MnFish1
10K Club member
When the tank looks good, everything is working, etc - little stress - when there is a problem - there is more
What is the most stressful part of keeping a reef that's supposed to reduce stress?!?
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Don Lidtke
Some Old Guy
Being a newbie, there's a bunch of stuff I have to mess up so I can learn from that; stressful, learning new stuff; lowers stress, sitting back and watching the tank; not stressful.
Stress of seeing a beloved coral not doing well with no explainable or testable reason.
Stress of adding a fish/invert that is causing trouble and ruining Tank Peace and impossible to catch.
Stress of micro viewing areas of live rock to find a dreaded Aptasia.
However, the absolute 'high' i get when its doing well is worth the anxiety that comes up from the above. When I know company is coming over and I gleefully start polishing glass inside and out because I know its showtime.
And the moment of accomplishment when I have successfully set up something that is going to increase my overall stability and/or ease of maintenance.
Seeing corals big, puffy and extended polyps I am sure I can hear angels singing.
Stress of adding a fish/invert that is causing trouble and ruining Tank Peace and impossible to catch.
Stress of micro viewing areas of live rock to find a dreaded Aptasia.
However, the absolute 'high' i get when its doing well is worth the anxiety that comes up from the above. When I know company is coming over and I gleefully start polishing glass inside and out because I know its showtime.
And the moment of accomplishment when I have successfully set up something that is going to increase my overall stability and/or ease of maintenance.
Seeing corals big, puffy and extended polyps I am sure I can hear angels singing.
littlebigreef
Valuable Member
My general assumption, from what I'm reading, is that change is the biggest stress driver for most people. Whether its adding new stuff or dealing with problems that arise. Totally get it. Since so few people begin this hobby with an end goal in mind few people are able to achieve that stable state that allows for feeding and water changes. I can see how that causes stress. Without an end goal in mind you're always adding stuff, pulling out nuisance fish, etc. Additionally, if you're not adding at least basic automation (timers, auto dosing, auto top off) you'll see more fluctuations, ergo the potential for more problems. Full disclosure I've worked in more than a few fish shops when I was younger and still moon light occasionally.
For me I knew what I wanted in the way of coral and fish. I also had a 2 year plan (working within a budget) to 1) get lights and pumps on their own circuits from the breaker, 2) add and auto doser, 3) upgrade the protein skimmer (I was using an undersized one from a previous build), 4) add an auto top off (I'd never do another saltwater aquarium without one), 5) add a dedicated plumbing line to run my RO so I wasn't hooking up to a sink, 6) swap out a brute garbage can for dedicated ace roto-mold tank (for water changes), 7) bought a back up generator. Doing those things reduced my stress tremendously over the last 3 years. Its no small coincidence they're all related to some of the more stress aspects of fish keeping: making water for water changes, actually doing the water change, top-offs, consistency in dosing, power failure, pump failure (I have multiple heaters and 2 return pumps (on separate breakers for redundancy). Day to day there's not a lot of variation (change!) that occurs with the system. This gives me far more time to focus on the actual enjoyment and working with corals than fiddling with hardware.
As for the big stress driver for most people: livestock. Look, I get it, its fun to go to the store, see a new fish and buy it. For me I new I wanted a Fowleri tang and another acanthus (I ended up with a Maculiceps for a fellow r2r-er), a pair of sunburst anthias, a pair of genicantus angels (finally just got them), a comet, and then a harem of grammas, wrasses and dartfish. I've added these guys over a long period of time from good sources. Its been the long game to be sure but when I sit down with a baby in one hand and a scotch in the other I can actually enjoy everything. This was the plan all along. Would I love to add a poma angel or bunch of tangs, sure, but I know that wouldn't be sustainable for long, the nutritional requirements for those fish alone would completely upend the nutrient export I have in place.
