Top 5 Reef Tank Pet Peeve
- Apr 04, 2022
- Anshika Mishra
- 203 0 0
Keeping saltwater fish and corals is the most fascinating and addictive hobby in the known universe. And if you don't have a reef tank, there are many reasons you should get one.
However, in life, there is no such thing as perfection. So, here are the top 5 things reefers hate the most about the hobby.
5. Coral Growth
When you set up a new tank, you want nothing more than it to be completely packed full of maturely grown corals. And when you get to the stage where your tank is properly developed and mature, it is an absolute joy to behold every day.
But there is a dark side to coral growth.
Corals usually grow into the spot where you don't want them to. This will result in coral warfare where they start to sting and kill their neighbors, blocking flow in your tank and taking up valuable swimming space for your fish.
You can easily frag them with some corals and sell the excess growth for profit. But those corals are never the ones that grow faster. The one that grows faster is the ones you don't want to grow.
Currently enough, it is often the most beginner-friendly and easy to keep corals that are the culprits. So, that mesmerizing Xenia frag you love so much on day one can easily get to the point where it takes over and ruins your tank.
4. Forbidden Fishes
Much all saltwater fishes are stunning. They have carried colors, amazing patterns, and even unique shapes. It is often the immense variety that you will never get bored of this hobby.
But almost all of the most stunning fishes of the hobby are off-limits for one reason or another. And most times, the fish you want the most will either eat corals, eat your cleanup crew, or even other fishes. Be complete and utter disease magnet or bullies to your other fish, or even if they don't tick one of those boxes, they will be outrageously expensive.
Difficulty keeping fish is the worst because you will convince yourself it's worth trying. You will buy the fish and then sadly realize that you can't meet its need which means it will more than likely die in front of your eyes, meaning you will have to live knowing that it is your fault.
3. Everything is Blue
The introduction to the hobby of blue LED lighting is one of the most incredible elements in the pursuit. Blue LEDs can make your oral look different from day to night, and the fluorescence you see under the blue LEDs is the single biggest wow factor in the hobby.
But, the trade-off is that having 500 watts of blue LEDs in your tank will make everything blue.
2. Cable Jungle
The sheer volume of cables you will group in a reef tank creates a jungle of wires and plugs. But the worst of all is that you will be adding new equipment, so it is impossible to organize the cable.
And, when you take some time out to tidy the cables, you will only get halfway through and then give up, resulting in wires all over the floor.
This is made worse when you see someone post a photo online of an insanely tidy cabinet with pro-level cable management. And if that's not enough, you can guarantee their simp will be clean too and their tank will look spectacular.
Honorable MEntions
- The storage you end up using.
- Equipment cleaning: Equipment gets dirty with algae and really should be clean regularly for maximum performance. But, maintenance is pretty much the biggest drag in the entire hobby.
- Noisy Equipment: The noise gets louder the longer you leave it between maintenance.
- Random Coral Death: Corals can die for many reasons, but it is most frustrating when everything else in your tank is fine and you have no explanation for why it has passed.
1. Testing
This is arguably the most stupid pet peeve on the list because each test only takes a couple of minutes, and it gives you information that will make your tank look better.
Testing parameters regularly helps you get in turn with your tank, understand what makes it look good, and prevent your tank from slipping downhill which means you will avoid things like coral death and nuisance algae.
But the reason people usually hate testing so much is that it is never-ending, and to get the best out of your tank, you should be carrying several tests every single week.
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