Why do you enjoy this hobby?

Kryptikhan · 02/03/2008, 11:18 PM

Just trying to take a small sample size of why you enjoy this hobby....things like interests, what salt hobbyists have in common, and most importantly, the amazing continued need to learn at all levels of expertise.

I've observed -no pun intended- that we all like to observe things....from observing skimmate, to observing fish, observing corals, observing water levels, observing changes, observing at times other observers at local fish stores

, observing interesting posts on reefcentral.com, observing observe observe observe

Why do you enjoy this hobby? I don't think there is a wrong answer.

Me? I seem to enjoy observation at all levels. Oh yeah, makes one heckuva unique piece-o furniture too

Pea-brain · 02/03/2008, 11:26 PM

Some people like it cause it looks pretty...not me so much. It is about the specimens I keep. Observing them interact with eachother, observing them interact with their environment (Thats why I like burrowing type animals like jawfish and mantis shrimp), observing the predator prey relations in the tank (mantis shrimp are awesome for this!), and sometimes interacting with them myself. Also, I got a bit of a god complex

Dan

schigara · 02/03/2008, 11:35 PM

I enjoy problem solving the most. It's just my nature. Finding out what's wrong and fixing it. I love QT'ing, water changes, water chemistry, keeping fat healthy fish, no nitrate or phosphate system. I love keeping a system with no nuisance algaes and coral that color up beautifully and grow.

I love rescuing tangs covered in ICH from Petco and giving them a second lease on life via hypo QT and lotsa food.

bpiermat · 02/03/2008, 11:53 PM

I love water treatment processes...I believe that the key to solving our (environmental) problems on Earth maybe inside my aquarium tank. This may seem far fetched...but remember that 70% of the world is water. And 97% is salt water.

So it stands to reason that if I want to take on some of global problems I should be able to at least understand the basics... When Southern California runs out of fresh water, maybe I can help take on some of these issues and make a difference.

HBtank · 02/04/2008, 12:00 AM

I have a god complex.

Twz · 02/04/2008, 12:00 AM

Honestly i just love my sump and every thing i can put in it (the natural filtration)
the fish corals Ext, just happen to be there ;D
Naw, i love how theres just so much life half of which you don't know what's there
every time i really look at my tank i find something new and it dose not stop to amaze me.

ahullsb · 02/04/2008, 12:24 AM

I could write something but I'll shamelessly plug Sk8r instead

Here's a reply to why saltwater is better than freshwater. Kind of sums up what we all enjoy about the hobby. (Sk8r have you figured out what frags you are sending me yet?) haha

"Color. A broad spectrum of life forms. Essentially a polyp is a polyp, but they come shaped like anemones, mushrooms, building stony skeletons as lps, sps. A marine tank is capable of feeding fish based on a chain of life from algae to micro-crustaceans to larger crustaceans to fish to worms to corals and so on...the chain of life available in a freshwater tank requires much more water volume.

Plus we're not green and brown, the predominant colors of a freshwater tank. Our fish come in brilliant yellow, pink, purple, etc, and require you to know at least operational biochemistry [as opposed to the theoretical sort] to keep them healthy. So they educate the reefer, amuse the children, delight the artists, and get oohs and ahs from casual visitors who only see the color. They require us to hold jobs and budget our money, so we learn finance; the occasion trades and a swap-type economy, so we learn more about finance. They require us to know the structural soundness of a floor we're putting the tank on, so we learn a little about engineering. They require us to know plumbing, so we don't siphon all that water onto our living room floors. And they require us to learn patience, because corals grow half an inch a month, and require planning and attention to detail. They teach us good habits, because you cannot neglect a marine tank. They teach us the interrelation of species and the way the food chain works. They teach us humililty, because there's always a more dazzling tank. They teach us courage, because you're going to have accidents that break your heart, and you have to suck it up and rebuild with more knowledge than you had last time. They let us take coral species and break one potentially immortal coral into a thousand pieces, that other reefers will break in pieces, so that thousands of reefers around the country and even around the world are growing pieces of the same coral and actually contributing to science---they learn what it wants, how much light it needs, and how to make it grow better. Fish-keepers are learning to breed in captivity species that we once couldn't even keep successfully, and increasing our knowledge of marine biology. We know certain species very well, and we can parlay that knowledge into handling still others that are related, until we can keep a balance in our reefs that teaches us all a lot about the way the ocean works. And it's happening in single lifetimes. I've seen the hobby go from simple filters to wet-dry filters, to protein skimmers that clean water the way the surf does, and chemical dosers that use the chemical properties of filtered water to dissolve the very dose the corals demand. We understand the heat budget of the planet better because we know the heat budget of our reefs, and we're willing to share that knowlege to the benefit of the planet---because we do have a planetary heat budget, and goes-around/comes-around in a fishtank and in a planet. So reefers are among the smartest people on earth when it comes to the way nature works.
How's that?
Sk8r"

