Why have you stayed in the hobby?

ct_vol

ct_vol

Reefing On My Mind
Team RC
I'm approaching a decade in the hobby (I don't count my early failed attempts) and was considering this question on my drive home from Iowa today.

I'd hate to think how many thousands of dollars I've spent and lost on Fish, Coral, and Equipment. I very nearly gave up after a system crash when trying to move my tanks from Tennessee to Illinois, and yet another around the birth of my daughter (now 3 yo).

While in TN I was super active in my local club as well as on RC. I was on the ETRC board for a good 4 or 5 years straight. I met some of my best friends through reefing and still keep up with them across the country. In TN our meetings were pretty informal, just friends getting together, drinking beer, talking fish tanks and eating good food. In IL I haven't been as active in clubs considering I live on the middle of nowhere (wife's family is from central IL). I've been to a few JARC meetings, one BNARC, and one informal meeting in Naperville. I remember when I moved up here how excited I moved up here to be a part of such a large reefing community. I'm sure it was the expanding family, getting my business on a solid foundation, and the multiple crashes that kept me from getting too involved up here. I guess it isn't surprising I had more free time in my mid-twenties than mid-thirties.

Anyhow, fast forward to present... I've surpassed my crash concerns with my son being born (now 5 mo). I've purchased a few nicer fish that are fat and happy. My SPS are coloring up well, and I find myself dropping some serious coin getting ready to set up the 185g my wife said I could set up if we moved to IL. (5 years ago) :rolleyes: My kids love the tanks. I soothe my son from crying by bringing him to the aquarium so he can watch the fish. His favorite is the Gold Flake Angel (as is mine). It's amazing to me that fish was one if the first things I could watch him track and pay attention to.

I'm curious as to what kept you in the hobby for you old hats? What made you get started if you're newer? I enjoy the challenge, the beauty and watching others appreciate the beauty I've worked hard to sustain.
 
I been in the hobby from early 72 after I got out of the Army, took some years off because of work and relocating, but had my fair share of success and failures.
It keeps my mind busy.
 
Why have you stayed in the hobby?

The five minutes a day that I can get away from my wife. J/k. My wife made me get rid of my motorcycle and a guy needs a hobby j/k.
It relaxes me.... Oh and the first two may also be true.
d4be1106c5ef408d8e99e13957057968.jpg
 
I get the itches if I don't...

Seriously though, I was tankless for about six months when I was upgrading my system. I didn't have a lot of time to build with going to work and taking classes. I almost got to the point were I was going to print out pictures of fish from my LFS and tape them inside the tank.
 
I've been doing salt since the late 70's.
I couldn't picture myself without a tank (or two), it's basically my only indoor hobby.
 
I started keeping fish from about 1955 or so and never stopped. Salt from when they imported the first blue devil in 1971. It is not a hobby for me, just part of my life. The tank is just there and was always there. I can ignore it for a few days or spend an enormous amount of time on it if I choose. It is kind of a buffer for all my other hobbies. I find it interesting and actually enjoy when something goes wrong which doesn't happen to often but it breaks up the boredom. If everything always went well, it would be easy and Supermodels could do it.
 
VWD~ Thank you for your service. Working on the tanks help me found my "Zen" place. Helps me not think about work and everything else in a busy life, therefore allowing me to relax...

jfuka~ I had my motorcycle license in TN, but didn't have a bike when I met my wife. When I moved to IL, I finally gave in to the fact that I was never going to own a motorcycle again and didn't pay to transfer it here.

Duc1098 and johnike~ I'm not sure I could ever go without a tank of some sort again. Maybe go smaller or Fish Only, but I'd have to have something going.

Paul~ I can't say I "enjoy" when things go wrong, but I've learned to accept that things go wrong and you just need to learn to adjust accordingly and try to figure out how to prevent it from happening again. :)
 
Randy:

Good to see you here... you aren't on as much or we don't overlap as much anymore.

I'm taking a different tack here; I think you know of some of my travails in the past. I am still in the hobby in no small part thanks to the Chicago community. You reference above your decreased activity in the community. I haven't been active in CMAS since the Doug Lehman days... so not for a while.

That said, CMAS (and RC's CMAS group, much depleted since about 5-6 yrs ago) is why I am in the hobby and I am quietly a huge supporter!

When I first set up my basement fish room, I posted here that I wanted everything out. Huge frustration with failed pumps, leaks, etc. I posted at 5am or so. Immediately there were vultures, but there were more insisting I ignore those. Two showed up at my door, Chris (a.k.a. Misery), at 6am with a DD Box-o-Joe, cups and donuts; and as he entered Rod Buehler (Rod's Reef, Rod's Clowns, Rod Food) called that he was on his way. They, and Rod again a bit later, quite literally kept me in.

Dave (aka Highlander), Mike Hurley and others were here also to help put the tank in, rockscape, etc).

Then my fire in '09. Jose Dieck (jdieck) was here before the firefighters left, and Hotel Dieck kept many of my critters alive. Doug Lehman saved my son's tank and livestock. He had built the canopy lid for my then-destroyed tank.

When the house was rebuilt and I got a new tank, many helped carry and level it, none more critical than Hansnfrans here. Menard populated the tank with SPS. Jose Dieck's generosity also helped populate the tank and upgrade my equipment.

Most recently, I underwent an 18mo downward slide to a rare form of cladophoropsis algae. I had to acid-etch the rock and bleach the system. Just now starting over. Menard again has offered help as have others.

