LOVE & HATE: What it is about your aquarium? LET IT OUT!

On a scale of 1-10 how much do you love or hate your tank right now? Be honest!

  • 10 - SUPER LOVE

    Votes: 125 12.2%
  • 9

    Votes: 89 8.7%
  • 8

    Votes: 250 24.4%
  • 7

    Votes: 176 17.2%
  • 6

    Votes: 93 9.1%
  • 5 - I have mixed emotions...

    Votes: 218 21.3%
  • 4

    Votes: 23 2.2%
  • 3

    Votes: 17 1.7%
  • 2

    Votes: 8 0.8%
  • 1 - Hate It

    Votes: 25 2.4%

  • Total voters
    1,024

NanoDJS

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I am definitely at a 10 , the current DT is my mixed reef peninsula lagoon dream ,and all is going as well as can be expected. I have been up and down , had total wipe-outs , lost favorite fish , colonies, Melted 1 of kind cherry picked wild zoas to propagate ( many times) . I have learned a lot over the years and always maintained the perspective that reefing is awesome. It connects me to a time when I used to dive a lot and life was simply different , its my zen place and I feel very lucky to be able to experience that in my own home. I now have 5 systems running , and about to setup a 6th this weekend. This has evolved into a part of my life that I would not change , like a marriage for better or worse, but I strive to make it for better as much as possible. In the long run this hobby has bought me more joy than pain by far , and the happiness I get sharing corals I have grown with the world , in turn makes other happy and keeps the populations up. This is as much about preservation and bolstering coral population as it is about enjoyment and fun for us over here.
 

Bruce Burnett

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Almost at a 10 but the small drawbacks make it hard.
I love the spectacle of my tank. I have it in the kitchen on the counter and it brings a lot of attention. It’s only a 5g but it’s eye catching if you catch it at the right time of day/light setting. The ease of work and maintenance is also pretty nice


I don’t like that it’s so small anymore. Everything is growing which is a good thing but with the growth, it’s imminent that I get a bigger tank. I can afford the upgrade but I’m dreading the logistics of the purchase and set up because I’m not doing another small tank. It’s going to be big and I just know In my small house... there will be some set backs to face
Don't stress about the size. I always wanted bigger. I went to a 280 gallon and thought I would eventually go bigger. Now I would not go bigger than around 125 even thinking a 70 gallon display. There are some advantages going bigger but also problems become bigger.
 

DaneGer21

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I voted a 5.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE my tank! It’s my favorite most rewarding hobby. And last year upgraded to an awesome custom dream set up.

So, why did I vote a 5 “mixed emotions”?

First, I’ve been lucky and RARELY have issues. I try to stay on top of things. Daily, weekly, monthly habits are always done.

But, the reason for a 5, well, it’s a lot of work, It’s a lot of time(not wasted), and It’s a lot of money.

Like any relationship in my eyes, you gotta give a little, to take a little!
 

Bruce Burnett

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I have to say I've never had such a difficult hobby that has required so much skill on my part. I'm always waiting for the ball to drop on another issue.
When people say go slow be patient they say that because it makes things easier to manage. I find after a year or so I get bored and need to change things up. Except for basic maintenance I reach a point where I don't have anything to do.
 

Nano man

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Love seeing new growth on frags, and buying/selling/trading frags. Every time I see noticeable growth, or buy a new coral it amps me up and I get all excited about my tank for a while.

Algae is a constant downer in my tank. Have some dinos, GHA, and cyano now. Constant struggle trying to keep it clean, and have no CUC to help out. I have a puffer and have been hesitant to try adding much CUC for fear of it just being eaten. Considering trying vibrant
Try a tuxedo urchin.
 

Treefer32

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Love my fish, especially my Black Tang. He's an amazing fish I got a great deal on. And has survived through several apocalypses over the last 6 years. (He was housed in the LFS for two years - babysat by others) while I sold my old tank and built a new home and did a new bigger build. He's amazing and inspires me everyday to be a better human being. If he can tough out the stuff he's gone through and still have a very kind and passive demeaner about him. Then I can too!

What I hate.... My thousands of aiptasia. My corals would be doing amazing if they weren't surrounded by aiptasia. I'm working on a solution, but, it's taking time to get things in place.
 

X-37B

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Im a 9. Great for relaxing after work and just plain watching it from the couch. I dont watch TV. Love the colors and movement. I would not call it hate but I wish I would have made my 120 corner overflow into a peninsula.
 

Jax15

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I voted a 6. The longer I am in the hobby the more I realize that I hate my aquascape. At first I was into LPS, the I switched to SPS and wish I had more space for SPS and more tunnels for the fish. My next tank will be different as it will have SPS in mind.

