I commenced in the hobby in 1972. My advice is to go slowly with whatever you do. If you rush things it will cost you and you will quickly become frustrated with marines. If you are married have a partner that is also interested in the hobby as keeping the bank statements hidden can be problematic. Lastly, be prepared to spend more than you think. Cheers, all the best in reefing.
Tips & Tricks Of Old School Reefing
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Thank you.
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As a singer who recently lost his voice teacher around this time a year ago:
You are incalculably fortunate to be reefing in a time when many of the 1st & 2nd generation founders, pioneers, & tinkerers (the people who figured out how to do reefing in the first place), are still alive. Meet them, befriend them, & learn all you can from them while they're still here. When they die, much of their knowledge will die with them, no matter how many books they've written.
You are incalculably fortunate to be reefing in a time when many of the 1st & 2nd generation founders, pioneers, & tinkerers (the people who figured out how to do reefing in the first place), are still alive. Meet them, befriend them, & learn all you can from them while they're still here. When they die, much of their knowledge will die with them, no matter how many books they've written.
Great tips everyone! Here is my list.....a lot of it is already covered but these are the top things I try to stick to for an SPS dominant tank. Of course there are many ways to achieve success.
- Stability – It is critical to have stability for parameters such as salinity, nitrate, magnesium and calcium. Stable phosphate is important as well, but perhaps most important for SPS is keeping alkalinity at a consistent level. Any swings with this parameter over a short period of time usually spells trouble. Stable parameters equals happy SPS.
- Proper Lighting – I have had a lot of success using 400W metal halides, yet others have done well with other types of lighting such as LEDs and T5s.
- Calcium and Alkalinity – It is critical to have a very strong calcium and alkalinity supplementation system. I’ve achieved great results when using a calcium reactor in conjunction with a kalk reactor for additional augmentation. Other reefers use a two part dosing system with great success, and in fact, I am currently using this method on my latest tank. Either way, it is very important to test for calcium and alkalinity on a regular basis. Remember tip #1? Stability is key, especially with alkalinity.
- Good Flow – There are a few reasons why this is important. One is to keep detritus from collecting at the bottom, which helps to keep nitrates and phosphates from building up in the tank. Strong circulation also helps to deliver food and nutrients to corals and helps to prevent problematic algae from taking hold in a tank. Finally, good circulation creates surface agitation, which increases oxygen levels and replicates the light refraction seen in our natural reefs.
- Keep a “Slightly” Dirty Tank – My philosophy is to run a high import/high export type of system and to have some levels of nitrates (2.5 – 5 ppm) and phosphates (.03-.05). On the import side, I keep many fish and feed them a lot to ensure they are fat and happy. On the export side, I lean on regular water changes (10% on a bi-weekly basis) for nutrient control and to replenish trace elements. I also rely on skimming and use an algae reactor.
- Patience – If you don’t have any then this hobby is not for you.
- Good Husbandry – It’s important to keep up with maintenance on equipment, perform regular water changes and observe a tank on a daily basis to make sure things are ok. Testing water parameters on a regular basis is also critical. Laziness can be a killer in this hobby.
- Knowledge – Reading articles and books, and conversing with other, more experienced reef keepers to tap into their knowledge base, is crucial. Mistakes will be made, but they can be minimized if the required reef tank homework is done. It is also important to crawl before one can walk, so my advice is to not jump in right away and go big in terms of tank size and complexity of the system. Get it right with a smaller system, and then use the knowledge gained from that experience to go bigger when the time is right.
- Avoid Stress – Don’t be a tinkerer. Constantly dipping one’s hands in the tank to rearrange corals can be problematic because oils from the skin can stress out fish and corals. Additionally, corals will become stressed due to the frequent touching and handling. My advice is to sit back, relax, and let Mother Nature do her thing.
- Be Prepared – Curveballs will come at some point, so it’s imperative to be prepared for such things as power outages or potential equipment breakdowns (these can be minimized by keeping up with equipment maintenance). It is also important to embrace technology. A good aquarium controller can alert a reef keeper to many potential problems before they snowball into a disaster.
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Great advice from many which we should all heed. If I may...
Do your own due diligence and don't take anything for granted. Research the topic independently on your own from reputable sources and see if you come up with the same conclusions.
Do your own due diligence and don't take anything for granted. Research the topic independently on your own from reputable sources and see if you come up with the same conclusions.
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