Nightmares in the hobby

[PharmrJohn]

I've been through two of my own nightmares. A tank leak (could have been MUCH worse) and a tank crash. That tank crash led to my leaving the Hobby for over a decade.

 

[Battlecorals Verified Sponsor]

I have had an actual recurring nightmare for years now, mostly dealing with top off and me being out of town or something and forgetting to fill up my reservoirs.

Nothing in the dream is really real. It's all kind dreamy in some weird location that doesn't really exist and some weird system that doesn't exist, but but every time the reservoir is in a weird closet in my parents, basement oddly enough or kind of a weird iteration of that room and the top off reservoir is my old 90 gallon acrylic tank.

in the dream the threat is real. And I'm usually in full panic but I'm always super relieved when I wake up. lol


In the actual real world, one of my biggest fears is straight up tank and/or floor failure and subsequent flood in my main, or some horrible bacteria that just wipes out all my Acro's in one night or something.

 

[56longroof]

Mine would be my wife finding out how much I have spent on corals and equipment.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Well... I had my first reefing night mare last week, and it was about finding an aiptasia after a few months of a aiptasia free tank. Definitely not my worst fear but it's bad enough to have had a nightmare lol

 

[DexterKarin]

Entering and existing in the hobby, we encounter many fears such as loss of a prized specimen, tank leaks, a certain pest or equipment failure.

What is yours?

Do you think this was a set up? Who has a camera in their living room like this?

 

[ReefChasers]

Do you think this was a set up? Who has a camera in their living room like this?

Diddy!

 

[geologeek]

My actual nightmare was coming home from a bad day at work 15 yrs ago to find my beautiful toddler had worked out the child locks and poured her milk into the sump.......... everything was gone by the time I walked into the house. Most of the livestock had been with me from my teens, through university and numerous house moves. Then bam, gone in a day.

Still have my rock though.......a geologist needs his rocks.

I don't think I can ever leave this hobby, it's literally and addiction!

 

[littlefoxx]

Mine is finding a bobbit worm in my tank!

 

[vlangel]

I have a HOB overflow on the display. Surprisingly, I do not worry that it will lose syphon because I have used HOB overflows since 2004 without an issue. However, what I do worry about is a blocked standpipe since there is only one. When I travel for a long weekend, I actually take the standpipe out and just let the water rush straight down the drain.

 

[Fish Styx]

Like most who have been in this hobby for more than a minute, I have survived tank crashes and devastating losses to disease outbreaks (among other horrors). While I would normally never want to revisit those, I would absolutely go through them again ten times over if it meant I didn't have to experience a catastrophic seam failure or a house fire. Those are the two that truly keep me up at night.

 

[Bruttall]

Diddy!

Diddy Do It, or Diddy not?

 

[Twocorns]

Tank crash and tank overflowed due to clogged overflow weir. Tank crash hurt because it just randomly crashed. I checked all parameters and nothing was out of the norm. All coral just started dying for no reason. Even checked dead corals for pests and found nothing.

 

[RockRash]

Do you think this was a set up? Who has a camera in their living room like this?

You'd be surprised. Our neighbors installed outside cameras a few years ago then about a 6 months ago installed a bunch inside the house. They like being able to check on things when they're away. We have 3 outside cameras but none in the house.

 

[Red_Beard]

Entering and existing in the hobby, we encounter many fears such as loss of a prized specimen, tank leaks, a certain pest or equipment failure.

What is yours?

That. Literally had a nightmare about that night before last. We were visiting in-laws, and for some reason had the tank with, but all my premixed saltwater was a home, hours away. Terrifying.

 

[PharmrJohn]

Mine would be my wife finding out how much I have spent on corals and equipment.

Yeah...That was me the last time around. Gotta admit.......

 

[PharmrJohn]

@littlefoxx THAT would be a nightmare!

 

[Sea_forest]

My tank crashed while in vacation. I checked the camera and saw the water is low and the ATO is beeping, I know from far away that I will ne coming home from a dead tank and stinky house.

Tank crash, I can handle but not a leaking or bursting tank.

 

[SallyWho]

Like most who have been in this hobby for more than a minute, I have survived tank crashes and devastating losses to disease outbreaks (among other horrors). While I would normally never want to revisit those, I would absolutely go through them again ten times over if it meant I didn't have to experience a catastrophic seam failure or a house fire. Those are the two that truly keep me up at night.

I agree with Fish Styx. I've had diseases and pests and algae takeovers and a slow leak last year that at least gave me time to move the livestock and drain the tank....but a catastrophic blowout or a house fire are what make me sweat.

Oh, I guess I also worry about floor failure. My tank is oriented parallel to the floor joists, so before installation I went down there with foundation blocks, 2x8s, and jacks. I put up a header supporting about the midline where the tank sits. But since I've had water issues in the crawlspace, I do worry about those blocks shifting and the floor supports not working right, leading to a busted floor. Had a guy down there about a year ago doing mold remediation and I asked him if he noticed any issues with the header/jacks and he said no, but I still worry!

 

[Peter Houde]

Entering and existing in the hobby, we encounter many fears such as loss of a prized specimen, tank leaks, a certain pest or equipment failure.

What is yours?

What tank? All I see is water.

 

[JayM]

No nightmares here. The only thing I could imagine being a nightmare would be something out of my control, and I don’t worry about things that I can’t control.