Twz · 02/04/2008, 12:29 AM

You my good sir just
made me think i have the slightest bit of intelligence. =D

Newreeflady · 02/04/2008, 12:38 AM

It brings out the:

Engineer

Nature Lover

Chemist

Plumber

Caretaker

Curiousity...

in me

Kalied20 · 02/04/2008, 12:44 AM

I enjoy watching the tank grow and the fish swim around

JustinReef · 02/04/2008, 12:45 AM

For me its my puffers being great companions and real "pets" like puppies! If I had never seen my brothers puffer when he first got it about 8 years ago, I would have never gotten into the hobby. Its all about my 2 fish!

Tayler · 02/04/2008, 12:59 AM

for me its working on my tank, and observing all the small creatures in it.

ryan_paskadi · 02/04/2008, 01:02 AM

If I could fit the whole of the ocean in my living room to admire and interact with, I would. Since I cannot my reef tank will have to suffice. Beyond this it is fun to learn and use expensive tools for DIY projects.

chef.lewis · 02/04/2008, 01:38 AM

I am obsessed with being broke!
Not really but it seems like it sometimes.
I love biospherics and the sciences in general.
It is something that I've been fascinated with since childhood.

sanababit · 02/04/2008, 01:47 AM

hmmm, what i love about this hobby in a 100 words or less, let me see, all that i could come up with is that everyday i see, live, touch, move, realize, learn, something new, which keeps me entertained, lol

moo0o · 02/04/2008, 04:55 AM

i guess i like wasting money.... on something i love! i find it fun trying to figure out why my corals do this and that. i love the challenge of keeping SPS. the people you meet in this hobby are great too =)

moo0o · 02/04/2008, 04:57 AM

oh, and i like watching things grow. hahaha i am fascinated by how a frag as small as 1/4th an inch has the ability to become a huge colony.

Kryptikhan · 02/04/2008, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ahullsb
I could write something but I'll shamelessly plug Sk8r instead

Here's a reply to why saltwater is better than freshwater. Kind of sums up what we all enjoy about the hobby. (Sk8r have you figured out what frags you are sending me yet?) haha

"Color. A broad spectrum of life forms. Essentially a polyp is a polyp, but they come shaped like anemones, mushrooms, building stony skeletons as lps, sps. A marine tank is capable of feeding fish based on a chain of life from algae to micro-crustaceans to larger crustaceans to fish to worms to corals and so on...the chain of life available in a freshwater tank requires much more water volume.

Plus we're not green and brown, the predominant colors of a freshwater tank. Our fish come in brilliant yellow, pink, purple, etc, and require you to know at least operational biochemistry [as opposed to the theoretical sort] to keep them healthy. So they educate the reefer, amuse the children, delight the artists, and get oohs and ahs from casual visitors who only see the color. They require us to hold jobs and budget our money, so we learn finance; the occasion trades and a swap-type economy, so we learn more about finance. They require us to know the structural soundness of a floor we're putting the tank on, so we learn a little about engineering. They require us to know plumbing, so we don't siphon all that water onto our living room floors. And they require us to learn patience, because corals grow half an inch a month, and require planning and attention to detail. They teach us good habits, because you cannot neglect a marine tank. They teach us the interrelation of species and the way the food chain works. They teach us humililty, because there's always a more dazzling tank. They teach us courage, because you're going to have accidents that break your heart, and you have to suck it up and rebuild with more knowledge than you had last time. They let us take coral species and break one potentially immortal coral into a thousand pieces, that other reefers will break in pieces, so that thousands of reefers around the country and even around the world are growing pieces of the same coral and actually contributing to science---they learn what it wants, how much light it needs, and how to make it grow better. Fish-keepers are learning to breed in captivity species that we once couldn't even keep successfully, and increasing our knowledge of marine biology. We know certain species very well, and we can parlay that knowledge into handling still others that are related, until we can keep a balance in our reefs that teaches us all a lot about the way the ocean works. And it's happening in single lifetimes. I've seen the hobby go from simple filters to wet-dry filters, to protein skimmers that clean water the way the surf does, and chemical dosers that use the chemical properties of filtered water to dissolve the very dose the corals demand. We understand the heat budget of the planet better because we know the heat budget of our reefs, and we're willing to share that knowlege to the benefit of the planet---because we do have a planetary heat budget, and goes-around/comes-around in a fishtank and in a planet. So reefers are among the smartest people on earth when it comes to the way nature works.
How's that?
Sk8r"

Tell me how ya really feel... lol. Nice post. Any other perspectives out there?

