[bbleifus]

I am a newbie at this. I am having problems with what is written in book and what I hear people tell me at the lfs. It seems there is a lot of contradictions. What is a new person to do?

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Trust the book.....it isnt trying to sell you anything lol

[pyromaniac398]

if there is one thing that i have learned it is always ask and research before doing anything. Period no matter what. if you are confused about something post it on here the people here are amazing. this is where i go for most of my questions.

[rlcline76]

I like my LFS, but I don't always trust him...do a ton of reading, here, other web sites, books, whatever.

[Twan013]

i don't even use books! for several reasons... i don't think the library will have stuff on sw aquariums, i don't want to spend the money to buy books, the internet will most likely give you the most up-to-date info, and on the forums, you see how people dealt with real life experiences.. plus, they explain it in lamen's terms (i've read a webpage dealing with bubble algae, very informative, but hard to understand because WAY too many big words)... with the forums, i can solve the problem really fast... bubble algae, get rid of it, how? mythrax crab, 10 dollar purchase at LFS or online store, problem solved...

[WILLIAM1]

I have learned to use my book and then ask some of my questions here. most of the time if I do a little research I can find whatever I'm looking for. Everyone here has been a great deal of help from the first day I became a member! Thanks everyone!!!!

[glampka]

Like anything else there are many ways to skin a cat. You have to take what a lfs says with a grain of salt mostly because 1. they are trying to sell you as much stuff as they can & 2. many times the peolpe that work there don't know squat. Books you need to be careful about depending on when they were written. The technology in this hobby is ever changing. Probably the best thing to do is check out this & other forums. There is a wealth of knowledge out here from people who actually keep reef tanks & aren't looking to sell you anything. You need to remember that what works for 1 will not necessarily work for all. You need to carefully research everything & remember these things: In this hobby you need patience, there are NO stupid questions and you need patience.

[avengexthexdead]

when in doubt.... do a water change.

[darkwolf29a]

You sound a lot like me. Yeah, it's confusing as all heck, huh? I'll tell you what I am doing...lots of research. I bought a 55 gallon tank about a month ago now. It sits in my living room, with no water in it. I'm moving slowly, to make sure I do it right...my girlfriend says I'm picky about doing things like this, but I don't want to throw good money after bad on this, so...it's slow and steady.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

I am doing the same with a 65 gallon tank.....i have two fresh and one salt water tank now. I am doing like darkwolf. If google could send me a bill I would be in big trouble lol