- Joined
- Jan 22, 2004
- Messages
- 3,019
Aww, shucks Dan! Your threads are great!
I tend to avoid system questions on TONMO because there are tons of sites out there dedicated to such questions - I like using TONMO for ceph talk.
FWIW, I don't care all that much for RC - its too big to be focused on any issue. I like Reefs.org. But, any of the reefing sites have 'New Reefkeepers' forums that are great for browsing to pick up general info. But nothing is going to be better than a couple of good books - I really recommend the complete idiots guide to saltwater aquariums for a general overview, and The Reef Aquarium vol 1 for a more detailed overview. I even more highly recommend seeing if there is a local reef club in your area, joining it, and going around to visit some peoples set ups. Seeing what is going on under the hood is easier than reading it.
I don't think sumps are for more advanced aquarists, but I guess I think saltwater setups themselves require understanding of a whole lot of issues. Without an overall understanding of the systems in general, an aquarist is asking for trouble. There are a bunch of concepts to grok, but once you get a handle on them, its really pretty straightforward - there are just a lot of things to pay attention to. Oh yeah, everyone has their own opinion and there are a billion ways to skin a tank. People with a good understanding of a saltwater system 'get away' with stuff because they know what any omission leads to, and they know what to be on the lookout for and how to compensate. A lot of stuff recommended to newbies is recommended to compensate for the general lack of understanding. Ha! Weird. Smaller tanks aren't really any easier or harder than larger tanks because they all have their own issues based on the same basic principals. Once you understand the idea of a sump, it seems so obvious, and in fact, I don't think you would want to run a tank without one.
The thing that I think gets in most peoples way is they want to set up the tank right now, so they get an unsound understanding of the basics, then, after they get frustrated and kill a bunch of stuff, either quit the hobby, or spend even more money on stuff they should have bought in the first place. A learning system is a good thing, and will even help you out in the long term, but almost no one wants to do it - even though most end up upgrading everything within a year.
Wow. Late night rambly wall of text. Cool.
I tend to avoid system questions on TONMO because there are tons of sites out there dedicated to such questions - I like using TONMO for ceph talk.
FWIW, I don't care all that much for RC - its too big to be focused on any issue. I like Reefs.org. But, any of the reefing sites have 'New Reefkeepers' forums that are great for browsing to pick up general info. But nothing is going to be better than a couple of good books - I really recommend the complete idiots guide to saltwater aquariums for a general overview, and The Reef Aquarium vol 1 for a more detailed overview. I even more highly recommend seeing if there is a local reef club in your area, joining it, and going around to visit some peoples set ups. Seeing what is going on under the hood is easier than reading it.
I don't think sumps are for more advanced aquarists, but I guess I think saltwater setups themselves require understanding of a whole lot of issues. Without an overall understanding of the systems in general, an aquarist is asking for trouble. There are a bunch of concepts to grok, but once you get a handle on them, its really pretty straightforward - there are just a lot of things to pay attention to. Oh yeah, everyone has their own opinion and there are a billion ways to skin a tank. People with a good understanding of a saltwater system 'get away' with stuff because they know what any omission leads to, and they know what to be on the lookout for and how to compensate. A lot of stuff recommended to newbies is recommended to compensate for the general lack of understanding. Ha! Weird. Smaller tanks aren't really any easier or harder than larger tanks because they all have their own issues based on the same basic principals. Once you understand the idea of a sump, it seems so obvious, and in fact, I don't think you would want to run a tank without one.
The thing that I think gets in most peoples way is they want to set up the tank right now, so they get an unsound understanding of the basics, then, after they get frustrated and kill a bunch of stuff, either quit the hobby, or spend even more money on stuff they should have bought in the first place. A learning system is a good thing, and will even help you out in the long term, but almost no one wants to do it - even though most end up upgrading everything within a year.
Wow. Late night rambly wall of text. Cool.