Are NANO reef aquariums a thing of the past?

[j.falk]

A few years ago this place was fast paced and hard to keep up with...new people were joining every day and setting up tanks left and right...these days I'm not seeing a lot of people posting or responding to threads.  Where did everyone go?

[TheKleinReef]

its a good and bad thing.

good cause you're stuff gets seen and doesn't get buried immediately like it does on bigger forum

 

bad cause there's some people here spreading garbage advice and there's not enough people willing to call it out, so it spreads.

 

i agree is not quite as active here, but i kinda like it.

[patback]

Nanos are probably more popular as an idea now than ever. People are hurting from the economy, so lots of would-be beginners are just dreaming for now. Also, alot of people have left the forums for instagram for the instant gratification of praise with very little actual, factual discussion.  

[mitten_reef]

36 minutes ago, patback said:

Nanos are probably more popular as an idea now than ever. People are hurting from the economy, so lots of would-be beginners are just dreaming for now. Also, alot of people have left the forums for instagram for the instant gratification of praise with very little actual, factual discussion.  

I did the Instagram thing for a little while   And I found that there are still a limited pool of ppl i actually interact with on posts/dm’s. I never had the aspiration, nor persistent drive to create content, to be that “star”, so that platform is kinda useless after a while, lol.  also while I mostly share all the good stuff on there, I try to keep my journal here to include the mundane stuff and the bad outcomes on certain corals, or my bad tank habits. So here feels like a more truthful place, regardless of how many eyeballs I got. 

[Jaren45]

Coming from an lfs employee - nano tanks (5-40g) are by far the most popular size for 95% of our saltwater customers. I think the forum is just in a slower state right now, but I agree I really don't mind. I still get to read lots of good advice and take inspiration every time I browse

[MLS_Reef]

I agree that nano tanks are more popular than ever. I think the random person starting a giant tank is dwindling. Also The regulations on coral and fish imports are super tight compared to just 5 years ago, it's pretty amazing to see just the current price of fish compared to what i remember paying.. 

[Jaren45]

Just now, MLS_Reef said:

 it's pretty amazing to see just the current price of fish compared to what i remember paying.. 

90% of that is just shipping cost unfortunately, unless you want to transship, next day air prices per kilo have gone up more than 10x just a decade ago.

 

Transshipping prices can be as low as dollars or tens of dollars for most popular fish including a lot of pricier tangs and surgeonfish, but the loss, illness and inconsistent, long shipping times stray most stores away

[Lebowski_]

5 minutes ago, MLS_Reef said:

I agree that nano tanks are more popular than ever. I think the random person starting a giant tank is dwindling. Also The regulations on coral and fish imports are super tight compared to just 5 years ago, it's pretty amazing to see just the current price of fish compared to what i remember paying.. 

 

i almost don’t mind the price increase, fewer half invested people getting into the hobby.

[Superdave]

Yeah, it is to be hopping for sure compared to these days!  

 

As mentioned above, I think slower economy (first unemployment then inflation..) hurts things like silly expensive hobbies.  I wonder too if there are more sources of info now?  I feel like back in the early 2000s, it was next to impossible to get info, let alone nano specific hardware.  So you had to find work arounds, DIYS, etc.  Now, there are seemingly endless very nano-focused products so people can just plug and play.  The all-in-one systems and some with reef lights make it so you don't need to figure out as much on your own.  

 

I'm not here as much as I have more or less figured things out (to what I need to know) and can tinker as needed without as much support as I needed early on.  I used to read all of the 30+ page journals and diy stuff.  I learned so much!

 

[MLS_Reef]

1 hour ago, Lebowski_ said:

 

i almost don’t mind the price increase, fewer half invested people getting into the hobby.

It's making me thing twice about taking better care of my tank and going slower, that is for sure.. i am also thinking about a generator in case of hurricanes this summer.

 

[Koleswrath]

Never!!! Long live the nano! 
#Astreas are the new tangs!

[Lebowski_]

29 minutes ago, Superdave said:

Yeah, it is to be hopping for sure compared to these days!  

 

As mentioned above, I think slower economy (first unemployment then inflation..) hurts things like silly expensive hobbies.  I wonder too if there are more sources of info now?  I feel like back in the early 2000s, it was next to impossible to get info, let alone nano specific hardware.  So you had to find work arounds, DIYS, etc.  Now, there are seemingly endless very nano-focused products so people can just plug and play.  The all-in-one systems and some with reef lights make it so you don't need to figure out as much on your own.  

 

I'm not here as much as I have more or less figured things out (to what I need to know) and can tinker as needed without as much support as I needed early on.  I used to read all of the 30+ page journals and diy stuff.  I learned so much!

 

 

I think it's almost 100% the fact that people don't come to forums for info anymore. People watch youtube, go on reddit, use instagram, etc.

 

I've seen a pretty huge decline in most forums I am on for this reason, not just this one. I would bet BRS youtube gets more hits in a week than this entire forum does, and it's probably not close. Doesn't matter if they are accurate or have a goal of selling, many younger people like that format and are more used to it than reading and responding on a community forum

[MLS_Reef]

I think alot of people also burnt out and possibly done with the internet. During and after Covid it was peoples only connection.

I dropped my facebook account, deleted my twitter account , never had instagram and i shudder when people say zoom call.

Really i could care less for anything but reef tanks and that why you come to a site like this.

[mitten_reef]

Ppl also seem to lack the common courtesy. especially newer ppl tend to just wait for someone to answer their questions, and then just take it as if that person becomes a de facto expert. 
Someone comments/shares something on your thread, check out theirs. You may just learn a few more things than the answers you got.   That’s how forums used to work anyway…I thought. 

