They take up time, money and they sometimes stink! So why do you keep a saltwater reef aquarium?

[musicreef]

For me when the tank is running well and its inhabitants seem happy I can sit in front of it and watch for a long while. The fish swimming by, the sway of corals, the sound of water cascading into the sump its like music, a symphony. When its not doing so good its like heavy metal, I want to bang my head but I LOVE music.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Once someone is truly enchanted with the ocean, I can't see how they could ever go without a tank. I want to retire onto a sailboat and still trying to research how I can manage to keep a nano at least on a boat And will literally be living on top of the ocean, sailing to the most beautiful places, and snorkeling most of the days away.

I once thought I could give up owning a reef tank when I took a job in the middle east and though I was going to Bagram. Luckily, I got Al Dhafra in Abu Dhabi and a nice apartment... instead of a hooch. Worst 3 months of my life without a tank Soon enough, I had a tank and life was good again and I was once again frustrated but in love with my little slice of the ocean to come home to.

Design nano, so you can plumb ocean water to it when in Crystal clear waters. That's a million dollar idea. Don't forget now I have one year to patent it.

 

[Chestern02]

To disintegrate my drywall is my long term goal

 

[Mical]

I wouldn't exactly call it "cons". Every hobby whether it's cars, boats, drones, photography, etc... has it's "not so glamorous sides". Some refer to it as cons, where others it's maintenance, a learning curve, understanding new technology... it's all an experience that makes us feel fulfilled or accomplished when things go as planned. But when things go in unexpected directions, it can be depressing or a challenge, and yes some of those challenges come at steep costs in time, labor & $$$. Each of us has our own thresholds of what we will endure as with any endeavor. We all just happen to love reefing - good, bad or indifferent.

 

[Oldsalt]

For me, the cons are my age (64) and back pain (I sustained spinal fractures while serving in the USNavy). The Navy doctors told me that I'm very lucky to be walking. I count my blessings every day. Last week I was tripped up by my dog who decided that being behind my feet as I was getting into bed would be ok. Well, his decision was awful because I fell backwards into the bedside table, causing fractures to 5 vertabral end plates (not near the spinal cord)!! I was in absolutely agony the next morning so I went to my GP (Australian for General Practitioner or family doctor). He asked me what happened so I told him. He asked me if I had driven to see him. I said yes. He dropped everything (including patients waiting to see him) and followed me home (less than a mile away) and took me to the radiology clinic in his expensive Audi. He was in the little control room while I had my scans. He helped me get dressed and took me back to his clinic and wrote a prescription for heavy duty sublingual pain killers. The pharmacy is in the same clinic so I grabbed the pills and stuck one under my tongue per his instructions, got back to his car and drove me home. By the time we got to my house, I was feeling pretty good! He warned me to take it easy because the drug only masks the pain - if I did any lifting or other aquarium related stuff, I could do more damage without feeling it. He helped me into my house and he marvelled at my aquarium (he'd only ever seen photos and videos). I explained to him how the ATO and other automatic things worked. He was kind enough to top off the ATO with RODI water for me. It's a rare thing indeed to have such a dedicated and caring doctor. Because I'm a certified piano tuner and technician who regularly services his wife's piano, I offered him my services for free - for life. He gently refused by saying that I should be paid regardless of my wishes to repay him for his assistance. I guess that there's a fine line that separates a patient from his GP, especially with regard to doing business, however, when I told him that the next piano tuning would be "on the house - with zero strings attached" (he laughed at the pun), he accepted my offer.
In closing, being alone in this hobby may have its cons, but they're all made up for when I sit in front of my aquarium and enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of it all.

 

[JeepTj]

only real con here is only one LFS that sells salt water and that ma and pa shop is awesome but sometimes live stock isn't always easily available and such sometimes sucks being next local shop is 100 miles away .

cost? meh I spent 3k on a puppy cause I liked the breed.. if you like what you got and enjoy the cost just slows you down, but never stops you from the end result ..

biggest issue i come across lately is water is tooooo clean, pulsing xenia can't even survive in my tank.. LOL the the 4 anemone's and the moorish idol are thiriving like mad.. haha

 

[Earl Karl]

It's just hard to walk away from investment.

