This is one of the hardest parts about the hobby, buying what you actually like versus what everyone else likes, what is rare, and what is seen as an achievement in the hobby. The funny part is I don't even have any friends that are into reef tanks but for some reason just seeing all of the fuss online is enough to sway my opinion sometimes.
I'm so glad that you addressed the elephant in the room regards whats cool n what's not n the the price that comes with . Me n my wife well the wife realy buys what she likes regardless of trend n our living world is starting to look realy good . We both love alot of soft corals and mushrooms n they are in there own right so diverse in colours and forms and shapes aswell well done prestige
For me it's about colours and contrast. I am relatively new to reefing, but kept discus before due to the range of colours and patterns. I can't walk past my little reef tank without stopping and admiring it for a moment. Get the corals that you love!
That’s a very good point Ryan. It’s no different to decorating your house, go with what you want and have a vision, don’t be a sheep! Another cracking video 👍🏻
Well said. As an SPS freak, I've began to appreciate a lot of the old-school varieties with solid bright colors that can be appreciated from across the room.
Completely agree. I like to sort the coral pages on online sellers by cheapest first. Then I scroll through until I find something that appeals to me or I know looks good grown out as a colony. I’m not looking at my frags with a magnifying class or advertising the name, so I just can’t see spending $100s on one little coral specimen just to say that I have the ultra rainbow whatever coral. It’s ridiculous that people buy into that crap and it serves only to over-inflate coral prices out of the reach of many average hobbyists.
I think people do the same with fish. There's lots of reef safe community fish that are rated "easy". But people still get cool looking aggressive or hard to keep "expert" fish that die quickly or bring disaster.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I was in the trade in the 80’s. I’ve owned/sold 1000’s of tanks decades ago. Yellow tangs were $5 back then. Fast forward to 2022. Desires change over time. Now I have a fake reef in a huge tank with a handful of basic tangs, triggers, and I’m happy to watch them swim around. I’m in the keep it simple phase of the hobby. Cheers Now
I’m creating my own tank. Definitely hard not to be swayed by fellow hobbyists and seeing what they have in their tanks. Specifically, you mentioned Raja Rampage. I have a frag of it but bought it at a reef show meaning I paid 1/10th the cost of a LFS. I didn’t buy it because it was fashionable, I bought it because I liked the bright yellow mouth and the contrast it created with the green. I also knew the perfect spot in my tank for its colors was close to a massive red goni! It has added about 20 new mouths in the last 10 months and is still one of the brightest corals in the tank. I’m just as happy with my green candy cane coral which may be the easiest and brightest coral in the tank for perspective. I do agree, you have to actively work to not get overwhelmed with green though.
As I'm just starting out with my first reef I'll be buying what I like (taking advice obviously on suitability and care) rather that what is 'fashionable' or 'must have'.
I picked a kenya tree over a torch coral. I like the look of some of the torch corals, but KTs are more affordable atleast for me, and i like how they move. Recently or more so, this year. In our family tank, we've been adding large angelfish to it, its a reef tank btw. we've had little to no trouble with it. We've put an emperor, a blue ring and a scribbled angelfish in. We are also thinking of getting a king (passer) angelfish too. IF they don't get on we can put them in the sump or return them. We got those fish because we love the look of them and the shape they add, not because they were expensive or whatnot, which they were. We want to get a king angelfish because it looks really cool and we think it will be ok with the other angels. the same can be said for corals. Sure the most expensive coral might be nice, but a simple toadstool is more appealing to me. Get something because you like it, it will go well in your tank and if you've done research then you should be fine.
Agree with rudra , im defo not a stick head preferring the flowing movement of softies and some lps , but its my tank and my opinion , I'm never going to pay ££££ just necause someone says it's rare or named after a star wars character
Reef tanks are like any things in life, subjective. Like I don't find the appeal of sps corals at all and has no interest at all Vs some reefers are sps only.
