To reef, or not to reef, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
Through dinos, hair, turf, bubble, and other nuisance algae,
Or rage against cyano and by opposing, end them.
To shut down a tank, re-start, or let it crash and say:
No more; and thus end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
That a captive reef is subject to. Yes sometimes 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To let a reef die, or let fishes sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream - ay there's the rub:
For in that sleep of tank death and collapse what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this latest fail
Whether a down trodden ATO, or blown fuse, or ich outbreak, or fish's jumped,
Must give us pause - there's the respect
That makes reefing and calamity synonym
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
And survive big and small failures
Only to see an inch of growth, split of a new head,
Or fishes spawn.
To grunt and sweat under a weary life
Of skimmer cleanings and plucking turf,
Of empty pockets devoid of coin and luster,
Just to watch them gather at feeding time
Next to the glass to say "hello"
To reef, or not to reef, THAT is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
Through dinos, hair, turf, bubble, and other nuisance algae,
Or rage against cyano and by opposing, end them.
To shut down a tank, re-start, or let it crash and say:
No more; and thus end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
That a captive reef is subject to. Yes sometimes 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To let a reef die, or let fishes sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream - ay there's the rub:
For in that sleep of tank death and collapse what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this latest fail
Whether a down trodden ATO, or blown fuse, or ich outbreak, or fish's jumped,
Must give us pause - there's the respect
That makes reefing and calamity synonym
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
And survive big and small failures
Only to see an inch of growth, split of a new head,
Or fishes spawn.
To grunt and sweat under a weary life
Of skimmer cleanings and plucking turf,
Of empty pockets devoid of coin and luster,
Just to watch them gather at feeding time
Next to the glass to say "hello"
To reef, or not to reef, THAT is the question.
