Are NANO reef aquariums a thing of the past?

[reefernanoman]

On 4/18/2023 at 12:14 PM, j.falk said:

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?

I used to be deep into the hobby, but honestly, I got too much into the harder corals (SPS) and I made things more labor intensive (auto dosing, testing, weekly water changes), so I spent a lot of money. My corals looked amazing for a while. Then I had a couple of swings (doesn't take much for 10G and 28G) so I lost almost everything  ($500+ in corals). THAT really put a stop to the constant spending and I stopped being so meticulous. That was a few years ago. My tanks are still running but with only a handful of LPS that survived on my 10G and my 28g is currently LF with LR only. So for me, it's about slowing down due to spending too much $ and time honestly. Plus things are more expensive now. So yeah. I've only bought more salt and like 1 fish for my 10G in the last few years. And food. My lights are pretty old right now, so I'm assuming that they need to be replaced (Kessil A160). They are like 8 plus years old. SO that's why I don't want to buy even cheap corals locally. I don't dose or test anymore. All that is abandoned. I just check the very basic stuff. 

[reefernanoman]

On 4/18/2023 at 2:18 PM, 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.  

Yeah, my co worker is getting rid of all his big salt water tanks and getting into nano tanks due to the cost of maintenance of the bigger tanks indeed.

[DNR88]

A few reasons when I look to myself, started with a reef tank in 2016 and still reading this forum and topics here, but not having a reef tank or reacting much:

- Prices for equipment, invertebrates, high-end corals etcetera and energy have gone up;

- Realization that running a (reef) tank is not good for the environment in the end, both for the animals and parts/equipment you use, as for the energy consumption;

- Keeping a tank healthy and beautiful requires perseverance and the ability to deal with setbacks. Seeing beautiful tanks everywhere on the internet makes you more likely to have doubts when things go wrong;

- Too few new developments I think, both in technology and creativity, and the impression that everything has already been done;

- Despite the good atmosphere in general, I think there is more a 'how can I make this about me' and 'what I say is the truth'-vibe than a few years ago.

 

But I keep reading the good attempts and progress here! 🙂

[reefist]

Maybe everyone just started reading books again 😄. Someone needs to write a new one, although the old ones are still relevant.

[boscoT]

I have downsized, and back into it after 12 years.  I will say that this little 24gal. has cost me more than I had ever expected lol.  I keep fighting the urge to upgrade, and think that the nano just fits my lifestyle and time.  So easy to care for and I can invest in quality items that will not break the bank... as much!!

[braaap]

I took a 6 year break. Not because I wanted to but life wouldn't allow a tank. I'm finally setting up a 20g drop off. Should I be? No. I don't have the time. But reefkeeping is my favorite hobby so I need to fill the itch.

 

Forums are dying. Facebook groups are where everyone is at. That is annoying because it is FULL of poor information. Literally every single post is just spreading false info. Drives me insane. I still love this site and wish I could somehow get it popular again.

[mitten_reef]

9 hours ago, braaap said:

Facebook groups are where everyone is at. That is annoying because it is FULL of poor information. Literally every single post is just spreading false info. Drives me insane. I still love this site and wish I could somehow get it popular again.

There are similarly bad advices on forums IMO.  But the one cool thing about forums, is that you have the option to vet the ppl giving out info by checking out their journal/build thread.  It's still up to the person's choice whether or not they're willing to go that extra step to verify if someone actually can keep a thriving reef tanks and providing actual useful experience/advices.  

I simply don't trust anyone who has zero build journal and tank progress updates - they're just as bad as fb trolls.  

[braaap]

10 hours ago, mitten_reef said:

There are similarly bad advices on forums IMO.  But the one cool thing about forums, is that you have the option to vet the ppl giving out info by checking out their journal/build thread.  It's still up to the person's choice whether or not they're willing to go that extra step to verify if someone actually can keep a thriving reef tanks and providing actual useful experience/advices.  

I simply don't trust anyone who has zero build journal and tank progress updates - they're just as bad as fb trolls.  

Yes there is lots of bad info posted here. But it usually gets called out in minutes.

 

I've been keeping reefs over 20 years. I don't have a tank journal and likely won't for this new tank. Or should I? I'm just too lazy to keep updating it.