@@happychappy27 it takes a certain individual imo...and I don't think alot of beginners realise the work involved..once you get on and got things working, you are kinda stuck too..you have to take care of sps a certain way otherwise they won't flourish and then the glimpses of success is what makes it for you. For me, I just can't commit to that level of madness, this already is a time draining hobby. It's like a bloody marriage! The return never equals the amount you invest..but you've gone too deep and invested too much to pull out. Only escape is a crash, similar to a marriage 🤣
@@rudra7615 Haha I agree with your points. I’m constantly at my tank and constantly spending! The mrs hates it but it is like an addiction. I never had interest for sps as I saw them as boring with no movement etc and killed a few as I didn’t do my research. Patience can be my problem and that’s certainly what sps requires aswel as stability etc. I’m on holiday right now and sat on a beach wondering how my tank is doing 🤣🤦🏻♂️
@@happychappy27 I was definitely like that but managed to break away by starting a new hobby. Reefing is still there just ain't as obsessed as I was..once a reefer, it's a reefer for life though!
When non reefers see my cheap softies: “Wow are those alive? They are so pretty!” When non reefers see my expensive acros; “These decorations are so fake.”
Hey guys! I’m a somewhat experienced freshwater aquarium keeper and I’m looking to finally start my own saltwater reef tank…I’m in the design phase still but I have a 75 gallon tank of standard dimensions and I’d like to have input from the saltwater aquarium community on how I set this up…I’d like to have Bangii Cardinal fish x 4 Diamond or Yellow Goby x 1 clownfish x 2 Royal Gramma x 1 Marine Betta x 1 Flame Angel x 1 Foxface rabbitfish x 1 Is that feasible? Am I crazy? Any info is helpful…
Yup!! I don’t care if it’s trendy to get a bounce mushroom. I think they are so ugly! I like corals and fish for color, ease of care. I am guilty too though about purchasing animals for my reef in the past that commanded a high cost and some perished anyway. It really is a gamble. I would pay for a frag or a fish at a higher cost if I really like it. But I do my research on it first before I get it. As a general rule, the more expensive the animal is, the harder it is to care for.
I like cheap/easy sps. I think my rainbow Stylophora is more attractive than any “rainbow tenuis”. I love the fluffy polyp extension and bold colors of blue, pink, and green!
Absolutely spot on. I'm a long time reefer and about to start up a new tank. Automatically, I felt I had to go for the challenge of sps as the pinnacle of "I've cracked it": but I don't actually like sps. They are tricky, more effort, more noise from pumps and more energy from lights and really I'm the only one who will look at it and know the effort. So why?? I like euphyllia! I'm having another lps tank!!! Thank you, Prestige Reef 😂
Firstly I absolutely love mys scopas tang! Shes such a unique fish to me haha. Secondly, I feel I absolutely am creating the perfect tank for me. I have a wide selection off different corals that I buy because i love the look of them, i don't follow the trends because well i for one cant afford any of them. I'd love to have an Acro or this or that, but paying 80$+ for a small stick just isnt justifiable to me. I just picked up a beautiful green blastamousa with purple fringes today because it is striking and the other blastamousa is doing phenomenally in my tank. Anyway! Great topic! Thank you
This is great question ! As someone who newish to the hobby but also in New Zealand. We are very limited on what is available to us here. I would say I am trying to but there are somethings that I will settle for less as I can’t physically obtain it or it is ridiculously expensive.
A great reminder. Easy forget where your heart is.
This is one of the hardest parts about the hobby, buying what you actually like versus what everyone else likes, what is rare, and what is seen as an achievement in the hobby. The funny part is I don't even have any friends that are into reef tanks but for some reason just seeing all of the fuss online is enough to sway my opinion sometimes.
I'm so glad that you addressed the elephant in the room regards whats cool n what's not n the the price that comes with . Me n my wife well the wife realy buys what she likes regardless of trend n our living world is starting to look realy good . We both love alot of soft corals and mushrooms n they are in there own right so diverse in colours and forms and shapes aswell well done prestige
For me it's about colours and contrast. I am relatively new to reefing, but kept discus before due to the range of colours and patterns. I can't walk past my little reef tank without stopping and admiring it for a moment. Get the corals that you love!
