What Needs The Most Improvement In The Hobby?

[Forsaken77]

A magical ointment which makes all kinds of algae disapear and never come back again.

Haha... That would be the cure-all. It's funny because before all these "improved" care practices, I never had algae issues. Then you hop online and read all these things that supposedly make things better, but in actuality it fixes one thing and causes a dozen other issues.

 

[ca1ore]

I completely agree!!! The books available are sooo outdated now. They're pretty much the ones that were available in the 90's to me, but were written in the 60's & 70's (the good ones at least). I used to have the Saltwater Almanac that gave so much detailed info on specific species. They need to make an updated version.

Any newer books seem to cover things very basicly. As soon as I got back into the hobby a few years ago, I bought as many good books as possible. Unfortunately any informative ones were extremely dated.

It seems people have resorted to YouTubing everything in hopes of making some money off it instead of writing a book.

I don't think it's that folks aren't willing to write them, just that nobody seems to want to actually buy them. The wonderful Reef Fishes series has at least three written-but-not-published volumes. I will say that writing a book requires real expertise, something a YouTube video does not.

 

[atoll]

Understanding and learning
What today is accepted as fact might just not be so tomorrow.

 

[don_chuwish]

I know that one frustration for new people joining the hobby is the learning curve of what you need now, don't need ever, might need in future depending on x, y, and z, etc. AIO tanks/systems that are gaining popularity and success are a great step toward helping fix this - thus their success in the market. But not everyone wants to go that route. BRS did a great video series showing how you can start simple and upgrade over time, but it really just scratched the surface. I'd love to see someone with the time & experience write up a comprehensive guide on various equipment paths/formulas to help people avoid buying equipment they don't need, test kits that are horrible, bottles of magic that are too good to be true, etc. Basically a guide to success without waste for beginner to intermediate stage hobbyist.

 

[Syed123]

More tank bred marine fish.

Easy, reproducible solutions to kill marine parasites which are also reef safe.

Less misinformation.

Making reefing more affordable.

 

[Forsaken77]

Hell yes on the books.

IMO, what needs to change the most is the paradigm of not upsetting people. The internet has brought a ton of stuff, but it has made all contributors equal and the most experienced quietly disappear since they get sick of fighting with the noobies who know it all and get upset when you tell them that they are not right or do not have enough experience.

...this brings us back to books. The publication process vets people for knowledge and experience. There are two things that have hurt the hobby in the last decade and lack the rigor that the publication process offers:
1) The internet rewards the persistent and oftentimes the whiny who like to complain that their three months of non-cycled tanks make them the equal to somebody like Coppolino on the WWW.
2) Manufacturers and retailers using pseudoscience and stuff that they probably know is wrong to sell products. If I see another terrestrial plant stat or study used to sell a reef LED, I might puke. How many folks have fought year-long battles with nutrient issues because of retailer videos showing how awesome and sterile dry/dead rock is.

Read more books.

#2 is a BIG problem, imo. Many manufacturers making false claims or leaving things out.

As an example... I was having Ph issues. Asked my LFS if there is a way to raise Ph without affecting alkalinity. They sold me AquaVitro Balance, because it states right on the bottle that it raises Ph without tampering with alkalinity.

Randy had explained to me that it's chemically impossible to artificially raise Ph without affecting alkalinity with that product. AquaVitro is supposed to be Seachem's high-end line of products (Seachem already being a "reputable" company in my mind). But they flat out lied about the product! What ever happened to false advertising?!!

Nowadays the market is flooded with half-truths and myth products. And they pay the so-called experts to endorse a product on YouTube. So people don't know what to believe.

 

[jda]

I don't want to turn this into a manufacturer bashing thread, but I think that it would totally be OK for reef2reef to make people "register" or at least put in their signature that they are paid by a certain company to shill for their products. I have been approached by two companies with free product if I would just post nice things and recommend them on the boards - this was with about $5k in product.

I guess that this is a transparency issue.

