What keeps you in the hobby or makes you come back to it?

[Tuffyyyyy]

I got into this hobby because of the gorgeous colors from fish and corals. There's always a new challenge out there for you to try i.e. I picked up a clam at Aquashella a few weeks back and haven't been this excited about something pertaining to the hobby in a long time.

I'll tell you the negative of it though. I have these animals that I need to be around for, and I'll need to take care of for the next 10-20 years. Every vacation will be spent checking Apex multiple times per day to make sure everything looks ok. And then I made the mistake of putting my tank into the wall.

 

[PhotonBlue]

And then I made the mistake of putting my tank into the wall.

What made that a mistake?

 

[BanjoBandito]

I love science/biology. I'm a glutton for information. I also NEED something to keep my focus. I've struggled with addiction issues for a long time and the reef hobby literally saved my life and kept me sane. Still does. People suck, sessile inverts do not.

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

What made that a mistake?

I can't move. Well, logistically it'll be a nightmare when that time comes. And it'll cost me a ton to get everything back to normal. This is just a me problem, but I had a family health scare last week that made me panic about how I was going to sell everything and get it back to normal so I could move back home.

 

[PhotonBlue]

Guess I never thought about that. I've always been wanted to do that though. After you put it in the wall (minus the drawbacks you just stated) was it as great as you thought it would be? You have pictures?

 

[G Santana]

The urge to have a successful SPS thriving tank is irresistible to me. It's a pull I can't get away from!!!

 

[reef4now]

I love watching corals thrive.Watching the fish ,emerald crabs and shrimp on constant alert makes my day.Nature at its finest.

 

[NabberNate]

It has to be enjoying the incredible beauty and diversity in nature and the complexity of it all which is so hard to emulate in a precisely controlled environment yet is upheld in nature with ease. Each new thing that grows and each unique personality of the many critters is just so cool

 

[-XENOMORPH-]

I love the initial planning, the build, the build, the build.... did I repeat that part? Heehee. I'm 47 with 2 older kids and this is my hobby. My time to enjoy watching things progress. Keeping an eye on parameters. I don't chase #'s , I monitor! I love watching different critters do different things and the chain of events that transpire from their actions. Currently, I am still in the early stages of stocking my new tank. Slow and steady says i. But... "they" say, Dad, when can we add fish? It's been cycling FOREVER.... HAHAHAHAHHAH.
Patience young jedi. Patience.

 

[Cpc83]

Hello everyone, let's talk about what keeps you going on this hobby. Most of people including myself have "seasons" when I reef more however even if leave my tank alone for while I always come back to enjoy it. People even take breaks in between tanks but something make them come back to reefing.

in my case, it keeps me busy, it cools me and gives my mind something to be focus on. It also cools me, just look at the fish and corals movement makes me drift and relax.

What keeps in the hobby?

For me I fell in love with traveling to the Caribbean Islands and scuba diving all over the gulf. So a salty tank just let's me see what I love and give me a place to zone out watching

 

[dhnguyen]

Because after a long and often stressful day at work I like to sit in front of the tank and just veg-out.

 

[Glenner’sreef]

I live in Arizona and reefing is like a “miracle” !!! A beautiful, successful slice of the ocean in the Arizona desert. Amazing! Great question brother.

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

Guess I never thought about that. I've always been wanted to do that though. After you put it in the wall (minus the drawbacks you just stated) was it as great as you thought it would be? You have pictures?

i think if you click the “Build Thread Contributor” button under my name it’ll take you to my thread. I have some pics in there but haven’t updated in a while.

To answer your question though - it’s been great. Putting it in the wall was the only way I’d ever get to go large (only a 120g though). If you’re in your forever home then I cant recommend it enough. I was just dumb and blinded by going big that I forgot about this just being a 3-5 year house and not one we can really raise a family in. One thing to keep in mind though is to make sure you can access it from the front. I didn’t want to deal with it so I didn’t do that, and now I’ve got coralline growing on the front glass that’s super difficult to scrape off.

 

[PanchoG]

Guess I never thought about that. I've always been wanted to do that though. After you put it in the wall (minus the drawbacks you just stated) was it as great as you thought it would be? You have pictures?

Hello, sorry for the late replay I was moving. I can tell you my experience is better than I expected. Reefing not only helps me to control my anxiety but also makes me study a lot of things like programming, plumbing, etc. and the the tank looks awesome in my living room, always proving a something to talk about with visitors.

Here are some pics: