To be a successful reef keeper you must master....

[AlyciaMarie]

Ah, if only we could have every tool we will ever need to keep our home reefs happy and healthy. Unfortunately, I assume, almost none of us started reef keeping with our tool belt full and ready to go.

Through victories and failures, maybe you have mastered some key skills that are required to successfully keep a reef. I know master is a strong word, but in your option, what have you mastered in an attempt to maintain your aquarium or what you are trying/hope to master in the future?

I am a student at many and a master at none...

 

[corosato]

Patience

 

[AlyciaMarie]

Patience

Yeah this will never happen for me

I "want to master" for me would be Anemone care and identification. And the art of 'Get your hands out of that tank! Leave it alone!'

 

[TX_REEF]

Patience, persistence, purpose...

 

[Reefer Matt]

Yourself. You are going to want to tinker with everything. In time, you learn your limits.

 

[paragrouper]

Revenue generation

 

[corosato]

Yeah this will never happen for me

I "want to master" for me would be Anemone care and identification. And the art of 'Get your hands out of that tank! Leave it alone!'

I practice patience by adding and removing corals from shopping carts all the time and then distracting myself with something else......so I can buy it later in the day cause I was "Patient".

 

[GARRIGA]

Managing water, food and PAR based on species needs

 

[AlyciaMarie]

Yourself. You are going to want to tinker with everything. In time, you learn your limits.

This is one of the lessons I'm currently learning...

 

[flashsmith]

Throwing money away and not crying about it..

 

[Alexraptor]

Patience, Discipline and Self-Control.

The patience to wait for results when making the slightest change.
The Discipline to follow set routines in maintenence and problem management.
The Self-Control to avoid knee-jerk reactions to problems that crop up, to allow for a measured and analytical response rather than a potential overreaction.

 

[AlyciaMarie]

Throwing money away and not crying about it..

Especially when the money looks awesome in your tank and then gives up on living overnight.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

Knowing

• what is happening in the system,
• why it is happening,
• what you're doing that's affecting it,
• why you're doing that,
• whether you should stop doing that.

Without understanding causes and effects, what looks like mastery is simply accidental dodging of failure.

 

[Nano_Man]

You need to keep plodding on and learning from others and mistakes you make along the way. Don’t give up keep going and last thing enjoy your hobby don’t be worried about everything in your reef

 

[BeanAnimal]

Cooking bacon - for there is no bad bacon, but perfect bacon is an art. These skills (once acquired) have great carry over to reefing. Those who are masters already understand, those who don't, have yet to be enlightened but that is a personal path to be discovered, not one that can be taught.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I agree with the aspect of patience; you can't rush perfection.

 

[ReefStable]

Its all in my name

Really though, stability.

If a reef tank environment is stable, you have fewer stress events, better coral growth, better color, better everything!

Stability helps with the patience as well! If the reef is responding well, you're less likely to tinker and mess with things!

 

[Timfish]

I've been keeping reefs for 4 decades, have multiple systems in their second and third decades and I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing. :/

To be properly prepared a reef aquarist needs to be experienced in zoology, biology, biochemistry,physics, geochemistry, fluid dynamics, engineering (mechanical, structural, electrical), electronics, programming, environmental sciences, nutrition, waste management, animal behavior, microbiology, genetics . . .

 

[Pntbll687]

So, I really don't think you need to master anything. Reef keeping for the majority of people is about three things
1. Being Patient
2. Being consistent
3. Being Persistent

For the overwhelming majority of reefers, doing water changes can fix most issues that are being had. It's about being consistent in doing those water changes, being persistent and actually setting everything up to do those changes, and being patient that things do not change immediately after the water change.

Now I said the majority of reefers, not all reefers. At some point you need to learn about alkalinity and dosing, and water chemistry, but that could be a year or more down the road for people.

 

[AlyciaMarie]

Its all in my name

Really though, stability.

If a reef tank environment is stable, you have fewer stress events, better coral growth, better color, better everything!

Stability helps with the patience as well! If the reef is responding well, you're less likely to tinker and mess with things!

That's another one I'm focusing on right now. I've had a nutrient fiasco recently, but I got some great advice from the community and I'm focusing on just maintaining stability in my tank.