After the recent stir over the reality series “Tanked”, and the massive pounding that the show is receiving from many in the aquatic hobby community and industry, I have pondered why it is that we’re so….ticked off!  Do we have some sort of self-righteousness…are we jealous of the success of others? Or, could it be that we simply understand the responsibility of being a reefer?

I’d like to think it’s the latter. As a group, marine aquarium hobbyists have a good sense of the responsibilities that come with acquiring and caring for aquatic animals. We understand the impact of irresponsible collection, improper handling, and incompetent husbandry. We’ve worked very hard to elevate the state of the art, promote responsible stewardship of precious natural resources, and perpetuate the species that are under our care. Most importantly, we’ve worked hard to communicate responsible practices to others, both within- and outside of -our small, but growing community.

We take great pride in the efforts that have been made to understand, care for, and propagate corals, invertebrates, and fishes, so that the world’s reefs will be around for centuries to come. We gently (and maybe not so gently, sometimes!) “correct” our fellow hobbyists when they lapse into poor judgement (“You put HOW MANY Tangs into that 75 gallon aquarium?”), admit our wrongdoings, and take responsibility for our mistakes. As a community, we occasionally have to rally together to address the unfair accusations from our hobby’s detractors (Ya hear that “Snorkel Bob”?)- and, more often than not- we open our minds to the very real problems (coral bleaching, negative impact from sewage runoff, unsustainable collection practices, etc.) that impact our beloved natural reefs and the animals that we cherish.

We’ve done a pretty good job, haven’t we?  Consider that any modern “frag swap” consists of large numbers of hobbyists trading, selling, and sometimes giving away (yup!) captive-propagated corals and animals. Our hard work has resulted in many new fishes being bred successfully, and a wide variety of propagated corals appearing on the market that have never been on a natural reef. Dedication, care, discipline, and passion are paying huge dividends for the hobby, and for the priceless natural treasures that we so admire.

The responsibility of being a reefer is more than just occasionally speaking out, or reacting to an external threat. It’s having the intellectual honesty to question ourselves and members of our community- to be accountable for our actions or inactions. While we can’t take ourselves too seriously, we cannot allow our community to be portrayed to the general public in an irresponsible manner. It is our responsibility to police our ranks, lest government agencies do it for us, perhaps closing down the importation or trade of marine animals altogether. We need to question anyone who detracts from the real progress that we have made. Sadly, I’ve made many poor decisions over my hobby “career”, which have resulted in loss of life to precious animals. We all have. I’m sure most of you do what I have done: Own up to them, learn from them, and share the lessons learned, so that others will not duplicate these costly mistakes.It is our shared responsibility. The responsibility of being a reefer.

We need to educate, propagate, and innovate. We need to make sure that we share what we know with open hearts and patience. When we have the opportunity to show the general public what we’re all about, we cannot waste that opportunity.  So, lest you feel I’m singling out a certain television show for criticism, and taking it “too seriously”, I assure you that I’m not. I’m doing what we all need to do: Asking us to hold ourselves accountable to nature and the life forms that we work so hard to protect. To educate those who don’t understand about our dedication and caring.  To expand our knowledge and skills so that future generations will enjoy our hobby-and the natural reefs.

If we give the public the impression that we are irresponsible, whether it’s via writing, internet, television, or even our own actions-then we ARE being irresponsible. Of course, a TV show alone will not destroy the hobby.  However, the dissemination of inaccurate or incomplete information just might.  Maybe we  typically don’t create “instant aquariums” or recommend tickling inflated puffer fish out of water, or make absurd stocking decisions, but if they see us do it on TV, the general public doesn’t know that. Neither do the “activists” out there who would love to see the “cruel” aquarium hobby banished forever.

Whether it’s because of bad editing, miscues, or genuine bad practice, inaccurate portrayals of the hobby and hobby/industry practices in the media undermine the good work done daily at sites like Bob Fenner’s wetwebmedia.com, where tireless volunteers mentor fellow hobbyists, as well as countless other websites, forums, and blog sites worldwide. “It’s just entertainment.” is not an excuse for glossing over the realities-the responsibilities- that come with disseminating this information, like it or not . And it’s not just reefers…it’s the responsibility of all who are in the aquatic hobby community.

The future of the hobby is in our hands. Please, let’s not let it slip through them because we don’t recognize and correct our own mistakes.

We will have more details once its installed and running accurate and we drill down our additive blends.
Prices are TBD as of now.

