WHAT ARE THEY DOING THAT WE AREN'T?

[Wh00pS32]

How many USA residents from this forum post pics of their tank on forums based in other countries? Not many is my guess. You are only seeing the best of the best from other countries on this forum.

Actually i see very few of the best tanks from UK and Europe on these forums.
On the other hand you do see the same questions on UK forums and social media, why do the Americans and Asians have better reefs than us?
My own opinion is that neither are better just a little different and there are amazing tanks in virtually every region of the world.

 

[atoll]

I am in the UK and here people employ all manner of filtration and lights. We really are a mixed bunch of reefers when it comes to what works for us.
Here is my latest reef tank which is still maturing. I am using a skimmer, ATS, calc reactor Siporax and lighting is via 4 x Ai hydra 26 with the tank being 4'6" long 20" deep 19" front to back.

Top down shot.

 

[Baby Ray]

I am in the UK and here people employ all manner of filtration and lights. We really are a mixed bunch of reefers when it comes to what works for us.
Here is my latest reef tank which is still maturing. I am using a skimmer, ATS, calc reactor Siporax and lighting is via 4 x Ai hydra 26 with the tank being 4'6" long 20" deep 19" front to back.

Top down shot.

Amazing!!!
Are the clowns hosting s torch?

 

[atoll]

Amazing!!!
Are the clowns hosting s torch?

Thanks, I am getting there and where I want the tank to be but it will be a few months yet. I have just ordered a bigger calc reactor as my Deltec PF509 can't cope with the calc demand. Re the clowns, nope it is a RBTA but only shows small bubbles most of the time.

 

[Baby Ray]

Thanks, I am getting there and where I want the tank to be but it will be a few months yet. I have just ordered a bigger calc reactor as my Deltec PF509 can't cope with the calc demand. Re the clowns, nope it is a RBTA but only shows small bubbles most of the time.

I love how it is on an it's own little island. Don't have to worry about it moving and killing everything

 

[atoll]

I love how it is on an it's own little island. Don't have to worry about it moving and killing everything

Which was the problem in my previous smaller tank. It split into 3 I gave one away sold the other and kept the parent, so far it has stayed put and been in that position for 2 months now.

 

[atoll]

A close up of the nem and clowns.

 

[WetWhistle]

My system is based off the Dutch\Europe way because when I started that is all we had for books or information in my area. (The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium by Stefan A. Fossa and Alf Jacob Nelson) So I copied the Natural Method of processing my tank water of the time and honed it over the years.

My tank is just a little over 2 and a half years and is still maturing.

 

[zoomonster]

I want to know what @Debora Dlugopolska doses
That tank is amazing!!!!

I was going to make a comment about the whole thing and I saw this post. She is said to exclusively use Aquaforest. That brings up the perception/misconception that Europe has "better" tanks which is just not true. While I am transitioning to some Aquaforest products because I'm willing to try some things and they are a little more economical than KZ (if not copycat products) they are not some miracle system (nor is any) despite what they want you to believe. While I use AF as an example its true of others too. What you are seeing is basically stealth marketing with all these sudden testimonials about AF and the exceptional tanks using it. Most of us know how difficult it is to take great photo's of tanks, especially with LED, and interestingly enough all these tanks come off looking like they were professional photo shoots (and maybe professionally maintained). I believe some if not many of these tanks like Debora's were probably exceptional to start and many are getting free product for touting AF including some here in the USA. I'd wager that for every exceptional tank using AF there are many that are unexceptional-bad. I'd also go so far to say that those tanks with already exceptional husbandry would look just as good with KZ, Red Sea, Triton or others. I don't doubt that AF has some good products but just don't fall for the marketing hype.

BTW that whole pastel thing keeps coming up. That happens because they are bleaching your corals with copper sulphate which also is supposed to limit zooxantellae production in the coral.

 

[Bdog4u2]

Its probably because they have more time on their hands since they dont have to listen to their wives over there

 

[john.m.cole3]

I want to know what @Debora Dlugopolska doses
That tank is amazing!!!!

Aquaforest products

 

[john.m.cole3]

go for it on the new equipment. You always can do a combo of the LED and T5. I am a LED guy and have my Hydra 26 HD's for there reason I do not have to change bulbs. I had systems in the past with the tubes, so I want to try the LED. They run a lot cooler, and save on engery, and they are bright. the down side you are playing with the LED to get them tuned for you system.

nailed it!

 

[HmoneyReefOkc]

many of the "best" tanks i've seen from Europe are lightly stocked with fish, and most are SPS only, which would be much easier than running a full mixed reef... just my two cents.. most American tanks are mixed reef rather than SPS only. And even many of the SPS only American tanks have very little fish so able to keep ultra low nutrient levels

 

[atoll]

A couple of points if I may. Being from and living in the UK I can tell you the following.
1/ Many of the reef tanks in Europe have been set up a long time and have matured from frags or they have been transferred from one tank to the next. I have a mixture of colonies I have grown in previous tanks and frags have ben added as I have traded up.
2/ I have seen excellent tanks running so many different methods and hybrids as is my own tank that it is impossible to list them all.
3/ often it's not the method or lighting that makes a great tank but the effort put in by the owner.
4/ Experince in keeping the likes of SPS corals shows.
5/ when I was fortunate to dive and snorkel in the Red Sea a few years ago I noticed the reefs were predominantly SPS.
6/LPS SPS or soft corals tend to be dominant on reefs rather than mixed together as some try to do which IMO isn't so easy. I can't keep any LPS they just wither away as my water is to clean for them but my SPS are thriving.
7/ Although you may find in some countries in Europe the tanks maybe of a certain type by no means are they all. I can tell you there are just as many LPS and soft coral dominate tanks in Europe.
8/ SPS are considered by many to be the Holly grail of reef keeping and the biggest challenge hence so many wish to master them and produce stunning tanks.

 

[Battlecorals Verified Sponsor]

Maybe its because they just let them grow

 

[Baby Ray]

Maybe its because they just let them grow

First you have to keep them alive

 

[McGee]

Just have to add my 2 cent's. All or most of the European tanks are really big with the best of equipment. Could it be that they are putting more $ into them?

 

[Nano sapiens]

Generalizations only (many exceptions exist)...

I believe that the Europeans are more willing to let a tank mature for a longer period of time. They tend to more mature mini-colonies/colonies since they are going for an overall 'mature reef look'.

In the US, many seem to have become more interested in having the latest named frag and often swapping frags/colonies for something 'better'. I often see tanks that are more of a collection of glued frags on rocks (or even collections of frag plugs with frags) than matured reef systems.

Different strokes...

 

[Wh00pS32]

Just have to add my 2 cent's. All or most of the European tanks are really big with the best of equipment. Could it be that they are putting more $ into them?

Actually most tanks in the UK are 3 to 4 foot long. We have very small houses here in general, a lot of you guys in the US have garages almost as big as our entire homes.

 

[Cory]

I can think of a few different things. One is their salt usually doesnt have excessive heavy metals, like vandium and tin. Two is probably they have better air quality lol.