Great list for newer reefers to the hobby

[Sikryd]

Seen this on another site thought it would be good for newbies!!

 

*Dont over feed. If you have tons of unexplained algae, you are probably feeding too much.

 

*Frequent water changes are a must.

 

*No salt water tank is complete without a skimmer. Some people will say you can get away without one but thats like saying you can go on a cross country road trip in your car using only first gear. Why bother?

 

*Use coral food sparingly.

 

*Don't buy a fish thinking 'I will buy a bigger tank when it outgrows this one'.

 

*Many people, including both neophytes and seasoned veterans of the hobby, will tell you that certain things have to be done certain ways. A lot of the times these people are 90% or more correct but always do a little investigating before making your own decision. Sometimes people on the internet are wrong.

 

*I will never setup a tank without a sump.

 

*In woodworking you measure twice, cut once. My advice is to research a new livestock purchase twice, buy once.

 

*Adequate flow and tank turnover are two of the most important factors in tank health and are often overlooked at the beginning.

 

*For God's Sake, cycle that tank before stocking it with livestock.

 

*If you own a fish before you own a test kit you are doing it wrong.

 

*T5 lighting alone IS enough to grow basically any coral. PC lighting is not.

 

*Support local retailors. Yes sometimes stuff can be found online cheaper, but good luck calling up Dr Fosters & Smith when you suddenly have a tank problem. It has been my experience that every local store I've ever been in has been more than happy to stop and talk/educate/teach about anything salt water related and this knowledge is far more valuable than the $5-10 you would have saved on the frag online.

 

*Never spend more than $20 on a frag of common Xenia or Green Star Polyps.

 

*If 10 people say that livestock X will probably die in your tank and 1 person says that he has had one healthy for 2 years and you'll be fine, it will probably die in your tank. Don't buy it.

 

*Be generous to other reefers and they will usually be generous back.

 

*Super glue gel is an amazing tool for mounting rocks and coral.

 

*Hydrometers are junk, get a refractometer.

 

*Frag swaps are fun ways of getting cheap corals and meeting new people.

 

*Homemade frozen food is cheaper and easier to maintain quality control than ready made mixes like Prime Reef.

 

*Regular Frozen brine shrimp is to fish what potato chips are to humans.

 

**Probably the most important thing I've learned is that good things happen slowly, and only bad things happen fast. Patience is key when it comes to having a good reef tank. Often times the best thing to do is provide a stable environment and keep your hands out of the tank as much as possible.

 

*****My addition***** Get out and see some tanks, meet some people, and share the love of the hobby - its makes it so much more fun.

[zygote2k]

T5 lighting alone IS enough to grow basically any coral. PC lighting is not.

This statement is simply not true. T5's put out 54w per 48" and PC's put out 96w. T5's are HO and PC's are VHO.

*No salt water tank is complete without a skimmer. Some people will say you can get away without one but thats like saying you can go on a cross country road trip in your car using only first gear. Why bother?

Another falsehood. There are hundreds of large scale commercial aquariums in the world that don't use protein skimmers but rely on biological filtration instead.

 

The most important thing that was left off is to buy a good assortment of hi quality reef books and READ THEM before you buy anything. Getting your advice from forums has mixed results....

Good titles:

Modern Coral Reef Aquarium vol 1-3

The Reef Aquarium vol 1-3

Coral Reef Invertebrates

Edited September 3, 2009 by zygote2k

[Coral Hind]

* Treat every new fish and coral as if it was infected. Inspect, dip, and quarantine before placing it into your display tank.

[Brian Ward]

T5 lighting alone IS enough to grow basically any coral. PC lighting is not.

This statement is simply not true. T5's put out 54w per 48" and PC's put out 96w. T5's are HO and PC's are VHO.

Watts per gallon is not a useful measurement (just consider incandescent vs CFL light bulbs - the CFL produces the same # of lumens of light at 1/4 of the wattage). For corals, you must look at PAR (photosynthetically available radiation). I don't know what the measurements are in this case, but evidence in most people's tanks indicates that T5s do a better job of growing coral than an equivalent # of feet of PC lights.

*No salt water tank is complete without a skimmer. Some people will say you can get away without one but thats like saying you can go on a cross country road trip in your car using only first gear. Why bother?

Another falsehood. There are hundreds of large scale commercial aquariums in the world that don't use protein skimmers but rely on biological filtration instead.

Yes, large aquaria are capable of using only biological filtration, and we know that you have successfully done it as well. However, if you are not dedicating space to a very large fuge (and most of us don't have room for it) the most efficient way to deal with dissolved organics is to use a skimmer and remove them. For beginners, a skimmer is also the most straightforward method.

