Ok guys I have decided to baiscly try to learn about this hobby and what corals are what and basicly all the information I can! But I do not know what information I Can trust and what information I need to ignore does anyone have any websites or places i know learn the knowledge and gain information that is correct and trustworthy
What I have discovered is most information in this hobby is personal opinion and preference. Live aquaria has good info on the stock they have, also wet web media has a lot of good info. Other than that, just googleing whatever you want to know about, or asking Norman and Sam ;-) are about the best ways to get the info you need.
RE: But I do not know what information I Can trust and what information I need to ignore does anyone have any websites or places i know learn the knowledge and gain information that is correct and trustworthy Here a great article http://www.wetwebmedia.com/10kfriendsart_.htm it was written by the owner of Reef Sanctuary Travis Staut
This hobby I've found is mostly trial and error.... try this, try that, try something else and form your own opinions of what works. I've researched for hours on random things and I've found that about an 1/8 of the information I've read about the subject I researched actually pertains to what I was looking for. And even then some of the suggestions were questionable.  Basically I suggest going to some of the meetings and talking to the members and asking questions. Everyone has a different opinion of what works... but it'll give you all manners of things to try out and see what works for you. There are also all sorts of books out on the market. E Borneman has a book called Aquarium Corals that's very informational. As for corals... Sam(grimmett), Blake (sdf_beanhead), Norman (fisher12), and Mike (ljinks) are wealths of information. They've all got frag set ups and I'm sure would be more than happy to sit down and talk to you about anything you might have questions about coral or tank wise. Â
Oh My! If you want to learn about fish and coral, meaning their natural habitats, natural characteristics, diet, how coral gains and expends energy for growth and survival, ect, ect, books written by people who have studiedthe animals is probably the best way to go. As far as looking up information online, I agree, it's a crap-shoot. There is much knowledge to be gain from hobbyist in this club. And some of the members here have AMAZING tanks. And there are some do's and don'ts that honestly, usually get ignored. For success in this hobby, find someone that has a tank you love, a system you want to emulate, and set your tank up the same way. The key to this is STICKING TO ONE SYSTEM. If you go ask 15 different people at a meeting what they do and how they do it, and with what equipment, your are likely to get 15 different answers. Then you go online with people all around the world and get dazed and confused. Take your time with learning. Resist the temptation of completely stocking your tank until you have seen different setups. They're all beautiful! But you'll find you like one style over another. And it is sooooo much easier to set your system up "right" the first time. So again, find ONE person who has a system you want to emulate and do as they do and don't worry about what others are doing. Cause you can run with a small skimmer, a large skimmer, no skimmer, ozone, carbon reactor, GFO reactor, Bio pellet reactor, Denitrifying reactor, dose this, dose that, add a little this, add a little that, on, and on, and on. Happy learning......
