- Marine Aquarium Co-op
- →
- Welcome to Marine Aquarium Co-Op
- →
- Tank Maintenance
- →
- Todays Reefer!
| Welcome to Marine Aquarium Co-Op. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
| Todays Reefer! | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Jan 1 2010, 07:54:48 AM (271 Views) | |
| Post #1 Jan 1 2010, 07:54:48 AM | Suzy |
|
Guys, I have been doing this hobby for soooo long! I have been thinking about this for a while, and it seems I go through these funky phases every few years, changing things here and there, but mostly I think the hobby stays the same, it is me changing...Almost changing into a completely different hobbyist! I see these different hobbyists in me, looking back, and I see them in others once in a while. But, these are just the way the hobby affected me. If you did a similar phase, add your thoughts! The NewBee This phase happened to me twice. I had freshwater fish as a child, saltwater as teenager. Then, I took a break from the hobby, had kids and went to college, and then came back. This phase is the basic learning stage, where we learn how chemicals interact to stabilize pH, where we learn how fish act and interact, we learn how the hobby can fit into our lives. We also pick up the basics: how to test for calcium and alkalinity, how to start a stuck propeller, how to scrape the glass only one way! This is a trying period I think. The things we learn can sometimes be painful lessons. I learned the rationale for only scraping one way by making a huge scratch on the front my then 180 gallon tank. I also learned the importance of never adding a siphon tube unattended (going into the sump) to a tank, only to a overflow, by losing one of my favorite fish. That lesson still hurts to this day. But, remember the first time you saw a spagetti worm in the substrate? Your first hitchhiker coral? Did you get out a magnifying glass so you could see it better? Your first snail egg ribbon on the glass? Did anyone here ever love going to the fish stores just to see the cool stuff? You didn't need anything, but once you got there, you really needed something! Or, did you "need" a calcium test refill, and just happen to stumble across some other funky creature or gadget once you were there? Of course, none of us did any impulse buys, right? The NewBee phase is where the passion begins..... |
Seahorse Whisperer
  ![]](http://z4.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)
|
|
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny! | |
 
|
 |
| Post #2 Jan 2 2010, 08:20:35 AM | Suzy |
|
The Skeptical Reefer When I first started saltwater, the filtration systems were undergravel filters and the only type of lights were the ones that came with the tank: plain ol' normal output flourescent lights. When power compacts first came out, they were super pricey for a young college student with 2 small kids! I was not super active in the hobby then, work, school, kids, ect. So, I watched as these other fancy lighting systems came through and got more sophisticated. The filtering systems really changed over the years too. Live rock and biological filtration quickly replaced UGF, and many other things appeared. Skimmers were thought to be all inclusive for a while, and had zero drawbacks. Now we have ozone filters, phosphate reactors, uv sterilizers, $400 dollar power heads that run on timers. And, we tried many things like reverse flow UGF, miracle muds, adding vodka to our tanks, adding expensive snake oil additives that were supposed to grow corals like crazy! I tried all the latest and greatest as they came along, until I found out my tap water was poisoning my reef! So, of course I got a "Tap Water Purifier". Just run the water from the tap into this cool gadget, and the reef will thrive! It made one gallon (almost) before it clogged. Then, when I found out Joes Juice was just kalkwasser, I started getting really skeptical of everything! "These marketers have been ripping me off forever!" I went completely the other way, not believing a dang thing they said anymore! Everything I read on the www became a marketing ploy for the latest and greatest new gadget to make my reef the envy of all my friends (and make some company rich?). I analyzed and "read between the lines" and was very skeptical of everything. I refused to buy an RO filter for years after the Tap Water Purifier incident. I am afraid I am still in this phase. If a product doesn't tell me what is in it, I don't buy it. Mark Weiss products actually seemed to make my reef happy, but what if it is just sugar? Coral Vital? Tell me what I am paying for and I will buy it. But, I am now trying to be less skeptical. Find out what a product does, then evaluate if my tanks need it. 5 years ago, a UV sterilizer was just a light I didn't need. But, now I think I do. Brightwell Aquatics makes products that tell me what they are, and I feel they are helpful, so I buy them. But, I also use cheap epsom salt for MG replacement. I am trying to be less skeptical now, and if a new theory is sound, I'll try it. But, I still use normal output lights and UGF on some of my tanks! |
