Why are reef tanks not more popular?

[muzikalmatt]

I think the biggest problem is still that the vast majority of the populace has never seen a nice reef tank in person. Even among my friends, as soon as I get out of my reef aquarium circle, I get " Oh wow, I didn't know your corals were alive! I'm amazed that's possible!" Take away the few very well-maintained stores in any one state, and tell me how many really nice display aquariums you see. People need inspiration first, and inspiration rarely comes from a 55 gallon tank with some live rock covered in hair algae or cyano and a couple clownfish in a half-dead anemone or some brown Capnella and Xenia so under-lit that it doesn't even pulse. When people see the store staff struggling, their first instinct is not to correctly assume the staff doesn't know what they're doing, but to assume that it must just be that hard.

That being said, when people ask me: " Isn't that really hard?" I say " It's not hard*"
* If you know what you're doing
"Is it hard to learn?"
"No*"
*If you know where to look
"Is it hard to find where to look?"
"No*"
* If you have a good B. S. filter lol

That's a great point! Honestly, even after all of the research I did it took visiting my local LFS and actually seeing successful reef tanks for me to really want to take the plunge. I think the BRS guys and other YouTubers have mentioned that's what got them into the hobby was well. You see what success can be with a reef tank and say "I want THAT!" and then go make it happen.

 

[stanleo]

I think it's easy for us involved hobbyists to forget just how expensive it is. I had a neighbor that was interested in having a reef tank and ended up buying a used 210 gallon tank and stand on an impulse for $300. A good deal, but he had no idea of the other costs until he asked me to come over and give him some advice. He was in the mindset that the tank is the expensive part, but unfortunately it's not. Here's a list of fairly essential things that you would need when getting into the hobby, or soon after getting into it. lets just assume a fairly modest 40 gallon tank.

Tank $40
Stand $50
BB light $100
RODI $150
Box of salt $50
40# dry rock $80
Bottle of bacteria $20
Dry sand $40
Heater $30
Ammonia/nitrite/nitrate test kits $30
Alk/Ca/ Mag test kits $45

That's already added up to over $600, and that doesn't include any filtration at all. Likely you'd want a protein skimmer, some powerheads, ATO, maybe a sump and overflow box, monthly additives, any fish and coral you want...etc.

You're easily looking at $800-1,000 realistically to start up a modest sized tank with dry rock and sand, and "affordable" equipment. If you wanted the brand name stuff you could easily spend that much on just a light.

For us, we have become numb to the expense and have gotten used to brushing off a $50-100 cost of something we need here and there for the tank. To most people outside of the hobby, they just cringe when they hear these $50-100 costs adding up.

Where did you get dry rock for 2$ a pound? I spent more on rock then anything else in the tank with exception of the light.

 

[sfin52]

I show people my tank. It's not fancy I consider it a low end reef. But even low end takes time,commitment and discipline. I wouldn't call lacking in our society. If it's not important to the individual they won't succeed. There has to be a desire.
The desire is squashed when I tell people cost, time and commitment needed for a reef.
Desire
Coast
Time
Commitment
Desire
These are the driving factor in our hobby.

 

[newbie2014]

There is to much information most of it is conflicting so Noob would get migraine headaches.

it's not something you can go out and read a book to learn, like mechanics or rocket science which have generally the same procedure for what you are trying to do. With fish, who would you listen to? Would you quarantine? Dip? Medicate? go with Bare bottom? DSB, SSB, reverse UG filter (My favorite)

Go for peaceful fish? Triggers and puffers? Tangs? Manta Rays?

Use LEDs, Metal Malide? Whale Oil? Artificial Seawater, Natural Seawater, Toilet water?
What gravel, or sand? Dolomite, Crushed coral, Moon rocks?

What to feed? Flakes, Pellets, Cheerios, Frozen, Rods food or Ron Howard food?

You really cracked me up.........thanks for the laugh.........and it's totally true.

IME, I got a COMPLETE FW planted tank setup for $200. And I meant a 40B with stand, substrate, 2 big Manzanita wood with growing moss, big healthy fish (Australian rainbows, algea eaters and bottom feeders, plants (bunches of ferns and anubias nana), external filter (fluval 306), and a Finnex planted+ light. The dude even delivered it to my door steps. And, no, I didn't know him before. I spent 2 hours setting it up, and it was good to go.

I kept that tank for about 18months and changed the live stocks a bit. Then I sold everything except for tank and stand for $250. I used that fund to purchase used/live stuffs for my softies/LPS SW setup; sand and rocks, Aquamaxx HOB-1, a very old RODI 3-stage unit and a bucket of salt. I had to spend more on water pumps just to get the cycling started.

I save some money by taking things slowly and reusing old equipments, knowledge, and not keeping up with the Jones.

 

[flsalty]

What is the failure due to? Info? Attempts at difficult species? Would having proven stocking list help out? For example if you are a beginner with a 55 gallon tank:
You can attempt stocking list A,B,C, etc.
With a list of easy fish, corals, and inverts. With an ideal clean up crew because the clean up crew is very important.

