Can all you NEWBS help me.

[demonsp]

What was it that sparked the SW interest ?

Why do so many think its as easy as a FW tank .

Why do many go head first without any research or a plan for this system?

Im wondering if the same answers are similar .
And if its a LFS impulse buy.

Honest answers with no bashing ( by me ) would really help me understand as i am frustred and wish i could inform everyone before they start.

There are many questions that scientist cant answer about reef criiter from fish to coral and are learning from reefers like you and me , well mb not me but you understand. With such a delicate eco-system why would anybody jump in uninformed.

I really just want to know.

[coast2coast7390]

Originally posted by demonsp
What was it that sparked the SW interest ?

Why do so many think its as easy as a FW tank .

Why do many go head first without any research or a plan for this system?

Im wondering if the same answers are similar .
And if its a LFS impulse buy.

Honest answers with no bashing ( by me ) would really help me understand as i am frustred and wish i could inform everyone before they start.

There are many questions that scientist cant answer about reef criiter from fish to coral and are learning from reefers like you and me , well mb not me but you understand. With such a delicate eco-system why would anybody jump in uninformed.

I really just want to know.

newbs...sounds like a derogative term...lol...

well im no nube but ill let you know my answers

1) refugium science fair project back in 7th grade...

2) its only as hard as you make it...

3)we learn from our mistakes...like adding a trigger into a reef...we quickly learn that 'this isnt a good idea'

4)prolly the setup is a LFS influence

5)

[reefergeorge]

double post

[o.c.d.]

Once I saw my first reef tank I saw it as a challenge I went in head first made mistakes learnt from them and became better and now after 7 years 25,000 spent 56 books numeris mags I find my self even more into it Propigation Trading making money from frags now pay for almost every thing. I love this hobbie always a challenge and ever changing . When people see what I've done It seem to earn me Instant respect.Then I teach anyone who will listen.

[reefergeorge]

1/ I loved going to the fish store for my fw fish and watching the sw fish.
2/ I didn't. I thought for sure I would lose a lot of money and give up. I thank places like RC for the help so that didn't happen.
3/ A lot of people do jump in, but I read for about a year before buying anything live. I also started with my 12 gallon nano cube witch a lot of people say is not a good idea.

A lot of people don't realize how much time and money go into a sw tank. I learned really quick not to buy the cheap equipment, because it will soon be replaced.

[jrb27]

i am a newbie.... and i havent jumped in headfirst i've done 2 months of research

[Ski43]

well, I've kinda jumped in head first. i acquired my 65 reef ready and 20 gal. for sump from a buddy of mine. I got into it for the same reason as most who do i suppose. i like the way salt tanks look more than fresh water. i have done lots of research and i know I'll make mistakes. (just being honest), but as of yet Ive only gotten as far as making my sump e.g. silicone baffles into it. hooked up overflow and return, got my pumps and skimmer running, and last about 20# of base rock. tanks only set for a week and I'm going very slowly. It sits right next to my 55 gal. FW. so i thought i would give it a shot.
let you know how it goes. so far so good. I'm basically just waiting for the cycle to finish to really start getting into it.
My only question is how long after you set up does the cloudy-ness take to go away. my SG seems 1.022 and salinity is around 30.

[richofoz]

Started with fresh water, fell in love with brackish water pelagics and it was all downhill from there!!

I think the main reasons people assume reef are as easy as fw are:

1. visitors to shops/homes with reefs only ever look at the tank and see the pretty colors! They don't usually get to see the hour plus of maintenance being done every other day!
(I don't usually clean or maintain my tank when I have visitors not sure about others?)

2. A basic knowledge of chemistry is needed to properly understand what's going on in your tank (Still working on this!)

(one time a friend noticed my test kit with syringes, chemicals, rows of test tubes, color charts etc... he couldn't believe that you actually needed all of the different tests, or that I did them all once a week)

3. And I think the main one! The amount of times I have heard an LFS salesperson say "It's not much harder than fresh water.... Once tanks set up they look after themselves..."

Alot of people think they ARE researching when they ask all of their questions at the LFS, Because they assume the people at the fish shop know all about the fish they are selling.

