Observations

[Reef_Geek]

What a neat thread. This is like the episode of Big Bang Theory where Amy inside the comic book store asks "who's the best comic hero?" to which Stuart says "You can’t ask a question like that in here. Are you trying to start a rumble?"

Well back in my day... there was no such thing as your fancy electricity and we had to do 100% water changes twice daily, carrying buckets uphill both ways! And the fish liked it. And we liked it. And it was good.

Originally Posted by Dearth

1) SW is no longer for those with deep pockets it is becoming more affordable and smaller tanks are becoming more the norm over bigger tanks

2) With the increase in the popularity of the hobby it has brought to the forefront more of conservation of the oceans however on the other hand because the hobby is popular right now there is an increased demand for fish/coral/inverts causing more problems in the wild

3) Technology is better and cheaper and easier to buy now than it once was making the hobby somewhat more affordable

4) tank styles are become more and more varied and often only limited by your imagination

5) On many forums there is a perceived line drawn in the sand with old school reefers who led the way in innovation in modern reefing on one side and new school reefers with new fresh ideas on the other side. This has led to heated debates on all forums about what is better

6) Liverock/dead rock is no longer the only option as there are many man made rock formations out there that is easier to work with and is considerably lighter and the added bonus of no unwanted hitch hikers

Agree/disagree other views or observations welcome

Interesting points. In my opinion, and not for better or worse (just the way it is)--
In reference to prices and costs. I don't think supplies are cheaper with the exception of some regional markets. Example, the prices of the most premium type of light 15 years ago was $400 to $600 a pop (it was MH), and now the most premium type of LED is about that price... just the technology is different. However, for regional markets that enjoyed isolation before online stores, increases in local competitors (other shops, hobbyist traders) have made the market more efficient in those places, making things priced at fair market value. If nothing else, one thing that does concern me (I used to be in the aquarium business) is that market value (prices) have not gone UP as everything else has gone up. Freight, fuel, labor, utilities, rent/property, taxes, inflation--we all see that our living costs are far higher now than 15 years ago, yet most things are about the same prices (ball park)... especially in livestock (labor intensive, inventory risk, shipping). This is an indication that demand (hobby, industry) has not risen at the same pace as average growth of cities/populations/economies proportionately.

About the hobby stressing natural resources... this is a bit fuzzy. Without fresh data in hand, I'll venture a guess that the ornamental collection factor is tiny compared to food fisheries demand and habitat degradation. This does sound like a cop out, but that is not the point. There are countries that manage their fisheries (whether ornamental or food species) far better than others (eg. Florida vs Bali), but is also a function of their authorities' available resources to execute/manage/patrol/penalize. Again... just the way it is. If you care, then do research and only buy from those source countries with strong fisheries management (alternately, captive culture).

About old school vs new school... I don't trust robots... one day they are controlling your fancy lighting and your fancy powerheads... next they're plotting your demise and logging into Canreef to buy a girlfriend when you're not looking. Alls I gots to say is--remember Skynet.

Seriously though--just kidding (the robot wrote this, I am tied up, help.)

Other observations
-for a while, there was a flurry of great books that were published. Sprung & Delbeek, Fossa & Nilsen, Scott Michael, Deloach series, Baensch series, Aqualogs etc etc... with the internet, I don't recall the last time another great book was published. Magazines have also disappeared (well, less prevalent) in hardcopy form.
-At least in Calgary, the online shops and big box stores have squeezed the small independent stores out of the hardware & supplies game.
-online forums such as Canreef have made it efficient for hobbyists to trade frags and know-how. LFS staff are no longer the primary learning centers.

Now I'll go listen to both "the way it is" by Bruce Hornsby and "Changes" by 2Pac