"Pretty aquariums are the most boring things ever. Make something real". Do you agree with this statement?

[ShrimpDemolisher]

This is a long post, but please spend a few minutes reading this. Someone told me this and it baffled me:

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"Aquariums are the things people ignore at doctors' offices and corporate lobbies.

If you want people to show interest in your hobby, you have to make something interesting. I had a buddy who was big into animals... not just fish but snakes and spiders and whatever else he could build a habitat for. But that's what he did... he built *habitats*.

He took a 500 gallon tank and turned it into a precise recreation of Lake Tanganyika in Africa. I only know that lake exists because of his tank. I know it's a stratified lake, with distinct layers, and his precisely recreated one of them. And he populated it with African cichlids, both male and female, and then he sealed the tank. They ate each other's babies and such, the only external interactions was monitoring and changing the water quality, based on samples he took from the top of this massive sand filter.

Most people make "pretty" fish tanks. And like I said at the open, those are the most boring things in the world. Make something *real*.

I dabbled in aquariums. And no one cared that my Oscar let me pet his head and was basically more like a water dog than a fish. But no one found what I did interesting, either."
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(Tagging some members. My apology if this bothers you. @Paul B @Katrina71 @ScottR @Sarah24! @Hemmdog @ReefRy )

 

[fcmatt]

I am pretty sure that a hobby is supposed to make you happy. If others get joy from it that is just a bonus. Reefing to impress others kind of defeats the purpose unless your hobby is to get praise which brings joy instead of joy for the act itself.

 

[ca1ore]

Rather nonsensical to me. Attempting to recreate a natural ecosystem is about as ‘real’ as it gets. I personally find those the most interesting tanks. Of course, I suppose one could attempt to recreate a boring part of the ecosystem .... the sand flats off the reef where not much happens LOL. Tanks at doctors office generally get ignored because they are almost always really lame.

 

[Tennyson]

There's a valid argument for building a habitat over a beautiful display and vise versa - but this guy is wrong in that he/she is a hobbyist to meet other people's approval.

I do agree that a 'habitat' is more interesting/fun than a pristine and instagrammable setup. If you saw my setup, its definitely a functional mess and not beautiful overall, but I love filling every space with something alive and protecting life.

~happy reefing~

 

[jsvand5]

This is a long post, but please spend a few minutes reading this. Someone told me this and it baffled me:

----------------------------------------
"Aquariums are the things people ignore at doctors' offices and corporate lobbies.

If you want people to show interest in your hobby, you have to make something interesting. I had a buddy who was big into animals... not just fish but snakes and spiders and whatever else he could build a habitat for. But that's what he did... he built *habitats*.

He took a 500 gallon tank and turned it into a precise recreation of Lake Tanganyika in Africa. I only know that lake exists because of his tank. I know it's a stratified lake, with distinct layers, and his precisely recreated one of them. And he populated it with African cichlids, both male and female, and then he sealed the tank. They ate each other's babies and such, the only external interactions was monitoring and changing the water quality, based on samples he took from the top of this massive sand filter.

Most people make "pretty" fish tanks. And like I said at the open, those are the most boring things in the world. Make something *real*.

I dabbled in aquariums. And no one cared that my Oscar let me pet his head and was basically more like a water dog than a fish. But no one found what I did interesting, either."
-------------------------------------------------------


(Tagging some members. My apology if this bothers you. @Paul B @Katrina71 @ScottR @Sarah24! @Hemmdog @ReefRy )

So was this person claiming to not feed the fish aside from them eating each others babies? If so, I just don’t believe that’s possible.

As for the question, I prefer pretty tanks I guess. I don’t think I’d be willing to spend thousands on a tank only to limit myself to just a few types of fish and even fewer types of corals.

 

[ShrimpDemolisher]

So was this person claiming to not feed the fish aside from them eating each others babies? If so, I just don’t believe that’s possible.

As for the question, I prefer pretty tanks I guess. I don’t think I’d be willing to spend thousands on a tank only to limit myself to just a few types of fish and even fewer types of corals.

That's also my thought. Pretty tanks are more popular and they are popular for a reason.

 

[Waters]

Can't the tank be "pretty" and interesting? I actually find both equally interesting for different reasons. Most people ignore the tanks in the doctors office because they are normally freshwater tanks that have been set up for 20 years, keeping the same 2 fish (at least that is the case in my eye doctor's lol). I still stare at it because I am in to the hobby but I am sure a fully stocked reef tank, or an African Cichlid tank would both draw a lot more attention (probably more so the reef tank, unless you know you are looking at a location specific tank, which most people wouldn't).

 

[User]

Rather nonsensical to me. Attempting to recreate a natural ecosystem is about as ‘real’ as it gets. I personally find those the most interesting tanks. Of course, I suppose one could attempt to recreate a boring part of the ecosystem .... the sand flats off the reef where not much happens LOL. Tanks at doctors office generally get ignored because they are almost always really lame.