[BadCrab]

10 hours ago, Lebowski_ said:

 

I think it's almost 100% the fact that people don't come to forums for info anymore. People watch youtube, go on reddit, use instagram, etc.

 

 

I think it's mostly this, but all the stated reasons in this thread are probably contributors.  There's just such a narrow band of people who still use forums - other platforms like Facebook, discord, and Instagram have edged forums out of the mainstream conversation.

[Superdave]

12 hours ago, Lebowski_ said:

 

I think it's almost 100% the fact that people don't come to forums for info anymore. People watch youtube, go on reddit, use instagram, etc.

 

I've seen a pretty huge decline in most forums I am on for this reason, not just this one. I would bet BRS youtube gets more hits in a week than this entire forum does, and it's probably not close. Doesn't matter if they are accurate or have a goal of selling, many younger people like that format and are more used to it than reading and responding on a community forum

Interesting perspective/observation that it isn't just this forum.  

 

Makes sense the videos are more enticing to some.  While those can be great as well, the multi-page, months long thread will teach anyone far more.  I used to just read anything I could find on here, just to learn more.  Videos are great (I use youtube for all kinds of stuff, not just my hobbies) but they can't field questions.  

 

[Superdave]

11 hours ago, mitten_reef said:

Ppl also seem to lack the common courtesy. especially newer ppl tend to just wait for someone to answer their questions, and then just take it as if that person becomes a de facto expert. 
Someone comments/shares something on your thread, check out theirs. You may just learn a few more things than the answers you got.   That’s how forums used to work anyway…I thought. 

Yeah, it takes more time if you want a "good" answer for sure.  You have to weigh what each is offering and read up on what they have done, double check their claims, etc.  That was the part I really loved.  Even the so called "bad advice" comments made you explore and think.  

 

And maybe since people like me are not on here as much, we are contributing to the decline as there aren't as many voices of experience.  I am by no means an expert, but having a nano since 2002ish and having read endless posts, I have picked up a thing or two. 

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

Look… If you want me to post more, to liven up the place, just say so. 😏
 

I think everything has pretty much been said, people are using alternative, instant gratification sources rather than forums. 
 

Personally, I know I am terrible about updating build threads. It’s life - our times is stretched in so many directions, that online forums are an easy thing to ignore. One of the reasons I enjoy the contests, because it forces me to do regular updates. Hell, I talked the tank keeper in to letting me set up an office tank (I work from home), and I’ve yet to start a build thread on it, and the tank has been going for four or five months now. 

[debbeach13]

35 minutes ago, NoOneLikesADryTang said:

Hell, I talked the tank keeper in to letting me set up an office tank (I work from home), and I’ve yet to start a build thread on it, and the tank has been going for four or five months now. 

Now that you told us. I want to see the new tank. 

[basser1]

I don't post much anymore because I went to the other side, freshwater, and keeping what I believe to be the best and King of fish, Discus! I am keeping wild discus direct from the Amazon River.

My tank in now a 75 gallon bowfront. But every now and then, I'll see Youtube videos of saltwater tanks and think.....  Hmmmm....

[Superdave]

5 minutes ago, basser1 said:

I don't post much anymore because I went to the other side, freshwater, and keeping what I believe to be the best and King of fish, Discus! I am keeping wild discus direct from the Amazon River.

My tank in now a 75 gallon bowfront. But every now and then, I'll see Youtube videos of saltwater tanks and think.....  Hmmmm....

Of course discus are king.  Everyone thinks they've had a hard time with their reef tank until they've tried to manage discus..  I've got a 55 gallon with three discus at the moment.  

 

[Sharbuckle]

I think nanos are way more popular than ever before. However the forums are dying. 

[Wazawai]

I think forums in general just aren't as popular as they used to be.  Forums were the thing ~20 years ago when I started saltwater tanks and I remember when this place was crazy busy.  Most kids (even people into their 20's) these days don't even know what a "forum" is, it is all about Instagram and Snapchat.  Oddly enough they know and use Reddit...

[docshipwreck]

This forum was absolutely INTSTRUMENTAL in my research to start my first tank. Hands down if it wasn't for the great people here things would have really stunk (way more then they did LOL). I've personally never was a forum contributor anywhere, I've always preferred to reply if I can offer something more substantial than ' me too' or '+1'. I admittedly sort of shifted any presence on here to the back burner because of life. 

 

Can we please go back to pre-pandemic prices.....for everything?

 

I prefer how this forum hasn't become as commercialized as another large one, but what starts little costs money to run and keep up with and host.

 

I think with the prevalence youtube its shifted the sharing of information. It's crazy how quickly in the 5-6 years just I have been reefing, that things have changed. Also with youtube, why post 100 times in a forum, when posting on youtube those same 100 times could make you money?

 

I love forums, but feel they were always sort of the old school or analog way of sharing information online. 

 

I think with the ability to pay channeling of search engines this forum may not always be the top of the list. (not bashing just an observation)

 

HOWEVER, I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed, but what was old is new again. Maybe things will shift back around to forums? 

[docshipwreck]

On 4/19/2023 at 7:53 PM, Wazawai said:

I think forums in general just aren't as popular as they used to be.  Forums were the thing ~20 years ago when I started saltwater tanks and I remember when this place was crazy busy.  Most kids (even people into their 20's) these days don't even know what a "forum" is, it is all about Instagram and Snapchat.  Oddly enough they know and use Reddit...

I think its the shifting platforms. It was FB, then insta, then snap and tik tok, Reddit seems to weirdly exist in there. I think reddit is like a weird streamlined version of a forum.