I agree that it’s a matter of perception and possibly preferences…
Thank you for sharing this video~🤗
That’s a very good point Ryan. It’s no different to decorating your house, go with what you want and have a vision, don’t be a sheep!
Another cracking video 👍🏻
I completely understand this. All I want is 2 clown fish and pretty corals - and that's all I have!
Well said. As an SPS freak, I've began to appreciate a lot of the old-school varieties with solid bright colors that can be appreciated from across the room.
This is great content. It’s going to make me really think on my next
Purchases!
My tanks (multiple) are just keeping things alive and seeing what they ultimately do and can become and what I can keep going for however long.
Great vids again mate
Completely agree. I like to sort the coral pages on online sellers by cheapest first. Then I scroll through until I find something that appeals to me or I know looks good grown out as a colony. I’m not looking at my frags with a magnifying class or advertising the name, so I just can’t see spending $100s on one little coral specimen just to say that I have the ultra rainbow whatever coral. It’s ridiculous that people buy into that crap and it serves only to over-inflate coral prices out of the reach of many average hobbyists.
I don't have a saltwater tank so I don't even know why I'm watching this.😂
I was making multiple tanks, that I thought were for me. But were in hindsight heavily influenced/forced upon by someone else. Now I’m doing my tank.
I think people do the same with fish. There's lots of reef safe community fish that are rated "easy". But people still get cool looking aggressive or hard to keep "expert" fish that die quickly or bring disaster.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
I was in the trade in the 80’s. I’ve owned/sold 1000’s of tanks decades ago. Yellow tangs were $5 back then.
Fast forward to 2022. Desires change over time.
Now I have a fake reef in a huge tank with a handful of basic tangs, triggers, and I’m happy to watch them swim around. I’m in the keep it simple phase of the hobby.
Cheers
Now
SPS may as well be made out of rigid plastic for me LPS and softies all the way
I’m creating my own tank. Definitely hard not to be swayed by fellow hobbyists and seeing what they have in their tanks. Specifically, you mentioned Raja Rampage. I have a frag of it but bought it at a reef show meaning I paid 1/10th the cost of a LFS. I didn’t buy it because it was fashionable, I bought it because I liked the bright yellow mouth and the contrast it created with the green. I also knew the perfect spot in my tank for its colors was close to a massive red goni!
It has added about 20 new mouths in the last 10 months and is still one of the brightest corals in the tank. I’m just as happy with my green candy cane coral which may be the easiest and brightest coral in the tank for perspective. I do agree, you have to actively work to not get overwhelmed with green though.
I would love to see you set up a softie tank. I been in the hobby for year’s now. By far my favorite coral are soft coral. Just the movement it has
As I'm just starting out with my first reef I'll be buying what I like (taking advice obviously on suitability and care) rather that what is 'fashionable' or 'must have'.
First to review. Brilliant presentation as usual. Keep up the great job!
I picked a kenya tree over a torch coral. I like the look of some of the torch corals, but KTs are more affordable atleast for me, and i like how they move. Recently or more so, this year. In our family tank, we've been adding large angelfish to it, its a reef tank btw. we've had little to no trouble with it. We've put an emperor, a blue ring and a scribbled angelfish in. We are also thinking of getting a king (passer) angelfish too. IF they don't get on we can put them in the sump or return them. We got those fish because we love the look of them and the shape they add, not because they were expensive or whatnot, which they were. We want to get a king angelfish because it looks really cool and we think it will be ok with the other angels. the same can be said for corals. Sure the most expensive coral might be nice, but a simple toadstool is more appealing to me. Get something because you like it, it will go well in your tank and if you've done research then you should be fine.
Im guilty but some stuff deserves its like torches and bounce mushrooms they deserve the hype
Agree with rudra , im defo not a stick head preferring the flowing movement of softies and some lps , but its my tank and my opinion , I'm never going to pay ££££ just necause someone says it's rare or named after a star wars character
Reef tanks are like any things in life, subjective. Like I don't find the appeal of sps corals at all and has no interest at all Vs some reefers are sps only.
