Mr Gwartney
New Member
Hello everyone!
My name is James, and I'm a reefing addict... apparently that's a thing.
I actually got into the reef hobby after my triple bypass because I figured it would be a nice, peaceful way to relax and lower my stress levels. You know... sit back, watch the fish swim, and enjoy a little slice of the ocean.
Turns out the ocean had other plans.
Instead of relaxation, I got a crash course in reef keeping that included a bacterial bloom, followed by a lovely green algae bloom. Somewhere during that adventure, I managed to donate roughly $1,000 worth of fish and coral to the Reef Gods. There were definitely a few moments where I seriously considered throwing in the towel.
The funny thing is, when the dust settled, almost all of my cleanup crew was still happily doing their jobs, and all but two of my eight corals survived. Those corals were sitting there like, "Is that all you've got?" Watching them pull through made me realize that maybe corals are tougher than I gave them credit for; that's when I decided I wanted to build a reef that's more coral-focused.
I'm only about eight months into the hobby with my 75-gallon mixed reef, and what I thought would be "just a fish tank" has turned into a full-blown obsession. I figured I'd buy a tank, toss in a couple of fish, and call it good. Instead, I now spend my free time worrying about PAR, salinity, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, flow patterns, water chemistry, and whether that tiny white speck on a rock is the beginning of an amazing new coral... or the start of my next problem. My wife sees me staring into the tank for ten minutes at a time. I call it "reef maintenance." She calls it "being weird."
My tank is home to a pair of clownfish, a Banggai cardinal, a royal gramma, cleaner and peppermint shrimp, snails, hermit crabs, and a growing collection of corals including Duncans, zoas, mushrooms, leather corals, and Kenya trees. Every new head, polyp, or tiny bit of growth feels like winning the lottery.
Like every beginner, I've made my share of mistakes. I've had moments where I was convinced I'd ruined the tank, only to find out that sometimes the best thing you can do is... nothing. Patience has probably been the hardest lesson to learn.
My biggest goal now is to add more colorful corals and slowly build the reef I've been picturing in my head. I'm always on the lookout for bright, eye-catching corals that are beginner friendly a reasonable price, and won't immediately punish me for making one tiny mistake.
I've been lurking on Reef2Reef for a while, and it's pretty clear there's a ton of experience here. I'm looking forward to learning from all of you, sharing progress pictures, celebrating the wins, asking plenty of questions, and probably overthinking everything along the way.
Thanks for having me! If you see me asking what probably sounds like a beginner question... it's because it probably is.
My name is James, and I'm a reefing addict... apparently that's a thing.
I actually got into the reef hobby after my triple bypass because I figured it would be a nice, peaceful way to relax and lower my stress levels. You know... sit back, watch the fish swim, and enjoy a little slice of the ocean.
Turns out the ocean had other plans.
Instead of relaxation, I got a crash course in reef keeping that included a bacterial bloom, followed by a lovely green algae bloom. Somewhere during that adventure, I managed to donate roughly $1,000 worth of fish and coral to the Reef Gods. There were definitely a few moments where I seriously considered throwing in the towel.The funny thing is, when the dust settled, almost all of my cleanup crew was still happily doing their jobs, and all but two of my eight corals survived. Those corals were sitting there like, "Is that all you've got?" Watching them pull through made me realize that maybe corals are tougher than I gave them credit for; that's when I decided I wanted to build a reef that's more coral-focused.
I'm only about eight months into the hobby with my 75-gallon mixed reef, and what I thought would be "just a fish tank" has turned into a full-blown obsession. I figured I'd buy a tank, toss in a couple of fish, and call it good. Instead, I now spend my free time worrying about PAR, salinity, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, flow patterns, water chemistry, and whether that tiny white speck on a rock is the beginning of an amazing new coral... or the start of my next problem. My wife sees me staring into the tank for ten minutes at a time. I call it "reef maintenance." She calls it "being weird."
My tank is home to a pair of clownfish, a Banggai cardinal, a royal gramma, cleaner and peppermint shrimp, snails, hermit crabs, and a growing collection of corals including Duncans, zoas, mushrooms, leather corals, and Kenya trees. Every new head, polyp, or tiny bit of growth feels like winning the lottery.
Like every beginner, I've made my share of mistakes. I've had moments where I was convinced I'd ruined the tank, only to find out that sometimes the best thing you can do is... nothing. Patience has probably been the hardest lesson to learn.
My biggest goal now is to add more colorful corals and slowly build the reef I've been picturing in my head. I'm always on the lookout for bright, eye-catching corals that are beginner friendly a reasonable price, and won't immediately punish me for making one tiny mistake.
I've been lurking on Reef2Reef for a while, and it's pretty clear there's a ton of experience here. I'm looking forward to learning from all of you, sharing progress pictures, celebrating the wins, asking plenty of questions, and probably overthinking everything along the way.
Thanks for having me! If you see me asking what probably sounds like a beginner question... it's because it probably is.
