Complex Setups: What gives?

[marie]

Originally Posted by Beverly

Wow! Nice tank, Marie How long had it been running at the time of the photos?...

That was my first actual reef tank and a lot of mistakes were made on it. At the time of the photos I think the tank had been set up for 4 yrs and had gone through every nuisance algae that has ever plagued reefers . Starting with cyano and hair, then the dreaded dinos (during the dinoflagellate attack I learned what phosphates were), followed by more hair, then dictyota and a mild reccuring cyano problem.

[mark]

Some of us just are just caught up in the mechanics of it as well. Seems sometimes I spend about as much time in the basement playing around my sump as I do in my tank upstairs.

[adidas]

all the gadgets can make it easier to maintain things...

[andsoitgoes]

Damn, this is turning out to be a fantastic thread. The information provided on here and the debates that are being put on the table are fair, informative and all further the OP's initial question. I've found this to be a thread I continue to come back to, in order to review what other people have equipment wise, what they have to say, the years of experience, etc.

For example, Beverly's setup that is low tech and includes no bells, no whistles, yet her tank is stunning and she's been through the gamut of all different types of tanks.

Other peoples are fancy, they have calcium this and denitrating thats and whozits and whatsits and thingamabobs.

I'm just learning on how fluidized beds work, and what the benefit of a quality skimmer/extra sump space is, etc., etc. - I'm really amazed by the passion and level of knowledge here. Wish it was seen on more aquarium sites, and I think this is why I've been so drawn to the saltwater hobby, because in order to succeed (I mean REALLY succeed) you need to know what the hell you're doing, and that comes across through most people that post here.

Kudos, and I'll keep right along reading.