GROSS! What grosses you out the most in this hobby?

[Buckster]

I removed the top of the skimmer for cleaning and put it into a bucket which I placed on the end of the kitchen counter. My wife (an hour later) asked me if I could help her find where the horrific odor in the kitchen was coming from. Another senior moment!

 

[Jeff Kohlmann]

Having second thoughts about getting back in the hobby

 

[sfin52]

After having 15+ dead mice in the back of my truck in 100 degree day. There is nothing that smells worse than that.

 

[Deezill]

I hate when I accidentally get tank water in my mouth starting the siphon!

This is why I don't siphon with my mouth yuck

 

[Regular_Reefer]

I’d have to cast in with the others on bobbit worms, until I joined this forum I never knew they existed and now every forum topic I see of “Help!,mysterious fish disappearances “ I read through it like a Stephen King novel just waiting for the discovery of one of those demon larvae. ;Yuck;Nailbiting

 

[Deezill]

The fact that all of the fish in my aquarium are naked...

This is the reply of the year LOLOLOL.

 

[iron_mike_gt]

The contents of my skimmer cup.

 

[artieg1]

I love the smell of skimmer waste; tells me it is working.

I loathe bristle worms.

 

[Joey G]

Most of us were lured into this hobby like prey to an anglerfish! Well maybe it wasn't that bad but it was a good analogy I wanted to use! The point is that many of us saw the "pretty" of keeping a saltwater aquarium and either ignored the "ugly" or were just oblivious to it! To me it's worth it but that doesn't make some parts of this hobby any less gross! So let's talk about what's gross to you!


What is the most gross thing about keeping a saltwater aquarium to you? (Share any photos you have)

I am going to share two of my most "favorite" :/ gross things so proceed at your own risk!

1. Worms........Bristle worms in aquarium plumbing.




2. Second is an isopod that eats the tongue of it's host! Ewwww! YUCK!

Image via this Dive Photo Guide article.

Image via this Dive Photo Guide article.

Yeah... I'm going to go with the bristleworm video above as the grossest thing I've ever seen since I've been in the hobby.

 

[Deezill]

Can't say anything ever grossed me out, and I do have experience with the taste of skimmate.

You should have spared yourself this experience.

 

[Regular_Reefer]

Yeah... I'm going to go with the bristleworm video above as the grossest thing I've ever seen since I've been in the hobby.

 

[edreefer]

Bristle worms don't really gross me out, but they do give me the chills. I'm not a fan of centipedes, so they resemble them...

My wife and kids constantly complain when I have to drain out the skimmate. They say it's the worst smell in the world. I just tell them that they should have had to wipe their own butts when they were toddlers...

 

[JoeJoesonoma]

The worst for me is when you find that huge turbo that went missing and you find it a few months later... you find yourself trying to get it out've the tank without spilling all of its decaying insides all in your aquarium.

 

[Dennis Begley]

Tastes great... less filling!

Now that would gross me out. Or worse.

 

[Dennis Begley]

This is why I don't siphon with my mouth yuck

LONG hose. I use a real long hose.

 

[Dennis Begley]

The worst for me is when you find that huge turbo that went missing and you find it a few months later... you find yourself trying to get it out've the tank without spilling all of its decaying insides all in your aquarium.

That is why God puts bristle worms in your tank.

 

[adobo]

People on videos using they’re fingers to clean the protein skimmer ;Vomit

I was thinking of starting a thread today - my question was going to be, what does your skimmate smell like?

Skimmate may look disgusting but to me, it smells like dirt from your garden. Nothing to write home about. Then I went to find out what skimmate is composed of. This is what I found:

According to Ken Feldman, author of that article and study, skimmate is made of:

• 38% organic carbon
• 26% calcium carbonate
• 21% silicon dioxide
• 8% inorganic ions (trace nutrients?)
• 7% magnesium carbonate

So skimmate seems to be only 1/3 fish poop, dissolved uneaten foods and whatever other kinds of organics there might be. 2/3s of it seems to be stuff you would want to leave in the tank.

 

[The_Skrimp]

It's definitely gotta be sucking on that syphon for me.

 

[adobo]

Smelly skimmate

Really? What does it smell like to you? To me, skimmate smells like dirt.

 

[damselindistress]

Most of us were lured into this hobby like prey to an anglerfish! Well maybe it wasn't that bad but it was a good analogy I wanted to use! The point is that many of us saw the "pretty" of keeping a saltwater aquarium and either ignored the "ugly" or were just oblivious to it! To me it's worth it but that doesn't make some parts of this hobby any less gross! So let's talk about what's gross to you!


What is the most gross thing about keeping a saltwater aquarium to you? (Share any photos you have)

I am going to share two of my most "favorite" :/ gross things so proceed at your own risk!

1. Worms........Bristle worms in aquarium plumbing.




2. Second is an isopod that eats the tongue of it's host! Ewwww! YUCK!

Image via this Dive Photo Guide article.

Image via this Dive Photo Guide article.

I'm an avid crime scene and autopsy buff - I love disgusting science what can I say - but that worm video makes me want to go sit in a corner and rock back and forth while sucking my thumb ;Vomit eww