Things I have learned in this hobby...

_shorty_ said:
... My wife doesn't like the time I spend 'with my tank instead of her' - but I am finding that the more corals and color and cool stuff I add, the more it peaks her interest and I see her just a little more interested each time...
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When I started 8 years ago my wife was OK with a new 30g tank, but thought I was asking for trouble doing saltwater. She tolerated the tank, my time spent on it and the expense. At 3 years in I switched to a 75g and she was starting to come around. We went snorkeling in the Keys and I was prepared to do some collecting, she found an emerald crab and we brought it home. That really set the hook for her. Now we have... well, look at the signature. And we go to the Keys for 4-6 long weekends a year... always to snorkel. Oh, and she cleans the glass and scrapes coraline more often than I do! :love1:
 
Ron Reefman said:
When I started 8 years ago my wife was OK with a new 30g tank, but thought I was asking for trouble doing saltwater. She tolerated the tank, my time spent on it and the expense. At 3 years in I switched to a 75g and she was starting to come around. We went snorkeling in the Keys and I was prepared to do some collecting, she found an emerald crab and we brought it home. That really set the hook for her. Now we have... well, look at the signature. And we go to the Keys for 4-6 long weekends a year... always to snorkel. Oh, and she cleans the glass and scrapes coraline more often than I do! :love1:
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That is a good woman!
 
Ahhh so true

Ahhh so true

In my ten plus years I have to agree with all of your points, if I can add the biggest thing I have learned.

Just when you think you have this hobby down pat, something happens or you learn something that throws you back years in experience.:headwally

Oh and arrogant reef keepers are unavoidable, you will meet them and you will want to frag them!
 
After many years of freshwater tanks I setup my first saltwater. I finally got my wife to join me at the fish store for the first time ever (after 15 years). She picked a plate coral that we have added to the sand bed. It now has her interested.
 
Dont stand on the edge of a plastic sink to bolt up a filtration system. Its not a ladder. Ha sounds like there is a good story behind that one :)
 
Mtwreef said:
Dont stand on the edge of a plastic sink to bolt up a filtration system. Its not a ladder. Ha sounds like there is a good story behind that one :)
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Heres the story. I got a new water purifier sent to the house to replace the old one. I figured I would just remove the old install the new.. no problem. All went well until I plugged in the pump and some of the fittings were leaking. Ok, unplug, get the chair back out so I can work on the device without taking it back down from the joists where it is bolted on. Then I got a much better idea, I will just stand in the sink instead of using the chair.

Our wash tubs (located in the basement) are (were) two seperate plastic units placed side by side, I had tried to tighten the fittings but I still was not high enough to get a good angle on them with a screwdriver so I decided to place one foot on the edge of the sink and step up. I got as far as putting some weight on the edge when the legs of both sinks gave way. The ensuing three crashes, two were the sinks buckling and the third was all the water pipes and drains snapping, brought my family downstairs

They found me standing with one foot in each sink and water shooting across the walls from the broken pipes. How I remained standing and uninjured through the whole crash Ill never know.

I have since replaced all the plumbing and bought a new sink, it cost well over one hunderd dollars to do so and about eight hours work,but I saved the time of going to get a ladder from the garage.
 
power boat jim said:
Heres the story. I got a new water purifier sent to the house to replace the old one. I figured I would just remove the old install the new.. no problem. All went well until I plugged in the pump and some of the fittings were leaking. Ok, unplug, get the chair back out so I can work on the device without taking it back down from the joists where it is bolted on. Then I got a much better idea, I will just stand in the sink instead of using the chair.

Our wash tubs (located in the basement) are (were) two seperate plastic units placed side by side, I had tried to tighten the fittings but I still was not high enough to get a good angle on them with a screwdriver so I decided to place one foot on the edge of the sink and step up. I got as far as putting some weight on the edge when the legs of both sinks gave way. The ensuing three crashes, two were the sinks buckling and the third was all the water pipes and drains snapping, brought my family downstairs

They found me standing with one foot in each sink and water shooting across the walls from the broken pipes. How I remained standing and uninjured through the whole crash Ill never know.

I have since replaced all the plumbing and bought a new sink, it cost well over one hunderd dollars to do so and about eight hours work,but I saved the time of going to get a ladder from the garage.
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All your points were correct and classic I enjoyed everyone of them. But the quoted part was just hilarious!!!
 
Oh, one point I would like to add from all my years of experience, "Dont tell the wife how much you have actually spent on any one item and definitely not on your total system cost...it WILL NOT impress her"
 
I think it's worse when your wife gets into the hobby. It's costing me way more then it ever did. She has expensive taste in corals.
 
For the female reefers out there:

Don't explain the right way to do something with the tank to your male half. Just like with cars & handy work, he won't believe you know what you're talking about & will do it the wrong way unless he hears the right way from another man. The trick is to get another male reefer to explain it without him knowing you're involved or find something for him to read about that's written by another man.

Otherwise you end up with 3 lighting systems before the 4th is what you said in the first place, livestock that your tank can't support, and a few "cures" that almost kill everything in your tank!
 
Accurate points all. The only thing I would add is something like,

No matter how honestly comprehensive you try to be budgeting a project, including adding a significant buffer for unforseens, it ALWAYS costs more. Usually much more.
 
SushiGirl said:
For the female reefers out there:

Don't explain the right way to do something with the tank to your male half. Just like with cars & handy work, he won't believe you know what you're talking about & will do it the wrong way unless he hears the right way from another man. The trick is to get another male reefer to explain it without him knowing you're involved or find something for him to read about that's written by another man.

Otherwise you end up with 3 lighting systems before the 4th is what you said in the first place, livestock that your tank can't support, and a few "cures" that almost kill everything in your tank!
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lol, :thumbsup:
 
Some others that I have experienced.

1. As soon as you are sure there is no possible way they can come up with another way to name a coral, they do.

2. The phrase "Yes hon, I promise we'll be in and out the LFS in 5 minutes" has never held true.

3. At least once a year a thread like this pops up and each time I get a good chuckle out of it. :)
 
Great post Jim. Can't argue with experience. I've been in this hobby for 15+ years and can relate to everything you stated, and the posts of many others.
 
borderreef said:
Great post Jim. Can't argue with experience. I've been in this hobby for 15+ years and can relate to everything you stated, and the posts of many others.
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Every now and then you need to boil everything you learned down to a few key elements and reflect on some of the stupid and smart things that have shaped your experience to this point. Glad many of you are adding to and enjoying this.
 
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