Truth be told. If you walked in to a shop and said
"HI I'd like "X". is that easy to use/keep?"
and the salesman told the truth and said
"Yeah that would be great for you! Don't know anything about it but I'll sell it to you!" You'd probably think twice about making the purchase!

Not all LFS are crap but many are, and finding a good one has been as much of an adventure for me as setting up my first reef!

[killagoby]

1. I got bored with my African Cichlids and Discus.

2. If you have the $$$, do your research and set it up right, it is.

3. Most of us are impulsive. I think we do the homework on it, but once you get to the LFS, all bets are off!

[demonsp]

Originally posted by Ski43
well, I've kinda jumped in head first. i acquired my 65 reef ready and 20 gal. for sump from a buddy of mine. I got into it for the same reason as most who do i suppose. i like the way salt tanks look more than fresh water. i have done lots of research and i know I'll make mistakes. (just being honest), but as of yet Ive only gotten as far as making my sump e.g. silicone baffles into it. hooked up overflow and return, got my pumps and skimmer running, and last about 20# of base rock. tanks only set for a week and I'm going very slowly. It sits right next to my 55 gal. FW. so i thought i would give it a shot.
let you know how it goes. so far so good. I'm basically just waiting for the cycle to finish to really start getting into it.
My only question is how long after you set up does the cloudy-ness take to go away. my SG seems 1.022 and salinity is around 30.

Sorry but its better if you just start a thread about that. You will get better results.

[Thunk]

Originally posted by demonsp
What was it that sparked the SW interest ?

Why do so many think its as easy as a FW tank .

Why do many go head first without any research or a plan for this system?

Im wondering if the same answers are similar .
And if its a LFS impulse buy.

Honest answers with no bashing ( by me ) would really help me understand as i am frustred and wish i could inform everyone before they start.

There are many questions that scientist cant answer about reef criiter from fish to coral and are learning from reefers like you and me , well mb not me but you understand. With such a delicate eco-system why would anybody jump in uninformed.

I really just want to know.

1. Well I had freshwater and a new store opened up in my town. I went down to see and it was like another world. The other shops had some saltwater but they didnt show the true beauty of what the ocean holds. The simbiotic (sp?) balance that occurs in nature.

I mean heres huge coral tanks brimming with every color in the spectrum, and wait is that a shrimp? holy cow he just started cleaning that fish!!! wow check out that urchin!!! And look at those little clowns just givin luv to the anemone.

Then Steve the owner walked over while me and a buddy are checkin out everything and just starts taking off about how all these different animals interact and how they live.

At that moment I was hooked.

And everytime I walk into his store there is something new to fascinate me. Saw my first Christmas Tree rock, that had me going for a minute.

Me- "Uh Steve, can corals actually see me?"
Steve- "Huh?"
Me- "Well that thing was a huge coral or something, now its just a rock"
Steve- " Oh thats a christmas tree rock!!!"

2. To be honest, and you can give me flack all you want, Keeping saltwater is really not any more difficult than keeping any live animal. However, just about everything in the tank IS ALIVE. So its like caring for a bunch of animals. Does it take work? yep lots! Is it hard? only if you dont take tjhe time to know what your doing. Theres lots of stuff to know. But its not hard.

3. Simple, people just dont know. When I got my first FW tank I tossed 6 tetras 2 swordtails and 10 african cichlids into a 20 gallon the day after I set the tank up. Every petsmart employee I talked to said that the 10 feeder gold fish would have the tank cycled by then

Miss information in the fish world is huge! Lots of petstores either dont know, so they lie, or they think they know. Its not really thier fault tho. People see fish as the easy pets.

Step 1: Add water (wow that was rough using the measuring cup to fill that 30 gallon tank!)

Step 2: Fish time!

Step 3: Feed Fish!

Step 4: take the bodies back to the store cause everything died. (thats wierd I had all those fish and only one REALLY fat oscar is left)

People dont realise that its is such a delicate balance.

I have rambled on for long enough, sorry the whiskey starts flowing and I get chatty, lol.

Oh and just to poke fun you said

"Im wondering if the same answers are similar ."

The same answers are always similar, in fact they are the same, hehe just couldnt resist.