 

The most important thing that was left off is to buy a good assortment of hi quality reef books and READ THEM before you buy anything. Getting your advice from forums has mixed results....

Good titles:

Modern Coral Reef Aquarium vol 1-3

The Reef Aquarium vol 1-3

Coral Reef Invertebrates

I agree with this - read tons of info, but remember that books become out of date. Many books on the market still recommend using crushed coral as a substrate and an undergravel filter as a legitimate option. Forum info is much more current, but refer to rule #6 when taking advice - either in person or on a forum.

[Sikryd]

T5 lighting alone IS enough to grow basically any coral. PC lighting is not.

This statement is simply not true. T5's put out 54w per 48" and PC's put out 96w. T5's are HO and PC's are VHO.

*No salt water tank is complete without a skimmer. Some people will say you can get away without one but thats like saying you can go on a cross country road trip in your car using only first gear. Why bother?

Another falsehood. There are hundreds of large scale commercial aquariums in the world that don't use protein skimmers but rely on biological filtration instead.

 

The most important thing that was left off is to buy a good assortment of hi quality reef books and READ THEM before you buy anything. Getting your advice from forums has mixed results....

Good titles:

Modern Coral Reef Aquarium vol 1-3

The Reef Aquarium vol 1-3

Coral Reef Invertebrates

 

I would hate to try and compare my 125g tank PACKED full of goodies with "hundreds of large scale aquariums" that have 1000x the tank volume per coral, and fish. We pack our tanks like sardines, comparitively. If you have a full mixed reef with no skimmer and no algae or issues, and was stocked without any knowledge of the hobby, that would be cool to check out.

I know someone on here does.

 

I think the person that wrote this was trying to give some general advice to reef newbies - which I think is totally cool. I'd leave the PC growing sps/lps with no skimmer to someone with a little more experience that is willing to deal with headaches and won't get out of the hobby over it.

 

Nothing is absolute in this hobby if I have learned anything. One thing is for sure though - some things sure do make it a LOT easier.

 

Just my .02

 

* Treat ever new fish and coral as if it was infected. Inspect, dip, and quarantine before placing it into your display tank.

 

Great addition

 

After Zygote brought up the book issue - I think this would be a good one

 

*****Invest in the best and most books you can buy, and READ them. They will save hundreds of $$$'s, and provide a great education of the animals in our tanks.

Edited September 3, 2009 by Sikryd

[Boret]

I don't know if you can consider this one advice for newbies but I would never have a reef tank without a Controller even if it is just the $99 Reefkeeper. (I personally prefer a controller with at least both temp and pH probes like the Ac Jr.)

[jnguyen4007]

Great advice from everyone.

[flowerseller]

Never stop learning

 

Realize that there is more than one way to have a successful aquarium.

There is no ONE WAY to do it and many folks have splendid results with some very unconventional systems.

[mogurnda]

*Any list of general advice will start an argument.

[GaryL]

Watts per gallon is not a useful measurement (just consider incandescent vs CFL light bulbs - the CFL produces the same # of lumens of light at 1/4 of the wattage). For corals, you must look at PAR (photosynthetically available radiation). I don't know what the measurements are in this case, but evidence in most people's tanks indicates that T5s do a better job of growing coral than an equivalent # of feet of PC lights.

 

Yes, large aquaria are capable of using only biological filtration, and we know that you have successfully done it as well. However, if you are not dedicating space to a very large fuge (and most of us don't have room for it) the most efficient way to deal with dissolved organics is to use a skimmer and remove them. For beginners, a skimmer is also the most straightforward method.

 

 

I agree with this - read tons of info, but remember that books become out of date. Many books on the market still recommend using crushed coral as a substrate and an undergravel filter as a legitimate option. Forum info is much more current, but refer to rule #6 when taking advice - either in person or on a forum.

 

agreed, but one can argue the undergravel filter. look at the tanks at the national zoo inverts exhibit....99.9% undergravel

 

i heard 'if you want a new idea, read an old book'

 

 

*Any list of general advice will start an argument.

 

LMAO! it absolutely will.

[Sikryd]

*Any list of general advice will start an argument.

 

 

LOL

 

Yeah - I think the guy that made the list up was doing it as a "generalization" - definitely not something for experienced reefers to take to heart.

 

I don't think I have EVER seen two tanks setup the exact same way. We all have our own "special concoction" we believe in and setup to emulate. lol

 

 

I just thought I would post it since it is some REALLY good info and seemed pretty cool. I wish they would print these off at the LFS's - It would have saved me some money and headaches - even if I didn't follow 75% of it!!!

Edited September 3, 2009 by Sikryd