Gadgets and Crazy Cool Equipment Hurting the Hobby?

NY_Sea · Oct 8, 2021

I do like to see all of the advancements in the hobby. Still waiting on a pen stick device that reads and tests all parameters in 3 seconds . Maybe one day!

The equipment does get better and better which is great. But with super technological equipment comes the heavy price tag which in many cases is out of budget. I was successful for years with the basics.

Every hobbyist needs to Pick the equipment they feel will benefit their tank the most.

In my case a controller and auto top
Off are 2 pieces of equipment I now require MANDATORY.

Sure cheap Plug in timers work but we are in 2021. I’ve realized tanks can be successful without color plumbing , greatest sump and high tech trendy lights. What matters is the passion For the hobby and with that alone you can have a successful tank.

Buckster · Oct 8, 2021

I've flown airplanes IFR (Instrument flight rules). I studied and knew about the instruments and never felt overwhelmed. I guess I haven't studied enough to add some of the gadgets or instruments to my tank in making it easier to analyze. Maybe I've gotten lazy!

LPS Bum · Oct 8, 2021

I wouldn't say harder, but I would say more expensive.

A non-SPS reef tank really only needs solid water movement, stable temps, a reasonable amount of full spectrum lighting, and the ability to export excess nutrients. That can be accomplished pretty easily with weekly water changes, a little activated carbon, and an efficient protein skimmer.

ATOs, auto water changers, dosing pumps, Radions, media reactors and refugiums are all cool, and they can all help, but for many non-SPS tanks you don't really need them.

billysprout · Oct 8, 2021

edit: forgot to actually answer. i voted 'no' because the logic is flawed. i'm not scared away from making espresso when i see some rich guy's $5000 imported italian rig.

there's a perception that saltwater aquariums are more expensive than freshwaters to keep, but that perception is correct for all but the most determinedly frugal hobbyist.

mwilk19 · Oct 8, 2021

If that was all the research you did into reef keeping and came away with the impression that you had to have all of that to have a successful reef tank, maybe this hobby isn't for you. Every hobby has equipment that's nice to have but you don't need to be successful. My other hobby was woodworking. Did I have to have the latest and greatest power tools to make nice things? No, but sometimes it helps to make things easier.

jrb1021 · Oct 8, 2021

People who are discouraged from the hobby because of the expense of gadgets would also be discouraged by the cost of live stock, salt, test kits, live rock, and everything else involved It is not an inexpensive hobby. I probably COULD run my system with an apex controller. I did almost 50 years ago when such things didn't exist, far less successfully than I do now. If I still could, it would then be something over which I had to constantly fuss, rather than being able to spend most of my time enjoying my reef.
So yes, it's both--but those who are put off by the electronics would also be put off by the expenses or just the heartbreak of tank crashes that are pretty easily prevented by controllers and such.

igord · Oct 8, 2021

It's really different from person to person, I believe that it doesn't for those who voted "NO" and it does for those with the "YES" vote. I don't think that there can be a subjective answer here.

BryanJ · Oct 8, 2021

I voted yes. I did so because I went to an LFS and spoke with the owner of the store when I tried getting started the first time. I knew I wanted to get into the hobby but I didn't know how. The guy at the LFS asked me what fish I liked the best, I think I pointed to a yellow tang and then he took me straight to a 125g 6ft reef ready tank and proceeded to write a list of all of the things he thought I needed. When he was done he had about $3k worth of equipment before fish and rock. I had a $1000.00 budget so I left. This was also pre-google so he was my source of information at the time. Fast forward 5 years I bought a book on reef keeping and I followed the on a budget reefer plan. Which led to a ton of maintenance work trying to keep the tank going. Then I found Reef Central while trying to figure out what I was doing wrong and a whole new world opened up to me. Needless to say 22 years later I am still in it and still learning about new tricks and tools every day. I will also admit recently I came to the conclusion that adding a apex system or something similar is in my future because my current system is so large making changes after its to late is way to hard so I need to get out in front of it instead of reacting to it.

jeffrey holloway · Oct 8, 2021

I like gadgets if they work as advertised and last a few years. before there were all these new innovations in the reefing, people in hobby years ago kept reefs clean with protien skimmer run by air driven wooden bubble makers. I like my Reef OCTO return pumps, skimmers, Kessils, Neptune Apex and the other goodies in the hobby. It's the future of this hobby.

onlyfans · Oct 8, 2021

No, it doesn't hurt the hobby. However, as the saying goes, to each their own.

I've worked as a product engineer developing different control systems for various things over the years and one thing I noticed from it was this: people are scared of things they don't understand and they're too afraid / embarrassed to ask questions. Thus, the acromyn of KISS (keep it simple stupid) is used a lot in the industry, but to be honest we mean for us engineers to keep it simple for, well... this is going to sound d**kish, but for the simple minded people of the world. The average person doesn't comprehend "complicated" things largely in part due to their unwillingness to learn it and they like to play the roll of the victim of things being too difficult to understand. So, if someone is off put by gadgets, cleanly plumbed lines, etc. then they don't need to be in the hobby in the first place because their system will crash and then they'll blame it on something other than themselves and bad mouth the hobby to everyone because they suck. I may have a chip on my shoulder, but I see this behavior every single day and it has grown very tiresome.

Gammon60 · Oct 8, 2021

I would not say all the tech is hurting the hobby. For me the tech and gadgets is one aspect of the of the hobby that I enjoy. With that being said you do not need all of the gadgets to be successful in this hobby as long as you are willing to put the work in and stay in tune with your tank and then as you grow in the hobby it is your choice to get the tech and gadgets.

BradUK · Oct 8, 2021

onlyfans said:
No, it doesn't hurt the hobby. However, as the saying goes, to each their own.

