scooter86
Member
Couldn't agree more. The key concept here whether you are engineering an air craft or an aquarium is redundancy.
Thrive or Survive
- Thread starter snorvich
- Start date
Couldn't agree more. The key concept here whether you are engineering an air craft or an aquarium is redundancy.
There are different levels of redundancy. I have a whole house generator for power failures, but what if the generator fails? I have redundant ballasts for my lights, redundant skimmers, etc. But still a failure is possible. And eventually (if not sooner), cost becomes an issue.
jmaneyapanda
Commencing hatred
EXACTLY. This hit me VERY hard this Christmas. I had multiple levels of redundancy, and they all failed. But, this was my point in saying that we cant prevent and safeguard every issue, but we CAN consider them, and takes steps to try to beat them. Ignoring them, and crossing fingers is foolish.
coralfriend
New member
I am afraid that it may be out of the topic. I myself always think about how to avoid accident happen in my tank. I know that we can not avoid all accident but we should try to minimize them. This tool can have some help to give you an alarm of power failure and help you to minimize your animal loss.
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bAt8ZTs08fY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bAt8ZTs08fY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bAt8ZTs08fY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bAt8ZTs08fY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
scooter86
Member
Having reasonable redundancy built into your system will never be 100% failsafe, but it certainly does shift the bellcurve of success in your favor. Also,I realize that "reasonable redundancy" is different for every person and system, but it is the basis for longer-term success for any engineered equipment of any kind.:thumbsup:
Eric the half-bee
Passer of gasses
I definitely aim for longevity when buying new fish/ inverts. OTOH, I often break the rules by adding unconventional tankmates .
Kahuna Tuna
Active member
Most hobbiests seem to fall into three areas;
1) Those who have been doing this for a while or those who have done their research and really want to provide the best environment possible.
2) The newbys (and unfortunately the slow learners) who rush things and/or dont want to be bothered being told something isnt going to pan out. These folks are either ignorant or just stubborn and lose lots of fish before they figure things out.
3) The people who really just dont care about their charges well being and see fish as a disposible decoration or as a status symbol. These folks are usually very rich and dont usually take care of their own systems and fortunately there aren't a lot of them in the hobby.
I have met people who fit into all of these catagories and there can be considerable crossover. I think the vast majority of folks in this hobby are catagory 2's. When I worked in the industry most of my customers were in this catagory, they would want something and wouldn't take no for an answer or will keep asking opinions until someone tells them what they want to hear. I made a lot of folks mad over the years refusing to sell them a fish that they just had to have.
Fortunately a lot of people on boards like this are the 1's, people who really want to master this sometimes difficult and maddening hobby and who also want to protect not only their fish and corals but also the natural source of these beautiful creatures. These people are usuallt in the hobby for the long haul and are the folks who will keep this hobby thriving through education and good practice and example.
1) Those who have been doing this for a while or those who have done their research and really want to provide the best environment possible.
2) The newbys (and unfortunately the slow learners) who rush things and/or dont want to be bothered being told something isnt going to pan out. These folks are either ignorant or just stubborn and lose lots of fish before they figure things out.
3) The people who really just dont care about their charges well being and see fish as a disposible decoration or as a status symbol. These folks are usually very rich and dont usually take care of their own systems and fortunately there aren't a lot of them in the hobby.
I have met people who fit into all of these catagories and there can be considerable crossover. I think the vast majority of folks in this hobby are catagory 2's. When I worked in the industry most of my customers were in this catagory, they would want something and wouldn't take no for an answer or will keep asking opinions until someone tells them what they want to hear. I made a lot of folks mad over the years refusing to sell them a fish that they just had to have.
Fortunately a lot of people on boards like this are the 1's, people who really want to master this sometimes difficult and maddening hobby and who also want to protect not only their fish and corals but also the natural source of these beautiful creatures. These people are usuallt in the hobby for the long haul and are the folks who will keep this hobby thriving through education and good practice and example.
davelin315
10 & Over Club
Honestly, I don't think anyone gets into this hobby without the best interests of their pets in mind. Longevity is obviously everyone's first priority - who wants to buy a fish and have it die?
In my own opinion, no one follows the appropriate rules for setting up their aquariums, myself included. I remember reading years back that to truly let a tank mature you should set it up, let it cycle, and then let it mature for a few months before adding a single fish. I also remember seeing that if you wanted to set up a reef, you should let the tank sit for a few months (maybe it was 6) and then add whatever fish and not add a coral for at least a year. I can't for the life of me remember where I saw this stuff and the numbers could be off (I actually think they are low), but who really follows any of this? I think that these recommendations were to be on the complete safe side and really let your tank adjust and mature, but I know that when I set up a tank it's about a 2 day process at longest nowadays. I did wait an awfully long time with my 300 as I had the rock in a sump for a year or longer and then the tank was the last "add on" to the system, but in general I start things quickly and feel I have a good grasp for what I'm doing. We all learn by trial and error because each tank and each fish is different. Look at the advice that was dispensed 10-15 years ago about what's good in a tank and what's not, what fish are easy and which are difficult... things change on a daily basis and each person does their best to keep their fish alive for the long term. I pretty much buy only juvenile stuff if I can as I love to see it develop. I also buy brown corals to see where they will end up... I have made my fair share of mistakes and have lost a lot of fish over the years (recently lost a copper band butterfly and a raccoon butterfly that I just bought - does this mean that I don't care about my fish, no) but I learn from each one and even though I would probably consider myself to be more knowledgeable than the average reef aquarist, I still take a lot of risks that are not good risks in some people's eyes but in mine I have the know how and ability to take them on.
I am not saying that there aren't people out there that don't care about their fish at all, but what I am saying is that I believe that the vast majority of people don't buy a fish with the plan that it'll only live 6 months - 1 year, most plan on the fish living for years and years.
In my own opinion, no one follows the appropriate rules for setting up their aquariums, myself included. I remember reading years back that to truly let a tank mature you should set it up, let it cycle, and then let it mature for a few months before adding a single fish. I also remember seeing that if you wanted to set up a reef, you should let the tank sit for a few months (maybe it was 6) and then add whatever fish and not add a coral for at least a year. I can't for the life of me remember where I saw this stuff and the numbers could be off (I actually think they are low), but who really follows any of this? I think that these recommendations were to be on the complete safe side and really let your tank adjust and mature, but I know that when I set up a tank it's about a 2 day process at longest nowadays. I did wait an awfully long time with my 300 as I had the rock in a sump for a year or longer and then the tank was the last "add on" to the system, but in general I start things quickly and feel I have a good grasp for what I'm doing. We all learn by trial and error because each tank and each fish is different. Look at the advice that was dispensed 10-15 years ago about what's good in a tank and what's not, what fish are easy and which are difficult... things change on a daily basis and each person does their best to keep their fish alive for the long term. I pretty much buy only juvenile stuff if I can as I love to see it develop. I also buy brown corals to see where they will end up... I have made my fair share of mistakes and have lost a lot of fish over the years (recently lost a copper band butterfly and a raccoon butterfly that I just bought - does this mean that I don't care about my fish, no) but I learn from each one and even though I would probably consider myself to be more knowledgeable than the average reef aquarist, I still take a lot of risks that are not good risks in some people's eyes but in mine I have the know how and ability to take them on.
I am not saying that there aren't people out there that don't care about their fish at all, but what I am saying is that I believe that the vast majority of people don't buy a fish with the plan that it'll only live 6 months - 1 year, most plan on the fish living for years and years.
Similar threads