OH, and I will be more patient next time.
I hear you, I would change things about my scape as well. It’s a hard stage of the build to really take a breath and be patient on. Also coral preferences change. anyway I think you have a nice scape though fwiw.
 

Boomer52

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I hate it, but I love it too. I am still battling neomeris annulata and loosing the battle. Nothing I have found will eat it and nothing will kill it. I hate this stuff. I have resorted to manually removing it. I tell my wife I am going to be "pulling weeds" and she knows I will be at the aquarium for an hour or more picking the stuff out.

Other than that, my corals and fish are doing fine and I love that.
 

Daddy-o

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I hate it, but I love it too. I am still battling neomeris annulata and loosing the battle. Nothing I have found will eat it and nothing will kill it. I hate this stuff. I have resorted to manually removing it. I tell my wife I am going to be "pulling weeds" and she knows I will be at the aquarium for an hour or more picking the stuff out.

Other than that, my corals and fish are doing fine and I love that.
We had a macro algae invasion in our tank. I ended up pulling a bunch of rocks out, 5 minute vinegar dip, rinse and back in. Best decision I ever made.
Cheers! Mark
 

Sidius

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1. What are TWO (2) things you LOVE about owning an aquarium?
  • I love the challenges that come with taking care of a slice of the ocean in my house and the feeling that comes from beating out something like dino's
  • I love the feeling of bringing home new corals or fish and watching them thrive in my tank

2. What is ONE (1) thing you HATE about owning an aquarium?

  • I hate losing fish/corals/inverts due to my own mistakes
 

littlebigreef

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I’m at a 9 right now, everything is sailing smoothly and doing well.

I love meeting new folks and trading for stuff. It’s a win win and keeps me from putting more money into the tank. Since there’s no cash involved I can take fliers on stuff I wouldn’t have normally bought. I also love just getting to sit with my daughter and watch her enjoy the fish.

One thing I hate is that I still have to dip zoas occasionally. The collection is to the size where there’s always one or two struggling that need a little help. It’s def not bad and I’m able to save stuff 90% of the time. Still, I just wish they’d all stay happy all the time.

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Todd1white

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Definitely mixed emotions right now. First time reefer, a year and a half in with 200g. I love the beauty of the fish and corals. Absolutely relaxing to watch. A year and a half in and I'm having to reboot the whole thing for aiptasia. After struggling through new tank uglies and spending a whole lot more money than I anticipated on top quality gear, my water is getting right and now this... argh!
 

Daddy-o

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Definitely mixed emotions right now. First time reefer, a year and a half in with 200g. I love the beauty of the fish and corals. Absolutely relaxing to watch. A year and a half in and I'm having to reboot the whole thing for aiptasia. After struggling through new tank uglies and spending a whole lot more money than I anticipated on top quality gear, my water is getting right and now this... argh!
I bought about 20 peppermint shrimp from KP aquatic and have not seen aiptasia since.
Cheers! Mark
 

Victor_C3

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I’m at a 9 right now, but I only have a half-built 125 gallon plywood sump sitting in my apartment’ kitchen and $1,500 in equipment coming in the mail on Wednesday. No water going into this thing for at least a week, I still have another coat of epoxy to apply. I haven’t even finalized what my display tank is going to be, but I’ll let things in my sump cycle while I get that taken care of.

I love the reading, research, and planning that one can put into this hobby. Sure, I could buy a pre-built system with the lights, sump and everything figured out for you that looks like everyone else’s, but where is the fun in that? Instead, I’m going for a trizonal system as advocated by Steve Tyree that relies on a cryptic sump for filtration.

The only thing I dislike about the hobby is cleaning up the messes I make while doing maintenance, but even that isn’t so bad. I forget about the headaches and heartaches when the day is done and I’m staring into my box of ocean - however imperfect it may be.
 

Lizbeli

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I am at a 7. Have a waterbox 70.3 and I think it is beautiful. Crystal clear glass, and sturdy well built stand.

However its still so new as I only have a few corals so it just looks too empty right now. What do I hate about it? The sand! Im in the process of going barebottom but its so hard to suck it all out. I should have started barebottom and added sand later if I changed my mind. So much easier to add it than take it out.
 

Daniel@R2R

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1a) The development of an ecosystem
1b) The colors and life I get to observe in my little slice of the ocean

2) maintenance... :rolleyes:;Sorry;Sour
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 63 36.6%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 34.3%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 24 14.0%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 26 15.1%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
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