Is reefer a hobby?

[Dolf]

This is much more than a dog or cat. Yes, fish are underappreciated, but it is more than that. I don’t think that I have ever heard of the SPCA charging somebody with causing a SPS colony to suffer and die because they kept it under a single T-5 in a tank that was still cycling.

This is the perfect hobby for the budding megalomaniac- you have complete control over the environment of everything in your tank from light to temperature, salinity, nutrients, feed, water flow and what everything will have to live with as a neighbour. You become the vet and you need to do your research to be successful. Perhaps that is the relaxing part of this “hobby”- research and the feeling of keeping a diverse complete ecosystem where it would be considered impossible if not for your efforts (ever dropped a tang into Slave lake?) It is much more involved that keeping any large animal where the parameters are not only known- but it becomes immediately apparent if you have breeched those parameters.

This appeals to the researcher, the scientist, the artist and, again, the megalomaniac as a hobby. The frustrations are the price that you pay to have a very unique experience. One of the things that I most love is that there are thousands of ways to keep a tank that work and billions that don’t. This means that there are hard and fast rules but many rules can be bent and changed by “tweaking” a seemingly unrelated process.

Bauder hit it on the head when he said that if it were not challenging the rewards would not be worth it. If any idiot could run out and set up a tank it would loose it’s appeal to many of us. (O.K, any idiot can set it up- just not keep a challenging species successfully.) I suspect that most of us on this board enjoy a challenge and being able to see the results of our work and that it is that feeling of accomplishment that allows it to be classified as a hobby.

One final thought- even if you are staying home from work cleaning up water from the floor it was still “spare time” as you had nothing better to do than clean it up. If work were more important you would be there- you are filling your spare time with tank maintenance instead of work. So I argue that everything that we do on our tanks (even if it breaks “date night”, causes job loss, financial insecurity, ends in divorce, garners eye rolling, tears, blood or death) is done in our spare time.

[no_bs]

This is not a hobby. It's an addiction, like crack. Must have. Need it. Want it.

[bauder1986]

Originally Posted by Dolf

...."This is the perfect hobby for the budding megalomaniac-" ...." You become the vet and you need to do your research to be successful." ..."research and the feeling of keeping a diverse complete ecosystem where it would be considered impossible if not for your efforts" ....."This appeals to the researcher, the scientist, the artist and, again, the megalomaniac as a hobby." "The frustrations are the price that you pay to have a very unique experience.".... "If any idiot could run out and set up a tank it would loose it’s appeal to many of us. (O.K, any idiot can set it up- just not keep a challenging species successfully.) "
"One final thought- even if you are staying home from work cleaning up water from the floor it was still “spare time” as you had nothing better to do than clean it up. If work were more important you would be there- you are filling your spare time with tank maintenance instead of work."

Damn well put Dolf!

Originally Posted by no_bs

This is not a hobby. It's an addiction, like crack. Must have. Need it. Want it.

Hehehe yep 'bout sums it up when im on days off with a pocket full of cash haha

[BlueWorldAquatic]

Originally Posted by no_bs

This is not a hobby. It's an addiction, like crack. Must have. Need it. Want it.

From the business point of view, I can honestly say I feel like a DEALER sometimes when customers come in for a "QUICK FIX"

My personal tanks make it seem like another "DEPANDANT"

But honestly.... where else can someone actually "OWN" part of our oceans? and play "GOD"?

Ken - BWA

[StirCrazy]

hmm a lot of people are saying it is more than having a dog, I can tell you a dog takes up more of my time than my tank ever did. I don't see how cleaning glass for a couple min aday and dropping some food in so maybe 10 min a day, plus a hour or two on the weekend for cleaning pumps/skimmer, ect so we'll say 3 hours a week of work, and the rest is just enjoyment. ya I would say hobby and for some obsession, but you are obsessed with a hobby.

Steve

[viperfish]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

hmm a lot of people are saying it is more than having a dog, I can tell you a dog takes up more of my time than my tank ever did.

You don't have enough in your tank then, ha ha! I have three dogs by the way.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I tell newbies or non-reefers that "Crack is a cheaper addiction."

I've been diagnosed as Obsessive-Compulsive by a doctor friend so pretty much any "hobby" I get into will turn into an "obsession" or addiction anyways.

That's probably why I'm up to over 650g and over a dozen aquariums full of water (mostly sw). Fill one up, start up a new one. Fill up the house, start up one in the backyard & tell the wife its for irrigating her plants or Felicia's blueberry "farm".

I work at home so it doesn't seem like a huge time investment to me most days, since I like to take a quick break to feed the fish (5 or 8 times a day) or clean the glass or after work, at 3 in the morning, clean the skimmer collection cup or top off or add additives or feed phyto to the bbs culture or......

Hmmmm, maybe it is a lot of work & time consuming after all.

Bottom line is that it keeps me out of trouble since I don't have any other time or money to spend on getting in trouble.

Don't drink alcohol much, don't gamble, don't have any other expensive vices so this is where I choose to spend my time & resources.

Evolution of reefing:

Watch "Finding Nemo"
-> start small sw "Nemo" tank for wife
-> add another tank
-> upgrade lighting
-> add a bigger tank
-> run out of room for corals & fish
-> add another bigger tank
-> REPEAT as needed or until wife kicks you out of the house or drowns you in your sleep

(most expensive step was buying this place in order to house all the tanks & not have to move any time soon)

[fishoholic]

Originally Posted by medhatreefguy

Try this one:

Obsession - the domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc.

I think that sums it up.

100% agreed

Originally Posted by no_bs

This is not a hobby. It's an addiction, like crack. Must have. Need it. Want it.

Yep!

Originally Posted by bauder1986

Just think of how much more active your brain is now compared to before....at least you have something healthy to think about all the time to keep the ol' neurons sparking....good way to keep the amnesia and dimensia away haha but meanwhile you suffer a bad case of insomnia.

Hey, I always knew I was smrt, this proves it I do agree with the sleepless nights, I've had many of those.

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

I tell newbies or non-reefers that "Crack is a cheaper addiction."

Waaaayyyyyy cheaper

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by medhatreefguy

You don't have enough in your tank then, ha ha! I have three dogs by the way.

hmm 150 gal total water btween two display tanks and a sump, packed full of SPS and a few fish.. what more did I need? I think a lot of it was because of lots of flow, over sized skimmer, Ca reactor, Kalk reactor, UV, chiller, ect... that I didn't have to worry about doseing which to me is a huge PITA. my theory has always been to use lots and big equipment to make my job less. and once the tank was set up and established it was something to look at, not something to work on.

Steve

[zeddy]

i find this is more of an obsession than a hobby, but when people come over and look at my tank with aw it makes it all worth it