Question: what do you think the reefing hobby/hobbyists should stop doing?

[Uncle99]

Stop selling stuff that’s doomed from the start.
They KNOW that it’s going to die.

 

[toi_ss]

Stop selling stuff that’s doomed from the start.
They KNOW that it’s going to die.

I think part of the problem with "impossible" fish is due to the environment we keep them in. Some species aren't impossible if we provide an appropriate home for them and with corallivores that means keeping them with their natural food source, which potentially only public aquariums can do realistically. (with the exception of some like viking reefing and andrew sandler)

Interestingly catching some species, like moorish idols, before they have settled on the reefs has proven to make them far easier to maintain as their natural diets aren't fixed yet. It seems to be far more successful than getting older specimens that generally wither away without their specific natural diet.

Also, several difficult species have been successfully bred and the offspring have proven easier to maintain in our tanks so it would be nice to see this move forward.

 

[KrisReef]

Very annoying when the self righteous answer questions that weren’t even asked.

Can I borrow your pen?

 

[VintageReefer]

Before buying a fish you should have to prove you have an adequate size/stocked tank to take care of it

Get a reefing license system/tier system

I’m class A - 75g

High experience, 75g tank. Despite experience, I shouldn’t be able to go out and buy a grouper or a shark.

Minimum of class A-300g license needed

 

[toi_ss]

I think part of the problem with "impossible" fish is due to the environment we keep them in. Some species aren't impossible if we provide an appropriate home for them and with corallivores that means keeping them with their natural food source, which potentially only public aquariums can do realistically. (with the exception of some like viking reefing and andrew sandler)

Interestingly catching some species, like moorish idols, before they have settled on the reefs has proven to make them far easier to maintain as their natural diets aren't fixed yet. It seems to be far more successful than getting older specimens that generally wither away without their specific natural diet.

Also, several difficult species have been successfully bred and the offspring have proven easier to maintain in our tanks so it would be nice to see this move forward.

I misunderstood this question, I think uncle99 was referring to fish, corals and invertebrates that come in diseased and or injured. My apologies

 

[boacvh]

Stop not listening to Randy and for the love of God someone please stop @Hedgedrew from adding so many tangs to his tank, it's definitely not size appropriate.

 

[toi_ss]

Stop not listening to Randy and for the love of God someone please stop @Hedgedrew from adding so many tangs to his tank, it's definitely not size appropriate.

Polo reef isn't overstocked at all, its 17000 gallons. Most of the tangs are yellow tangs as well which are some of the smallest. His tank only looks overstocked because all the fish crowd around the front of the glass because that is where they get food.

 

[Jolson10]

Chasing parameters….stability wins.

 

[Paul B]

Stop treating fish as if they are Humans. Fish live in the sea, eat poop, dig in the dirt and live mostly by eating other living creatures, not freeze dried Twinkies or whatever many people feed because there is a pretty picture of a Moorish Idol on the package.

Stop treating any fish for some supposed ailment that you read about.

 

[Dburr1014]

Stop not listening to Randy

What's your reason for saying that everyone should stop listening to Randy?

@toi_ss ; re-read his sentence and then re-read yours. See the difference

We should stop chasing numbers. Just find a range and steer the ship.

 

[VintageReefer]

What's your reason for saying that everyone should stop listening to Randy? Do you have a reason or just hate his guts? Also polo reef isn't overstocked at all, its 17000 gallons. Most of the tangs are yellow tangs as well which are some of the smallest. His tank only looks overstocked because all the fish crowd around the front of the glass because that is where they get food.

 

[ryanjohn1]

Stop chasing named corals. They are corals not cars. They are or were all wild corals. Just cause some doofus added a dummy name to it doesn’t make it all that special. Blah blah blah lineages what ever it’s all fake and dumb. 99% of coral bought was wild like 6 months ago.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Stop chasing named corals. They are corals not cars. They are or were all wild corals. Just cause some doofus added a dummy name to it doesn’t make it all that special. Blah blah blah lineages what ever it’s all fake and dumb. 99% of coral bought was wild like 6 months ago.

Wait, you mean those arent all either new species or patented names of GMOs developed by the company selling them?!?!

Im kidding!!


Hearing the absolutely ridiculous names and seeing people frequently asking for the "trade name" is a personal pet peeve of mine. I dont quite understand why people care about what name Joe Dirt at the pet shop thought up at the fish store yesterday after he finally put his bong down and felt extra creative. I hope people actually know that the names are so comical sounding because they're marketing tactics. People feel like theyre getting something extra special and will pay more if they buy a coral advertised as a "[insert company name for extra marketing exposure] Boisenberry Superman OG XXX Dynamite Acro" than they would if the same coral was listed simply as a uniquely colored Acropora humilis.

 

[toi_ss]

@toi_ss ; re-read his sentence and then re-read yours. See the difference

We should stop chasing numbers. Just find a range and steer the ship.

Oh my god I am so dumb lol

 

[VintageReefer]

Oh my god I am so dumb lol

If one can admit that and laugh, then they are not dumb

 

[BristleWormHater]

We should stop pushing xenia as a beginner coral, it can literally ruin the whole tank.

 

[ryanjohn1]

We should stop pushing xenia as a beginner coral, it can literally ruin the whole tank.

Kenya tree too

 

[UtahReefer]

For people in the first year of the hobby... Stop listening to everything everyone says. When you're new to this hobby you are overwhelmed by the amount of info out there. The first year is the hardest when starting a reef tank. There are sources/people and companies out there that tell you and have a product for every problem you are going to confront. Patience is a prerequisite in this hobby. No problem will be solved with a couple of doses of "X" or constantly changing your approach. You are starting up an echo system, it will take time to establish. Find one or two individuals / sources who are successful and use them as a guide line. Any good reefer with experience will tell you that have faced all of these problems at some point and the worst thing you can do is start changing everything. There is no such thing as fast in this hobby.

 

[Dburr1014]

Oh my god I am so dumb lol

The first time I read it, I thought the same thing you did.

 

[Dan_P]

I think the manufacturers need to stop catering to people who don’t have the problem solving and engineering “chops” for this hobby. It used to be there was sort of a natural engineering barrier to entering the hobby. You had to have some basic problem solving skills and know how to use a wrench to even get a system put together. They have made these AIO systems and plug and play reefs so dumbed down that anyone with a 5th grade reading level and some disposable income can jump in head first. Often they are completely lost within a couple months and in some cases, no amount of reading will make them a great reefer. This hobby takes a certain kind of person and a certain type of intelligence to be successful in. It used to be there was a filter at the front end, but that seems to have disappeared in the last 10-15 years.

This will be an unpopular opinion, and I am not trying to say the hobby should be made inaccessible to the average joe, but the barrier to entry has sunken too low IMO. Obviously this will never change as that would be bad business. More of an observation I suppose.

I was thinking along similar lines. The barrier to entry has been lowered by vendors in this hobby. They have successfully sold the public on the notion that the successful saltwater aquarium has become a plug-and-play hobby that can be fully automated and controlled through your phone. Solving aquarium problems is just an additive purchase away.

Vendors know the public is gullible and that greater than 50% of new aquarists are out of the hobby in two years. They need to innovate and make magic to make a quick killing in that time window.