The other half of this is coral. Everyone has their bug-a-boos when it comes to coral. Mine happens to be acans (which my DT lights just can't support). My collection is built around zoas (about 150 strains) with some chalices, shrooms, and sps thrown into the mix. This is where having tenacity and a short memory are key. As my by line states 'the only expensive coral is one you have to buy a second time...' which I still believe. Whenever I add a zoa, especially the high end ones, I tell myself its going to work and I'll be fine. In reality no one bats 1.000, (I'm probably closer to .750 on zoas) which is fine. Accepting loss is part of this hobby. However, I know as long as I can get another it doesn't stress me out when some fail. However, what stresses me out:
when I have a mother colony of expensive zoas crash. Over the summer I had a 15-20p colony of jf as-kraks fold over the course of a month (grown from 3p). I did all my usually stuff to turn it around and nothing worked. That's stress, especially when I had multiple people waiting on frags. From 3 colonies of flaming mohicans I'm down to 1 of 15p or so. One was fragged and crashed, the other just 'quit on life'.
I realize this is unique to me in what I'm accomplishing with the hobby but I can sympathize with anyone growing out highend corals with the aim of maintaining large colonies (and taking frags here and there for resale). Whenever I see people post about wanting to grow and frag stuff for resale my response is always the same, 'not as fun as it looks or as easy as it sounds.' And its true, it can be a lot of stress. For that reason I'd have no desire to own a fish store. Its so much stress coming at you from so many different angles. Hats off the the guys and girls that can get it done.
My closing thought on stress is this; I've been working towards a set goal regarding the animals and infrastructure in and around my aquarium. I've managed to mitigate a lot of the PITA stuff that occasionally bites the average aquarist in the butt now and again. In embracing automation (to a degree) I've freed myself from more common issues. However, I've taken up the problem of dealing with temperamental corals... which presents itself with a whole new set of stressors. Allowing myself a certain amount of detachment (not expecting to make money back on any given frag once it grows out) allows me to accept it easier when something doesn't pan out. The other (perhaps biggest component) is an unhealthy dose of pragmatism and back and forth with other aquarists that know my system. Truly, being able to talk and bounce ideas off of someone who knows you and your system can be one of the biggest stress relievers.
So there you go, there's my novel.
Happy reefing folks.
For me I knew what I wanted in the way of coral and fish. I also had a 2 year plan (working within a budget) to 1) get lights and pumps on their own circuits from the breaker, 2) add and auto doser, 3) upgrade the protein skimmer (I was using an undersized one from a previous build), 4) add an auto top off (I'd never do another saltwater aquarium without one), 5) add a dedicated plumbing line to run my RO so I wasn't hooking up to a sink, 6) swap out a brute garbage can for dedicated ace roto-mold tank (for water changes), 7) bought a back up generator. Doing those things reduced my stress tremendously over the last 3 years. Its no small coincidence they're all related to some of the more stress aspects of fish keeping: making water for water changes, actually doing the water change, top-offs, consistency in dosing, power failure, pump failure (I have multiple heaters and 2 return pumps (on separate breakers for redundancy). Day to day there's not a lot of variation (change!) that occurs with the system. This gives me far more time to focus on the actual enjoyment and working with corals than fiddling with hardware.
As for the big stress driver for most people: livestock. Look, I get it, its fun to go to the store, see a new fish and buy it. For me I new I wanted a Fowleri tang and another acanthus (I ended up with a Maculiceps for a fellow r2r-er), a pair of sunburst anthias, a pair of genicantus angels (finally just got them), a comet, and then a harem of grammas, wrasses and dartfish. I've added these guys over a long period of time from good sources. Its been the long game to be sure but when I sit down with a baby in one hand and a scotch in the other I can actually enjoy everything. This was the plan all along. Would I love to add a poma angel or bunch of tangs, sure, but I know that wouldn't be sustainable for long, the nutritional requirements for those fish alone would completely upend the nutrient export I have in place.