Take care everyone
-Thunk

[Playa-1]

Well I don't think most noobs intend to be so uninformed. I think they get the bug to look into salt water fish aquarium do to the bright colors of the fish and the beauty of the Reefs.

Then they start investigating (briefly because we are in an instant gratification society) They check out the local Pet store which is virtually useless. If They're lucky they don't talk to anybody there but only shop prices. Then they check out the local fish store which always seem to be desperate to make a sell. (I'm sure it would suck to get one of their electric bills) The LFS over simplifies the hobby and doesn't encourage research because research means the customer leaves the store. The opportunity to pay the light bill just walked out the door. So they will try to sell the customer in most cases.

Of course most noobs are broke noobs so they walk out the door and start shopping on Craigs list and Ebay for equipment. They just got the equipment for a huge discount compared to what the expert and the LFS told them about. He seemed very knowledgeable about the subject but a little pricey.

So what does the noob do? Of course he gets a steal on Craigs List and now he owns and display tank, a air pump, and some gravel with a little light cover on top.

Then he shows up at this site where believes everything he reads which isn't much because he has the attention span of a Gerbil, Then he reads that he needs a Barracuda CL pump for his 20 gallon tank and can't figure out why his tank is full of bubbles and his drain is loud.

People today look for great deals and are accustomed to instant gratification. The instant gratification part is what keeps people from doing proper research before they dive in. Then when they have read a couple of post and think they know everything. They will create a post and ask a question, Then dismiss every reply until one lines up with their way of thinking and aligns with their vast knowledge on the subject.

Next thing ya know, We have a noob with a 20 gallon tank and 5 tangs in it, with a huge cleanup crew from one of the online package deals.

That's what I call learning the hard way. Either they quit the hobby before they get started or they learn a lesson they will never forget.

[coast2coast7390]

but heres what started my whole aquarium obsession

a freakin betta...lol...

and then a 6 gallon FW
then a 12 gallon SW...basic clownfish and anenome setup
then a 30 gallon semi reef...
and now
my SW pond

could have put a down a payment on a house with all the money ive spent...and im not even 18 yet...yes most of the money that was spent was from my own pocket

[jake32010]

1- well my friends dad has a 90gal and i love watching them swim and i always wonted to scuba dive and i got my licenes when i was 13 after that i had help from my friends dad and i got a 12gal eclipes then a year later i went to a 72gal and now i am geting a job at the fish store and i go there at least 2 time a week.

2- i know it a loootttt hard to take care of because i took care of my friend dads tank for a week it was hell at times

3- i did reserced it for a year i found that it takes a lot of $$$$$$ to do this hobby- thats why i started out small unlike a lot of people that start out with big tanks at first

o and i am only 16 my tank is better then my friends dads tank and hes been in the hobby for 8 years!!!!http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/...3333222222.jpg this is an old picture

[heyfredyourhat]

Well for me
1. I fell in love with the biodiversity aspect of things
2. At first glance i said "ahh just chuck in some rocks and salt and fish and turn up the the lights" so i am fortunate i had RC to
3. Not sure the questions anymore, but about 18mths ago i stumbled across RC dont know why or how i got here but i have been stuck here since and have read so much good and bad advice and everyone is nice and we all have one thing in common.

[killagoby]

Originally posted by Playa-1
Well I don't think most noobs intend to be so uninformed. I think they get the bug to look into salt water fish aquarium do to the bright colors of the fish and the beauty of the Reefs.

Then they start investigating (briefly because we are in an instant gratification society) They check out the local Pet store which is virtually useless. If They're lucky they don't talk to anybody there but only shop prices. Then they check out the local fish store which always seem to be desperate to make a sell. (I'm sure it would suck to get one of their electric bills) The LFS over simplifies the hobby and doesn't encourage research because research means the customer leaves the store. The opportunity to pay the light bill just walked out the door. So they will try to sell the customer in most cases.

Of course most noobs are broke noobs so they walk out the door and start shopping on Craigs list and Ebay for equipment. They just got the equipment for a huge discount compared to what the expert and the LFS told them about. He seemed very knowledgeable about the subject but a little pricey.

So what does the noob do? Of course he gets a steal on Craigs List and now he owns and display tank, a air pump, and some gravel with a little light cover on top.

