Well after almost 14 years completely away from the hobby I have decided I finally have the time to start up again. Just reading a bit on here has reminded me that not much has really changed, the principles remain largely the same I guess. However, I was wondering what people feel are the biggest advancements in reef keeping? For example; is it technology? Or maybe availability of species? Or is everything just the way I remember it?
Biggest advancements in reef tanks
- Thread starter smalltalk
- Start date
mattgumaer
New member
Availability of mail order livestock maybe (I wasn't reefing 14 years ago).
Matt
Matt
Tripod1404
Active member
For equipment, biggest advancements are the ability to custom program and link them. Equipment is more or less the same, but now you can manage everything from your smartphone. LED lights also came a long way. On top of these, test kits and readers are much better.
In terms of specimens. Collection and transport methods as well as the know how of how to take care of them is much better. So even if there hasn't been a huge increase in new species. Longevity of them in captivity is much better.
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In terms of specimens. Collection and transport methods as well as the know how of how to take care of them is much better. So even if there hasn't been a huge increase in new species. Longevity of them in captivity is much better.
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moondoggy4
Team RC
Fluconazole, clears up the worst type of algae's. We stand on the shoulders of the greats before us.
Thanks alk, had to look up a lot of those to see what they’re about. LEDs were just coming on the scene but no commercial units were available, T5s hadn’t been out all that long! One of the biggest surprises I had when I went to my LFS last week was that 99% of the stock was from wild, surely this isn’t the norm these days.
RioReefr
New member
For me personally, I like the technology and managing mostly everything through my cell phone apps -- Apex (Fusion), Aqamai wavemaker scheduling, AI Prime scheduling. Even a webcam hookup through Fusion to see my tank in real-time. I think of my animals as my "pets" and worry about that when I am not home. Its nice having the peace of mind to have tech gadgets to check-in on things.
When there was power outage, Fusion sent me a notification that it was offline and I was able rush home and address the issue(s) w/o any loss of life. Without it, who knows(??)
When there was power outage, Fusion sent me a notification that it was offline and I was able rush home and address the issue(s) w/o any loss of life. Without it, who knows(??)
BigAirHarper
New member
Tagging along. It’s only been 4 years for me and I’m shocked at all the stuff and gadgets out I had never heard of before.
Chloramines? Even after I RO/DI?
Filter floss on wheels...
A gyre pump?
Of course lots of it remains unchanged....
Chloramines? Even after I RO/DI?
Filter floss on wheels...
A gyre pump?
Of course lots of it remains unchanged....
der_wille_zur_macht
Team RC
Knowledge. We've pretty much always been able to make a tank too clean, too bright, and too much flow. The thing that's changing - and the thing that we need to focus on - is understanding the interactions of things we do with the biological systems in the tank, and understanding the options when we try to change things on purpose.
Let's take nutrient control/balance as an example. 10 or 15 years ago, we were just getting to a point where nutrient removal tools were widely available and there were lots of competing options. The mantra often was "get nutrients as low as possible." 20 or 25 years ago, when we didn't have quite so many powerful tools, that mantra worked, because "as low as possible" for the average hobbyist was not really all that low. Now, it's easy to grab gfo, or LC, or whatever, and basically drive phosphate to zero.
The thing that's changed since then is, now we understand pretty clearly that "as low as possible" is definitely not the best approach, because corals NEED these nutrients!
In terms of technology, I struggle to call some things "advancements." A controller or programmable gadget doesn't automatically mean better results. It just means more options. You still need a human brain, with knowledge, making the right decisions to correctly apply the options in a way that improves the tank. In fact, it's arguable that too many options is just as bad as not enough. The proliferation of controllers and controllable gadgets on tanks seems to have caused a shift, people are focusing more on the controllability than on the impact to the system. If there's two versions of some object, and one has a controller, it seems to automatically become the more attractive version.
I compare this to a fine dining restaurant experience. At many tables, you want salt on the table, because you want to adjust the seasoning on your food. But if I'm going to a REALLY nice restaurant, I'm doing so under the assumption that the chef knows better than me. I'd rather receive a plate of perfectly seasoned food, and not have a salt shaker (which might lead me to mess it up) versus getting a plate of bland food and the option to season it myself.
Let's take nutrient control/balance as an example. 10 or 15 years ago, we were just getting to a point where nutrient removal tools were widely available and there were lots of competing options. The mantra often was "get nutrients as low as possible." 20 or 25 years ago, when we didn't have quite so many powerful tools, that mantra worked, because "as low as possible" for the average hobbyist was not really all that low. Now, it's easy to grab gfo, or LC, or whatever, and basically drive phosphate to zero.
The thing that's changed since then is, now we understand pretty clearly that "as low as possible" is definitely not the best approach, because corals NEED these nutrients!
In terms of technology, I struggle to call some things "advancements." A controller or programmable gadget doesn't automatically mean better results. It just means more options. You still need a human brain, with knowledge, making the right decisions to correctly apply the options in a way that improves the tank. In fact, it's arguable that too many options is just as bad as not enough. The proliferation of controllers and controllable gadgets on tanks seems to have caused a shift, people are focusing more on the controllability than on the impact to the system. If there's two versions of some object, and one has a controller, it seems to automatically become the more attractive version.
I compare this to a fine dining restaurant experience. At many tables, you want salt on the table, because you want to adjust the seasoning on your food. But if I'm going to a REALLY nice restaurant, I'm doing so under the assumption that the chef knows better than me. I'd rather receive a plate of perfectly seasoned food, and not have a salt shaker (which might lead me to mess it up) versus getting a plate of bland food and the option to season it myself.
sacremon
New member
In regards to captive breeding, there are more and more species that are captive bred now than even five years ago. It is slow going because most of the time it isn't easy, which means it is expensive to research and set up. That leads to focusing on species that sell in large enough volumes that you can recoup your investment and then make a profit.