The other half of this is coral. Everyone has their bug-a-boos when it comes to coral. Mine happens to be acans (which my DT lights just can't support). My collection is built around zoas (about 150 strains) with some chalices, shrooms, and sps thrown into the mix. This is where having tenacity and a short memory are key. As my by line states 'the only expensive coral is one you have to buy a second time...' which I still believe. Whenever I add a zoa, especially the high end ones, I tell myself its going to work and I'll be fine. In reality no one bats 1.000, (I'm probably closer to .750 on zoas) which is fine. Accepting loss is part of this hobby. However, I know as long as I can get another it doesn't stress me out when some fail. However, what stresses me out:
when I have a mother colony of expensive zoas crash. Over the summer I had a 15-20p colony of jf as-kraks fold over the course of a month (grown from 3p). I did all my usually stuff to turn it around and nothing worked. That's stress, especially when I had multiple people waiting on frags. From 3 colonies of flaming mohicans I'm down to 1 of 15p or so. One was fragged and crashed, the other just 'quit on life'.
I realize this is unique to me in what I'm accomplishing with the hobby but I can sympathize with anyone growing out highend corals with the aim of maintaining large colonies (and taking frags here and there for resale). Whenever I see people post about wanting to grow and frag stuff for resale my response is always the same, 'not as fun as it looks or as easy as it sounds.' And its true, it can be a lot of stress. For that reason I'd have no desire to own a fish store. Its so much stress coming at you from so many different angles. Hats off the the guys and girls that can get it done.
My closing thought on stress is this; I've been working towards a set goal regarding the animals and infrastructure in and around my aquarium. I've managed to mitigate a lot of the PITA stuff that occasionally bites the average aquarist in the butt now and again. In embracing automation (to a degree) I've freed myself from more common issues. However, I've taken up the problem of dealing with temperamental corals... which presents itself with a whole new set of stressors. Allowing myself a certain amount of detachment (not expecting to make money back on any given frag once it grows out) allows me to accept it easier when something doesn't pan out. The other (perhaps biggest component) is an unhealthy dose of pragmatism and back and forth with other aquarists that know my system. Truly, being able to talk and bounce ideas off of someone who knows you and your system can be one of the biggest stress relievers.
So there you go, there's my novel.
Happy reefing folks.
Mike Porreca
Active Member
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As long as everything is how it should be there’s no stress. Knock on wood, my tank is running perfectly. Minimal maintenance besides my 5 gal water change a week, replace sock, change floss and done.They say that viewing an aquarium reduces stress but I'm not so sure about that when it comes to us reefers!
Would you say that keeping a saltwater reef aquarium actually induces more stress?
What is THE MOST stressful part of maintaining a reef aquarium?
It's a combination of a few factors. I love watching the fish and seeing a coral begin to encrust but then there's always something that seems to happen. For example, I have a Duncan colony which began with 2 heads about a year ago, which now has maybe 8 heads on it. The other day, 2 shrunk up and I assumed have died and I have no clue why. The day before they were swaying away and then gone. It drives me nuts when that happens. I get stressed buying coral and hoping they survive.
I spoke with a well known coral dealer one day at Reef A Palooza and he said.. "well sometimes coral just dies." Ugh. I want to know if it was me, the tank or the coral before I spend more cash. I had a hammer coral that was flourishing and grew several new heads and then one day began to shrink and die. It's something I guess I have to learn how to deal with in the future. I haven't had a fish die in over a year but anytime something dies in my tank, it really stresses me out for a few days. I hate seeing things not survive under my watch.
I spoke with a well known coral dealer one day at Reef A Palooza and he said.. "well sometimes coral just dies." Ugh. I want to know if it was me, the tank or the coral before I spend more cash. I had a hammer coral that was flourishing and grew several new heads and then one day began to shrink and die. It's something I guess I have to learn how to deal with in the future. I haven't had a fish die in over a year but anytime something dies in my tank, it really stresses me out for a few days. I hate seeing things not survive under my watch.
It add stress to the animals, FOR SURE, they are not in their natural environment and to get to our tanks half of the animals die on the trip to the cities.
Guys, We need to understand (whether We like it or not) that we are doing harm to the nature with our aquariums, taking the animals outside their environments and wasting electricity in something that is not needed for the planet.
I am sorry but it's true.
Guys, We need to understand (whether We like it or not) that we are doing harm to the nature with our aquariums, taking the animals outside their environments and wasting electricity in something that is not needed for the planet.