There's plenty of that already. Tons of lists of easy corals of all kinds, easy fish. Plenty of good info out here on the web.

I just think it takes a certain kind of person to keep an aquarium of any kind to begin with. Then it narrows down as it gets more complicated.

I think there needs to be a balance between portraying it as easy or hard. Reefing is not so easy that you can just throw a bunch of "easy" stuff in a tank and expect it to thrive. I've seen some real horror shows on YouTube. People jumping into it with absolutely no research whatsoever. There is no excuse for that. This isn't the 70's. There really isn't any new ground here.

 

[ReefLab]

I mean you could say that about any hobby.. different things interest different people
Me, for example, I could not care LESS about cars. but some people obsess about cars and tinkering with them. Im sure many people feel the same about reefing..

Also I feel like reefing takes a certain understanding and appreciation for science and chemistry that most people don't want to dedicate the time to learning. Personally, I cant get enough of it!

 

[Reefs and Geeks]

Where did you get dry rock for 2$ a pound? I spent more on rock then anything else in the tank with exception of the light.

From local hobbyists. I actually just sole 120 pounds of bleach cured rock for $1/lb. I think I way under priced it since someone drove 4 hours round trip to buy it. Takes alot of looking and patients, but you can usually find used stuff, including rock way cheaper if you wait for the right deal. I waited about 4 months before buying that rock along with a full tank set up. Ended up selling the stuff I didn't need and ended up making money off the deal, and got about $1,000 worth of equipment for free by breaking it down and selling individually. Just look for people looking to get out of the hobby, and be willing to drive for it if needed.

 

[ReefLab]

Where did you get dry rock for 2$ a pound? I spent more on rock then anything else in the tank with exception of the light.

just picked up 40 lbs of carib sea life rock for $75 (there was extra saving the other day)

 

[RichReef]

It's the highest form of aquariums.
You have everything from a goldfish bowl to a reef tank and it depends on what you are willing to invest time and money wise.
I race cars but it's not top fuel dragsters or funny cars.

 

[Kyuss414]

Because it's not a app for their phone.

 

[S2G]

....

 

[AC1211]

This hobby can be super gatekeepy when it comes to new people or really anything in general, and a lot of it seems to focus on the livestock you keep (especially SPS for some reason). It really put me off when I first started and made it seem like the only way for me to be a real reefer was to keep high end, expensive corals and spend tons of money.

"Oh you can't afford x lighting? Why even bother starting, you'll have to upgrade eventually when you keep SPS"
"soft corals are for newbies, only REAL keepers keep sps"
"You don't want to spend 2k on a dang return pump? why bother keeping fish if you won't get them the best?"
"Oh you have X brand? Guess you don't care bout your pets!"
"This coral that looks exactly like yours (that you got for $10 for the frag) costs $200 more per polyp because it has a fancy name. You don't love corals until you buy the fanciest expensive ones"
etc etc etc.

A lot of people seem to act like their way is the only correct way to do something, or that you aren't a "real reefer" unless you have "X" or don't have "Y". I try to avoid a lot of things in this hobby because people can be so toxic about such menial crap. I really don't care whether you think GSP is for babies or that you can only be a true reefer if you spend thousands of dollars and hours of your time taking care of a tray of colorful sticks that you'll keep fragging so they never look anything more than that. I keep my corals because I like them. I want colorful, easy, low maintenance corals that I can show off to my friends and grow to a big colony. I have no desire to chase parameters and spend 10k on a dosing setup to keep colorful rocks that cost $200 for one the size of a fingertip. And god forbid if I don't spend at least $400 on a new piece of equipment.

My tank has Mars Aqua LEDs, and an Icecap 1K gyre. That's about it. No protein skimmer, some ceramic media in the back (it's an AIO), and I feed heavily to keep nutrients in the tank for the softies I keep. Maybe I'll figure some way to set up a refugium in the back, when I have more time and money. I don't have expensive top of the line stuff that is probably made in the same factory that my stuff is made in. I did it on a budget because I am a college student. I keep soft corals because I want a dynamic, moving, colorful, low maintenance tank. I think they're beautiful when the corals flow and wave and billow back and forth. I have no desire to keep stony corals and I cringe whenever I read people say "when you finally move on to SPS" or "just wait until you keep SPS, they're so much better" like it's some end goal everyone has, and you're only a real reefer when you keep them. It's just like when people say "You'll want kids eventually." Not really, I think they're messy, high maintenance, expensive, and way more trouble than they're worth.
If I wanted a colorful stick that stands there, I'd buy a few cans of spray paint and break off a branch from a tree. Stop acting like it's everyone's end goal to have them and a reef tank isn't a reef tank if it doesn't have X product or Y coral.

Just do what you enjoy and don't let other people make you feel bad for what you like. If you want a tank that is only SPS and you want to spend thousands of dollars to keep them, go right ahead! If you want to do everything on a budget and keep the cheapest, most common corals that exist then you can do that too! Keep only a display tank for macroalgae if you want! Just don't act like so many people on here do and pretend that because someone doesn't do it the way you do they aren't doing it right or they're dumb for liking what they do. It's gatekeeping at it's finest and creates a super toxic atmosphere that turns many, many people away. Get off your high horse and realize other people can enjoy different things than you.

