This past weekend my friend Scott Fellman came up to speak at our local club. During the drive back-and-forth to the airport, we were discussing finding our niche in the hobby and running with it. I’ve done a lot of DIY and practical topics in the past and it hit me — my niche is going to be “Blue-Collar Reefing.” No this doesn’t involve wifebeater t-shirts, using your kids pool as a sump, and adding circulation with your old Evenrude, it’s about practical, budget-conscious reefing with some reliance on DIY.
The industry is full of awesome products and you can spend a lot of coin getting “the best” stuff for you tank but there are always options. Forums are full of people singing the heralds of the next “must have” and very often you’ll find people bashing you just because you can’t afford that Bubble King skimmer. Blue-collar reefing is about doing the best you can with what is available to you now and in the near future, making informed choices and not just cutting corners to save some money for that next coral or exotic fish.
To be a true blue-collar reefer, you need time and patience and realize not everything happens overnight. Build up your Internet search skills and research, research, research, it’s going to be you best friend finding information you need to help your journey. Put on your creative hat and be able to analyze the situation and see where you can improve on without a complete equipment or system overhaul.
Know the difference between cheap and inexpensive:
It’s no secret this hobby can be expensive but there is a difference buying cheap stuff and buying inexpensive stuff. Cheap is cheap, it’s going to break on you and not even perform as close to what you need. It’s worth saving that $100 and putting it towards a better, more reliable brand. Inexpensive items are those that just cost less but quality and performance aren’t sacrificed. Get to know the difference.
Get creative and add some ingenuity to your setup:
There are always a variety of ways to do things and get the same results. Always try and avoid the common pitfalls and mistakes others have had but realize not everything will work for everyone. There are so many variables in the hobby and you must be able to be resourceful with what you have in front of you.
Emulate the best but don’t just plagiarize:
Look around at others that are successful in the hobby and emulate what works. Again, there are so many variables in the hobby copying verbatim may not work for you. Take what you like, leave what you don’t. Oh yeah, give credit too! There probably isn’t too much in this hobby that hasn’t been done so don’t take credit where credit isn’t due.
MacGyver is your friend:
For those of you who don’t remember the 1980s TV show, MacGyver could make weapons out of a soda can, duct tape and a paper clip. This is where you can build your DIY chops. Start looking at different things you may have on hand or see at a regular store and try and figure out what could you build with that? Find things of similar shapes to products in the hobby and put it to use. I was able to find an RV flush coupler and make a perfect way to connect my skimmer cup to the body for easy removal.
Try your hand at DIY:
Trust me, you don’t need to have a shop full of top-end equipment to make some great DIY projects. I do all my projects with power hand tools. Sure I could get a better product if I had all the gizmos my Dad has in his shop, but I’m pretty happy with what I’ve made. Working with acrylic is a lot easier than you think. You can get scrap for cheap and its a great way to make some brackets, probe holders, sumps or refugiums. The more hidden it is, the more you can butcher it but still have a very serviceable gadget.
Get to know more people around you:
You’d be surprised how many people are out there that are willing to try things but just not alone. Take advantage of your local clubs and message forums. Throw out an idea and see who has some experience and see about doing a group build. Having more people on hand with different strengths can help you put together some amazing stuff. Plus courage comes in numbers!
This is definitely going to be a growing topic on my blog and will definitely add more notes on blue-collar reefing. Maybe I should start making the “Blue-Collar Reefing Manifesto!” Shoot over any of your thoughts on the topic my way, I’d love to get some input and feedback.
Your blog keeps getting better and better. Great write-up and keep up the innovation!
Jeffry,
Thank you so much, you made my day! I wanted to do something I was passionate about and that could set me apart from the other great blogs out there. I think this is a great way to compliment your online reading and gain a fresh perspective. My goal is to share ideas and hopefully help out some people in this great hobby!
Thanks for being a loyal reader.
Brian aka “The Blue-Collar Reefer”
It’s like you have read my mind! Excellent post!
I have been keeping reef aquariums now some 20 years and I’m starting to miss the “real” hobbyists who are more interested in the animals they keep than the high-end luxury equipment and bragging rights.
Tatu Vaajalahti
Tampere, Finland
Tatu my Suomi friend, thanks for the great comment!
I’m glad there are others feeling the same way and its true, good husbandry goes a long way and doesn’t mean having all the biggest toys. The most important piece of equipment we have in this hobby is our brain and good thing is, we already paid for it
I am looking forward to writing more on “Blue-Collar Reefing” and think its going to be really fun. I think the Finnish word that goes well on this topic is “sisu!”
I would love to get to Finland some day and see your reef. My grandmother’s family immigrated here from Finland so it would be great to visit her home and I hear its very beautiful.
Keep in touch!
Brian
Brian,
Welcome!
It’s great to see that your blog is already getting some attention in “blogosphere”!
[...] you recall, one of my mantras for Blue-Collar Reefing is to know the difference between cheap and inexpensive. Granted, this is definitely about the [...]
Good on you! Fishkeeping is meant to be fun and exciting, not about how much money you can spend. If modern fishkeepers only knew how kids started out in the 50s…how little equipment was available and how scarce information was, they’d think they’d died and gone to heaven. Yet, with so little outlay, those fishkeepers developed the hobby to where we find it today. If you don’t have buckets of money, you can still have the aquarium of your dreams. It just takes a bit of “sweat equity” and solid information and keeping practices.
Good luck to you. This is a valuable topic that will help a lot of people keep their animals well in this tough economy.
Mary,
I could not of said it better myself! I think sweat equity goes farther than just building up a tank of your dreams, but gives you pride and ownership you can’t find with a “hands-free” tank. I enjoy intimately knowing each little aspect of what my system does, it extends my love and passion for the hobby.
If I can help a reefer save some money and apply it to the fish or coral of their dreams and to be able to keep those animals healthy and thriving in their system, my mission is accomplished.
Again, I appreciate your great kinds and wise words and look forward to more of your comments!
Brian
Glad to see the blog taking blue collar route.
.
I tried the similar thing, not blog but forum, and few shades of blue down. Example: To work with acrylic you have to do it in the workshop with tools that allow to closely match sides of the tank before gluing. It’s not so easy when you work with hacksaw, hand file on kitchen counter
I hope that your niche will work better than mine. Best of luck!
Have you seen on the web similar reefing on the budget or thrifty reefing forums? Active, not a blank canvas, I mean.
Or forums dedicated to posting results of experiments, not only planning and projects. Big forums are not much help in this, may be you have seen better ones.
Thanks.