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LoL
Scared I’m getting cold feet
- Thread starter Michael v
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LoL
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Welcome! My tank made me very anxious for awhile when I first got it and then happy as I added fish and saw corals grow and then sad when some fish died from ich and some corals starting doing worse.
What I’ve learned since getting the tank in August is to quarantine fish, go slow; there will be setbacks and you can recover from them! Many of my corals are doing better and so is my last fish!
What I’ve learned since getting the tank in August is to quarantine fish, go slow; there will be setbacks and you can recover from them! Many of my corals are doing better and so is my last fish!
Garbonzo
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You'll be fine. The best advise I can give is read, read, read. Sprung and Delbeek's "The reef aquarium" is a great reference. Be patient, don't try to change anything rapidly, and enjoy the process. We're all learning everyday
Vahanyos
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I’ve been doing this for a little over 2 years now. The best advice I can give is “less is more”. Get some rock and sand and get the tank filled, and let it cycle. Keeping a saltwater tank is “harder” but it doesn’t have to be. Only if you spend time chasing numbers, trying lots of unnatural remedies, techniques, etc...
Just get good flow, good lighting, and good rock and you’ll learn and have fun as you go. You have more than enough experience just from keeping freshwater tanks for that long.
Just get good flow, good lighting, and good rock and you’ll learn and have fun as you go. You have more than enough experience just from keeping freshwater tanks for that long.
Xmoji
Eat, Sleep, Reef
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Two things every reefer needs patience and money! Lol kinda, patience is a must, money really depends what you’re into. Nothing good happens fast in reefing.
It’s really kinda simple once you get to know and understand your tank. You got this!
It’s really kinda simple once you get to know and understand your tank. You got this!
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Totally normal.
A lot of times, new reefers feel like their tanks will walk the knife's edge in every detail. But the reality is that your initial tank will (ideally) have a pretty broad range that will allow it to survive. You've no doubt come across threads and conversations about parameters being within 0.1ppm variance or some other really limited level of forgiveness. The thing to remember about those tanks (and reefers) are that they have gone beyond the basic level. They are looking for very specific parameters because their tanks have evolved to the point that they require those limitations. But that's not true of EVERY tank. The vast majority of us (and it is US there - myself included) have tanks that fluctuate. Tanks that swing in alkalinity, calcium, salinity - and yes; even ammonia. We have these swings - and our tanks survive. They may not thrive, but they survive.
The first few years of reefing (and perhaps beyond) are more about learning about all the stuff you didn't know you didn't know. During this time, your goal should - in my opinion - be more about learning patience and fortitude. If you can push through the inevitable trials - though the equipment failures, vacation emergencies, and livestock losses - if you can survive all of that, then all the big things become little and the little things become your focus.
My suggestion is not to reef for what it will make of your tank - but for what it will make of you.
OP
OP
Michael v
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Totally normal.
A lot of times, new reefers feel like their tanks will walk the knife's edge in every detail. But the reality is that your initial tank will (ideally) have a pretty broad range that will allow it to survive. You've no doubt come across threads and conversations about parameters being within 0.1ppm variance or some other really limited level of forgiveness. The thing to remember about those tanks (and reefers) are that they have gone beyond the basic level. They are looking for very specific parameters because their tanks have evolved to the point that they require those limitations. But that's not true of EVERY tank. The vast majority of us (and it is US there - myself included) have tanks that fluctuate. Tanks that swing in alkalinity, calcium, salinity - and yes; even ammonia. We have these swings - and our tanks survive. They may not thrive, but they survive.
The first few years of reefing (and perhaps beyond) are more about learning about all the stuff you didn't know you didn't know. During this time, your goal should - in my opinion - be more about learning patience and fortitude. If you can push through the inevitable trials - though the equipment failures, vacation emergencies, and livestock losses - if you can survive all of that, then all the big things become little and the little things become your focus.
My suggestion is not to reef for what it will make of your tank - but for what it will make of you.
Thanks