The only "right way" to do this hobby is to have fun and do what you want. It's your dang reef tank and you can keep whatever makes you feel happy. There's no need to try and please anyone else but yourself.

Rant over lol.

Also, this hobby can be cheap if done on a budget, but not a lot of people realize that (for the aforementioned reasons above) and it can turn a lot away, especially with the atmosphere of "if it's not the most expensive it's trash" mentality.

Why not more softy and especially LPS tanks my LPS tank has some high end tech but not the crazy sps type stuff

 

[Montiman]

It's simple. When people ask what makes someone successful in this hobby I say, "Everyone likes gardens but very few like gardening."

That sums it up if you like testing water, doing water changes, cleaning equipment, and feeding corals you will succeed if not you will fail.

I love garden's and hate gardening but I also love both reef tanks and reefing itself. There are very few who enjoy the process and not just the result.

 

[Chewbacca]

There's plenty of that already. Tons of lists of easy corals of all kinds, easy fish. Plenty of good info out here on the web.

I just think it takes a certain kind of person to keep an aquarium of any kind to begin with. Then it narrows down as it gets more complicated.

I think there needs to be a balance between portraying it as easy or hard. Reefing is not so easy that you can just throw a bunch of "easy" stuff in a tank and expect it to thrive. I've seen some real horror shows on YouTube. People jumping into it with absolutely no research whatsoever. There is no excuse for that. This isn't the 70's. There really isn't any new ground here.

Tell that too the JUMPERS

 

[Kevin Lanham]

What is the failure due to? Info? Attempts at difficult species? Would having proven stocking list help out? For example if you are a beginner with a 55 gallon tank:
You can attempt stocking list A,B,C, etc.
With a list of easy fish, corals, and inverts. With an ideal clean up crew because the clean up crew is very important.

As great as an idea that is, I don’t think people would follow the less obvious but as important details. For example, don’t over feed to prevent algae issues, change filter socks on a regular basis, stay on top of water changes. Through my first year, I read everywhere mistakes to avoid but yet I still made many of them. For me, I learn the hard way I guess...

 

[Skibum]

because water changes. That's why I don't do them.

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

I'm actually surprised by how popular reef tanks have become. I mean these forums are mind blowing, so many hobbyist with so much knowledge. I think the hobby has really come a long way.

Not to be a downer, but I can’t help it. If you were around 15 years ago, you would not think that. I’m certain, from my observation being around long enough, that the hobby has shrunk considerably and continues to get smaller. It’s not growing. Active user count or member count here is no indicator of anything other than that. Sorry I’m a negative nelly but I’m trying to be realistic and honest more than anything.
The hobby has a high rate of attrition due to fish disease and parasite hurdle, plus time investment required for success, long term costs of maintaining, just plain losing interest.
Barrier to new hobbyists is high cost of entry, lack of good LFS to help educate and stock tanks, lack of LFS with salt display to inspire new hobbyists which is key. People see reef tanks and they want reef tanks. No LFS, no hobby. People don’t look at Live Aquaria and get inspired to start a reef. Not even YouTube video can match seeing a mature healthy reef in person.

 

[Ken Ooi]

I agree cause with fresh water fish others already struggle to get tank parameters correct. With SW, you add a further layer of difficulty such as the need for RODI water, maintaining salinity levels right, Calcium, Phosphates. The costs of salt and chemicals are high plus electricity.

It’s totally awesome to recreate Mother Nature in your house. It is rewarding to have these animals thrive and grow in a tank in your home. The failures come a lot of the time because something in your life changes and the tank doesn’t get the constant attention it needs parameters go off a little the tank becomes a chore instead of a passion one thing leads to another then the tank fails. People who remain passionate fix the issue and keep going.

 

[sas226]

Not to be a downer, but I can’t help it. If you were around 15 years ago, you would not think that. I’m certain, from my observation being around long enough, that the hobby has shrunk considerably and continues to get smaller. It’s not growing. Active user count or member count here is no indicator of anything other than that. Sorry I’m a negative nelly but I’m trying to be realistic and honest more than anything.
The hobby has a high rate of attrition due to fish disease and parasite hurdle, plus time investment required for success, long term costs of maintaining, just plain losing interest.
Barrier to new hobbyists is high cost of entry, lack of good LFS to help educate and stock tanks, lack of LFS with salt display to inspire new hobbyists which is key. People see reef tanks and they want reef tanks. No LFS, no hobby. People don’t look at Live Aquaria and get inspired to start a reef. Not even YouTube video can match seeing a mature healthy reef in person.

This is so on point. All the videos, pictures and anything will not do even a small healthy tank justice. I got into the hobby after I was walking around a big box pet store and saw some fish, decided I'd take a trip to a LFS and the had a beautiful 20g cube with an black clown in it. That was going on 10 years ago, to this day I remember it vividly.

 

[AC1211]

Would the next question be how to we increase the hobbies size?