The Ten Most Annoying Issues About Reefkeeping | Reef Builders

Generally reefing can actually get on our nerves! Listed here are simply ten of the issues we actually hate about our interest proper now.  

When fish bounce out

Sadly, we’ve all been right here, whether or not it’s a newly bought tank-bred clownfish, a wrasse, or a hawkfish, our saltwater fish at all times bounce out after we least count on it, and sometimes by way of the tiny of gaps. At greatest it’s annoying and inconvenient, however at worst it could be a much-loved fish, a uncommon, sought-after species, or a long-term household pet. Even with fashionable internet covers, if there’s a house someplace across the edge, generally a fish will discover the hole and slip by way of. 



The Ugly Part

Nuisance algae like Cyano, Diatoms, and Dinoflagellates take so lengthy to cope with today, on account of us ranging from recent with dry rock, and having so little vitamins or biology after we first arrange our tanks. Many tanks can take a 12 months earlier than they mature, so add copepods, and micro organism, however higher nonetheless some rock, sand, and bio media from a longtime (pest-free,) tank.

When Acros Strip

All of us assume we’re good reefkeepers till some Acropora nicely and actually put us in our place and both RTN or STN, and strip, leaving a naked, white skeleton in addition to a gap in our wallets. Be it flatworms, water chemistry, temperature, unhealthy micro organism, viruses, or illness pathogens, many Acro species want little or no excuse to rid themselves of the fragile tissue we covet them for, and be you previous, younger, a beginner or half a century in, Acropora can and can strip for everybody in every single place, given lower than half an opportunity.



When Your Favourite Fish Aren’t Reef Protected

We’ve the unlucky activity each weekend in our LFS of dashing new hobbyists’ hopes by telling all of them the fish within the retailer that they’ll’t have with their corals. There are the massive predators like Triggers, Puffers, and Lionfish, however then the beauties like Emperor Angelfish and practically all Butterflyfish that we tease them with, after which deny them from buying. However then there are the eccentricities like Boxfish, Goatfish, and even those who require specialised feeding like pipefish and dragonettes, and our hopeful new reef aquarists, who entered stuffed with desires and aspirations go away with some Green Chromis and a pair of Clownfish. In contrast to many hobbies, even when the proprietor has the cash and many it, they simply can’t have the fish they need. It’s a merciless pastime.



When Fish Get Sick

Nearly each reefkeeper has skilled a sick fish sooner or later of their interest and when it occurs in a reef tank, there’s little or no you are able to do to cease it. Afflictions like Ich and Flukes can wreak havoc on saltwater fish and when your tank is filled with rocks the fish can disguise in, corals, and cell invertebrates you both can’t catch them or need to resort to weak, invert secure drugs which will or could not work. You didn’t knowingly join months of nuisance algae, useless corals, and fish illness, nevertheless it’s all half and parcel of working a reef tank, and never each hobbyist makes it by way of to the opposite aspect.

Being a Slave to Your Tank

Algae wipe, water change, check. Empty the skimmer, fill the top-off, and check. Add buffer, feed corals, take away pests, check, and the listing goes on, and when you’re not cautious you lose all of the enjoyment of viewing what must be a soothing aquarium and revert to work, stress, and fixed upkeep. They are saying to not chase numbers however to some extent, you must, and the extra detailed testing and monitoring turns into, the extra anxiety-inducing the interest can change into too. Operating a reef tank and having fun with a reef tank is a query of stability, and generally much less gear could be extra, however somebody is at all times dangling the carrot of automated, hassle-free reefing, and many people gearheads are eager to experiment with the newest devices and find yourself spending extra time watching our sumps than the show tanks above.



When Rocks Don’t Stick

Aquascaping is an integral a part of fashionable reefing, with myriad supplies like epoxy, cement, and superglue during which to lock rocks collectively, however we all know we aren’t alone after we create the proper overhang or cave and bond it, solely to seek out out hours later it didn’t stick and the gravity-defying plate or department falls off. You watched the YouTube video, and you probably did it simply as instructed, nevertheless it didn’t work. And now you’ll be able to’t reuse that now-cured cement or epoxy both. Making an attempt to do this identical factor underwater is ten occasions worse. It’s a first-world downside nevertheless it’s so irritating. 

Carrying Heavy Stuff Round

Why is all the things on this interest so heavy? 19mm thick glass aquariums, rock, sand, salt, water, and even bins stuffed with fish. When you have a nasty again reefkeeping will not be for you, and when you’re in any other case wholesome, count on a nasty again sooner or later. You possibly can arm your self with pumps and pipework to maneuver water round, and trollies to maneuver tanks however for a lot of uncooked supplies in reefing, there isn’t any different however to carry it.  



When Frags Don’t Stick

Some issues in life had been made to check us, and sticking frags is one among them. Initially, you’ve gotten the job of sticking the freshly lower frag to the frag plug, which even coral farmers get mistaken sometimes. Then you’ve gotten putting the frag in your chosen rock underwater and it simply not sticking. Generally there’s simply an excessive amount of biofilm on the rock for the glue to stick to and generally we ask an excessive amount of of thirty seconds of treatment time and the frag merely falls off or falls over, and worse nonetheless is while you discover that your newly bought, tremendous delicate sps frag has fallen off or been knocked off by a critter in a single day and is now mendacity within the mouth of a brilliant stingy LPS coral. No marvel we resort to frag racks a lot.  

Apps

Right here at Reef Builders we embrace marine tech and have constructed our popularity on it to a bigger extent, however we additionally know simply how irritating it may be when our good aquarium gear doesn’t work prefer it ought to. Connection is the very first thing, with some gear connecting in seconds when others want a telecommunications engineer simply to pair them. And what about all these hidden options which are apparent to the app developer however stay so hidden from us we will’t even get our gear to go on and off after we’d prefer it to, or carry out easy duties? Don’t get us mistaken, some aquarium gear apps are sensible, however many working an LED gentle or a DC pump are rather more concerned than they need to be, leaving us craving an analog, AC, on-and-off swap.