Reef Keeping advice

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by dabandit

LMAO you must have a vivid imagination. I love this site I refer people all the time I couldnt replace it and I have no desire to. The reason why I made a blog at all is because im off work,never blogged before and wanted to try out add sense. So I figured what better than a blog about something I love interpret it as you may.

Originally Posted by dabandit

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

Yeah must be my imagination.

[StirCrazy]

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

[sphelps]

Have to agree with Steve there, my nano never cycled, I had livestock in it instantly so it is possible to avoid a cycle depending on how you do things. Also with the DSB, you may want to list some of the negative consequences which come after time, most people who go with a DSB regret it later. Beside in order to get the benefits of a DSB you need a carbon source and unless you're adding it manually you tank likely doesn't have it.

You need to be more clear on that the information you're providing is opinionated and instead of telling people how to do it maybe just try and provide information and tools to assist them. Tell them about your experience and what you find works best. Also if you ask for feedback don't get so defensive when you get it. If you want people to take you seriously you'll have to drop that high ego and defensive attitude.

[StirCrazy]

also blogs seam to be backwards from the way stuff is entered, so it looks like your putting water in befor you even look at the equipment.

I think the lighting section needs to be revamped, trying to group LEDs MH and T5s togeather doesn't work as they are still very different lights and intensities, SPS will grow under a NO bulb if you saet it up right, so saying you need this or that isn't realy accurate with out more explanation.

you could talk about Floressents and then go through the types starting with NO, VHO, PC, T5
then talk about HID and there different sides and types,
and finaly mention LEDs

I still have not seen anyone with a sps domanated tank using LEDs only or have heard no feed back at anyrate, so I don't even know if I would mention this in a newbe guide.

Are you doing advanced or newbe, you don't need a phosban reactor, heck they wern't even invented untill my tank was running 5 years already, do I have one... yes, do I use it no.. I am converting it into a CO2 reactor for my fresh water planted tank.

for flow wiseI would say for a SPS tank 20X flow rate is to little, that would be a min for a softy tank. IMHO, for SPS 50X would be a min, but how are you making that flow how much is through the sump or do you even have a sump as a choice?

Also getting back to the advanced/newbe you start talking about all this other stuff Zeo, ect... Keep it real simple, tank, lights, flow, skimmer, and some way of maintaining Ca, Alk, Mg ect.. ,mention that you can dose them as required, then mention that a Ca reactor and Kalk can work, if you go right to the advanced stuff it will discourage a lot of people because of the work involved and the cost. there are ways to have very low maintenance tanks that are very nice.

Steve

[Pan]

Originally Posted by rocketlily

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.

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.