Reefing Saved My Life!

[Gonzo74]

I love that is says dinning room tank because it implies there are more tank.

How many do you have?

 

[Adam_C]

Gonzo74 thank you for posting this brother. I can definitely relate. My reefing has been my go-to as well. Tough finding a balance between what takes my mind of things, and focusing on family.

U.S. Army 11B

 

[Cherie cook]

My beloved brother in law was a medic in Vietnam. He saw so many terrible things but could never talk about any of it...he became an alcoholic, but was the most loving, funny, amazing person I’ve ever known. He died two years ago from ALS due to agent orange exposure...shortly after he retired from a career as an OR tech.

 

[Ditto]

@Gonzo74 - 4 running and soon a 5th.

From oldest to newest
Seahorse Tank - 4 months
Frag tank - 6 months. (Had one before but tore it down) feed awc from oldest tank
Dining Room Tank coming up to 18 months which had many startup frags from my living room tank. This at the end is going to be a softy tank.
Living Room Tank the oldest at 7 years old

I am contemplating the upgrade of the living room tank by tearing down a wall and placing a new tank approx 300 gallons I. The new location and transfer the content of the living room tank to that one.

 

[Gonzo74]

Gonzo74 thank you for posting this brother. I can definitely relate. My reefing has been my go-to as well. Tough finding a balance between what takes my mind of things, and focusing on family.

U.S. Army 11B

11Z my friend.

Started as 11C (2 years) then 11B (16 years) and then did my last three years at a SMU.

 

[Gonzo74]

@Gonzo74 - 4 running and soon a 5th.

From oldest to newest
Seahorse Tank - 4 months
Frag tank - 6 months. (Had one before but tore it down) feed awc from oldest tank
Dining Room Tank coming up to 18 months which had many startup frags from my living room tank. This at the end is going to be a softy tank.
Living Room Tank the oldest at 7 years old

I am contemplating the upgrade of the living room tank by tearing down a wall and placing a new tank approx 300 gallons I. The new location and transfer the content of the living room tank to that one.

So much envy!

 

[Gonzo74]

My beloved brother in law was a medic in Vietnam. He saw so many terrible things but could never talk about any of it...he became an alcoholic, but was the most loving, funny, amazing person I’ve ever known. He died two years ago from ALS due to agent orange exposure...shortly after he retired from a career as an OR tech.

War rages hell on everyone who sees it. The hardest battles for me have been back home.

 

[andyg1960]

Not going through the same thing you did, but dealing with depression bad enough to require being on disability from work for now. My reef tank gives me solace, hope, and pride. Helps a lot. Thanks for sharing your story.

 

[Gonzo74]

Not going through the same thing you did, but dealing with depression bad enough to require being on disability from work for now. My reef tank gives me solace, hope, and pride. Helps a lot. Thanks for sharing your story.

You are not alone Andy.

 

[Shawn Blevins]

Shawn,

Thanks for the camera idea.

I like to look at it more of a fascination and not an addiction. Key to this would be knowing when it is affecting us negatively and neglecting others around us.


My next article in this “series” will be about just that. My experience with how my loved ones are effected by my fascination and what I have done/am figuring out how to do, to ensure it is positive for them.

It’s more of a joke. When I bring my local fish store Chaeto and calerpa he always cause it reef kush. Then we joke about what he’s got to get my fix. Although your perception is spot on. I had 7-8 tanks going one time and had no time for home life when I got home from work. It caused me a fair amount of anxiety from not enough time in the day. My wife sat me straight pretty quick

 

[Daniel@R2R]

This is such a great thread. Thank you all for sharing

 

[Gonzo74]

This is such a great thread. Thank you all for sharing

Dan,

I hope we can get others taking about similar relationships with their hobby. Maybe we can learn new ways to cope from others.

 

[eXact iDip®]

@Gonzo74 Thank you for your service. Very inspirational post!!

 

[Gonzo74]

Thank you! It was my honor.

 

[Newbie1]

Thank you for writing this. I have been in Law Enforcement for close to 20 years. I recently had a life changing moment that brought pain to me and everyone around me. I felt lost and lonely with no sense of being worthy. One friend brought up fish tanks, and so I bought my daughter a two gallon beta fish tank. That turned into a 30 gallon Nano reef and that turned into a 55 gallon reef. I too have good days and bad days. At first if something went wrong with the tank or if I lost a fish I was very emotional. That has gotten better. I find myself always doing something to the tank or just pulling up a chair and watching everyone running around living their lives.

I feel reefing played a very important piece in saving my life.

You are not alone, and thank you for writing this article.

 

[Dorinda]

This thread is for the general discussion of the Article Reefing Saved My Life!. Please add to the discussion here.

I was hit head on in a bad car accident. I was trapped in my 2016 Jeep Wrangler and it was on fire. I was blessed by a true hero who stop, pulled off my door and pulled me out. As I sat on the ground leaning on him, my whole Jeep went up in flames. Tires popping and then the helicopter showed up to take me to the hospital. Luckily for me, no burns. Just lots of broken bones. 4 surgeries and a year and a half later, I decided to get back into reefing. Not much driving required . It's peaceful, beautiful and knowing they are God's creatures and I get to enjoy them is wonderful!

 

[Mandelstam]

Thank you for sharing. Very relatable. And I've read so many stories about exactly this. Aquarium hobby saving lives. There's a magic in it somehow. I didn't have a reef at the time I needed one so to speak but what helped me was plants. Digging out seeds from fruit I bought at the supermarket and planting them. Watching them grow. Nurturing them. Experience life growing under my care was very healing when there was so much death around me. And I think there's a link in there somewhere to the healing aspects of auariums and also other pet hobbies. Having something live and grow under your care that you are responsible for as well as it being very fascinating to watch and experience.

 

[artieg1]

Thank you so much for sharing this! Best thing I've seen on the internet in a month!

 

[Rhameen Kolyani]

Amazing Hobby! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Wicky48]

Loved your article @Gonzo74 and do understand. I spent 17 years with the military and have a few memories I will carry to the grave. As well I never stop, always going and of course always reefing. Reefing for me is both interest as I wanted to originally be a Marine Biologist when I was younger and life paths took me in other directions but is also a way for me to project energy into a positive form.

You can see below my build link and follow all I am doing, my current project is a big one and I am looking forward to sharing with everyone when I am finished. Salute.