So, having recently posted frustration with the "community" because I have had precious few replies, for the second time, to my appeals to recover my lost corals (I PIF "frags" when my tank needs pruning, on the promise that if I ever lose any the recipients will help out) from those who benefited from my giving large pieces away at least once a year, your post reminds me that I am still in debt to the community or else I would not even be a part of it at all.

When the chips are down, and my chips have been down a couple of times now, the heart of our community shows.

So, to all I named here and to Craig (cet), Carl (kmiec), Jim (svb), Jose Rogel (dohc), Nina (Ladypyg) -- several of these are gone from the area and/or the hobby, and to those I have neglected to mention -- thanks! YOU are the reason I'm still in this hobby!
 
I get on the edge of getting out, do some water changes to get stuff ready, clean the glass, see some pretty colors, and I'm back in.
 
ostrow said:
Good to see you here... you aren't on as much or we don't overlap as much anymore.

I'm taking a different tack here; I think you know of some of my travails in the past. I am still in the hobby in no small part thanks to the Chicago community. You reference above your decreased activity in the community.

When the chips are down, and my chips have been down a couple of times now, the heart of our community shows.

So, to all I named here and to Craig (cet), Carl (kmiec), Jim (svb), Jose Rogel (dohc), Nina (Ladypyg) -- several of these are gone from the area and/or the hobby, and to those I have neglected to mention -- thanks! YOU are the reason I'm still in this hobby!
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It's not so much of a different tack as you might think. I've been for the most part a lurker in this forum and have noted it's decline in participation. CMAS Forum has mostly become sales posts. Now that I'm getting back strong in the hobby, I recognize that one of the things I miss the most is the strong reefing community I had in East TN. I figured this post would accomplish two things: encourage others to post their thoughts and allow me to put myself out there so that others may get to know a bit about me and my world. It was time to stop lurking and wondering why no one posts and start some actual conversation. The forum will only turn around one post/thread at a time.

DopeCantWin~ It's amazing how much better a clean pane of glass will help a track look. I never notice the gradual dinginess that accumulates just using the Mag Float, then I break out the scraper and Bam! A plethora of color and beauty!!! :dance:
 
It's absolutely amazing what cleaning the glass will do to you mentally. I haven't been reefing as long as the OP or a few others, but I've definitely met some great people (dohc, cet, ed smith, tangstank, dope and a whole mess of other reefers. I know for sure I've spent many hours just talking reef with a lot of good friends.

I think we get each other through some of the hard times. Yesterday driving home from Ed's a friend of mine had one thing after the other happen with the tank and he wanted to throw on the towel. I told him to sleep on it and today he fixed everything that went wrong.

I wish the community was stronger, just from a interaction standpoint, and I'm doing my part to make that happen, one reefer at a time :)
 
ct_vol said:
It's not so much of a different tack as you might think. I've been for the most part a lurker in this forum and have noted it's decline in participation. CMAS Forum has mostly become sales posts. Now that I'm getting back strong in the hobby, I recognize that one of the things I miss the most is the strong reefing community I had in East TN. I figured this post would accomplish two things: encourage others to post their thoughts and allow me to put myself out there so that others may get to know a bit about me and my world. It was time to stop lurking and wondering why no one posts and start some actual conversation. The forum will only turn around one post/thread at a time.

DopeCantWin~ It's amazing how much better a clean pane of glass will help a track look. I never notice the gradual dinginess that accumulates just using the Mag Float, then I break out the scraper and Bam! A plethora of color and beauty!!! :dance:
Click to expand...

That is a long history; not sure what you know and don't know. Here's my take: most of those I named above and several others either left the area, left the hobby, or left the forum for various reasons. The board became dominated by non-reef related discussion and a frequently juvenile and/or hostile tone caused many to be "moved on". This led to the formation of a different board. I stay here because the level of information on the non-club portions here remains far superior. But the local community aspect is, indeed, largely gone from the forum discussion here.

I have lurked occasionally on the other board but keep coming back here. Old dog and all, perhaps. Or maybe it is more.

Anyway, there have been other attempts to make the CMAS forum here more than a buy/sell. Gotta keep trying....
 
I started May of 2014 with a 25 gal nano. I currently have a 65 gal that I love/hate to death. I get bored easily and this is my one hobby that never ceases to bore me. I love the challenge of water chemistry and trying to find the sweet spot for my beginning addiction to SPS. I can't see giving this hobby up unless I get married, but I refuse to marry someone that won't let me keep my tanks.

I also have cichlids and a koi pond. I've had fish tanks for 21 yrs and counting.
 
I like the challenge and the tinkering and applying my trade as a plumber to try and come up with different ways of doing things . and it keeps me out of the bar
 
Scorpius said:
I can't see giving this hobby up unless I get married, but I refuse to marry someone that won't let me keep my tanks.
Click to expand...

My wife actually said i should get started back in SW. Now she second guesses that encouragement... :)


Its keeps the homicidal thoughts at bay.
Click to expand...

I have an office in O'Fallon, so I get close to St. Louis on occasion. Glad reefing keeps the thoughts at bay.
 
ct_vol said:
My wife actually said i should get started back in SW. Now she second guesses that encouragement... :)
Click to expand...

My addiction to my Subaru WRX and soon to be WRX/STI also drains my bank account. I'll need to find one understanding lady. :lolspin:
 
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