Take this guy for example. Everything is wrong with this fish, yet I still keep him. My heart is too invested to him.

Indo Gold/DS Torch..Mind Melter Chalice....Rainbow Neglectus..........Jinoo's Lord of all Lords..........WWC Allstar Acro
These corals will make bank in the future, that's investment right there son.

Once I got this guy, there is no turning back lol. No matter what happens, tank still runs cuz of this guy.

 

[TheKyle]

For me, I love the feeling of progressing and advancing at something difficult. Trying, failing, trying harder and getting better is a really addictive feeling. But I find with most other activities I lose interest over time. Reefing is awesome and different because once you have achieved success you get to reap the rewards every single day. Plus the end game is really only limited by your own creativity and drive (maybe money too)

 

[CurtnStac]

Well I just had the ultimate reef con... A tank crash. As discouraging as it is I'm still not giving up!

 

[Oldsalt]

Well I just had the ultimate reef con... A tank crash. As discouraging as it is I'm still not giving up!

It sucks when that happens. I laud your determination to keep going. It always pays off with a positive attitude like yours.

 

[Tastee]

For me it was the vibrant colors of the saltwater fish I would see in the tanks I looked at, after having fresh water tanks since I was 10 I was always fascinated with saltwater and even though it's a lot more work it's well worth it.

That’s pretty much me too. I grew up next to the coast and kept FW fish for most of my life. Always loved the gorgeous SW fish though. When I turned 50 I moved to SW and love it. I went in with eyes wide open regarding cost and can afford it so that’s not a concern. My wife and I love our fish and inverts and I love the fact I can get corals to grow and thrive. I’m a reader and researcher by nature with a science background so I also love the amount there is to learn about the hobby. It certainly keeps my mind occupied!

The other part I love is that I get to design something and see it working. My setup is not DIY - Current tank is RSR 250 and planning a 2nd tank, RSR 525 XL, but I setup my own water station, ATO topup, Apex programming, UPS configuration etc. That also breaks the back of the maintenance tasks so I am not consumed with that. If you can afford it there are lots of ways to automate. Plus it’s fun to do.

 

[srad750c]

After 25 years of owning a reef, I’ve finally come to the decision of breaking my down or scaling way back. I really enjoyed it over the years but I just don’t have to time to keep up with the constant pruning and other maintenance. Plus my equipment is aging. A major equipment over haul be literally be a very nice used car. If I keep it going, will go back to LPS tank. My current lifestyle and job burns all my time.

 

[LisaMarie]

Well so do boyfriends, dogs, cats, birds, teenagers, babies and your grandparents but we still keep those too.

Best answer ever!

 

[Timfish]

Gotta say I have conflicting reasons answering this question. Haveing been in the hobby for over 3 decades and having a reef maintenance business for 25 years I don't see much of a downside to keeping a reef system going for decades. But the main reason my clients hire me is they don't have the time to figure out all the nuances in keeping reef systems healthy.

 

[Salty Lemon]

I'm in a situation where I can generally surf through the cons. But when I retire or as I age, some cons may become overwhelming. There must be statistical model out there somewhere that can prove it has to do with age, income, time, and physical capability.

 

[Scott (Mack) McIntosh]

Reef tanks are beautiful and rewarding yet they are also stinky, dirty, hard work and heart breaking! There are any pros to keeping a living reef in your living reef but there are also very many cons! So why do it? Why spend all the money? Why spend all the time? Why go through all the worry when having to leave town? Why? So here's the question for today.

Considering the good, the bad and the ugly, why do you own/keep a saltwater reef aquarium?

Love of the hobby

 

[Scott (Mack) McIntosh]

And I can't imagine giving it up. When I,m working on my tank I'm Living the dream!

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

Reef keeping reminds me of the beautiful things that God created. It is also a great relaxing hobby for me (most of the time). My tank is not the biggest or best by any means (20 gallon high with HOB filter) and half the time something looks like crap or its dirty or something like that; but it's okay! Soft coral can handle it, and as long as my fish are healthy and happy, I'm happy. I also just adore the looks of wonder on people's faces when I tell them that I own a reef tank. It is so fun to tell people what things are and point things out that they otherwise wouldn't have noticed. People definitely get a kick out of my watchman goby and pistol shrimp!