Why so hard?

[Sump Crab]

I usually ignore when this gets so crazy, but today I will throw in 2 cents...

What I gather the OP is intending from the posts is that a reef does not have to be a difficult thing to keep. Using the live rock and easier corals, it can be kept fairly simply without too much effort.

What I think most of the people who encounter this posting is seeing is someone that is lucky, bragging, set in one approach and not understanding new comers.

What I think is that we are all right in some sense. Setting up a tank with no prior knowledge of reef keeping is overwhelming. Image knowing very little about the hobby... Just thinking of water parameters (what are those, how many?), lights (PAR? spectrum?time?), flow (what is that, tidal, random, linear, how calculate), sump (what is this), that is before we even talk about animals.

IT is A LOT!

Once you get the fundamentals of the reef ecosystem and nitrogen cycle and needs of animals, then you can set up a pretty easy system to run. I can set up a tank and have it set from day one no problem. But, I have been doing this for almost 20 years. Not 1 month.

You can also challenge yourself and set up systems that are on the edge and reaching. These will not be easy and require a huge amount of knowledge, ingenuity, patience and determination.

So, can it be easy, yes. Is it always easy, no.

Thanks for the thoughtful, diplomatic, and sincere response!

 

[SlugSnorter]

I have a ink bird and apex to protect against that.

Ok slug, I got under your skin apparently! I get it, you think I’m awfully ignorant. It’s funny cause you said it’s me who has all the juvenile comebacks or cannot participate in constructive convo but I seem to see a lot of “funny” one liners being posted by you lol!

Im not going to have to explain what satire is to you right...?

 

[Sump Crab]

I still have not seen a FTS from the OP. I want to see this super easy tank. Here is mine. I work hard to maintain it. It’s not much and it’s not easy. If it was easy I would of quit years ago. Bragging about your tank being super easy and you don’t have to do anything to it seems like a good way to upset the reef gods. Karma is a you know what!! Good luck. Personally if all this was a breeze I would be bored as hell.

As requested, corals still waking up. Yes, no acros or sticks lol.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I meant would not wouldn't.
Reefing can be as easy or hard as you want it to be. Do you know noah?
D

 

[Sump Crab]

Yeah I agree, just OP made it sound like the only thing you need is live rock and you should never encounter problems because it's universally easy

A reef needs a lot more than live rock but in my personal experience live rock from the ocean or a previously mature tank has been the single biggest factor in my success in every reef I have had.

 

[Sump Crab]

^ I had to learn all this. Buy books. Ect.
I learned cycling. Didn't learn it wouldn't kill animals. Lol.
This thread is entertaining if anything.
D

I have been thoroughly entertained by this thread lol.

 

[ZoWhat]

The way I see this thread:

I understand where @Jrain904 is coming from thst some ppl in reefing make it harder on themselves BUT that's really their choosing.

If micromanaging their reef makes them happy ... who is it anyone's biz to be discriminate to them?

Just like if someone looked at @Jrain904 avatar pic

and posted on a competitive fishing forum, "Don't see why guys make competitve fishing so hard. Whats up with 10s of thousand of dollars worth of equipment and a bass boat worth more than my first house? What's up with that? You just put a worm on a hook and wait for the bobber to jiggle "

Ppl take personal offense to statements that their efforts in a hobby they love are foolish.... no matter what hobby


.

 

[WVNed]

How simple your tank is entirely depends on what you want to keep in it. I started out simple but ended up where I am now. Once you start keeping different things that need different but non conflicting requirements your system becomes more complex because it has to.
I built this last week

and am adding more stuff to it right now. It's running this with a few more additions to come.

It's still all simple to me because I wired, plumbed, sized, added the control systems and turned it all up myself.
I just used the devil chemical Chemiclean to kill the cyano that built up in the 240 while the filtration was offline and I built the new sump.

What should drive the people in this hobby but doesn't seem to anymore is the desire to keep a certain type of sea creature. That allows you to become an expert on a particular set of requirements for a system and do well in a short period of time.
People now want to buy a tank and put a complex mix of animals in it. To be successful you need a lot of knowledge and thing to support a tank like this. The odds are small IMHO opinion your will be successful on your first or even second try. The animals are somewhat unforgiving of mistakes or poor choices and die on you. This has always been true.
People seem to think bringing home a fish or coral from the sea is like getting a parakeet. You set something up and it just works.
Doing this is more like tending a good garden. It takes time, patience, knowledge and understanding what you are trying to grow.

 

[Sump Crab]

How simple your tank is entirely depends on what you want to keep in it. I started out simple but ended up where I am now. Once you start keeping different things that need different but non conflicting requirements your system becomes more complex because it has to.
I built this last week

and am adding more stuff to it right now. It's running this with a few more additions to come.