Seahorse Whisperer
|
|
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny! | |
|
|
|
| Post #3 Jan 2 2010, 04:52:14 PM | Amie |
|
I definitely remember the first few years of staring at the tank for hours..looking for all of the little bugs in the sand and rocks. I'd have several different magnifying glasses sitting by the tank, along with a couple of flashlights, so I could watch the tank at night. I realized that I wasn't doing that anymore when one day, I tried to find a fish and realized that it was missing and I had no idea the last time I had seen it. That was a sad day. I think it had been gone at least a week and I hadn't noticed. That was a couple of years ago. I haven't bought any new fish since then because I figured I wasn't paying enough attention to them. I've definitely bought my share of gadgets, but I've cut back alot. I'm kind of in a holding pattern right now. I have so much stuff, it's like a store down in my basement. Whenever I need something, I just go find it in all of the boxes. |
stormy, stormy nights
|
|
http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sandiego/technology/mammals/interns.html Tell them Adam sent you. | |
|
|
|
| Post #4 Jan 3 2010, 02:04:45 AM | Larry H |
|
I have always loved fish. I still can watch them for hours and never get anything done. I remember the days of my freshwater fish. I could never do anything just a little. When in high school I had about nine aquariums. Some really cool tanks. I was interested in salt water but thought it was just too hard and expensive. I always had outdoor ponds from when I was about age 14 also. One day about ten or fifteen years ago I just decided to buy some books and started reading and realized it was still an expensive hobby. The fish were cool but I loved the corals and wanted the whole package. After I retired I decided to buy a couple of tanks. I am still a beginner I guess cause I am always beginning new stuff and hope for bigger and better stuff in the future. Like Amie, I am also in a sort of holding pattern. Mine is caused by a major remodel of my fish room and trying to finish off my basement. |
breeding stock
|
|
|
|
| Post #5 Jan 3 2010, 06:57:45 PM | Clint |
| After ten years I still feel like a newbie in some respects. I don't buy into much of what is said by the "machine" so guess I must be something of a skeptic but I just don't find a lot of what people say to be based on sound logic rather it is more dogma. I hate how unnecessarily expensive everything that is marketed as saltwater seems to be. With that said I am hopelessly addicted and love to sit and watch my ecosystem in a glass box. Someday when I have a income I will certainly get a little more fancy with some gadgets and probably a lot bigger, but my overall theory will probably not change too much. |
breeding stock
|
| Midvale (435) 213-6215 | |
|
|
|
| Post #6 Jan 8 2010, 12:07:16 AM | Amie |
|
I think what makes this hobby so expensive is the kind of animals that you want to keep alive. For instance, I kept a blue damsel fish in a 1/2 gallon fish bowl for at least 4 months with just an airline in the bowl. It did just fine without heat and filtration. I changed the water about every 2 weeks or so. It wasn't anymore work than a betta fish...actually easier, if you ask me. The hardier the animal, the less expensive it will be to keep. As soon as you start adding corals, that's when the price starts to jump because of all the gadgets you have to have in order to keep it alive. That's why I stay away from SPS corals. I don't want to invest in the lights or the filtration or the extra time to care for them. |
stormy, stormy nights
|
|
http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sandiego/technology/mammals/interns.html Tell them Adam sent you. | |
|
|
|
| Post #7 Jan 8 2010, 07:32:09 AM | Suzy |
|
