CC Via Flickr | Maurice Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed themselves safely last night. Around this time last year I got the idea to start this site. What I initially thought would be a rarely read, and rarely updated, site has quickly turned into much more. We’d like to thank you all for making Glassbox [...]
Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed themselves safely last night. Around this time last year I got the idea to start this site. What I initially thought would be a rarely read, and rarely updated, site has quickly turned into much more. We’d like to thank you all for making Glassbox Design’s first year what it was. It’s been a pleasure meeting many of you and hearing from you as well. We wish you and your animals all the best in 2009!
While you catch up on rest and recover from last night’s festivities here is a list of 9 things I would like to see for the marine aquaria hobby in 2009. What would you like to see change?
#1 Domestic Innovation
Year after year the main innovations for the hobby come from abroad. Combine this with the growing outsourcing of low priced equipment (e.g. skimmers) we are left in the dark. We have the skills and the smarts, but there seems to be a lack of motivation to push the envelope. How can we change this? For starters, support U.S. businesses.
#2 Pay It Forward & Helping Out Youngsters
Common among friends, Pay it forward free coral fragment programs have been set up successfully at the club level! This is a great way to promote aquacultured coral and make this hobby affordable during financially difficult times.
With the boom of all-in-one aquariums and the post Finding Nemo hype there is an influx of young and excited aquarists to the hobby. Offer advice, lend a hand, and give a free coral fragment when you can. Always remember to be patient, we were all new at some point.
#3 Emphasis on Exterior Aesthetics
The sails caught some wind in mid to late ’08 and I hope to see it continue in ’09. We are in the dark ages in regards to design for aquariums. I’d like to see a move towards renewable materials for stands and a move away from spaceship like lighting pendants. Let a display tank do it’s job and tastefully display what we work so hard to create.
#4 Professionalism by Manufacturers and Vendors
In the industry there is an overall lack of professionalism. Here are a few suggestions based on experiences and gripes from ’08.
- Don’t hawk your wares, let your products speak for themselves in the hands of end users. There is a difference between marketing and pushing.
- Tell the truth. This is a small knit industry and word travels fast. If you say something, commit to it and see to it that you can fulfill your word.
- Pre-sales, don’t take a customer’s money until the product has shipped. All too often smaller establishments are tempted to take deposits from new products to fund new inventory etc. Don’t do it, it’s just bad business.
- Customer Service, if it lacks you will not succeed. The most popular businesses in the hobby are those with terrific CS. Develop a reputation for going above and beyond and you will be rewarded.
#5 Blogs
So I am a bit biased… Forums are great and will not be replaced, but blogs provide a unique avenue to share with readers and interact with other aquarists. When in groups we omit information that others do not know, and instead talk about information that is known by all. This is a common theme and part of our nature that blogs help break out of.
For the hobby blogs are very new and there is some uncomfortableness with them. On the readers side of things I’d like to see more interaction with blogs. Not just here at Glassbox Design, but other blogs as well. If you read an article you like or have something to say leave a comment. Not only will the author appreciate it, your own insight may help others.
#6 Growing Market for the Rare & Unusual
Lately there has been a surge among US aquarists for rare and unusual fish. For the first time we are beginning to receive animals in numbers that would otherwise head straight to Japan and Hong Kong. I am excited and hope the disease known as Marine Ornamental Fish Collecting spreads to others. As the consumer base spreads so will the supply of these odd ball beauties in the States. I wouldn’t mind seeing Holacanthus limbaughi hit the US…
#7 Quality Livestock not Quantity
While this could be attributed to nearly every aspect of the hobby, I would like to focus on livestock. Driving prices down encourages shortcuts. Pay more for quality livestock that has been collected and handled properly. There will be less headaches for you and less cyanide for the ocean.
#8 No More PCs, Hello LED
As much as I loved my old 4x13w PC lit nano their time is up. Poor efficiency. Poor color rendering. Poor bulb life. There’s not much left to say. For the past few years PCs have been great for smaller reefs, but between T5s, 70/150w Metal Halides and now LEDs there really is no need for traditional Power Compacts.
With 2008′s LED All Stars, like Cree’s MC-E and XR-E, who is going to be the first to offer competitive LED lighting that is affordable to the average aquarist?
#9 Emphasis on the Big Picture
Last but not least I would like to see less emphasis placed on how aquariums look on paper and more emphasis on how they visually look as a whole. This includes aquascaping, coral placement and color selection. Encourage those who do a good job in these aspects. Owning LE corals and the latest equipment is great, but just because you have the best paint and paintbrush does not mean the painting will be pretty. Say that five times fast.