I think it’s the difficulty and understanding the coral and it’s needs that makes sps, especially to me, and I’m sure many others in this hobby.
@@happychappy27 it takes a certain individual imo...and I don't think alot of beginners realise the work involved..once you get on and got things working, you are kinda stuck too..you have to take care of sps a certain way otherwise they won't flourish and then the glimpses of success is what makes it for you. For me, I just can't commit to that level of madness, this already is a time draining hobby. It's like a bloody marriage! The return never equals the amount you invest..but you've gone too deep and invested too much to pull out. Only escape is a crash, similar to a marriage 🤣
@@rudra7615 Haha I agree with your points. I’m constantly at my tank and constantly spending! The mrs hates it but it is like an addiction. I never had interest for sps as I saw them as boring with no movement etc and killed a few as I didn’t do my research. Patience can be my problem and that’s certainly what sps requires aswel as stability etc. I’m on holiday right now and sat on a beach wondering how my tank is doing 🤣🤦🏻♂️
@@happychappy27 I was definitely like that but managed to break away by starting a new hobby. Reefing is still there just ain't as obsessed as I was..once a reefer, it's a reefer for life though!
When non reefers see my cheap softies: “Wow are those alive? They are so pretty!”
When non reefers see my expensive acros; “These decorations are so fake.”
So what you're saying is I need a xenia tank lol
If you buy a frag you’ll soon have a xenia tank 😂
@@PrestigeReef might have to try thr xenia to a gem tang series. Hopefully we'll see how that's going on your side of the pond
👍👍👍
True. The only person that cares about your tank is you… so yep, get what you want, even Xenias.
Don't say that ..everyone cares 🥲🤣
Hey guys! I’m a somewhat experienced freshwater aquarium keeper and I’m looking to finally start my own saltwater reef tank…I’m in the design phase still but I have a 75 gallon tank of standard dimensions and I’d like to have input from the saltwater aquarium community on how I set this up…I’d like to have
Bangii Cardinal fish x 4
Diamond or Yellow Goby x 1
clownfish x 2
Royal Gramma x 1
Marine Betta x 1
Flame Angel x 1
Foxface rabbitfish x 1
Is that feasible? Am I crazy? Any info is helpful…
Yup!! I don’t care if it’s trendy to get a bounce mushroom. I think they are so ugly! I like corals and fish for color, ease of care. I am guilty too though about purchasing animals for my reef in the past that commanded a high cost and some perished anyway. It really is a gamble. I would pay for a frag or a fish at a higher cost if I really like it. But I do my research on it first before I get it. As a general rule, the more expensive the animal is, the harder it is to care for.
not true black tangs are one of the best looking tangs
Thanks Ryan 👌👍
Great video
I like cheap/easy sps. I think my rainbow Stylophora is more attractive than any “rainbow tenuis”. I love the fluffy polyp extension and bold colors of blue, pink, and green!
Absolutely spot on. I'm a long time reefer and about to start up a new tank. Automatically, I felt I had to go for the challenge of sps as the pinnacle of "I've cracked it": but I don't actually like sps. They are tricky, more effort, more noise from pumps and more energy from lights and really I'm the only one who will look at it and know the effort. So why?? I like euphyllia! I'm having another lps tank!!! Thank you, Prestige Reef 😂
Firstly I absolutely love mys scopas tang! Shes such a unique fish to me haha. Secondly, I feel I absolutely am creating the perfect tank for me. I have a wide selection off different corals that I buy because i love the look of them, i don't follow the trends because well i for one cant afford any of them. I'd love to have an Acro or this or that, but paying 80$+ for a small stick just isnt justifiable to me. I just picked up a beautiful green blastamousa with purple fringes today because it is striking and the other blastamousa is doing phenomenally in my tank. Anyway! Great topic! Thank you
This is great question ! As someone who newish to the hobby but also in New Zealand. We are very limited on what is available to us here. I would say I am trying to but there are somethings that I will settle for less as I can’t physically obtain it or it is ridiculously expensive.