64Ivy · 02/04/2008, 05:26 PM

Keeps me from conversing with the family...

for which they are eternally grateful.

LovinDaReef · 02/04/2008, 05:28 PM

I love watching salt tanks at the store. I just look in 1 spot, and find tiny life forms crawling around, that is what started this obsession.

natejonesis · 02/04/2008, 05:44 PM

Was either this or World of Warcraft. At least with this one you can have a girlfriend. She may gripe about you spending more money and time on the tank than her ... but you'll still have one

rlm2005 · 02/04/2008, 06:00 PM

I love a challenge.

twogreyhounds · 02/04/2008, 09:22 PM

Back in 1991 or so, I got into freshwater and I remember visiting a local pet store in Kennewick, Washington. The store carried predominately freshwater stuff, but did have a very small section of marine livestock -- something like four 20 gallon tanks up against a back wall with a small selection of fish like a few clowns, butterflyfish, and maybe a few damsels. I was completely taken by the amazing colors; but I thought it was over-my-head and beyond my ability.

So to the question at hand, what I enjoy most about this hobby is remembering back to the early 1990s when I thought I couldn't do it and now I can. And yes, I'm older and wiser but I'm still quite taken by those amazing colors.

-Ryan

alten78 · 02/04/2008, 09:32 PM

Because chicks dig it

Plus, nobody I have ever known has kept anything other than freshwater.

neepsync · 02/05/2008, 11:24 AM

It must be because I and everyone else in this hobby is a masochist. Something is always bound to go wrong. Sometimes it can ruin my day or even week. But, I do enjoy solving the problems and seeing my hard work and perseverance pay off when I see my reef happy and grow.

02/03/2008, 11:18 PM	#1
Kryptikhan Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: North East Posts: 272	Why do you enjoy this hobby? Just trying to take a small sample size of why you enjoy this hobby....things like interests, what salt hobbyists have in common, and most importantly, the amazing continued need to learn at all levels of expertise. I've observed -no pun intended- that we all like to observe things....from observing skimmate, to observing fish, observing corals, observing water levels, observing changes, observing at times other observers at local fish stores , observing interesting posts on reefcentral.com, observing observe observe observe Why do you enjoy this hobby? I don't think there is a wrong answer. Me? I seem to enjoy observation at all levels. Oh yeah, makes one heckuva unique piece-o furniture too __________________ 72 Bow Reef, 75 FW Planted, 90 Acrylic tank being transformed to sump. Larger Reef in works. Current Tank Info: 72g AGA Bow (Current 4x54 T5, Super Skimmer 125, Mag 7, Hydor 3's x2, Kent Hi-S 60gph, 20G Acrylic Sump/Fuge, Dual Bulkhead Overflow, 80 lbs sand, 100 lb rock) Last edited by Kryptikhan; 02/03/2008 at 11:30 PM.

02/03/2008, 11:53 PM	#4
bpiermat Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Redmond, WA Posts: 85	I love water treatment processes...I believe that the key to solving our (environmental) problems on Earth maybe inside my aquarium tank. This may seem far fetched...but remember that 70% of the world is water. And 97% is salt water. So it stands to reason that if I want to take on some of global problems I should be able to at least understand the basics... When Southern California runs out of fresh water, maybe I can help take on some of these issues and make a difference. Last edited by bpiermat; 02/04/2008 at 12:02 AM.

02/04/2008, 12:00 AM	#5
HBtank Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 2,957	I have a god complex. __________________ 80g Aiptasia dominated reef tank.. with fish and now a bunch of berghia! Current Tank Info: 80g tank, re-starting a reef after a zoanthid nudibranch plauge, followed by months of steady and unstoppable STN/RTN, crashed; stayed FOWLR for a couple years, currently an aiptasia dominated reef tank with fishies and BERGHIA

