Brain builder: How do I get smarter in the hobby?

[Peace River]

Brain builder: How do I get smarter in the hobby?

This week we have been talking about brain corals, but what about your brain? What do you do to get smarter in the hobby? Do you experiment with your reef, spend time talking to other reefers, or maybe take in information from books and social media? There is a lot of information out there so where do you turn to learn? Tell us what you do to get information, what you have found to be an effective way to learn, and let us know where you think there are gaps in the reef education system!

Photo by @AlgaeBarn

 

[Gumbies R Us]

One of the best ways I have learned about this hobby is by seeing others' experiences. Seeing what worked for them and what didn't work for them. It helps me figure out what I should try and what might not be the best idea for my tank.

 

[PeterC99]

Just read R2R!

Wealth of information right at your fingertips! Learn from the build threads of successful reefers. Search past threads for answers to your questions and ask great questions when you can’t find what you are looking for. Build relationships with other reefers, share your experiences, and provide a little humor along the way.

 

[AKL1950]

Make mistakes. You will never forget the lessons you learn from screwing something up.

 

[Typhon]

Reef2Reef and Youtube have been great resource for me.

I just got back into the hobby last year after being out for 8 years. So much have changed.

Just means, I have so much to catch up on.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Voted all with the exception of YouTube and podcast for obvious reasons. (Most needs to be filtered)
as “other” I find good information on scientific papers and article’s

 

[Patientman]

I checked all choices EXCEPT "Experiment" ... feel I do NOT know enough to theorize potential improvements or fixes ... and not willing to risk potential losses if things go kerplunk-kerpluie! Read ... read ... read some more ... listen ... and study other's successes!

 

[MoshJosh]

Learn from everything you can!

 

[Aspect]

Same way as learning anything else. Research and research, you get back what you put in.

 

[Jigity_jigity_joe]

I feel like I’ve spent the last 16-17 years on forums to learn most of what I know to this day (still not a lot) but I feel it is probably one of the most valuable tools available. You can learn from others mistakes and what others have succeeded with. Whether you’re looking for something with purpose or just aimlessly scrolling and picking threads there’s a lot to be taken from it.

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

The biggest one for me is reading every post I see asking for help with an issue or IDing something.

Looking at things going wrong has been a huge resource.

Also BRSgot my foot in the door big time, but I think I'd be in the same spot now if I never saw their videos, ASIDE from the fact thay Ryan's microbiome ted talk was what finally pushed me into starting a marine aquarium.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Brain builder: How do I get smarter in the hobby?

This week we have been talking about brain corals, but what about your brain? What do you do to get smarter in the hobby? Do you experiment with your reef, spend time talking to other reefers, or maybe take in information from books and social media? There is a lot of information out there so where do you turn to learn? Tell us what you do to get information, what you have found to be an effective way to learn, and let us know where you think there are gaps in the reef education system!

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Photo by @AlgaeBarn

For me it's books, books and more books! Mine are not as neat as those in your photo though!

 

[vlangel]

I did all of the above except subscribe to magazines and listen to podcasts. I checked other because I worked at a reputable lfs as well.

 

[Reef and Dive]

Sorry this time…

 

[Eric R.]

Funny that the top two responses so far were the only ones I didn't vote for (read reef2reef and watch Youtube). I think a lot of hobbyists get info from these two sources, but my big issue with both of them is that it is hard to vet whether these folks know what they are talking about (other than if they have a nice looking tank that has been running for a while).

Of course, I did choose listen to podcasts, and the ones I listen to are all streamed on youtube as well, so maybe that's inconsistent on my part. And the MACNA session recordings are excellent. So I really guess it all depends on who you watch/listen to, kind of like on forums.

Sad to see subscribe to magazines so low in the rankings. I just got myself a coral magazine subscription and have really enjoyed reading through the archives. I also like purchasing used books, there's still a lot of relevant, good, useful info in them.

 

[stephnjeph]

I spend a good amount of time in a lab and so I always go with published studies in regards to the specific matter in which I am questioning, researching, or just simply find curious. Second, if my inquiries go unanswered I turn to colleagues that have been in the field for an extended time. I like to fact check my sources extensively to ensure that I am not leading blindly with incorrect information or making hasty changes. Though I enjoy the various aspects of social media such as YouTube and forums and view many of the videos and informatives posted I do not turn to them or rely on them for assistance in care due to the amount of misinformation and personal opinions rather than factual scientific data. I do however enjoy social media for the individual opinions on products and read extensively on people's experiences with various pieces of equipment, brands of salts and supplements, manufactured tank decor, etc. and I do use this information to make product purchases that suit my need.

 

[acesfull44]

While all the answers are a given, I do believe R2R is the best all encompassing place for all levels of the hobby!

 

[i cant think]

Experimentation, Reading Books and Talking to others in this hobby are perfect ways to get knowledge!

I know experimenting with lives is bad, but a lot of the time it works out
I would never have had my stocking without experimenting! I mean, if I didn’t experiment with taking a clam under my wing, I never would’ve had the beauty of my Deresa.

Reading is controversial. Sometimes the things you read aren’t up to date (especially with so many changes in species names), but the general care of the species never changes. No matter how hard that fish is, the general care will not change. It may adapt to suit the fish/invert’s preferences but it will never fully change.

And finally, Talk to others! Whether that’s online, in person or even just your LFS worker. We all know things and one of the things I say to others is;
Why have the knowledge but never share it?
It’s just pointless if you do that, your knowledge could change the care of a species but you may just keep it hidden. That helps nobody except yourself, I myself am not always a social person but if someone struggles with something, I will help them
I also thank talking to others, because if I hadn’t said this to anyone I would be ashamed to show this FTS.

 

[ZoWhat]

SMARTER....?

How about quit chasing numbers and methods everyone tells you should have....

....and actually LOOK at your coral and determine when they are their happiest

... i mean knowing basic husbandry skills to keep the tank stable is critical. but adopting other ppls numbers as your own is unrealistic. every reef is different

.

 

[JZ199]

All of the above! Except for talking with other reefers (if that includes in person) locally I'm the only person I know into it. I need to travel about an hour to be around anyone else into the hobby that I know of.

Lately I've been trying to find some good books to read and plan on reading a lot more due to my work schedule. I can't have my phone inside work and half the time the computer blocks reef2reef on me, so I figured getting a decent book to bring in would be a nice option! (open to some suggestions!)