Do we overly complicate reef keeping?

[Gumbies R Us]

Reefkeeping can seem rather daunting at times. From the vast amount of fish you can keep in your tanks to the intricacies of chemical balance in a tank, it can feel quite overwhelming. But are we making reef keeping overcomplicated? Maybe we are looking too much into certain aspects of reef keeping or simply trying to throw everything at a problem when a simple fix would overcome it. So I am asking you, do you believe we make reef keeping overcomplicated, or are we downplaying it at times?

 

[corosato]

I was so overwhelmed when starting and mode more mistakes from worrying about all the parameters that I realized were for Acros and not the corals I started with that yeah, I think we do tend to talk about reef keeping as a monolith of high end sps and not as "grades" of levels

 

[Texasreef]

I think we over complicate things personally with all the fancy stuffy and gadgets. Some of it indeed makes the hobby easier. I’ve kept mixed reef tanks for years and the only thing I run in any tank is a UV, filter floss, ATO and a bag of chemi. I don’t buy all the dosing solutions and fancy pumps ext… everything the tank needs can be replaced by a simple 10% water change weekly. This is just my opinion of course

…best thing I ever changed was stop chasing #’s the tank will let me know when it’s unhappy

 

[rtparty]

Yes

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Greg Hiller, a reefer who some of you may recall, once called my system at the time a Rube Goldberg device. lol

 

[14 foot reef]

Greg Hiller, a reefer who some of you may recall, once called my system at the time a Rube Goldberg device. lol

@Randy Holmes-Farley - That is so funny

 

[BeanAnimal]

Then you have me… who let the tank run for over 5 years with no dosing, automation, skimming, filtration, food, water changes or anything else. Heck for 3 years I bet I didn’t even look at it more than 4 or 5 times. Well I couldn’t. The entire front glass was encrusted with a single plate of blue ridge.

 

[exnisstech]

I think it can be as complicated or as simple as a person wants to make it. I like simple. I have 3 tanks and don't run a skimmer on any. I have two UV units on the shelf. I have no controllers or monitors of any type. I do have one doser and I manually dose two tanks one AFR and one 2 part. I don't do ICP so I'm not chasing trace elements. I don't care about PH . I don't even have a set WC schedule. I have ATO and heat controllers on all but to me that's common sense. I usually try to test every 7 -10 days but having coral growing I consider that a bit of common sense also, at least until a tank is mature and stable. For many I think tech is sub hobby within the reefing hobby.

 

[RedReefer]

I try to stay away and out of my reef as much as possible. This helps me keep it simple and enjoy. I let my APEX supervise.

 

[DIYreefer]

Absolutely, yes we do.

 

[InvaderJim]

I think that can be said about a lot of things these days including reefing. I have actually gone the opposite way and have tried to simplify my tank as much as possible. Less room for error the better.

 

[AlanS]

Reefkeeping can seem rather daunting at times. From the vast amount of fish you can keep in your tanks to the intricacies of chemical balance in a tank, it can feel quite overwhelming. But are we making reef keeping overcomplicated? Maybe we are looking too much into certain aspects of reef keeping or simply trying to throw everything at a problem when a simple fix would overcome it. So I am asking you, do you believe we make reef keeping overcomplicated, or are we downplaying it at times?

Yes. I just run a skimmer and use gravity feeds for my ATO.

 

[Doctorgori]

yes

 

[odariel]

i think our desire to keep more and more difficult corals and packed reefs makes things more complicated... and usually, if you are any good at keeping corals alive they will grow, and their element, nutrient and flow demands will grow with them... so having a successful reef pack with (hard) corals and pretend not having to dose or be on top of your nutrients and test more and more frequently is not realistic.. i started slow, with softies, the random anemone and the clownfish pair, as many of us do.. that was a very easy, low maintenance reef that was very forgiving to my mistakes... now i have a reef full of SPS colonies that consumes 500 ml (1.32 gallons?) of Kh daily.. weekly water changes aint gonna cut it for something like this. Nor me skipping 2 days of feeding.. a full grown reef is a different kind of animal.. so i guess the biggest the reef, the more complicated things tend to get.. but is that actually complicated or simply a new set of requirements for the thing you are trying to keep at your home?

 

[edsbeaker]

I’m seeing this question beyond equipment. My tank is highly automated, but I don’t think that is making it over complicated. For me I believe I used to overcomplicate reefing by seeing every little thing that seemed slightly off or not within range requiring a knee jerk response to correct it NOW! That caused a lot more problems than I have today. Now I can see that it isn’t always an emergency…slow and steady wins the race, and more importantly, some things that you just don’t like….uglies….need to run their course for progress to be made. This patience makes reefing more enjoyable for me.

 

[GARRIGA]

I’m going for simple. If it works. Then it works. It fails. I’ll go get guppies. Just reading what others go through is exhausting

 

[vlangel]

I started with an AIO marine FOWLR. Then I upgraded my lights and added coral. I already knew if I was getting unwanted algae in the fish only system to cut back on food and decrease the light cycle. I might add an algae eating invert. Naturally that is what I did when I added coral too, of course knowing that it was more of a balancing act with coral needing light to photosynthesis.

I did not buy a skimmer for years and eventually quit using the skimmer. For me the biggest help was learning about macroalgae out competing nuisance algae.
My tank is pump/powerhead, ReefBreeder led lights, live rock, and dsb. It has a sump but i believe i could remove that and put an Aquaclear filter where the HOB overflow is. The tank is 8 years old.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I’m going for simple. If it works. Then it works. It fails. I’ll go get guppies. Just reading what others go through is exhausting

That’s what I feel like I do! Keep it as simple as possible!

 

[GARRIGA]

That’s what I feel like I do! Keep it as simple as possible!

I've noticed in many hobbies there's the extreme element that must make it as complicated as possible as if that becomes a badge of honor. Anything requiring more effort than joy gained not fun and I'm fine keeping guppies. Older I get the less time I'm willing to invest in obtaining pleasure

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I've noticed in many hobbies there's the extreme element that must make it as complicated as possible as if that becomes a badge of honor. Anything requiring more effort than joy gained not fun and I'm fine keeping guppies. Older I get the less time I'm willing to invest in obtaining pleasure

For real! I feel like it's human nature to push the extremes of a hobby. For example, mountain biking can be a fun pastime for some people, while others take the most dangerous routes in the world and risk their lives to accomplish said trail.