SO much to learn!

Judy@SYA · Aug 26, 2015

Greetings to everyone. I guess it's time to introduce myself. I've been lurking for a while now and feel like I'm not going to learn any more without just diving in, so to speak.

My name is Judy (guess you figured that part out already!). This past spring, I started working for an aquatic shipping company and began to explore the world of aquatics, including online websites. Before this, fish tanks in general, and reef tanks in particular, were always something admired from afar. But now, I'm totally addicted and I'm so looking forward to the day when I can have some of these little pools of paradise in my own home.

Before that though, there is SO much to learn. Everything is new. I sometimes feel like an elementary student dropped off in a college calculus class...eager to learn, but lost amid a sea of technical terms and acronyms. I've been reading...a lot. But I'm a hands-on sort of learner. Trouble is..."hands on" in this case can get extremely expensive extremely fast. I'm also a military spouse with frequent cross-country moves, so giant aquariums are out of the question until that mythical age of "retirement" (which could be just around the corner, or a decade away, depending entirely on how his career progresses).

Put me in a room full of reptile enthusiasts, and I can talk lizards and snakes, turtles and tortoises, all day long. I'm well versed in exotic husbandry. But even so, the world of aquatics seems alien and terribly complex.

It's hard to know how to participate with absolutely nothing to offer of myself at this time. But participation is the only way I know to start really learning. So I'm open to all suggestions! Maybe I can find a place for a small 15 or 20 gallon aquarium to start learning the basics of real aquatic husbandry. One thing I know for sure, I won't tolerate a simple goldfish or beta in a bowl. If my creatures can't live rich and healthy lives, then I won't even try keeping them.

Point me in the right directions, and please bear with me as I start asking lots of very elementary questions!

hybridazn · Aug 26, 2015

Welcome to r2r!

We are here to help! Dont be afraid to ask anything

143MPCo · Aug 26, 2015

Welcome to reef2reef!!!

Good info here:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/o...-reef-aquarium-by-randy-holmes-farley.173563/
https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/291/

RareEarthCorals · Aug 26, 2015

Welcome, we must all walk before we can run. Your questions will always elicit helpful answers, but as always research and verify. I believe its the best way to learn the hobby and the different opinions. Welcome we are glad to have you here.

Judy@SYA · Aug 26, 2015

Thanks for the warm welcomes! I hear you and totally agree on "research and verify". In the reptile world, you can get a lot of different answers to a single question, and that doesn't mean only one is right and all the others are wrong, but it takes effort and personal responsibility to figure out WHICH answers are the best ones.

Flashy Fins · Aug 26, 2015

Welcome! There's so much information out there, good and bad, that you should know upfront you will make some mistakes once you start, and that's ok! I researched for over a year before starting my first tank and would still do some things differently if I started today. It's all part of the learning process, and very rarely does someone set up a tank that does not evolve into something else entirely within a few years.

Some people get their first tank and then decide what to put in it. I think it is better to decide what you want to keep, then get your tank with those inhabitants' needs in mind. Fish that swim around prefer longer tanks over taller ones, for instance. If you like corals that need to be on the sandbed, such as open brain corals, you'll want a larger footprint, rather than extra vertical space, so you have more room on the sand to place those corals. Stuff like this is usually thought of after someone starts their first tank, but when they start a second tank (happens to most of us), you see them going about it differently. Even in the 15-20 gallon range, some tank dimensions are much better than others for particular livestock.

Any livestock in mind? Do you think you'll start with just fish, or do you plan to go for corals, too?

Oscaror · Aug 26, 2015

Welcome to R2R!

Judy@SYA · Aug 26, 2015

Flashy Fins said:
Any livestock in mind? Do you think you'll start with just fish, or do you plan to go for corals, too?

Excellent thoughts. I'm a planner, so I like the idea of figuring out what I want first, and then buying the right stuff to go with it. I'd love to do corals, but I have a feeling a fish only tank will be a simpler and more economic way to get started. As you said, I'm sure it will evolve over time. Of course, I'm completely open to suggestions.

I like movement and color and architecture. So, at a minimum, I'd want some kind of interesting rock formations with colorful fish that like to show off and not hide all the time.

Flashy Fins · Aug 26, 2015

Judy@SYA said:
I like movement and color and architecture. So, at a minimum, I'd want some kind of interesting rock formations with colorful fish that like to show off and not hide all the time.

With smaller tanks, a lot of fish suited to them tend to pick an area and kind of hover there most of the time, but that doesn't mean they're inactive or never swim around. Tankmates will dictate how active or cryptic some fish are, and some fish preclude the addition of others. Don't start your tank with mean little buggers like a dottyback, sixline wrasse, or damsel, unless that is the only fish you want, because you'll have trouble adding any other fish after in such a small space. Some peaceful, friendly fish that would do well in a small tank are firefish, chalk bass (looks nicer in person than in pictures), and yellow clown goby. Those are all inexpensive and beginner level. There are others, too, but those come to mind immediately for me.