With the advancement of the internet and our hobby, we are now getting our information faster than ever. No longer are the days of snail mail or looking through books or even email for answers, you can access a plethora of information instantly with just the tips of your fingers. While it’s so good in so many ways, a few negative aspects have come up as well. Let’s discuss it!

1.) Have patience.  (Both advice givers and takers)

This hobby is for the patient. The more you rush into things, the higher the chance that you will fail.
Our access to information has gotten faster but we are losing our patience in finding out/verifying facts and information.
People snap at other people over the littlest things, and lose their tempers when asking or receiving advice. Why is that necessary? We were all beginners once upon a time and nobody is forcing you to give advice. Also, if you are asking for help, stay humble and be a sponge – absorb everything you can. Let’s keep our decency, be respectful, and be mindful of others. If you can’t say nice things at all, don’t say anything at all.

2.) Learn to filter out the bad information. Verify claims with scientific reasoning. 

The internet is a wonderful tool. However, not everything you read is true, and you have to know how to weed through and filter the good from the bad. I see so many things online that make me cringe (a prime example is marine ich). For some reason, people that have been in the hobby for few months and start having a little success seem to become marine biologists and argue until they turn blue. Don’t do this. Vice Versa, there are tons of people that have been in the hobby for long period of time but are stuck in the wrong mindset and ways. Don’t do that.  In a hobby where anecdotal information is way more available then actual scientific data, it’s hard to comb through the bad sometimes. Please research more in-depth. Your livestock depend on you to make the right decision. I personally ask reputable “gurus” in the hobby for a lot of advice, and if I am to take new person’s advice seriously, I will often ask for a photo of their reef or look at their history of posts on previous advice to make my educated decision on this new person.

My advice video with a “guru”, Professor Sanjay Joshi.

3.) Understand and accept that there is more than one way to keep a successful reef.

With so many different styles of tanks, aquascapes, animals, products, etc, there are a myriad of ways to keep a successful reef. No tank can replicate exact results or success. Just because it’s different method than you are used to, doesn’t mean that it’s immediately less effective or successful than others.  Julian Sprung’s tank is perfect example of this. His beautiful, thriving reef system doesn’t have a skimmer or all the fancy bells and whistles and it’s still an amazing aquarium.

My feature of Julian Sprung’s beautiful aquarium.

3.) Don’t be afraid of change(s).

While tons of snake oils are still being sold in the hobby, there are always new advancements in the hobby with the proper backing of science. Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it or if you are unsure of it, but do your due diligence and research it. It’s just couple more clicks online and some light reading which will further your knowledge in this hobby.  A prime example of this is nitrifying bacteria. I used Turbo Start 900 to instant cycle my tank and you won’t believe how much flak I caught with people for not “properly” cycling my tank in the more traditional way. If they knew what cycling actually does and works, I’m sure they would change their tone in a heartbeat. (In depth talk about this coming soon)

My video of Chris Meckley of ACI Aquaculture who regularly uses this product after his routine bleaching of his fish systems.

Finishing words, 
I am sure many of you guys are already doing this, but I really wanted to share this idea with the constant influx of newcomers to the hobby.

Our Reefs.com staff is dedicated to bringing you quality content, be sure to check out our site, as well as the video channel here.

These are some reputable facebook groups that I frequently visit to check things out:

1.) Saltwater Aquarium and Coral Source

2.) Saltwater Aquarium & Reef Keepers

3.) Saltwater fish and coral keepers

4.) Official SPS Frag Swap (for you stick heads)

Search for answers, if you don’t find what you are seeking for, ask questions – actually, ask a lot of questions. No need to guess and gamble with your animals’ lives.