I am sorry but it's true.
stanleo
Valuable Member
I understand the sentiment when people are not responsible with this hobby, then yes it does do harm. Same thing with zoos and people thinking its cruel to cage up animals for our enjoyment. I would argue, however, that the existence of this hobby and zoos is actually pretty important for the natural world and here is why. It is hard to care for something that you will never be able to see. I will probably never see an elephant roaming the Savanah. Likewise, I may never see a yellow tang swimming on a reef off the coast of Hawaii. Without this hobby I and millions of other people would never get to really appreciate the beauty of these creatures and so would be less inclined to cut up that plastic can holder or reuse their water bottle. Yes, some of these animals are suffering and that's horrible and sad, but maybe because of their suffering, their species habitat will survive, maybe even thrive. And this hobby is getting better all the time. We are learning to breed many animals in captivity and learning all the time the best ways to responsibly harvest, ship and maintain these wonderful creatures. Yes, we need to understand that these animals are in our care and as such, it is our duty to the best by them that we possibly can, but we have to do it for the planet. Otherwise, who would care?
It's wonderful to you because you are not the one that is on the cage (the Tank).
Again, the animals suffer a lot when they are harvested form the sea, and 90% of the fish we buy are harvested from the sea.
Plus, the electricity We consume is generating tons of CO2 to the air.
The animals don't need for US to learn, they need to be alone. We are the ones that need to learn WITHOUT THEM. WITHOUT THE NEED TO TAKE them out of their environments.
You can say whatever you want about breed the fish in captivity, but..
They are WILD ANIMALS, and they belong to the Sea.
Again, the animals suffer a lot when they are harvested form the sea, and 90% of the fish we buy are harvested from the sea.
Plus, the electricity We consume is generating tons of CO2 to the air.
The animals don't need for US to learn, they need to be alone. We are the ones that need to learn WITHOUT THEM. WITHOUT THE NEED TO TAKE them out of their environments.
You can say whatever you want about breed the fish in captivity, but..
They are WILD ANIMALS, and they belong to the Sea.
CelticReef
Community Member
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Vacations stress me out leaving my tank in the hands of someone else ... my brother watches the tank when I’m gone and I’m always worried until the day I get home but he does a great job thanks fam!
Taxus812
Destroyer of corals
They say that viewing an aquarium reduces stress but I'm not so sure about that when it comes to us reefers!
Would you say that keeping a saltwater reef aquarium actually induces more stress?
What is THE MOST stressful part of maintaining a reef aquarium?
I guess I’m a member of a suprizing larger group than i thought.
I stood up my reef when I was recovering from a hemorrhaged pancreas and months in a hospital bed. I was expected to be in bed for up to a year.
I put the tank in my bedroom and looking at the water and critters just lowers my stress.
However it also added stress due to the learning curve and challenges to maintain it.
It sounds like a wash but it wasn’t. It reduced stress with my medical issues and life in general. The stress I added was good stress, that forced my brain to be active and forced me to get out of bed for testing, care and maintenance.
This tank got me out of bed and back to work in 4 months vs the predicted 12.
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stanleo
Valuable Member
It would be awesome if mankind was evolved enough to care at least as much for the natural world as we do for our own self interest but that utopia is never going to exist. People as a whole just will not care for something they will never see. By showing it to them, especially as children, we show them WHY they need to drive less and not buy a new car, WHY they need to reuse that water bottle. So if my supporting this industry can do that, then the yellow tang in my tank (that I am doing my darndest to take care of) will just have to live with it.
Hobby reef automation might fail, please someone make a more expensive/more reliable apex.
Getting different results from different test kits regarding the same parameter. Praying to god the mindstream is shown to be accurate.
Getting different results from different test kits regarding the same parameter. Praying to god the mindstream is shown to be accurate.
Richard Severns
Community Member
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Watching my grandson notice all the details everyday of the tanks inhabitants is very rewarding to me but I would have to say keeping the parameters in control is a challenge for me, I'm color blind so regular test kits r hard to use, in process of buying more Hanna kits