It's still all simple to me because I wired, plumbed, sized, added the control systems and turned it all up myself.
I just used the devil chemical Chemiclean to kill the cyano that built up in the 240 while the filtration was offline and I built the new sump.

What should drive the people in this hobby but doesn't seem to anymore is the desire to keep a certain type of sea creature. That allows you to become an expert on a particular set of requirements for a system and do well in a short period of time.
People now want to buy a tank and put a complex mix of animals in it. To be successful you need a lot of knowledge and thing to support a tank like this. The odds are small IMHO opinion your will be successful on your first or even second try. The animals are somewhat unforgiving of mistakes or poor choices and die on you. This has always been true.
People seem to think bringing home a fish or coral from the sea is like getting a parakeet. You set something up and it just works.
Doing this is more like tending a good garden. It takes time, patience, knowledge and understanding what you are trying to grow.

I like the garden comparison. 100% organic, no pesticides. Do you grow too?

 

[ZoWhat]

I like the garden comparison. 100% organic, no pesticides. Do you grow too?

Bob @Utubereefer
Show em your garden...

 

[Sump Crab]

The way I see this thread:

I understand where @Jrain904 is coming from thst some ppl in reefing make it harder on themselves BUT that's really their choosing.

If micromanaging their reef makes them happy ... who is it anyone's biz to be discriminate to them?

Just like if someone looked at @Jrain904 avatar pic

and posted on a competitive bass fishing forum, "Don't see why guys make bass fishing so hard. Whats up with 10s of thousand of dollars worth of equipment and a bass boat worth more than my first house? What's up with that? You just put a worm on a hook and wait for the bobber to jiggle "

Ppl take personal offense to statements that their efforts in a hobby they love are foolish.... no matter what hobby


.

I gotta say I appreciate the research you put into your response. But I also gotta say (since this is a fish keeping forum) that the fish pictured here are actually redfish (red drum) and not bass. And yes I would agree ppl can get their feelings hurt quite easily when it comes to their hobbies but I do in fact believe that people spend way too much money on boats and way over complicate fishing in general. Luckily tournament fishing has paid for my boat and basically allowed me to fish for free.

I still don’t see how this thread has turned into a group hate fest on me lol

 

[SPS2020]

I just don’t understand why people seem to think a reef is a ton of work? All I do is clean the glass, feed the fish, top off ato 2 times a month, and do a 5 gallon water change once a month.

What’s all this about tons of work and time to keep a tank from going sideways? Is it because people are not using real live rock from the ocean? Is it because they are constantly trying to prop up a broken ecosystem due to their anti “pest” protocols? Just wondering what the deal is and please pardon my ignorance. Thanks!

For me, I can sum it up in one word: Acropora.

 

[Sump Crab]

Seriously no hard feeling to anyone here lol.

 

[ZoWhat]

I still don’t see how this thread has turned into a group hate fest on me lol

Bc when you say a group of ppl are making something harder than it should be.... you are passively calling them "fools"

How do you react if I said in a roundabout way you're a fool for how you approach the many hobbies you're into?

You ain't King
You ain't always right
None of us are...

 

[Sump Crab]

For me, I can sum it up in one word: Acropora.

The way I see this thread:

I understand where @Jrain904 is coming from thst some ppl in reefing make it harder on themselves BUT that's really their choosing.

If micromanaging their reef makes them happy ... who is it anyone's biz to be discriminate to them?

.

For sure, it’s a free country and ppl can add as much complexity to their tank as they wish. But I do believe that due to current trends in the hobby and industry many people are truly unaware of the approach I take and how simple and effective it is.

 

[dvgyfresh]

For sure, it’s a free country and ppl can add as much complexity to their tank as they wish. But I do believe that due to current trends in the hobby and industry many people are truly unaware of the approach I take and how simple and effective it is.

 

[SPS2020]

For sure, it’s a free country and ppl can add as much complexity to their tank as they wish. But I do believe that due to current trends in the hobby and industry many people are truly unaware of the approach I take and how simple and effective it is.

Do you have an Acropora dominant tank? If so, how old is it?

 

[Sump Crab]

Bc when you say a group of ppl are making something harder than ot should be.... you are passively calling them "fools"

How do you react if I said in a roundabout way you're a fool?

I’m sorry but I don’t remember calling anyone a fool.

How would I react if you called me a fool? Idk I’d probably just chuckle.

 

[Sump Crab]

Do you have an Acropora dominant tank? If so, how old is it?

no sticks for me

 

[Utubereefer]

Bob @Utubereefer
Show em your garden...

All my herbs are dried and ready for consumption