Students and Teachers: Do you have a reefing mentor?

[DanyL]

I picked the mentor option, because I do and did mentor many hobbyists over the years, and I absolutely love seeing them flourish and uptake the knowledge overtime.

That being said, and even though I feel like my knowledge is quite diverse and wide - I still keep looking and exploring other’s experiences and approaches, and I keep learning and feeding myself with new knowledge. Google is my best mentor, and most of the time R2R turns up first, though some of the most interesting bits of information in recent years came up from academic research papers.

 

[whammack]

I'm new to all of this. There are no local fish stores within 2 hours of me and I don't know anyone who does this. So I use r2r for my knowledge.

 

[rtparty]

A mentor for me is someone I must know personally who I can talk to in person or on the phone when needed.

I have many teachers on here but my mentors are close friends at this point. Thomas Burton probably being my go to for any ideas or tank help I need. Many only know and see him as the BRS YouTube guy but he’s actually ridiculously smart and very educated with marine life.

 

[Kfactor]

rich ross for me

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

Usually listen to Randy when it comes to chemistry. I dont think you can go wrong there. There are countless others here that have helped me but I cant name them all.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

There are a couple of people here who I listen to above all overs. They are; @vetteguy53081, @ISpeakForTheSeas, @Randy Holmes-Farley, @Paul B. There are a few others, we interact a lot so you know who you are, but those 4 stand out to me, Vette cuz he has huge tanks and knows the pitfalls and was the first person who's build thread I looked at, Paul B. cuz 47 years dang! and Randy and Ispeak are 2 of the smartest people I have read stuff from IMO. They have, all 4 taught me so much and I look forward to learning even more.

Definitely these

 

[saullman]

So I have a little sorry to tell.

I was frustrated because my corals were not growing and I could only grow softies. No LPS or SPS. I reached out on R2R for help just asking if there was someone that I could pay for help (either in person or online consult). I did get some recommendations of people that I could pay for help and others said they solely use this forum by just asking questions and getting advice.

But one person stepped up @Lavey29 to help me and made it clear that he wasn't going to charge me a dime. He has a similar tank and lights and I guess he thought he could make a real difference in my tank. We have been talking for a few months now and he has given me a ton of advice on things that can be improved and given me a bunch of knowledge that I didn't know before talking to him. We are still in the beginning stages of improving my tank. I haven't seen many changes yet, but it doesn't matter to me. Just the fact that someone stepped up and it's willing to help means the world to me. I really appreciate @Lavey29 for all he's done to this point and in the future. He's a life saver or should I say a reef saver!!!

 

[Lavey29]

So I have a little sorry to tell.

I was frustrated because my corals were not growing and I could only grow softies. No LPS or SPS. I reached out on R2R for help just asking if there was someone that I could pay for help (either in person or online consult). I did get some recommendations of people that I could pay for help and others said they solely use this forum by just asking questions and getting advice.

But one person stepped up @Lavey29 to help me and made it clear that he wasn't going to charge me a dime. He has a similar tank and lights and I guess he thought he could make a real difference in my tank. We have been talking for a few months now and he has given me a ton of advice on things that can be improved and given me a bunch of knowledge that I didn't know before talking to him. We are still in the beginning stages of improving my tank. I haven't seen many changes yet, but it doesn't matter to me. Just the fact that someone stepped up and it's willing to help means the world to me. I really appreciate @Lavey29 for all he's done to this point and in the future. He's a life saver or should I say a reef saver!!!

Thank you Sir. We are all just regular people that truly enjoy this beautiful hobby and just want our tanks to be something we love to look at. Every hobbyist here has the same challenges but that's what makes the end result most rewarding. Your tank is on the right path now but this hobby just requires so much patience and diligence it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel sometimes. You will get there.

 

[revhtree]

I definitely don’t belong in that sentence with those awesome pros, but thanks! I try to help where I can.

Dude you do not give yourself enough credit! You're a "super rare golden torch" of a member to the reefing community!