What's Your Best Advice for Beginners?

[Northern Flicker]

Curb your expectations and realize that these tanks that you see that just blow your mind. The odds of your first tank looking like that…..are not great. Set realistic expectations and don’t put things off until they get out of hand. Stay up on your maintenance. If you neglect your tank it will show.

I happen to be good friends with someone who has stunning set ups, is a big personality on youtube and is featured in videos with the biggest supplier in this hobby. What I found out was that they get tons of free gear, and even a budget for coral and fish from the companies they are advertising for, they build a beautiful system, and then they might tear it down within a month.

There is a huge resource gap between reefers - I personally can only spend a couple hundred a month or so on this hobby, but you look at the most popular tanks and they have dozens of $100 frags, $10k in equipment, seemingly endless budgets...it's just not fair to yourself to try to meet that standard. Some people just have more to work with, it's just the way it is.

This is why I love love love nano tanks and tanks that need to be a bit thrifty.

 

[Quietman]

In general, stay well within the guardrails of easy/simple stable reefing. Go with tried and true setup for first time - skimmer, GAC, sponge/sock. Start with corals and keep those to softies and easy LPS as much as possible for as long as you can stand not having fish. Learn how to maintain water chemistry for corals before you add the nutrient generating livestock. One new thing at a time, achieve control and stability, then go on to next.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

Always, ALWAYS keep your mouth closed when emptying or cleaning skimmer cup.

And don’t chew gum, LOL.

 

[reefsUP2]

Have Patience
Set up routine
Dedication

 

[X-37B]

Best advice I gan give after 30+ is have a PLAN before you start.
Too many people wing it from day one.
Get all your equipment before you add water. That includes test kits and chems to keep said parameters in range.
What range do you plan on running your parameters at?
Focus on keeping all the parameters in range.

I like the idea of finding a fellow hobbiest that knows what they are doing and setup and follow their ways until you have a grasp on what it takes to maintain your system.
I have helped a few but the biggest issue is talking with to many people. Being new you will get confused easily.
I guess the hardest is finding someone you trust. Pick a reefer that has a build thread from day one till present. Their are to many experts, I dont like the word personally, that it becomes confusing quickly.

It would be cool to have a mentor thread in the Forum section where people could go and get personal help from people that want to help long term.
That said my experience trying to help people has some interesting views. Most just dont have, and it has been said above, patience.
They start a tank with no experience and with little to no reaserch.
A plan will help anyone stay focused.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

Once you get your Nitrogen Cycle going, stop studying your test kits, study your Tank, it will tell you what’s wrong. Whatever the test tells is wrong, is often self cured in less than 48, or never existed at all.

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

I happen to be good friends with someone who has stunning set ups, is a big personality on youtube and is featured in videos with the biggest supplier in this hobby. What I found out was that they get tons of free gear, and even a budget for coral and fish from the companies they are advertising for, they build a beautiful system, and then they might tear it down within a month.

There is a huge resource gap between reefers - I personally can only spend a couple hundred a month or so on this hobby, but you look at the most popular tanks and they have dozens of $100 frags, $10k in equipment, seemingly endless budgets...it's just not fair to yourself to try to meet that standard. Some people just have more to work with, it's just the way it is.

This is why I love love love nano tanks and tanks that need to be a bit thrifty.

This is why I will never accept any sponsorships on my channel. I am not a salesperson for companies. My aim is to help Reefers by sharing my experiences, and to try to help them achieve their goals.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Dont do it!

Seriously, reef keeping is the pinnacle of maintaining a captive animal in a home setting.

Reefing is fickle, full of heartbreak, horrible expensive & financially risky due to damage (flood, fire, etc...).

I always suggest to start with freshwater, do that for at least 5 years then think about going to salt. The dedication and basic know how will be there @ that point.

 

[exnisstech]

"If you're not okay with lighting a $100 bill on fire without wincing, this is the wrong hobby for you".

Agree. I always say buying coral is like playing the lottery. If you can't afford to take the money and throw it in the trash and still be able to pay all your bills then you can't afford the coral.

Also while I'm thinking of it don't obsess over ammonia during your cycle. If you have nitrate present the chances are good that you can move forward slowly

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

This is why I will never accept any sponsorships on my channel. I am not a salesperson for companies. My aim is to help Reefers by sharing my experiences, and to try to help them achieve their goals.

That's why I dont watch any you tube hobbyist stuff. It all screams sponsorships and money.

 

[Northern Flicker]

That's why I dont watch any you tube hobbyist stuff. It all screams sponsorships and money.

It is. It's a very grimy world out there in the reefing youtube world. The more I learn about it, the less I care to consume any of the content.

Too many dreamers trying to turn a hobby into a job.

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

That's why I dont watch any you tube hobbyist stuff. It all screams sponsorships and money.

Yeah, it's getting like NASCAR. I can say that I have personally purchased everything I own.
Which brings me to another tip: Don't finance a reef tank.

 

[BigMonkeyBrain]

Basic three tank setup - main, smaller input and hospital - 4th tank if you want a sump. Rock and sand are not detritus filters, you want to move clean water. Setup the input tank first - hang on back and internal filters are life savers and all you need until you get coral. Read until you understand the phases a new tank goes through - bacteria blooms, etc,. - diatoms are your friends.

Any light will do for fish only, better for live rock to see what grows, good for the type of coral you want to eventually have in your tank.

"Sophia: Dorothy, let me tell you a story. Picture it. Sicily, 1922."
The Golden Girls

Probably happens !

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

..... Don't finance a reef tank.

Thats just common sense, but I see some setups on here that make me thinks they are making a car payment monthly (for nearly the same duration) for a glass box with some animals that may just keel over and die for any number of insane reasons!

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

Thats just common sense, but I see some setups on here that make me thinks they are making a car payment monthly (for nearly the same duration) for a glass box with some animals that may just keel over and die for any number of insane reasons!

I think that's where Rev's advice comes in about reefing for yourself, and not as a status symbol. There will always be another Reefer with bigger, better, and more expensive things. Trying to keep up can bankrupt our wallets and our minds.

 

[Coral Kai]

UV and dosing

 

[Coral Kai]

Also wifi temp controllers like an inkbird 306A for every tank

 

[MyFirstCar]

Start small. I know BRS etc. says that a 120gallon tank is the perfect size, but that just makes maintenance a pain and filling out with life expensive. Start with a 20gallon nano, put only a couple of fish and cheap corals, and make all your learnings there.

My tanks been up for a year, and I've been dealing with turf algae for about half of that time. I think I'd be a lot more demoralized of manual removal for the whole tank wasn't a 15 minute job.

 

[Propane]

My number one piece of advice is pay attention to your tank. Watch it and enjoy the process. You will start to see positive changes or things that need attention if you know your tank. You need to put the work in and I honestly believe that part of that work is enjoying the process. Realize that if you want an S tier tank you have to give up something else to make it happen. And don’t ever do anything as a knee jerk reaction. That includes dosing, feeding or buying an upgraded pump.

After that know that you are going to fail in some aspect.

 

[w8lifts]

Expensive doesn’t equal quality