Then he shows up at this site where believes everything he reads which isn't much because he has the attention span of a Gerbil, Then he reads that he needs a Barracuda CL pump for his 20 gallon tank and can't figure out why his tank is full of bubbles and his drain is loud.

People today look for great deals and are accustomed to instant gratification. The instant gratification part is what keeps people from doing proper research before they dive in. Then when they have read a couple of post and think they know everything. They will create a post and ask a question, Then dismiss every reply until one lines up with their way of thinking and aligns with their vast knowledge on the subject.

Next thing ya know, We have a noob with a 20 gallon tank and 5 tangs in it, with a huge cleanup crew from one of the online package deals.

That's what I call learning the hard way. Either they quit the hobby before they get started or they learn a lesson they will never forget.

That's great!

[IslandCrow]

1. I've been fascinated with the ocean since I've lived by it. . .so, around 3 years old.

2. From what I've heard of FW tanks (never owned one), it sounds like a well maintained FW tank is as much work as a well maintained saltwater tank. Setup on a SW I think is more difficult, but once you get it running, there is very little that you have to do.

3. I think most people simply don't realize how much you need to know in order to set up a successful tank. I know I didn't. I don't think it's that people are lazy or just don't care. They just don't know how much they don't know. Secondly, many people don't realize the resources they have for information. It's easy to look back now and question why anyone would not realize how intricate this hobby can be, but when you look at a saltwater tank, you see fish, water and rocks. . .looks pretty simple.

[Sk8r]

I started out with freshwater at age 6.

I got into marine in grad school because the lfs had a wounded seahorse they were going to euthanize. I bought him for 50 cents, bought his mate, once it was sure he was going to live, and had him in my apartment for months until smoke from a downstairs party killed them both.

After that I bided my time, being a poor college student. When I got my own house, I tried again, back in the 60's; disaster, with a too-big anemone and NO chemistry regulation but colored strips and a bobbing hydrometer. I gave up for a while.

Next time I sprang for a mega-system, sort of a monster Aquapod, with bioballs, HO fluorescents, and huge drip trays. I was real successful with nems and softies, not at all with stonies.

We moved. I gave up the hobby for 5 years unless you count my acquisition of an ecoglobe with 2 brine shrimp that I would look at whenever I missed my salt tank too much. [They're still alive, on my kitchen shelf.]

We moved again...down the block from the fanciest reef shop in the Inland NW. I was doomed. We set up in an apartment, got it going, and I was fragging lps like crazy for about 2 months...before we had to move again or shoot the neighbors. We got our own house, with a basement. Now I have two holes in my living room floor, a mega skimmer, sump, kalk reactor in the basement and a 54g bowfront in a perfect corner between two doors in the living room. I actually find saltwater easier than fresh, when it comes to algae control, cleaning, and water quality: more equipment, and critters [lps] that show you by their behavior how your water is. But I'm canny: I keep only fish resistent to ich, I keep microfish in the smallest 'big' tank, I keep fish that can feed themselves off the tank if I travel for 3 days. I don't have disease, I'm not always buying fish and inverts---I plan on mine living for a decade; and I devote my energies to keeping the water quality and growing corals. My tank is frustrating right now, because it's only 6 months old in this incarnation, and it's got some maturing yet to do, [all my rock got 'cooked' in the move] but we're getting there.

My disasters tend to be stupid mistakes like the one the other evening, when, being extremely tired and not thinking straight, I plugged my topoff pump into the wrong receptacle and left it plain 'on' rather than controlled by the float switch. It's connected to my kalk reactor. 2 gal of kalk went into my tank...but that's the good thing about the systems I tend to run: leeway. Always leeway. Pressing nothing to the max. My tank hiccuped, the corals sopped up the excess, the ph dropped back to normal range on its own, and we're good.

I think 'leeway' ought to be the motto of any newbie. Stop about short of what you think max tolerance is: in stocking, in preventative dosing [don't try to stop a trend in one dose, test again in a few hours and see how that one did], in logging my doses, additions and changes, so I always operate with leeway---getting ahead of the disaster, never letting any reading go red-zone if I can possibly help it. I don't keep large fleshy inverts, I don't get cranky species, I don't buy something because it's a new curiosity in the lfs [if it lives, and other people succeed with it, they can order me one]. Moderation. As my motto below says, Make haste slowly. [Nothing good happens fast in reefing.]

