PDA

View Full Version : Newbies, Aquarium Husbandry, and the Newest great Thing!



Texreefer
Fri, 18th May 2012, 08:59 AM
First off let me say this is in no way aimed at anyone in particular and is not meant to stir any controversy ( with a statement like that, the rest is bound to be good right?)
:angel:
The Market these days is flooded with the newest greatest thing to make your aquarium the best it can be, from reactors to Miracle mud to fancy high priced carbon. All of it meant to make owning an aquarium easier and to keep your livestock healthier.
My concern is this, we have a lot of new people coming into the hobby and moving at an accelerated pace because of all of these great advancements so when something goes wrong and your using 13 different additives and chemicals on a 2 week old tank, who knows what the problem might be?
We hear it all the time here, "take it slow", that statement is usually from the old guys ( Sorry Bill ) but i'm right there with ya:shades:. My advice is not new or ground breaking, just needs to be re-stated. If you are just getting into this great Hobby, do it slowly, Learn about good Aquarium husbandry, water quality and chemistry, learn how to properly maintain your tank and diagnose potential problems before adding the next big miracle cure. "how do I do this?" you ask. Easy, if your new tank is less than a year old, DONT ADD ANYTHING that adjusts or changes the water chemistry. focus on tank maintenance and water changes, observe and learn about your unique tank. Develope a relationship with your tank and get to know what how it acts, ( yeah, sounds funny but there are many on here that know exactly what i'm talking about).
Lets put it this way, you wouldn't start dating a new girl and Imediately go out and buy her all the newest diet and health food and say "here, hope this helps". NO, why? because right before she vomits all over you, she is gonna beat your *****%.
Bottom line is this, you don't need the newest greatest thing to make your Aquarium thrive. What you need is time and experience to develope a relationship with your tank and get to know its needs:bigsmile:

hobogato
Fri, 18th May 2012, 09:02 AM
good reminder mike :)

Mr Cob
Fri, 18th May 2012, 09:06 AM
nice post, I also prefer trying natural remedies for problems as well and will rarely try a chemical to fix a problem unless I've exhausted every possible natural solution first.

cedrod
Fri, 18th May 2012, 09:09 AM
Well said. Just keep is simple.

Big_Pun
Fri, 18th May 2012, 09:17 AM
i wish i read this before i setup my 150 lol........ but this tank is so much easier than my last i just two part dose and thats it. Well said Mike your pretty smart for an old guy!!

Zack
Fri, 18th May 2012, 09:25 AM
Very good advice here, excellent post. When I first got into the hobby I would freak if my PH was low and look for something to add the increase it, however after a year running a bit on the low side, and my corals all happy and growing I guess it's just how my tank likes to run. I know some people whose tanks are low on alk who don't dose because how well things are going. Knowing your tank's behavior is crucial.

hobogato
Fri, 18th May 2012, 10:01 AM
one small addition to mike's post:

dont add anything that you arent testing the water for - ex. no buffer w/o testing alkalinity and pH, etc.

Bill S
Fri, 18th May 2012, 10:06 AM
I only have to disagree with Mike at one point. I'm not THAT old. Well... Maybe I am!

Just remember, bad, bad things happen in this hobby when you rush it. Besides, these things are a creation - why rush the fun part?

alton
Fri, 18th May 2012, 10:24 AM
Great statement, keep it simple. The more things on your tank, the more things that can go wrong. Testing before adding is the biggest one, that happened to me this week with my tank in my office. I normally add two part once a month Well just recently I switched back to Coral Pro. So before adding I checked Calcium and it was at 480-500.

350gt
Fri, 18th May 2012, 11:00 AM
Amen......

I am glad to say I went as slow as I possibly could with my tank and although I never had crazy growth, I learned the basics....

Going on my second year in november and I see nothing wrong with keeping things the way they are....... "if it aint broke, dont fix" right?....

350gt
Fri, 18th May 2012, 11:21 AM
But it is annoying when a person won't listen to your advice, that has work for me, cause of a miracle product that ppl are raving about on you tube.......

I won't say no names...... Lol

tebstan
Fri, 18th May 2012, 11:53 AM
"Miracle" products don't work the same for everyone, and there is a lot of stuff out there that makes claims that can't be backed up. If it works for you, awesome.

People thought skimmers were strange when they first came out. And bio pellets had (and still has) many skeptics. And who thought of putting vodka in their tank?! :)