How satisfied are you with your reef?

[Bastray]

I'm a 6 right now. I am in the "under grown tank" category. I am very happy with my fish selection and they are all doing great. On the coral front, so many corals I want to add to my tank and so little money to buy them with. [emoji16] My wife seems to think spending money on bills, the kids, etc. is more important than filling the tank with corals.... Smh. Slowly but surely the tank is coming along. The nice thing is not being able to buy every coral I want forces patience in the hobby which long term is going to pay off.

 

[ZoWhat]

I haven't done a single WC in 12.5 yrs (smthg I'm very proud of) and I'm completely satisfied with my tank and SPS Acro corals. So a "10"

 

[NY_Caveman]

I said 8. Too new to be too disappointed yet.

 

[trido]

My tank pays for itself with a grow out system but there is always work to do, some corals growing like weeds, others on the death bed. I gave my satisfaction level a 9.

 

[mike werner]

great responces folks!keep those beautiful tank shots coming as well.

 

[oldfishman]

I went with a 5 as I am new at coral reef and I have a lot to learn and know I will make mistakes. So far my fish a first corals are doing fine

 

[CarolinaShoreReef]

9! I absolutely love my tank and can’t wait to see it when it’s grown in after I’ve added the last few chalice I’m looking for. The messy bottom has been cleaned up which helps the aesthetics tenfold.

 

[Billldg]

Will we ever be satisfied, a lot of what we do has to do with our mood. Which means that as our mood changes, so does our outlook on our tank. I look at my tank as a way to relax, but as I look at it I see something I would like to change every time.

 

[Brew12]

I went with an 8. Not because my tank is an 8, but because of the improvements I've seen in the last 2 months. It still needs to do a lot of growing in so I imagine I'll be back down to a 6 in a month or two as the satisfaction from turning the corner on coral growth starts to fade.

 

[LadyMac]

3. I’ve battled issues in which case I’m not sure where to go from here. Sometimes I think I should drain it and regime the fish. But my dad never would let me quit when things got too difficult. So I’ll keep trudging through, for him and for myself.

 

[ZoWhat]

IF YOU'RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT..... CLAP YOUR FINS

 

[Geebs19]

Well my tank is sitting in the garage as I have only had the tank for 2 weeks and redoing the plumbing from the previous owner. Going to be a long wait as I had no clue the costs of lights haha, hopefully will be up and running by December.

 

[revhtree]

If you voted 7 - Holy Grail then you MUST share a photo of your tank!

 

[Gareth elliott]

Gave a 5 happy with current growth and maintenance level but i haven’t added any corals since doubling my tank size 3 months ago, so looks kinda sparse lol.

 

[cancun]

I voted a 7 or 8 earlier in this post....at least as if today a 7 or 8. LOL.....here are some pics...

 

[cracker]

I'd have to say a 5. I have algae issues Corals are very slow to grow etc. I'm also not sure what to do to improve this. it's frustrating & challenging at the same time. So I keep on keepin !

 

[cancun]

I'd have to say a 5. I have algae issues Corals are very slow to grow etc. I'm also not sure what to do to improve this. it's frustrating & challenging at the same time. So I keep on keepin !

Been there and done that.... LOL.....that's about be all you can do....just keep working at it....it will get better......[emoji6]

 

[Crimson]

I did 5 as well, but almost a 4. Problem with have a 32 gallon is that my parameters change too often causing issues. I know larger is easier (for water stability), been doing this long enough to know that rule. Larger brings up the next issue. Money or there lack of it. I think if I had more money to throw at the hobby I would. This would allow me to do what I have envisioned.

Being divorced and having a daughter to support limits what I can do with my tank and the hobby as a whole. I was close to breaking down the tank but watching my 9 year old name the fish and taking general interest (even the SPS) saves it every time.

 

[Greybeard]

It's a hobby. You can never be 'satisfied' with a hobby, or you're missing the point. If there is nothing to do, no way to improve... it's no longer a hobby.

I've seen magnificent tanks in the homes of well off people who know _NOTHING_ about reefing... they're paying a maintenance company to handle everything, to them, it's just something neat to look at. It's not a hobby, it's an expensive decoration.

Might as well get a DVD of a nice reef, and play it in a loop.

To me, reefing has always been a hobby. I know fishkeepers that think of their finned friends as pets... I guess that's true, in some ways. My pets are my dogs. We've got three, two great Pyrenees, which are absolutely members of the family, and working members of the family, at that. The other is a shih-tzu. Basically, a dust mop that's happy to see you when you get home. Fish? Those are part of my hobby.

A hobby is something you _DO_ for enjoyment. Golf, shooting, hunting, fishing, boating... those are hobbies. Reefkeeping is, as well. I've been at this for a couple of decades now... and I'm still learning, still finding new and better ways to manage my reef. There is ALWAYS something that you could be doing to your reef. After all, that's the point, isn't it?

 

[cancun]

It's a hobby. You can never be 'satisfied' with a hobby, or you're missing the point. If there is nothing to do, no way to improve... it's no longer a hobby.

I've seen magnificent tanks in the homes of well off people who know _NOTHING_ about reefing... they're paying a maintenance company to handle everything, to them, it's just something neat to look at. It's not a hobby, it's an expensive decoration.

Might as well get a DVD of a nice reef, and play it in a loop.

To me, reefing has always been a hobby. I know fishkeepers that think of their finned friends as pets... I guess that's true, in some ways. My pets are my dogs. We've got three, two great Pyrenees, which are absolutely members of the family, and working members of the family, at that. The other is a shih-tzu. Basically, a dust mop that's happy to see you when you get home. Fish? Those are part of my hobby.

A hobby is something you _DO_ for enjoyment. Golf, shooting, hunting, fishing, boating... those are hobbies. Reefkeeping is, as well. I've been at this for a couple of decades now... and I'm still learning, still finding new and better ways to manage my reef. There is ALWAYS something that you could be doing to your reef. After all, that's the point, isn't it?

That is very well said....and you are soooooo right.....if there were nothing else you do.... improve....work on....etc.....it would get boring....and it wouldn't be a great hobby anymore.