I was in a holding pattern last year, now I am trying to catch up! I have a fansy pansy light on my reef with 10 different bulbs. They have been burning out one at a time over the last year and I really didn't care. The corals all are turning brown, but the fish seem happy and that's what I care about. But, now I feel a stage coming on that I have been through before: The Status Symbol Reefer Way back in the early part of the century, I got a book called The Ultimate Aquarium (or something like that). This is one of the few books I can really recommend NOT to buy! Before I read this book, I was content with my tank. After, my tank totally sucked. But, in thinking about changing my one big 180 tank to something Ultimate, I really didn't want to give up species tanks. That is when I built my system, so I could have the status tank like the "good ol' boys". I must admit, I really didn't want a tank full of sps but I did want to prove I could do it. I would have people over, and I would get this idea they were thinking my tank sucked, because all the pics I had seen of their tanks were sps dominated. And there are many people who think a tank must be completely algae free and have lots of colorful sticks in it! I totally agree it is the ultimate reef to look at, but it is not the only type of reef to own, IMO. I do admit that the only reason I have reef is the "status" of having one. But, now I have changed my approach a wee bit. If a coral grows and thrives with a moderate amount of care, it stays. If it is finicky, bleaches for no reason or starts to recede, I let it. Only the strong survive! It is also my house plant approach.... But, I think this stage can be hard on aquarists if they jump into it without having some of the other stages. I look at this hobby as a passion. If that passion revolves around what others think, it doesn't last as long. My passion is based on what I think, so I can spend hours in my fish room and be truly content. But, I do have a unique life right now. |
Seahorse Whisperer
|
|
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny! | |
|
|
|
| Post #8 Jan 9 2010, 01:06:36 AM | Amie |
That is very true. A lot of people that have gotten in this hobby and are out within 3 years have usually been ones that are trying to have that Ultimate tank. I'm definitely in this for the long haul so if something requires too much care, I don't want it. However, I was sad when my 2 sps' died when I accidentally increased the heat too fast on the tank. Suzy, I have always thought your tanks were amazing, I think you have been pretty hard on yourself. I don't know anyone that has a setup as nice as yours. |
stormy, stormy nights
|
|
http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sandiego/technology/mammals/interns.html Tell them Adam sent you. | |
|
|
|
| Post #9 Jan 9 2010, 04:28:01 PM | Clint |
| Yea who cares what others think is cool the only time that matters if if you are planning on getting some of your money back by selling or trading the "cool" stuff. Ultimately why we do what we do, is because of what we love. I am a terrible businessman so I just get what I really like and enjoy it. I bet only 3 or 4 people that have tanks have ever even seen my tank, that is not because I am not willing to show it off it is just that I do it because I love it. Most of my family and friends walk in and say nice tank comment on one or two of the fish then ask if the "plants" are alive. I tell them they are coral and that is about the extent of it. Yet if someone will stop a look closely they will see my crab that is perfectly camouflaged in my pink stylophora, or the peppermint under a rock ledge, or some little beautiful coral that has to be seen up close to even notice it. The point is I love all those thing and more, and that is why I put the time and money into this obsession I mean hobby. If it is because you want to show off, everybody else thinking it is neat gets over it then the fuel is gone and it is no longer worth it. |
breeding stock
|
| Midvale (435) 213-6215 | |
|
|
|
| Post #10 Jan 11 2010, 08:31:16 AM | Suzy |
|
Isn't it interesting the comments we get from reefers vs non reefers? My favorite is kids. I love to point out stuff for them, let them hold a startfish or urchin, and listen to the stuff they come up with. We had a party a bit ago, and I showed a little girl a few things. She then went and brought her Dad over to tell him what she learned! It was really cute! Amie, you are too kind. No wonder everyone loves you! You guys all make me think of my next phase: The Scientist I jump in and out of this phase quite frequently. Sometimes things happen in my tanks, and I want to know why! I try something new, and then try to evaluate to see if it is changing, modifying or working at all. But, of course, mostly it is because of the constant skeptic in me! So, I test, and examine. Granted, my scientific equipment has nothing on Amies! I have a "student' microscope, she has a true scientist scope! |
Seahorse Whisperer
|
|
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny! | |
|
|
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
|
|
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Tank Maintenance · Next Topic » |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
| Theme: MAC | Track Topic · E-mail Topic |
 4:31 AM Feb 7
|