 

[happyhourhero]

I want an "are you sure" pop up to appear whenever I am about to make some sort of a change

 

[Syed123]

I don't want to turn this into a manufacturer bashing thread, but I think that it would totally be OK for reef2reef to make people "register" or at least put in their signature that they are paid by a certain company to shill for their products. I have been approached by two companies with free product if I would just post nice things and recommend them on the boards - this was with about $5k in product.

I guess that this is a transparency issue.

Wow. Not surprised. I'm sure this is true for a lot of light manufacturers who have people shilling for them on YouTube and forums.

I like to believe I'm impartial but I have a soft spot for Tunze. Wish Tunze would give me free stuff lol

 

[dede]

Can't veterinarians write that? I've never asked, but is it a problem? Is it expensive btw?

Problem for most is getting a vet in your area to write the prescription. My vet simply said we don't treat fish.

 

[Forsaken77]

I don't think it's that folks aren't willing to write them, just that nobody seems to want to actually buy them. The wonderful Reef Fishes series has at least three written-but-not-published volumes. I will say that writing a book requires real expertise, something a YouTube video does not.

Are these unpublished books available anywhere?

 

[Rob77]

cost,cost, and COST .......I have a small fortune in my little 75 gal ........ I love it tho!!!!!!! and would do it all over but I do wish the cost of some of out stuff would come down

 

[YumaMan]

Whenever possible, all livestock for sale should be called by their scientific name, collection site, and initial date of collection. We are about conserving our reefs, so let's get more precise about exactly what it is we are keeping. We should reward retailers and wholesalers who give us a complete nomenclature with our repeat business. The American Killifish Association has maintained records of the collection of wild species of cyprinodonts for decades.

 

[Forsaken77]

I don't want to turn this into a manufacturer bashing thread, but I think that it would totally be OK for reef2reef to make people "register" or at least put in their signature that they are paid by a certain company to shill for their products. I have been approached by two companies with free product if I would just post nice things and recommend them on the boards - this was with about $5k in product.

I guess that this is a transparency issue.

Say whatever you feel man...

I agree 100%. That's the behind the scenes crap that throws everybody off and possibly crashes someone's tank.

It would be nice if they had a badge or something like that to show they represent a company, or are affiliated. But if people knew that, then if wouldn't appear genuine. Thus the conundrum.

One of the MACNA speakers I'm thinking of is always endorsing products. He makes YouTube videos just for those products. That's how you know it's not his normal expertise.

It does the community as a whole a giant disservice doing stuff like that. These are the experts and we look to them for helpful advice. Peddling a product you would never put in your own tank, or use, doesn't help any of the hobbyists. If anything, it devalues the advice from others who don't have that MO.

 

[Forsaken77]

Whenever possible, all livestock for sale should be called by their scientific name, collection site, and initial date of collection. We are about conserving our reefs, so let's get more precise about exactly what it is we are keeping. We should reward retailers and wholesalers who give us a complete nomenclature with our repeat business. The American Killifish Association has maintained records of the collection of wild species of cyprinodonts for decades.

That would be nice. You know how hard it is to get a LFS to tell you the truth about where their Harlequin Tuskfish is from, Australia or Indian Ocean? If the fish has decent coloring they just say it's Australian and charge more. I want an Australian because of the collection methods used. My last Tusk went blind from the Indian Ocean.

 

[ChrisOFL]

Better explanations of daily fish behavior would be good when purchasing a fish. I can find what to feed, how big my tank should be, water parameters, but think about how many people freak out the first time their clownfish pair starts bonding and come to the forums asking about it. If I buy a small fish from a store I never get asked about my tank like I do with a large fish, apart from mandarins, but many small fish are incompatible with other small fish.

 

[Daltrey]

Patience........

 

[Luna]

I would say cost, prices for nice looking equipment is way outrageously high. I found you can do the same with low cost equipment as well.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'd love it if there was a way to know what elements are limiting the growth of any particular organism.

 

[Paul B]

I'd love it if there was a way to know what elements are limiting the growth of any particular organism.

Or if any element can enhance the growth of any particular organism.