The one thing I have learnt over the last year, is that there is no right way to set up a tank. When a beginner, like me, starts to do research on sites like canreef, it's the first thing they discover. I believe it then forces them to do more research and make their own informed choices and choose the "right" way for them.

I'm sure that there are alot of people that think that Eric Borneman has the right way of doing things, but sometimes I disagree with him and sometimes I agree with him.

Ha Ha, look at me giving advice when the ticker shows my tank is 12 days old.:lol:

I beleive I mention alot in my blog there are thousands of ways to do it,I never claimed mine was the only way or the best way. When I made reference to the ''right'' way I meant instead of buying a tank filling it with tap water and throwing 20 fish in.
I dont write collumns Im no pro its just a friggin blog im sure you all have them
and never had to defend your own opinion on them.
Im tired of posting anything here and coming under the firing squad for it.
I give up write your own blog if you dont like the way I'm doing it

Hey relax man, no need to get ****ed here, no one is is putting you under fire. You asked for comments and now people are giving you comments and your blowing up at them. All because and I'm going to say it Sphelps posted something and your got right offensive about it because you didnt like it and you don't like him. As you stated. people here who posted are giving thier opinion how to better it. That is it. if you didnt want any feedback then dont ask for it. You know darn well that there are people on this board that will have snar remarks and posts things what are right out of it jsut to get people going. keep the blog going and may be PM some of us who have been in the hooby and ask their advice and thier input.

They will give you 100% of their attention to look at it I can promise you that. or mai it to one if the Mods that is one of the reason why they are here. EXPERINCE.

mike

Yeah must be my imagination.

Not clearer in my mind. Quite the opposite. Phosban is a type of media that goes in a reactor, not the reactor itself. Yes, there is a "Phosban Reactor", but that is made by the same people that make the Phosban media. Clever marketing. Most people refer to the specific "Phosban Reactor" as just that, even if they are not running Phosban in it. Bottomline is a reactor is a reactor whether it's homemade or made by Two Little Fishies. What the reactor is used for is when you get into different types, ie: carbon; RowaPhos; Ca & Mg; Nitrate; and yes...Phosban.

Like I said...how you convey your knowledge is just as important as the knowledge itself.

Cheers,

one thing about the cycle part is you may or may not see a cycle depending on how much and what kind of live rock you use. If you use 1.5 lb/gal or more live rock that is fully cured then you will probably have an instant cycle. I have seen this is 2 of my tanks now, and even adding a bunch of shrimp to rot never produced any amonia.

As for the sand bed part, I think it would be better to let them decide befor anything else weather they want one or not. list the benifits (which realy isn't much but visual apearance,) then list the problems that surface down the road. DSB don't work in our tanks as it is impossable to get the bio diversity in captivity to make them work on there own, other wise you have to replace it and than means tank teardown.

I was caught up in DSB when it was all the crazy after the good Dr S posted his write up on them, 2 years later I tried it again, and now I will never have one again. the short tearm benifits don't come close to justifying the long term problems.

you could maybe offer some substitutes to sand, like that marble like rock that is very pourous (can't spell it LOL)

also befor you even get to putting water in the tank you need to think about a lot of other things, what you are going to put in the tank, lighting, water flow, sump or no sump, ect.. putting togeather a guide for some one isn't a simple task and a major undertaking, which is going to bring heat from anyone who does something that you didn't mention, thats why when a good guide is made it is usaly a substatual book listing all the option and then discussing the pros and cons to each.

Steve

Well no not really.....

As per even Jl`s website....

• Question: "Is your rock cured or uncured?" Answer: Uncured. The rock arrives to our facility direct from the tropics. This is the case with the majority of retailers. What they call "fresh" rock, we call un-cured. Although we do not hold rock to specifically cure it occasionally near the end of the shipment there is rock left that is cured. If you require un-cured, "un-touched" rock that can be arranged by pre-booking on our next shipment.

Shoosh...go play with your skimmer:twised:

There is a right way...it`s the way YOU do it after you have explored and researched awhile, every single person who sets up a reef tank for the first time has problems, you can only offer advice not give it. If they take it and follow word for word good advice they will still run into unforseen problems, that others who have setup many a tank, counter without even thinking about it. I for one have rapidly cycle some tanks and not others, I tried doing it the same way i did previously, the second try failed while the third setup did not...go figure :) I think the best advice to someone new is go reasearch, rather than specific advise, because everyone thinks their method is the right way....it may be...for them. :)