don't think MH, LED, or T-5 are fads at all. I think they are all the progression into more energy efficiency. LEDs are the future and MH will be at some point the past when LEDs have matured enough to convert the die hards...\

Another fad could be the fake corals. It seemed like they popped up for awhile then just dropped off the face of the earth.