Why do you Reef? We would like to know.

[damselindistress]

I've debated chiming in here.... maybe tmi

I think from the moment I first saw a clownfish in the pet store like 30 years ago I asked my mom for one. She said something to the effect of "when you have a lot of money you can do that."

I think I made my first reef just because I felt like I was joining the elite. To impress my peers. Conversation for visitors. That sort of thing. Then a few moves happened and the reef was sold.

I struggled to transition from college student to adult and fell into drugs and alcohol. I was always living on the edge. I avoided any legal issues. Managed to keep working and buy a my first house but I had made my life hell. So I decided to clean up, and to distract me I started a reef. Every $50 I'd spend on bourbon started to go into a reef fund instead. Didn't take long and I was ready to take the plunge. Life, as it tends to do, threw me a curve. I found out I would need a new liver if I wanted to see my 36th birthday. So priorities shifted a bit. Anyway... I'm 35, I had a liver transplant 2 months ago, and I have a new lease on life. I started this newest reef as my "recovery reef." More than just a conversation piece or status thing for me these days. Its my story.

Andrew

Congratulations on your recovery and thanks for sharing your story - much respect to you, keep fighting the good fight!

 

[Rich Klein]

I think we all have different reasons why we started reefing. Whether is to relax, to relive a childhood memory, or whatever reason peaked your interest, we all would like to hear what got you into this hobby. Myself, being from Miami originally I was always around the ocean. Going to Crandon Park as a kid for marine biology or John Pennecamp State Park to snorkel never really left me when I moved. I always wanted to venture into keeping a reef tank but was worried about the upkeep. Finally I purchased a 120 gal tank and the rest is history. I reef to help me relax, I could watch a reek tank all day long and never get bored. To watch the fish swim and to watch them look at you wondering what they are thinking as they look at you. To watch a torch coral sway in the current, or even watch my scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp. It is very therapeutic to me, watching them relaxes me.

What's your reason?

I know what my fish are thinking when they look at me, "Feed me..Feed me.."

 

[Billldg]

I know what my fish are thinking when they look at me, "Feed me..Feed me.."

I was thinking about more along the line of "Ha Ha, look at that stupid human out of the water" LOL!!!

 

[Jax15]

This right here!! Lol

Lol I’m for sure going to remember this quote

 

[damselindistress]

I started keeping fish as a kid - bettas and gf of course, then a small freshwater setup during college. After my son was born I took my tanks down because life was hectic. A few years ago I started a couple freshwater tanks again and spent a lot of time on scaping and keeping different groups of fish. I went into a LFS store one afternoon a year and a half ago looking for a specific freshwater fish only to find this was a saltwater only store. While talking to the guy he encouraged me to think about a saltwater tank, I was way too intimidated by saltwater though. His store is near my work and I found myself popping in on my lunch break to see what new fish he had that week. I started reading books on reefs and sw fish - a lot of books. Within a couple months I swallowed the hook and bought my first tank. I’ve upgraded once already and my current 60 gal reef has become the main focus of my energies being as my son recently graduated college and is out on his own. I’ve nursed my empty-nest sorrows many a night by staring into my reef. It’s been a great therapist. I get a tremendous amount of satisfaction from caring for these incredible creatures and I am grateful to be able to maintain an actual living reef with all its wonder in my home.

 

[vetteguy53081]

HAVING A FISH TANK IN THE LIVING ROOM IS boring.
HAVING A PIECE OF THE OCEAN IS ADORING.

In simple terms, we in the eye of others are chemists who can keep marine specimens which are impossible to achieve- keeping them alive(Because they hear it is SO hard). the colors, shapes and regions of the world that we inhabit with indescribable colors make this all the more fun to sustain within our homes. Then the people in the hobby which we collaborate with and the talents we share and the things we learn from each other is P R I C E L E S S !!!!


I Wish .....................................

 

[Bob Escher]

I've debated chiming in here.... maybe tmi

I think from the moment I first saw a clownfish in the pet store like 30 years ago I asked my mom for one. She said something to the effect of "when you have a lot of money you can do that."

I think I made my first reef just because I felt like I was joining the elite. To impress my peers. Conversation for visitors. That sort of thing. Then a few moves happened and the reef was sold.

I struggled to transition from college student to adult and fell into drugs and alcohol. I was always living on the edge. I avoided any legal issues. Managed to keep working and buy a my first house but I had made my life hell. So I decided to clean up, and to distract me I started a reef. Every $50 I'd spend on bourbon started to go into a reef fund instead. Didn't take long and I was ready to take the plunge. Life, as it tends to do, threw me a curve. I found out I would need a new liver if I wanted to see my 36th birthday. So priorities shifted a bit. Anyway... I'm 35, I had a liver transplant 2 months ago, and I have a new lease on life. I started this newest reef as my "recovery reef." More than just a conversation piece or status thing for me these days. Its my story.