[weaselslucks]

I was talking to my significant other about this and he is not a fish person said. I don't know(understand) any of the details i just like the pritty colors. The problem with the general public is that they really don't understand and some don't really care a out this tang or that tang. They see the discovery channel or Nemo and they look at images on the boxes and want the same look. Have you every seen some of the images on those little 1 gallon tank systems? they show 15 swoardfish or mollies in a 3 gallon tank all happy swimming around. Peopple just see those images and asume its ok

[mwwhite]

Originally posted by jrb27
i am a newbie.... and i havent jumped in headfirst i've done 2 months of research

To Reef Central

Do at least 2 more months of research. It will be the best time (and money) spent.

[r341ity]

I started researching September of 2006. I've spent hours daily reading and learning day in and day out. Everyday I have learned something new. In the past month I've completed all my equipment purchases minus live rock. Why did I wait so long to set up my tank? Because the more I read the more I realized that I could potentially and most likely be wasting thousands of dollars on equipment and more importantly killing the animals that I have become so obsessed with by not properly researching them. My tank remains dry as I continue to read and learn.

[killagoby]

The best is when your friends come over and they say, "Yea, that's nice. What am I looking at again?" Meanwhile there's like thousands of dollars worth of stuff in your tank.

"Micro-who? That thing cost you $800.00? It looks like a rock with 3 little red things on it." lol

[Lotus99]

Well, here are my answers:

1. We had a SW tank at my grandparents' beach house when I was a kid, with critters from the bay. A few years ago I got into FW tanks, have had 10-15 tanks running for the past few years. Wanted "new" fish.
2. I think it is as easy as a well-run FW tank, if you really run FW tanks right. The cycle in SW is definitely easier. Churn rate is high in both FW and SW, because people just think they can throw fish in a tank. It's not true for either, and any SW people who think that it's true are simply wrong.
3. System was planned.

[samb]

Given my personality type (obsessisive, compulsive, competitve and impatient), I'm probably not well suited for this hobby and given different circumstances would not have taken up this hobby.

With that said:

1) Too many visits to various dentist offices that had nice setups in the waiting room. Due to health problems, I had to stop working and my scope of activities was restricted.

I needed to find something to keep me stimulated as the transition from over 25 years climbing the corporate ladder, heavy travel, 100+ hour work weeks and making high level decisions was an absolute rush for me (workaholic? LOL). To go from a non-stop pace to doing very little was very difficult for me.

I was driving my family nuts. They've known that I've always enjoyed viewing SW tanks and going to marine aquariums. At first, I was concerned about the time and committment and degree of difficulty of SW vs. FW so I was initally inclined to go with FW.

2) My daughter's boyfriend's brother worked at an LFS, so she suggested I go to the store and talk to the people there as to whether I wanted to do SW or FW.

At the store, the manager came out and informed me that SW is so much easier than people think and the satisfaction would be greater (at least he was right about the satisfaction level). Being the compulsive type, I ended up dropping $1500 on an initial SW setup before I walked out of the store.

3)I did very little research, which I regret, although if I would have researched the hobby properly I doubt I would have jumped into this hobby.

Total ignorance, impatience and arrogance on my part. How hard can it be for someone that has successfully managed complex businesses...so the thinking went. Kind of counter-intuitive as research is a critical and vital part of the various business lines I ran.

Needless to say, I took a lot of bad advice from the LFS and many wasted dollars later realized that although it's not as easy as I thought, I could learn from my mistakes. Lurking on RC for 3 months and many dog-eared books later my tank is finally doing well and it gives me something to focus on. I still need to work on the patience part and have learned to slow down.

I find the hobby to be equal parts stress and stress relief. Along with my other bad traits, I'm very results-oriented and am a closet perfectionist. The trouble-shooting aspects/challenges of the hobby provides mental stimulation and seeing positive outcomes has me addicted to this hobby.

[acrodave]

Originally posted by jrb27
i am a newbie.... and i havent jumped in headfirst i've done 2 months of research

I wish there were more like you. Working in a fish store it hard to help people when they don't even know what a hydrometer is