Specialized Magazine Article for college course - interview questions.

Maddlesrain · Feb 14, 2019

Hello R2R community,
I’m hoping you can help me out

I’ve been asked to write a specialized magazine article for one of my college journalism courses, which will then later be sent to a real magazine (not that it will be published, but the goal is to try!).

I took this opportunity to write about reefing and would like to talk about why the hobby hooks us (every pun intended), what draws us in, and why even after failures/ losses we continue to maintain aquariums in our homes with such love and compassion.

For anyone willing to participate, and won’t mind having their name recorded in my article, please answer the following questions either in the comments below or send a PM if you feel more comfortable doing so. Please be as specific as you can and add any extras you think might be helpful!

1. How long have you been in the hobby?
2. Why did you start?
3. Have you suffered any major losses/ struggles? What were they? (ex. Tank crash, algae, disease, stability, life etc).
4. What advice do you have for others to avoid this issue(s)?
5. After a major loss, what has kept you from giving up the hobby?
6. Are you in the hobby as a business, simply for pleasure, etc?
7. What do you feel you get out of your aquarium / being in the aquarist community?

Thank you, thank you to anyone who contributes!

Billdogg · Feb 16, 2019

Maddlesrain said:
Hello R2R community,
I’m hoping you can help me out

I’ve been asked to write a specialized magazine article for one of my college journalism courses, which will then later be sent to a real magazine (not that it will be published, but the goal is to try!).

I took this opportunity to write about reefing and would like to talk about why the hobby hooks us (every pun intended), what draws us in, and why even after failures/ losses we continue to maintain aquariums in our homes with such love and compassion.

For anyone willing to participate, and won’t mind having their name recorded in my article, please answer the following questions either in the comments below or send a PM if you feel more comfortable doing so. Please be as specific as you can and add any extras you think might be helpful!

1. How long have you been in the hobby?

31 years

2. Why did you start?
I have had freshwater aquariums as long as I can remember. When I got SCUBA certified, it seemed a natural choice.

3. Have you suffered any major losses/ struggles? What were they? (ex. Tank crash, algae, disease, stability, life etc).
We all have or will. Had my then girlfriend watch my tank while I went on a long family weekend, end of July/early August. The first thing she did was turn off my AC to save me a couple bucks :-( Cost me a couple thousand instead.
Algae issues couple times due to a busy life/lack of proper maintenance.

4. What advice do you have for others to avoid this issue(s)?
For the first one, leave VERY DETAILED instructions and contact numbers so if anything looks wrong they aren't on their own.
For the second one, try to keep up on maintenance but understand that life sometimes gets in the way of what we would rather do.

5. After a major loss, what has kept you from giving up the hobby?
Perseverance and a desire to do it right. Also a commitment to the creatures I keep. I had a Undulated Moray for 25 years. He became almost a friend.

6. Are you in the hobby as a business, simply for pleasure, etc?
Pleasure, although selling frags to friends is always fun.

7. What do you feel you get out of your aquarium / being in the aquarist community?
I have learned so much about so many things because of this hobby - from marine biology to plumbing/electrical/woodworking/glass and acrylic work etc etc etc.
There is always something else to learn

Thank you, thank you to anyone who contributes!

HTH!

Maddlesrain · Feb 16, 2019

Billdogg said:
HTH!

Thank you!!

leahfiish · Feb 19, 2019

Maddlesrain said:
1. How long have you been in the hobby?
2. Why did you start?
3. Have you suffered any major losses/ struggles? What were they? (ex. Tank crash, algae, disease, stability, life etc).
4. What advice do you have for others to avoid this issue(s)?
5. After a major loss, what has kept you from giving up the hobby?
6. Are you in the hobby as a business, simply for pleasure, etc?
7. What do you feel you get out of your aquarium / being in the aquarist community?

1. About 10 years total

2. My parent's friend gave us a 29g tank and I've always loved animals so I begged them to set it up. I started with a freshwater and did all the research and maintenance myself when I was in middle school, and my parents were impressed so they got me a 2nd tank for saltwater when I started highschool. At that point I was hooked. I took a break from the hobby during college but my senior year I got a betta tank and then shortly after I graduated I started working at a local fish store.

3. My first real tank crash was when I moved to college and left my tanks in the care of my parents. A week after I moved, a hurricane knocked out power for a few days and that was the end of it. Looking back, I probably should have just sold the tank before I moved, my family never wanted to take care of it anyway. I also have had all the normal algae issues and various pests. Most of my issues came from using live rock, or from not testing my water enough and keeping up with maintenance. I also had to sell my tank when I moved a few months ago, and that was sad, but I got another tank up ASAP.

4. Start with dry rock and bottled bacteria, and keep up with water testing with good, accurate test kits. It will make everything go much more smoothly and you won't have any surprises. Try to be as proactive as possible - if you see a small amount of algae, remove it or take steps to fix it before it grows! That will save a lot of headache. Also don't stock add too many fish too quickly. Rule of thumb is to add no more than double your bioload every month. So month 1, add 1 fish, month 2, and 1 fish, month 3, add 2 fish, etc.