02/04/2008, 12:24 AM	#7
ahullsb Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: sacramento, ca Posts: 2,729	I could write something but I'll shamelessly plug Sk8r instead Here's a reply to why saltwater is better than freshwater. Kind of sums up what we all enjoy about the hobby. (Sk8r have you figured out what frags you are sending me yet?) haha "Color. A broad spectrum of life forms. Essentially a polyp is a polyp, but they come shaped like anemones, mushrooms, building stony skeletons as lps, sps. A marine tank is capable of feeding fish based on a chain of life from algae to micro-crustaceans to larger crustaceans to fish to worms to corals and so on...the chain of life available in a freshwater tank requires much more water volume. Plus we're not green and brown, the predominant colors of a freshwater tank. Our fish come in brilliant yellow, pink, purple, etc, and require you to know at least operational biochemistry [as opposed to the theoretical sort] to keep them healthy. So they educate the reefer, amuse the children, delight the artists, and get oohs and ahs from casual visitors who only see the color. They require us to hold jobs and budget our money, so we learn finance; the occasion trades and a swap-type economy, so we learn more about finance. They require us to know the structural soundness of a floor we're putting the tank on, so we learn a little about engineering. They require us to know plumbing, so we don't siphon all that water onto our living room floors. And they require us to learn patience, because corals grow half an inch a month, and require planning and attention to detail. They teach us good habits, because you cannot neglect a marine tank. They teach us the interrelation of species and the way the food chain works. They teach us humililty, because there's always a more dazzling tank. They teach us courage, because you're going to have accidents that break your heart, and you have to suck it up and rebuild with more knowledge than you had last time. They let us take coral species and break one potentially immortal coral into a thousand pieces, that other reefers will break in pieces, so that thousands of reefers around the country and even around the world are growing pieces of the same coral and actually contributing to science---they learn what it wants, how much light it needs, and how to make it grow better. Fish-keepers are learning to breed in captivity species that we once couldn't even keep successfully, and increasing our knowledge of marine biology. We know certain species very well, and we can parlay that knowledge into handling still others that are related, until we can keep a balance in our reefs that teaches us all a lot about the way the ocean works. And it's happening in single lifetimes. I've seen the hobby go from simple filters to wet-dry filters, to protein skimmers that clean water the way the surf does, and chemical dosers that use the chemical properties of filtered water to dissolve the very dose the corals demand. We understand the heat budget of the planet better because we know the heat budget of our reefs, and we're willing to share that knowlege to the benefit of the planet---because we do have a planetary heat budget, and goes-around/comes-around in a fishtank and in a planet. So reefers are among the smartest people on earth when it comes to the way nature works. How's that? Sk8r" __________________ Andy Sacramento, CA Current Tank Info: 55 gallon reef w/20 gallon sump/ER135/ 75 pounds of live rock, 4 in sandbed, 2 b&w ocellaris clowns, yellow watchman/pistol, rosy scaled wrasse, Mystery wrasse, Copperbanded Butterfly, Lighting 48" outer orbit 2 150 mh/ 4 t5 actinics

02/04/2008, 12:38 AM	#9
Newreeflady Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ithaca, NY Posts: 4,840	It brings out the: Engineer Nature Lover Chemist Plumber Caretaker Curiousity... in me __________________ A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen. The master poured the visitor’s cup to the brim, and then kept pouring. The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself. “It’s overfull! No more will go in!” the professor blurted. “You are like this cup,” the master replied, “How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup.” Current Tank Info: 56g, 20g.

02/03/2008, 11:26 PM	#2
Pea-brain Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Vassalboro, ME Posts: 1,661	Some people like it cause it looks pretty...not me so much. It is about the specimens I keep. Observing them interact with eachother, observing them interact with their environment (Thats why I like burrowing type animals like jawfish and mantis shrimp), observing the predator prey relations in the tank (mantis shrimp are awesome for this!), and sometimes interacting with them myself. Also, I got a bit of a god complex Dan

02/03/2008, 11:35 PM	#3
schigara Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Memphis, Tn Posts: 525	I enjoy problem solving the most. It's just my nature. Finding out what's wrong and fixing it. I love QT'ing, water changes, water chemistry, keeping fat healthy fish, no nitrate or phosphate system. I love keeping a system with no nuisance algaes and coral that color up beautifully and grow. I love rescuing tangs covered in ICH from Petco and giving them a second lease on life via hypo QT and lotsa food.

02/04/2008, 12:00 AM	#6
Twz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Edmonton Posts: 628	Honestly i just love my sump and every thing i can put in it (the natural filtration) the fish corals Ext, just happen to be there ;D Naw, i love how theres just so much life half of which you don't know what's there every time i really look at my tank i find something new and it dose not stop to amaze me.

