• Where are the experts?

    Someone posted in a saltwater group yesterday: "So I have a question that I hope will draw in some of the vets on here. .. what does it take to become a true reef pro? To really know the ins and outs to have a successful beautiful reef? I want to get there and want to know how."



    This is a good question, and I wished more seasoned hobbyists would type up some extensive answers. Some replies are so brief you'd think you were reading tweets on Twitter. When I get an email asking me a question, they usually ask it in mere sentences. My answers are always paragraphs. There is so much to consider and there are no easy answers.

    Could I just say "Do this and trust me..." and that would be suffice? No. So here's what I recommend:

    Go to club meetings. Go to the bigger frag swaps. The one-day conferences. Attend events with speakers. These guys are providing you with their experience, their knowledge, their pictures, their mistakes and some great stories. Hang out with others and talk about the hobby. Listen to their chatter, and really try to absorb it. If you ask a question, listen to the answer they are giving you rather than thinking of your next thought. That distracted look in your eye means I'll talk slower or repeat myself.

    I run two websites dedicated to educating others about the hobby. I've had my share of bad luck, but I do everything I can to stay ahead of Murphy's Law almost to a fault. I've had corals and fish with me that are over 10 years old that have moved from tank to tank during whatever happened. They've lived through extended power outages, accidental overdosings, leaking electricity in the system, warm and cold temperature swings, and phosphates so high you'd think they'd turn green.

    Getting out of your comfortable chair and meeting with others at local events and national ones is key. I learn by talking to others. I ask questions, and try to think things through. I don't spend money until I'm sure it's the right decision so I don't have to buy things twice. Gear selection is important. I want something durable and reliable. I don't make quick changes or jump on popular fads, but I don't exclude the possibility of embracing them one day. What I may not agree with now may turn out to be a good choice later.

    Take your time, and avoid impulsive actions. Think about the livestock first, and look at how they respond even if your test kit or digital readout is telling you all hell is breaking loose. It could be a faulty reading/faulty result. When you see a problem, ask for help and don't try to be a superhero. Don't let your ego be the reason your reef suffers.

    HTH (hope that helps)
    melev
    Comments 8 Comments
    1. maroun.c's Avatar
      maroun.c -
      +1 on all above.
      -Experiment with different reefkeeping methods to know the pros and cons.
      -Learn what to look for in corals and fish to indicate potential issues even before your tests indicate it.
      -Checkout as many tanks as you can, I used to think my old lighting was too intense, well till I saw a 250MH over a 35 G cube and how intense that lightign was and how the coral colors popped.
      -Read, Read, Read and then read some more.
      -The worst pat is that you see a lot of 6 months old tanks that look amazing, don't jump to conclusions and think that the owner must be really knowledgeable. Give it 2-3 years so the methodology followed passes the test of time.
      -Nothing is guaranteed in this hobby and no 2 tanks are the same. when my old tank started a very slow and painful crash, it took all my knowledge in addition to local reefer friends, experts on forums and LFS owners and tank maintainers advice in the states and Europe, whatever can be tried you name it and I'll tell you I tried it and the losses never stopped till the tank was taken down for a move and upgrade...
    1. RED's Avatar
      RED -
      I think it is important to understand how the system is supposed to work. You can be an expert in a specific area and test your theory in a measurable process. However, an expert understands the difference from experiment to experimenting, without a baseline of what you expect the results to prove, it is just reckless acts. An expert seeks knowledge and accepts input but researches such input before putting any practice in motion. This hobby has guidelines as standards but every brand of water, chemistry, food, tank setup makes every system different, so understanding how the system is supposed to work is the baseline that every expert builds upon. I am amazed that in spite of how little we know or understand we are able to sustain life in a box of water. You are the best expert with your system, the rest of us are just advisors. The first step is to be that expert with your system then share that success with others as an advisor, knowing you don't have "the answer" just the history of success that bestows upon you the title of expert.
    1. snorkeler's Avatar
      snorkeler -
      Quote Originally Posted by maroun.c View Post
      -The worst pat is that you see a lot of 6 months old tanks that look amazing, don't jump to conclusions and think that the owner must be really knowledgeable. Give it 2-3 years so the methodology followed passes the test of time.
      Agree 300% percent to that. I've seen experts show beautiful tanks which they take down and restart after 6 months.... that's not enough time to declare any type of success... Success is long term, 5, 10 years... when the infamous "Old Tank Syndrome" has never appeared.
    1. snorkeler's Avatar
      snorkeler -
      Quote Originally Posted by RED View Post
      I think it is important to understand how the system is supposed to work. You can be an expert in a specific area and test your theory in a measurable process. However, an expert understands the difference from experiment to experimenting, without a baseline of what you expect the results to prove, it is just reckless acts. An expert seeks knowledge and accepts input but researches such input before putting any practice in motion.
      RED, you nailed down what I was thinking as I read this article.

      IMHO the reef aquatirum hobby lacks people who have experimented, with scientific methods, why things work or not. Making a hypothesis, setting up 4 identical tanks in parallel, then testing the hypothesis over 3 or 6 or 12 months time, with two tanks at baseline and two with the change one wants to prove in the hypothesis.

      With so many reefers in the US and Europe, some of them scientists, I'm surprised to never have seen that kind of experiment going on. Maybe the cost of doing it is what keeps it from being done.... but it could lead to some definite discoveries.

      I don't think there are true experts in this hobby, just experimented reefers, each with his own story and results which may not be possible to be replicated by other reefers even if they diligently follow the instructions of the "expert". There is a lot of unknown and unproved out there.
    1. Paul B's Avatar
      Paul B -
      I think it is very important to understand who you are listening to or taking advice from. Be careful when you read to understand the experience of the writer, as anyone with a few thousand dollars could put together a fantastic tank last Tuesday. Virtually everything I have ever submitted to a magazine has been published as fact. I am a retired electrician and could be making this stuff u as I go along. Check out the system of the author and the longevity of the system s there are no fact checkers and anyone can publish anything as fact.
    1. Reefski's Avatar
      Reefski -
      How about reading a book? there are some good ones out there. the Reef Aquarium trilogy by Delbeck and Sprung are among the best and there are many others.
    1. Paul B's Avatar
      Paul B -
      I wrote an article about this but I am not sure if I can link it here. If not, delete it.
      http://www.saltwatersmarts.com/seaso...-success-2966/
    1. melev's Avatar
      melev -
      Nice write up, Paul.