OCD and Reef Hobby

[j.falk]

There’s always pot ha. Cbt might help, it’s a struggle. It’s a bit easier when you mix in adhd as you’re time limited and bounce back and forth, obsessing over something different every week.. sometimes daily… so your hands are only in the tank for a week and then off to another project like painting the house in the middle of the night, facing all the labels in your pantry and fridge, organizing your clothes by color so that your closet looks like a rainbow, moving all the furniture so you can properly vacuum and mop in the middle of the night and then notice a flaw in the grout on the tile floor and before you know it you’re staring at a bare concrete floor and a pile of broken up floor tile and when you go get the wheelbarrow to load up the tile you notice it has a flat tire and an hour later you’ve cleaned and greased the wheel bearings, tightened all the hardware, sanded and painted the handles and when you finish and go out the paint back you notice your garage shelf doesn’t look right so now it’s Sunday and your living room is torn up, the garage is in pieces, the dogs are thinking you’re nuts but you have a great looking wheelbarrow!

^ That is my life on a weekly basis. LOL I've been renovating the house for the past 10 years and there is always something being worked on...usually multiple jobs as I find "new" things that are in need of repair. I always feel like when I'm just about done working on one part of the house...three more jobs pop up that need to get done asap! :confounded-face:

 

[KrisReef]

@A_Blind_Reefer @twelvefive et al

Im creating this little safe space post to give everyone a place to relax

ZxAbcedjk
123645978

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

^ That is my life on a weekly basis. LOL I've been renovating the house for the past 10 years and there is always something being worked on...usually multiple jobs as I find "new" things that are in need of repair. I always feel like when I'm just about done working on one part of the house...three more jobs pop up that need to get done asap! :confounded-face:

It never, NEV-ER ends my friend! The line in the movie fight club, the things you own end up owning you, hits me daily

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

@A_Blind_Reefer @twelvefive et al

Im creating this little safe space post to give everyone a place to relax

ZxAbcedjk
123645978

A safe space with limited stimuli. Actually I think my safe space needs to have padded walls and include a free jacket, a straight jacket

 

[KrisReef]

A safe space with limited stimuli. Actually I think my safe space needs to have padded walls and include a free jacket, a straight jacket

I’m in a spot like that now and eventually the scratchiness will wear off and you won’t hardly notice it. It is difficult to get any sleep standing in the corner so just lean on the wall and you’ll get the hang of it. Then the stimuli get boring and you’ll be off to sleep in no time flat.

 

[KK's Reef]

Hello Reefers,

I realized I have OCD regarding my reef tank where everything has to be perfect inside, every little dot has to be cleaned, every mark, smallest algae from glass, smallest dirt etc, which is impossible, and it's not good for the system to have my hand inside all the time.

I realize sometimes I can not enjoy my tank because some of the things inside are driving me crazy. I was planning to upgrade to bigger tank but I'm not sure will my OCD allow it, with bigger tank there is more stuff that I will notice.

How do you deal with this?

"How do you deal with this?"


Therapy.

 

[j.falk]

"How do you deal with this?"


Therapy.

Therapists will come clean our tanks for us to keep them spotless? :grinning-face:

 

[KrisReef]

Therapists will come clean our tanks for us to keep them spotless? :grinning-face:

Totally have a name if I ever start a reef maintenance business. My other bad habit is posting on here and getting distracted with so many ideas that I almost never finis

 

[marcosnano]

"How do you deal with this?"


Therapy.

Dude, I spent all my money on reef tank, I can't afford that.

 

[fulanin54]

I found setting a routine for maintenance helps, as well as reminding myself to enjoy the tank as it is.

 

[FiveGallonSea]

Found this thread and it's great haha. So I have had OCD since I can remember. As you get older and life gets harder, OCD worsens. Life if out of your control, but cleaning isn't right? Yup so that's where this comes in.

My reef tank is so OCD that I forget how bad it is until I see someone else's tank. I would say the absolute worst part is that the sandbed HAS TO BE level. Especially where it meets the glass. I don't mind small dips elsewhere but along the tank I straighten it out every day, sometimes 2-3 times if I'm home all day. The rest is minimalism. I have barely any rock and I reserve the rock I do have to a very specific pattern. I do not just plop corals anywhere. Everything is to meet the human eye without interruption. My sump is taken care of just as much as my display. Absolutely spotless. I even got an idea from someone along the years to put powerbeads in the sump facing the bottom for detritus not to collect so the bottom doesn't have a speck lol.

Of course like many of you I have noticed that the more you clean your tank the less successful it is. When I was in school recently for 2-3 years and was so busy I barely had time to sleep my tank wasn't messed with as much and it was doing amazing. Now that I have time for it, I'm chasing the stupidest little problems at all times.

I think it helps to watch video of the actual ocean and see what a mess it really is and try to wonder why you think your small slice of the ocean needs to be perfect. Won't fix you but it will give you perspective!

 

[ptrahan]

I have a problem with just counting five drops in the pH test. Do I count the drops as they leave the bottle or as they hit the water? Look! A squirrel!! Shoot! Have to dump it out and start again. Again!!