02/04/2008, 12:29 AM	#8
Twz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Edmonton Posts: 628	You my good sir just made me think i have the slightest bit of intelligence. =D

02/04/2008, 12:44 AM	#10
Kalied20 Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Antioch, TN Posts: 830	I enjoy watching the tank grow and the fish swim around

02/04/2008, 12:45 AM	#11
JustinReef Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 3,715	For me its my puffers being great companions and real "pets" like puppies! If I had never seen my brothers puffer when he first got it about 8 years ago, I would have never gotten into the hobby. Its all about my 2 fish!

02/04/2008, 12:59 AM	#12
Tayler Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: B.C. canada Posts: 258	for me its working on my tank, and observing all the small creatures in it.

02/04/2008, 01:02 AM	#13
ryan_paskadi Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: las cruces, nm Posts: 870	If I could fit the whole of the ocean in my living room to admire and interact with, I would. Since I cannot my reef tank will have to suffice. Beyond this it is fun to learn and use expensive tools for DIY projects.

02/04/2008, 01:38 AM	#14
chef.lewis Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Upland, Ca. Posts: 63	I am obsessed with being broke! Not really but it seems like it sometimes. I love biospherics and the sciences in general. It is something that I've been fascinated with since childhood.

02/04/2008, 01:47 AM	#15
sanababit Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Uranus Posts: 3,094	hmmm, what i love about this hobby in a 100 words or less, let me see, all that i could come up with is that everyday i see, live, touch, move, realize, learn, something new, which keeps me entertained, lol __________________ Senior Member of the "Hardly any Water Changes, Temp Swinging, T5ing, No Qtining, Frag Exchanging for Fish Food Current Tank Info: 90RR inwall, Octopuss Skimmer, 2 MP40 wQD, 1 MP10 WQD, 2 Radions G4 Pro, Apex Doser, Apex Controller, 400w heater, 30 Gal Sump, Biopellets, Carbon, Gfo, Macroalgae

02/04/2008, 04:55 AM	#16
moo0o Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: SJ,CA Posts: 1,694	i guess i like wasting money.... on something i love! i find it fun trying to figure out why my corals do this and that. i love the challenge of keeping SPS. the people you meet in this hobby are great too =)

02/04/2008, 04:57 AM	#17
moo0o Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: SJ,CA Posts: 1,694	oh, and i like watching things grow. hahaha i am fascinated by how a frag as small as 1/4th an inch has the ability to become a huge colony.

02/04/2008, 05:26 PM	#19
64Ivy B'rer Reefer Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Greenwich, CT Posts: 3,194	Keeps me from conversing with the family... for which they are eternally grateful. __________________ Be Kind To The Elderly. Life Without Parole Means Nothing To Us. ToTM 3-03 Current Tank Info: Between tanks. Searching for a home

02/04/2008, 05:28 PM	#20
LovinDaReef Moved On Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 267	I love watching salt tanks at the store. I just look in 1 spot, and find tiny life forms crawling around, that is what started this obsession.

02/04/2008, 05:44 PM	#21
natejonesis Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 66	Was either this or World of Warcraft. At least with this one you can have a girlfriend. She may gripe about you spending more money and time on the tank than her ... but you'll still have one

02/04/2008, 06:00 PM	#22
rlm2005 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: San Diego Area Posts: 432	I love a challenge.

02/04/2008, 09:22 PM	#23
twogreyhounds Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cheney, WA Posts: 42	Back in 1991 or so, I got into freshwater and I remember visiting a local pet store in Kennewick, Washington. The store carried predominately freshwater stuff, but did have a very small section of marine livestock -- something like four 20 gallon tanks up against a back wall with a small selection of fish like a few clowns, butterflyfish, and maybe a few damsels. I was completely taken by the amazing colors; but I thought it was over-my-head and beyond my ability. So to the question at hand, what I enjoy most about this hobby is remembering back to the early 1990s when I thought I couldn't do it and now I can. And yes, I'm older and wiser but I'm still quite taken by those amazing colors. -Ryan

02/04/2008, 09:32 PM	#24
alten78 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Sheffield Lake, OH Posts: 1,231	Because chicks dig it Plus, nobody I have ever known has kept anything other than freshwater. __________________ When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Then find a person where life gave them vodka and have a party. ~ Ron White Current Tank Info: 120g SPS dominated

02/05/2008, 11:24 AM	#25
neepsync Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Omaha Posts: 65	It must be because I and everyone else in this hobby is a masochist. Something is always bound to go wrong. Sometimes it can ruin my day or even week. But, I do enjoy solving the problems and seeing my hard work and perseverance pay off when I see my reef happy and grow.