We will mix to your specifications and additives will be discussed prior to pick up. ALL salt water will be mixed while heated at 76-77 degrees.

Feel free to post questions, ideas or anything you want!!

Posted on August 26th, 2011 by Brian Blank 1 Comment

So your reef survived the great East Coach earthquake earlier this week but you’re not out of the clear yet because Hurricane Irene is knocking on your door. Natural disasters are never fun but unlike an earthquake, you know this one is on the way and you can take some precautions in advance just in case Irene does cause havoc in your area.

Depending on where you are when a hurricane hits, there are definitely some things to do to help eliminate as many possible issues in advance. Sure having a bunker-type house, backup generator and hermetically sealed aquarium would make it a lot easier but we all don’t have unlimited resources. Here are some of our tips for preparedness:

• Stop feeding now to prevent nutrient buildup in the event of a power outage — Not only will decaying food add to the nutrient levels but the fish have to excrete the waste of what they eat. A few days without food will not harm them.
• Get plenty of battery operated airpumps and batteries to run them — Penn Plex makes a couple of  inexpensive battery-powered backup air pumps or the Ecotech Marine Vortech battery backup for Vortech owners to keep water circulating and aerating. Also it helps to have extra batteries on hand just in case the power is out for a while.
• Lowland reef tanks should have all electrical components mounted as high as possible in case of flooding from storm surge — Higher is always better and in the case of storm surges and flooding, so take precautions to try and save as much as you can in the event of a flood.
• Analyze automated top off (ATO) and dosing systems to make sure they won’t cause complications if the power goes out — It might be best to disconnect kalk stirrers, dosing pumps and calcium reactors. At the very least disconnect power to see if your tank is prepared for power interruption and a restart. Would hate to see your entire top off reservoir dump into your aquarium once power is lost.
• Don’t buy any fish or livestock right now — No need to bring something home only to lose power for a few days. Put off buying anything new until the storm passes.
• Make sure to have plenty or freshwater and premixed saltwater ready to go, on site — In the event of an emergency, you may not be able to get to your LFS for a while and if you can, they might be out in a hurry. Once power comes back on, an immediate water change is probably in order.
• Have some GAC and GFO in case something does happen and water quality deteriorates — Carbon is a great way to remove impurities in an emergency. You can never have too much carbon (well, you probably can…)

All other PurePro units are available and add-on features as well. I personally use this model and have had nothing but the best performance from it.

Starting 8/21/2011 if you register at www.reefwerks.com you will get 25% off ANYTHING you want and FREE shipping..NO questions asked..

Call me at 608-609-6215 or email at reefwerks@gmail.com after you register and name your product…easy..
]]> http://madisonreeftanks.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/25-off-anything/feed/ 0 43.073051 -89.401230 43.073051 -89.401230 madisonreeftanks Wink http://madisonreeftanks.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/new-program-in-the-works/ http://madisonreeftanks.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/new-program-in-the-works/#comments Fri, 19 Aug 2011 02:56:50 +0000 madisonreeftanks http://madisonreeftanks.wordpress.com/?p=44 ]]> We are currently working on a new program at ReefWerks! Keep checking back as we will shortly introduce a financing and leasing program. We understand the financial commitment involved and are always finding ways to make this hobby more affordable. We are driven to bring this hobby to every home and will find ways to make it available to every budget!

-Team ReefWerks

Simply sign up at www.reefwerks.com and you could be the next!!

I have to say, this was a giant leap forward for ReefWerks, the exposure it will provide in this small town and beyond is by far the best FREE advertising any small business owner can get. As anyone who has attempted to start a business in a very new and unfamiliar town can attest to, its amazing. I think at the end of the interview, he really saw my passion and dedication to the hobby, not only to run it as a business, but the pleasure I get from educating, informing and showing this amazing hobby to the unknown and those who are dedicated hobbyists.

I’m hoping the newspaper release really showcases the passion and love for this hobby and allows ReefWerks to be viewed by those who wouldn’t “search” for it. This could be one of the best things for us.

My credit goes out to my amazing girlfriend Sarah, who, put in countless hours and dedication in my press release, and to Ryan Ojibway, who helped as well. without them, I dont think the press release would of made the impact it did. Thanks guys…;)

Keep on the lookout next Thursday at www.sunprairiestar.com or just check here or www.reefwerks.com or our FaceBook page, we will for sure post every article and detail!!

From everyone at ReefWerks:

Thank you and Happy Reefin’