After 10 years in the hobby, I guess it is time for me to show off what I have learned from my mistakes.
View attachment 1340
That pic was in January, I will upload a more current one shortly. For a detailed synopsis of how I got to this point, it is on my blog at cadeandmolly.com.
From my decade in the hobby, here are a few rules I have come to live by:
1. Put your tank in an area where you will be most of the time. The times when my reef was most neglected was when it was in a second living room or bedroom. Out of sight, out of mind.
2. Keep it simple! I currently do not run any peripherals except a HOB refugium and skimmer. My more complicated setups in the past just ended up being more work and more messes in the end. While I am sure there are ways to bulletproof more complicated systems, I found that this was the best system for me. All additives are simply added to top-off.
3. Take everything your LFS employees say with a grain of salt (most of the time). Remember that they are a BUSINESS first and foremost, and a helping hand second. Do your research before you head into a store and don't buy it if you don't know everything about it. Back in the day, this was harder, but with smartphones, in-store research is a breeze.
4. Have a clear picture in your mind of where you want your tank to go. Do you want lots of little fish, or just a few big ones? Do you want a softie/ LPS reef with minimal work; or do you have the time, ambition, and money for a SPS garden? There are many mutually-exclusive variables in this hobby and it is important to have an idea where your tank is going when purchasing livestock and equipment.
5. If you like maroon clownfish, get them LAST. Mine was my first fish and has lived through crashes, spills, moves, and neglect. It now rules over anything I put in the tank with tyrannical domination. This includes my hands! At 5+ inches, the jerk draws blood!
Hopefully some new reefers can take away at least a little bit of info from this and avoid the mistakes I have made in the past.
View attachment 1340
That pic was in January, I will upload a more current one shortly. For a detailed synopsis of how I got to this point, it is on my blog at cadeandmolly.com.
From my decade in the hobby, here are a few rules I have come to live by:
1. Put your tank in an area where you will be most of the time. The times when my reef was most neglected was when it was in a second living room or bedroom. Out of sight, out of mind.
2. Keep it simple! I currently do not run any peripherals except a HOB refugium and skimmer. My more complicated setups in the past just ended up being more work and more messes in the end. While I am sure there are ways to bulletproof more complicated systems, I found that this was the best system for me. All additives are simply added to top-off.
3. Take everything your LFS employees say with a grain of salt (most of the time). Remember that they are a BUSINESS first and foremost, and a helping hand second. Do your research before you head into a store and don't buy it if you don't know everything about it. Back in the day, this was harder, but with smartphones, in-store research is a breeze.
4. Have a clear picture in your mind of where you want your tank to go. Do you want lots of little fish, or just a few big ones? Do you want a softie/ LPS reef with minimal work; or do you have the time, ambition, and money for a SPS garden? There are many mutually-exclusive variables in this hobby and it is important to have an idea where your tank is going when purchasing livestock and equipment.
5. If you like maroon clownfish, get them LAST. Mine was my first fish and has lived through crashes, spills, moves, and neglect. It now rules over anything I put in the tank with tyrannical domination. This includes my hands! At 5+ inches, the jerk draws blood!
Hopefully some new reefers can take away at least a little bit of info from this and avoid the mistakes I have made in the past.