I've worked as a product engineer developing different control systems for various things over the years and one thing I noticed from it was this: people are scared of things they don't understand and they're too afraid / embarrassed to ask questions. Thus, the acromyn of KISS (keep it simple stupid) is used a lot in the industry, but to be honest we mean for us engineers to keep it simple for, well... this is going to sound d**kish, but for the simple minded people of the world. The average person doesn't comprehend "complicated" things largely in part due to their unwillingness to learn it and they like to play the roll of the victim of things being too difficult to understand. So, if someone is off put by gadgets, cleanly plumbed lines, etc. then they don't need to be in the hobby in the first place because their system will crash and then they'll blame it on something other than themselves and bad mouth the hobby to everyone because they suck. I may have a chip on my shoulder, but I see this behavior every single day and it has grown very tiresome.

What's your engineering background?

CNDReef · Oct 8, 2021

I voted maybe
When a newbie asks about what they should get and everyone points them to echotech and neptunes instead of jebao and black boxes , they will frown on the hobby instantly. Remember, most people don’t want to invest in a hobby if they don’t even know if they’re going to like it at all. Nobody loves the hobby until they are in it for a while but not giving most people a chance at setting up a softie tank first ( need to crawl before you walk ) and scaring them away with cost of fancy stuff won’t get anyone into the hobby any faster.

Apollomax · Oct 8, 2021

revhtree said:
I don't want to start a fight here but I thought this could be a great question to ask. I recently saw a comment from someone on social media stating how they would not get into the Saltwater Aquarium hobby because all the equipment and gadgets needed. They had seen a photo, that we like to share, of a complex and well put together sump/equipment area that featured lots of fancy tubing, acrylic, electronics, etc. My personal opinion is that the "gadgets" make reefing more fun but also helps us be more successful. But maybe the perception hurts the hobby? Let's talk about it!

Do all the gadgets and crazy equipment choices hurt or help the hobby?

Do you think all the cool gear and gadgets cause the perception of reefing to be harder than it really is?

image via @Elder1945

Maybe. Some may think it’s needed to have a successful tank. I had a **** show myself without controls. Have buddies with great success without. But ex wife sold all my equipment so starting over with new to me 180g and ordered a ghl control. Should be bad butt if all goes well.

lagnew904 · Oct 8, 2021

I voted other and I'll explain why. I'm a new reefer so I can completely understand looking at a mature setup seems like alot to not only buy, but understand how to operate.

I'm an automation controls engineer so research and automation are my passion. But I could see how researching so much equipment up front can be a daunting task. Easily pushing someone into a different hobby with less upfront understanding.

While it's not all necessary to have a successful reef, most of us can agree it makes life way easier and positive results that much more sustainable.

Nano sapiens · Oct 8, 2021

onlyfans said:
No, it doesn't hurt the hobby. However, as the saying goes, to each their own.

I've worked as a product engineer developing different control systems for various things over the years and one thing I noticed from it was this: people are scared of things they don't understand and they're too afraid / embarrassed to ask questions. Thus, the acromyn of KISS (keep it simple stupid) is used a lot...

I understand where you are coming from (I work in the IT printer world), but there are many reasons that people keep simple reef systems that don't have to do with a fear of technology or other complexities (some do it simply because it works, they have smaller systems where doing things manually is not much of a chore, they work all day with complex systems/tasks and just want to enjoy the hobby without all the complexity, etc.).

IMO, It really is all about what floats a person's boat as long as the animals we keep are properly cared for. And it can be said for both high and low tech systems that both can fail if the aquarist isn't being mindful and paying proper attention.

jayoman · Oct 8, 2021

I can see all the gadgets presenting an intimidating picture to newbies. There is definitely a lot of flexing going on when you look at tanks on YouTube and other spots but I think it encourages as much as it discourages future refers. I think the focus on high end systems keeping the hardest things creates the perception more than the gadgets. So much of the fancy gear and lights are aimed squarely at keeping acros and sps that many people may not even care about. There is nothing sillier than running expensive controllable lights at less than 40% because they will bleach out your tank of low light corals.

When I first got into the hobby 20 years ago there were fewer gadgets but there was still a good bit of emphasis on keeping hard to keep corals as the reef ideal. If we get over that and show people how to run all kinds of reef tanks that don’t necessarily need high powered tools to run their tanks.

I’ll ask all of you. How many of you run any of your lights, power heads, return pumps at over 70%. Many of these gadgets are designed to make reefing easier and for the most part they do. But for a many tanks all the bells and whistles are overkill. Do we really need $1000 lights with powerful pumps to run a softie and Zoa tank with live rock and fish? Does that same tank need to test for 8 different parameters constantly? Of course not, but if we’re honest, we don’t as a group, really present the hobby that way.

The gadgets are great and have their place and I’m encouraged by companies putting together complete packages to help simplify things for reefers. Now we have to figure out how to present the many different ways of reefing to newcomers To make it more accessible. If you look up reefing online it is mostly high end fish keeping it very basic how yo start a tank. We need a lot more in between.

HeyLookItsCaps · Oct 8, 2021

rtparty said:
Absolutely. Most forget how much you truly have to learn to be successful in this hobby.

You have to be a marine biologist, chemist, plumber, wood worker, electrician, IT, baker (look how many you stole from the kitchen), and more.

I'm entering year 17 in this hobby and the number one reason people don't get into the hobby is "it LOOKS complicated and like a lot of work." Right or wrong doesn't matter. The perception is it looks hard. $10k in equipment does not help the perception.

I would love to screenshot this and add it to my social media if you don’t mind. It’s hard for people to understand why I love what I do so much but this hit it perfectly