wetwebmedia said WHAT?

[daisy]

I just read this on the wetwebmedia site - from an article on reef keeping that Fenner wrote:

ummary: I don't want to dissuade you from pursuing a "reef-system"; my intent is only to urge your considering what an involved enterprise it is. Most tropical reef set-ups have thousands of dollars into them, with their keepers spending hundreds more a month on gear, organisms, food, electricity... and the animals living an average of a few months. Is this challenge for you?


AAACCKKK! A few months? You've got to be KIDDING me?!!! I have four fish, and the youngest is well over 2, the oldest pushing 7. There are corals that are years old as well.

A few months??????

 

[1UCKY]

That's Bob Fernner:teeth: ....

 

[JohnS_323]

Yeah, Bob ain't nothin' if he ain't out spoken. You really want to fire him up, tell him you're planning on opening an LFS. I was privy to someone throwing that out to him. WOW! Glad it wasn't me. Not that he was nasty in any way (actually he was very polite and comical) but holy cow did he lay it all out on the table.

I don't think he's too far off on his assessment, though. A lot of us have great success with select fish and corals. But how many beginners (even us) have lost a lot of stuff within the first few months? Compare the number of short timers in the hobby and their losses to the people who have stuck it out long enough to have success stories and I'll bet the average life span is shorter than you think.

 

[ming]

I would say the spending is probably accurately about me, but the lifespan of the animals is totally off.
Since he was talking about reef tanks, I'm assuming he probably meant corals for the animals, because they are animals. I would say 95%+ of my corals purchased are alive, with the bulk majority well over a year old, like 1/4 of them at least 2 years old, and I started the hobby about 3 years ago.

In the event he was talking about fish, unless you overstock the tank, improper filtration, stock fish that will kill each other, etc. they should live a long time. I have about 20 fish in my tank and the newest addition is about 3 months old or so, with the oldest about 2 years old.

But I would guess Bob's talking about his own expeience or what hes seen so far. So to each their own.

 

[grisha]

[/quote]But I would guess Bob's talking about his own expeience or what hes seen so far. So to each their own.[/quote]
:thrash:

 

[1UCKY]

The guy's always scuba diving somewhere in the ocean, lol....What I think is that he wants us to leave nature be in their own world.

 

[corallimorph]

We should all remember that WE are here right now(on a forum) to discuss the health and husbandry of exotic Marine animals.....most of us here on the forum are folks who are really into it!
Like john S said
there are so many who are newbie-fly by night ...beginners who jump in..and then out..usually with a wake of death behind them.
I'm not talking about YOU!..but the others who don't care as much.
This may be were Fenner gets it from.-Dave

 

[daisy]

Dave - that is a very good point, and i hope that was who B.F. had in mind when he was writing. I was just so flabbergasted, but the truth is, if every reef-keeper kept their tanks the way (I hope) most of us do, the LFSs would go out of business...

I have thought about that a lot. How many folks just keep buying the same fish over and over, replacing the ones they flush.

It is just so sad.

 

[fritz]

Frenner is dead on!

Go to Fishtown and just hang out there for a few hours.
Go to the Brooklyn Aquarium Society meetings and stay for the auction at the end.
Having worked at a higher end salt water aquarium store (in HS) frequented by folks with cash to burn I can attest to the accuracy of his statement.

Bigup