Many people see a beautiful aquarium and think "I want that!" and buy a tank and give it a try. Everything starts out OK, and over time things don't look so great. Trying to figure out an easy solution people may turn to Google and stumble on a forum where they find a ton of information and pick one of the 1000+ solutions they find. After many attempts to get their aquarium back in order things don't change or get worse. The passion for the hobby fades away like they wish the algae would, and they sell their investment for a grafton of what it cost months prior. Sound familiar?
A small percentage of people that start the hobby actually stick with it more than a year or so due to failure. People get overwhelmed with problems and all the information that comes along with reef keeping. I would like to share some useful tips on how to create a successful reef aquarium and stay successful, there will be work required but it's totally worth it.
1. Research. Before getting involved with a commitment try to figure out what you are actually committing to. This applies to every aspect of the hobby; water chemistry, fish, inverts, coral, equipment.
Every time I see a fish I want I research to see if they're are any special needs or known problems in keeping it. I usually don't even ask the workers at the lfs but rather consult the internet with reputable sources like Live Aquaria, this is because often times in person people tend to forget minor details so it's better to turn to printed text to get accurate info.
When purchasing equipment research customer reviews and find out what the pros and cons are for that product, there's not much worse than buying an expensive product and then figuring out later that it isn't what you expected.
When it comes to water chemistry there is an abundance of information and methods of achieving the same goal. For myself it's best to do something that I'm comfortable with and that I am willing to do. Keeping it simple is the best advise I can give here. Don't dose things in to your aquarium that you can't test for. Making adjustments based on assumptions is never a good idea. When it comes time to make adjustments, do your math.... Twice, and write it on paper to make sure it looks correct.
2. Plan. From early on in the hobby I wanted a big system when my budget could afford it. When it was time to get new equipment I would buy oversized. Bigger skimmer than I needed, bigger pump, more lights, extra pumps, extra heaters, etc., it was easier for me to upgrade my system because I anyway had equipment to fit the upgrade. Having extra equipment on hand was my insurance policy incase of equipment failure and it allowed me to help people in need when emergencies happened.
3. Keep a log. I started letting a log of things I did to my system agreed a fellow reefer showed me his log. Every time I would change media, do a water change, perform tests, maintenance I would write it in my log. If things in the tank started to look unhappy I could consult my log book for clues like test results or the last time I changed media out. Now I use the software in my apex unit to keep my logs, super helpful.
4. Get a mentor! Most things in I know I learned from others. It really helped me to have a reefing mentor, someone I could consult with about my reefing issues and get advise. I didn't just choose a random person I chose someone that had what I wanted, a nice reef tank. I asked numerous questions about how to do things and how things work. I didn't ask many other people the same questions because I trusted my mentor. Because I had one source of information I didn't get confused with so many different ways to do things, I had a simple approach.
Don't trust a person's advise if they won't show you their successful reef tank, get proof they know what they are talking about.
5. Go natural. The idea of having a reef tank is basically recreating and maintaining an oceanic environment in your home. If there is a natural solution to a problem you are experiencing, try that first. An example would be adding a refugium to grow macro algae and pods, this will naturally lower nitrates and feed your fish. Algae can naturally be controlled with herbivores. Some reef pests can be controlled with wrasse fish. A natural defense against a natural problem just makes sense.
Cycling is a natural process that new tanks NEED to go thorough. This is the first ugly stage of every long term reef tank. A lot of people want to rush this process because the tank looks nothing like the reason they got in to the hobby. Many products are marketed to speed this process up, none of them are needed. This hobby is a test of patience, give your tank the time it needs to become stable. One bit of advise I can give you on this topic is this, don't interrupt the cycle with water changes and cleaning, let nature work while you get comfortable doing water tests.
This is by no means a complete guide to reefing, but it is a start. I would like to hear from others that have a long term tank on what they can contribute to their success.
Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank
A small percentage of people that start the hobby actually stick with it more than a year or so due to failure. People get overwhelmed with problems and all the information that comes along with reef keeping. I would like to share some useful tips on how to create a successful reef aquarium and stay successful, there will be work required but it's totally worth it.
1. Research. Before getting involved with a commitment try to figure out what you are actually committing to. This applies to every aspect of the hobby; water chemistry, fish, inverts, coral, equipment.
Every time I see a fish I want I research to see if they're are any special needs or known problems in keeping it. I usually don't even ask the workers at the lfs but rather consult the internet with reputable sources like Live Aquaria, this is because often times in person people tend to forget minor details so it's better to turn to printed text to get accurate info.
When purchasing equipment research customer reviews and find out what the pros and cons are for that product, there's not much worse than buying an expensive product and then figuring out later that it isn't what you expected.
When it comes to water chemistry there is an abundance of information and methods of achieving the same goal. For myself it's best to do something that I'm comfortable with and that I am willing to do. Keeping it simple is the best advise I can give here. Don't dose things in to your aquarium that you can't test for. Making adjustments based on assumptions is never a good idea. When it comes time to make adjustments, do your math.... Twice, and write it on paper to make sure it looks correct.
2. Plan. From early on in the hobby I wanted a big system when my budget could afford it. When it was time to get new equipment I would buy oversized. Bigger skimmer than I needed, bigger pump, more lights, extra pumps, extra heaters, etc., it was easier for me to upgrade my system because I anyway had equipment to fit the upgrade. Having extra equipment on hand was my insurance policy incase of equipment failure and it allowed me to help people in need when emergencies happened.
3. Keep a log. I started letting a log of things I did to my system agreed a fellow reefer showed me his log. Every time I would change media, do a water change, perform tests, maintenance I would write it in my log. If things in the tank started to look unhappy I could consult my log book for clues like test results or the last time I changed media out. Now I use the software in my apex unit to keep my logs, super helpful.
4. Get a mentor! Most things in I know I learned from others. It really helped me to have a reefing mentor, someone I could consult with about my reefing issues and get advise. I didn't just choose a random person I chose someone that had what I wanted, a nice reef tank. I asked numerous questions about how to do things and how things work. I didn't ask many other people the same questions because I trusted my mentor. Because I had one source of information I didn't get confused with so many different ways to do things, I had a simple approach.
Don't trust a person's advise if they won't show you their successful reef tank, get proof they know what they are talking about.
5. Go natural. The idea of having a reef tank is basically recreating and maintaining an oceanic environment in your home. If there is a natural solution to a problem you are experiencing, try that first. An example would be adding a refugium to grow macro algae and pods, this will naturally lower nitrates and feed your fish. Algae can naturally be controlled with herbivores. Some reef pests can be controlled with wrasse fish. A natural defense against a natural problem just makes sense.
Cycling is a natural process that new tanks NEED to go thorough. This is the first ugly stage of every long term reef tank. A lot of people want to rush this process because the tank looks nothing like the reason they got in to the hobby. Many products are marketed to speed this process up, none of them are needed. This hobby is a test of patience, give your tank the time it needs to become stable. One bit of advise I can give you on this topic is this, don't interrupt the cycle with water changes and cleaning, let nature work while you get comfortable doing water tests.
This is by no means a complete guide to reefing, but it is a start. I would like to hear from others that have a long term tank on what they can contribute to their success.
Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank
