BigDave
Premium Member
I've recently started working on getting back into a reef and have gone through a similar thought process.
I don't go back nearly as far as you, but I took my last reef down prior to 2005 (which is apparently when things started changing).
Lucky for me, I was running a DSB with Liverock and heavy skimming back then. I also had a modest sized refugium, which was still quite new even at that time, so most of the setup I used then looks to still work now.
My biggest surprise was with lighting technology. I had a MH w/ NO florescents over a 30 gallon show tank and now it looks like I can get away with just T5's on the new tank.
There does appear to be some new knowledge on the chemistry of the tank, which I'm having to absorb.
The biggest shocker for me has been the coral pricing. When I left the hobby, $40 would get you a decent sized coral of just about anything and now it looks like it'll barely get you 1-inch. I hope to buy from other local reefers to help offset this, though. There seems to be a few local that have reasonable prices on their frags.
I don't go back nearly as far as you, but I took my last reef down prior to 2005 (which is apparently when things started changing).
Lucky for me, I was running a DSB with Liverock and heavy skimming back then. I also had a modest sized refugium, which was still quite new even at that time, so most of the setup I used then looks to still work now.
My biggest surprise was with lighting technology. I had a MH w/ NO florescents over a 30 gallon show tank and now it looks like I can get away with just T5's on the new tank.
There does appear to be some new knowledge on the chemistry of the tank, which I'm having to absorb.
The biggest shocker for me has been the coral pricing. When I left the hobby, $40 would get you a decent sized coral of just about anything and now it looks like it'll barely get you 1-inch. I hope to buy from other local reefers to help offset this, though. There seems to be a few local that have reasonable prices on their frags.