5. I did have to give up my first saltwater tank for college but working at a fish store helped me to remember how much I love the hobby. I have never been as passionate about anything else as I have about reefkeeping, I just love it. I've worked in the industry for about 3 and a half years now and have not lost that passion one bit. I love the sense of accomplishment from seeing my corals grow, and sharing those frags with my friends. I also love helping people get into the hobby, watching them take home their first clownfish or coral is always so exciting.

6. While I do work at a fish store, I am in it for my own pleasure. I was into the hobby long before I started working in the industry. It feels more like my career is an extension of my hobby.

7. I am very proud of my tank and love what I've accomplished with it. It helps me stick to a routine, and waiting for my corals to grow is a lesson in patience, and gives me something to look forward to. I'm so excited to see what my tank will look like in 6 months! Learning how to take care of a reek tank was also a great experience - everyone says that keeping a saltwater tank is hard - but if I can do that, what else can I do? Having a reef tank has taught me dedication, commitment, observation skills, patience, and persistence. I also love sharing the experience with others, and helping people set up a tank of their own.

Maddlesrain · Feb 20, 2019

Thank you @leahfiish !!! I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out!

Tuffyyyyy · Feb 22, 2019

1. How long have you been in the hobby?
I have been keeping fish since June of 2015, and have been keeping saltwater tanks since August of 2016

2. Why did you start?
Someone gave us a 10g starter fishtank as a wedding present. I couldn't not set it up, so I got a betta. I started seriously looking into saltwater tanks around March of 2016, and then got my first tank (An Innovative Marine 20) in August 2016.

3. Have you suffered any major losses/ struggles? What were they? (ex. Tank crash, algae, disease, stability, life etc).
I started dosing NoPox 6 months or so ago. I didn't realize that you needed a skimmer and ended up suffocating all the fish in my smaller tank. In there was the first fish I had gotten, a clown that I'd had since September of 2016. I was devastated and almost left the hobby.

Oh I also tried a clam for the 2nd time last month. I got it in from LiveAquaria, took forever to acclimate it, and literally jumped with joy when it opened up. Then my ATO (almost immediately) started malfunctioning for the first time ever, which caused some salinity swings, and also the clam's demise. That obviously didn't hurt as bad as losing the clown I'd had for 3 months, but I was really upset because I thought I'd finally been able to care for a trickier (and beautiful) animal.

4. What advice do you have for others to avoid this issue(s)?
Do more research? I had done research on using NoPox though. I even started off using half of the recommended dosage, but somehow missed that you need to use a skimmer.

5. After a major loss, what has kept you from giving up the hobby?
I guess it gave me the opportunity to try something new? I have 2 tanks set up, an Innovative Marine 40 and an Innovative Marine Peninsula 20. Once everything had been suffocated in the 20, I ended up shutting it down. I knew I wouldn't actually leave because I'd had the 40 gallon set up for 2 years with minimal issues.

6. Are you in the hobby as a business, simply for pleasure, etc?
Completely for pleasure. I've never sold a frag.

7. What do you feel you get out of your aquarium / being in the aquarist community?
Community for sure. I have people that I text and chat with frequently that I haven't met IRL, or rarely meet IRL. One of my favorite things is meeting new people and learning about their tanks. There's also so much good YouTube content, and content on here that it's a great community.

WVNed · Feb 22, 2019

1. How long have you been in the hobby?
I started keeping fish in 1982 in our first apartment. After keeping all manner of freshwater things I switched to salt about 12 years ago.

2. Why did you start?
I was an avid swimmer and fisherman as a child. I enjoyed snorkeling and watching fish in lakes and streams. It was like watching birds. My parents took me to the Outer Banks in NC in the 60s, a very different experience than going now. Lots of live live things on the beach back then.
I became fascinated with aquatic life at an early age and it never wore off. I always had an aquarium with a frog, newt, salamander or creek minnow in it as a kid.

3. Have you suffered any major losses/ struggles? What were they? (ex. Tank crash, algae, disease, stability, life etc).
I have had 3 major events that killed 60-100% of my system each time. A bad pet sitter while we where on a 2 week vacation who didnt even put the make up water in the tank. The water got so low that room temperature activated the heater and cooked the tank. A system that became energized by a failed heater that burned in a sump was my first saltwater crash. Recently poor logistics on my part killed a bunch of stuff when I moved my tank to our new home.

4. What advice do you have for others to avoid this issue(s)?
Buy the best equipment you can afford and If your tank needs a caretaker for a while don't assume because they can feed a dog and put it out they will
take care of your tank. Do a little hands on instruction.

5. After a major loss, what has kept you from giving up the hobby?
I have had many major setbacks in my life in all manner of things. I dont quit, ever. Quitting gets you nothing.

6. Are you in the hobby as a business, simply for pleasure, etc?
just for pleasure. Long ago I raised several kinds of cichlids and traded them at the LFS for supplies.

7. What do you feel you get out of your aquarium / being in the aquarist community?
I find it very peaceful watching fish. I enjoy animals as companions. We have 6 dogs, a cat and a Conure as well. It is catching. My sons each have 2 dogs and my daughter has one at college with her. Holidays are a hoot with 11 dogs and a house full of people.I enjoy reading about other livestock I have never tried yet. You cant keep all the things in one tank.
maybe someday