Andrew

Congratulations on your recovery and your new lease on life, and your new found thing

 

[Bob Escher]

All of the above.
I’m a Vietnam vet that suffers from PTSD So almost everything that has been said pertains to me plus ten.
I’m Retired/ disabled to a extent so I have lots of time on my hands. I take care of our house.
I love fawning over my take cleaning checking it, WATCHING it looking at the fish carefully,
I love it

 

[ca1ore]

Always been fascinated with natural ecosystems, particularly aquatic ones. Thought seriously about becoming a marine biologist, until I realized there were only two good jobs - Jacques Cousteau had one of them, Bob Ballard the other. So I decided to pursue a carrier that paid better and would keep an aquarium .... or two .... or three. Started out mostly with planted FW tanks but then moved increasingly into SW. Have had reef tanks since the late 80s.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I think we all have different reasons why we started reefing. Whether is to relax, to relive a childhood memory, or whatever reason peaked your interest, we all would like to hear what got you into this hobby. Myself, being from Miami originally I was always around the ocean. Going to Crandon Park as a kid for marine biology or John Pennecamp State Park to snorkel never really left me when I moved. I always wanted to venture into keeping a reef tank but was worried about the upkeep. Finally I purchased a 120 gal tank and the rest is history. I reef to help me relax, I could watch a reek tank all day long and never get bored. To watch the fish swim and to watch them look at you wondering what they are thinking as they look at you. To watch a torch coral sway in the current, or even watch my scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp. It is very therapeutic to me, watching them relaxes me.

What's your reason?

I see what's happening to our ocean, and hope what little I've contributed, helps future generations.

 

[Proteus Meep]

For me the question is...why wouldn't you reef

 

[Proteus Meep]

For me the question is...why wouldn't you reef

 

[Proteus Meep]

For me the question is...why wouldn't you reef

 

[Proteus Meep]

For me the question is...why wouldn't you reef

 

[Sabbath22]

I had to find something to keep me busy, as I am going to retire at the end of the year. Along with the 3 freshwater tanks I have this might do it!

 

[Jax15]

For some of us (like me) it’s the perfect hobby. I’ve tried to think why I like it so much, then I realized. It combines my interests in tinkering/DIY, new gadgets, chemistry, love for animals, collecting, and artwork into one seamless hobby. No two tanks are exactly alike, and there’s always room to grow. Awesome huh.

 

[Sea MunnKey]

I like to think I'm really "

"!!! No ... seriously

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

Well, mine should be more of a "why I kept reefing" story.

To start at the beginning, sometime in 2011 my wife (then fiance) bought a 3.5 gallon GloFish tank from PetSmart, then a few weeks later started asking when I was going to get a tank. Since I was always interested in Sustainability, I wanted to do something that would be low maintenance and self-sufficient, so I tried my luck with Aquaponics and bought a non-drilled 125 that I filled with cichlids and grew peppers and herbs with. Summer 2012 my wife really wanted to do a Florida Springs model tank, so when a friend found a good deal on a drilled 125 by him ($250 for whole set up) we jumped on it. He picked it up from Gainesville and brought it down to Ocala, walks in around 8:30 PM and says "let's set it up." My wife and I were confused as he knew our plans were to give it a deep clean and rework the stand. We walk out to his van, and in a Rubbermaid container there is a 2' snowflake eel, a 5" maroon clown, a lunar wrasse, and a niger trigger....

...So around 1 AM he and I have this tank up and running with newly mixed saltwater, he drives back to Gainesville and I finally get to join my wife and go to sleep.

It is 6 years later and we have had our struggles here and there.

That 125 is gone (https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/a-near-disaster-an-un-build-thread.353339/)

I started a 265 that is still a work in progress as I tried resealing it to have it still leak (https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/265gal-shepards-school-build.428941/)

I now have an 80 that will be a frag grow out (https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/js-coral-school-80g-frag-tank.471815/)

Needless to say, I kept reefing because I am addicted. The corals are amazing, the fish fascinating (and beautiful), and the people are (mostly) awesome.

"Hi, I'm J, and I have been a Reef Addict for 6 years..."

 

[Oliver d]

Always had tanks around me except for maybe 5 yrs of my life,since seeing a marine tank as a kid I wanted one.Had one 30 yrs ago without much sucess.In 2015 finally took the plunge and started a reef nothing relaxes me more than looking or working on my tank.

 

[scubadude]

I reef for one main reason. Stress relief. I have tried many ways to calm down and one of the easiest ways for me is to sit in front of my tank and decompress. I’m not saying that reefing is always stress free but once I get the Tank leveled off it is

 

[ThunderGoose]

So many people are reeling for the same reason I am.

I got my first tank when I was in 3rd grade. Those poor fish. I did everything wrong but I kept at it and learned. Since then I've have about one year when I was without at least one tank and, at times, I've had up to six. All freshwater.

Two years ago I started dealing with some major stress, struggling with Anxiety and Depression in a big way, and I decided I needed a hobby that took a lot of mental work. (Plus I really like all the invertebrates that aren't available for freshwater).

Gotta say between the reef tank, yoga classes, and cutting down the excess sugar I'm a lot mellower and less easily agitated now.

Reefing 2: stress 0.5

 

[Yates273]

Have several freshwater tanks and always wanted a reef tank but never thought I could do it. Not too mention the cost to start one up was a little scary. Was always concerned with the water chemistry and figuring out how to keep the #’s in check. Well after a lot of reading I had the opportunity and figured why not. Nothing more pleasing than setting one up and watching it flourish. I love a challenge and a reef tank is just that but as long as you do your research it can be done. I’m now hooked. It’s neat to see things in my tank that I didn’t put there like bristle worms, feather dusters, and other neat little creatures. I can literally sit in front of my reef tank and just stare like I’m a nut.