And don’t forget- I don’t go to the LFS to sit and worry about getting my prostate probed and I don’t go to the doctor to look at his puffer and 3 fake neon corals.

Aquariums in offices and doctors receptions are largely ignored because people tend to have something a little different on their minds other than looking at a reef

 

[maroun.c]

I dont get what's the difference between an ecosystem (if u could setup one that self sustained ) and an aquarium, to the eyes of someone not in the hobby its till an aquarium. Not saying any of both isn't eye catching and interesting.
I still have to have someone ignore my tank when they walk into the home, and even if they did I wouldn't care as tank is made for my own pleasure and self satisfaction.

 

[Leadfooted]

You brain bead if you walk past this or find boring lol. Just kidding of course, I’m a bit obsessed with aquariums. Most don’t get as excited as me but the term boring hasn’t been mentioned around my system. I’ve found over time the average person enjoys my cheaper corals and the motions they make with flow patterns. Take away the corals that move with flow patterns and yes, perhaps a bit boring.

 

[Mayerlyn A]

I am pretty sure that a hobby is supposed to make you happy. If others get joy from it that is just a bonus. Reefing to impress others kind of defeats the purpose unless your hobby is to get praise which brings joy instead of joy for the act itself.

My thoughts exactly. I put things in my tank that make me happy. It's here for my enjoyment , I don't care if other people find it interesting or not.

 

[andrewkw]

If a tank isn't pretty, it's an eyesore in almost every case, unless it's some kind of crazy interesting mess. To be fair though you are also comparing freshwater tanks to reefs which is a pretty tough comparison.

 

[flsalty]

"Pretty" is subjective so I'm not sure what you mean by that. I consider a reef tank a habitat, but I don't think I've ever seen a reef tank in a lobby. Those are usually fish only tanks with fake decorations, whether fresh or salt. I'm sure that's someone's idea of pretty. To me the reef is pretty.

 

[fish farmer]

You build what you want to build, but I will tend to agree with that fact that pretty aquariums is what this hobby seems to focus on. Many people seem to gravitate toward pretty freshwater fish and pretty saltwater fish....how often do you see drab looking fish fetching high dollar amounts, how many times do see people referencing "ugly brown palys". We try to pull the best color out of our corals.....I even have a new light fixture in the mail, partly for more coverage and partly for coloring up my "ugly" brown soft corals.

People show off their tanks on this forum. I'm sure the glass gets cleaned and the hobbyist wants to make everything perfect for the shot going to the world.

 

[Onewolf]

I am a saltwater/reef newbie but I have done a lot of scuba diving and underwater photography over the last 20 years. The vast majority of reef tanks I see photos of around here and other places online look like Dr Seuss cartoon creations compared to 'real world' reefs.

 

[hart24601]

The average person would probably consider a tank full of long hair algae on every rock and wall to be far prettier than our coral. A waving bright green forest.

 

[jsvand5]

I am a saltwater/reef newbie but I have done a lot of scuba diving and underwater photography over the last 20 years. The vast majority of reef tanks I see photos of around here and other places online look like Dr Seuss cartoon creations compared to 'real world' reefs.

I agree with that for sure. There is no reef in the world that you’ll find the variety of colors and types of corals that are in most tanks. I think a nice and well established SPS tank looks better than any real reef. Not natural, but definitely nicer IMO

 

[Onewolf]

I am a saltwater/reef newbie but I have done a lot of scuba diving and underwater photography over the last 20 years. The vast majority of reef tanks I see photos of around here and other places online look like Dr Seuss cartoon creations compared to 'real world' reefs.

I did not mean that to imply it's a bad thing. I just wanted to point out it's not "natural".

 

[albano]

"Aquariums are the things people ignore at doctors' offices and corporate lobbies.

If you want people to show interest in your hobby, you have to make something interesting...
But that's what he did... he built *habitats*...

He took a 500 gallon tank and turned it into a precise recreation of Lake Tanganyika in Africa. I only know that lake exists because of his tank. I know it's a stratified lake, with distinct layers, and his precisely recreated one of them. And he populated it with African cichlids, both male and female, and then he sealed the tank. They ate each other's babies and such, the only external interactions was monitoring and changing the water quality, based on samples he took from the top of this massive sand filter.

Unless someone informs me (and everyone else) about how ‘unique’ this ‘habitat’ is... how would I know by looking at it?
As someone that’s had fish since the 1950’s, I’d check it out... but without knowing the details, I might not be interested for long!

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Great discussion. I tend to agree with the comment above about tanks being both pretty and interesting. I've never found it hard for other people to get interested in my tank and it's nothing special. I also agree that ultimately the benefit of any hobby is the joy it brings the hobbyist--not the spectators.