stratozyck
New Member
I have had a lot of hobbies over the years:
- coin collecting (medieval England and anything Russian are my favs)
- programming
- assortment of nonfiction subjects
- drones (awesome fun! but also expensive as they wear out even if you are a great pilot)
- and now...
Coral reef aquariums. This is the hobby to end all hobbies. Let me count the ways...
Like a routine? Oh man... this is for you. Every day I check the salinity and add fresh water to replace the evaporation. I do water changes every 1-2 weeks of about 10-15% and I follow a process that begins 24 hours before (the time is mostly to heat the water up to 78F). The water taken out gets cascaded down to two "support tanks" that don't require as good water quality. One tank is an "exile tank" that I send bad actors, such as a specific shrimp (there were 3 others of the same species) that was bothering one of my corals. The other is a quarantine/mysis shrimp breeding tank.
Like to geek out and learn pointless facts? I am learning so much about biology and species. I can now tell you from memory the full classification of most of the creatures in my tank. I have a microscope to keep track of the diversity of the smaller creatures as well and I identify them. I have spent about $200 on some advanced books on aquarium/reef keeping as well and I am deeply saddened that there aren't any more books that would be relevant. I am struggling not to talk about this stuff with anyone and everyone.
Like delayed gratification and reward for said routine and knowledge of pointless facts? Oh man! When you first start seeing corals grow, it will be the best day of your life. I got so excited after seeing a tiny branch slowly grow out of one of my corals that I must have bored everyone I knew with pictures of it.
Like being a hermit? Get hermit crabs! Hah but seriously I put my tanks in a lower area of our house and its dark and relaxing. I voluntarily spend about half my weekend watching the tanks and want more so badly.
Want something to talk about and show off to people that come over? I did something I rarely do - I invited a coworker over to show off my tank. I had put a lot of work into it and the idea of having someone over to show it off excites me. I still have issues when about 15 minutes into it they are like, "so about the weather" or whatever small talk that everyone likes to talk about. Still, I can get a solid 15 minutes of pointing out all the little things that you have to really watch the tank for a long time to notice and understand.
The expense can make a lot of people think twice. But, from what I know now, a 20-30 Gallon reef tank can be set up for around $200-$300. You would just have to think carefully about what you put in it. Everyone starts out with fish but stays for the corals. Having fish in a tank roughly doubles the cost because they pee in it, which requires more expensive filtering methods. A zoa or button polyp only tank with live rock and live sand would be under $300. You'd be surprised at how much goes on in a tank like that.
- coin collecting (medieval England and anything Russian are my favs)
- programming
- assortment of nonfiction subjects
- drones (awesome fun! but also expensive as they wear out even if you are a great pilot)
- and now...
Coral reef aquariums. This is the hobby to end all hobbies. Let me count the ways...
Like a routine? Oh man... this is for you. Every day I check the salinity and add fresh water to replace the evaporation. I do water changes every 1-2 weeks of about 10-15% and I follow a process that begins 24 hours before (the time is mostly to heat the water up to 78F). The water taken out gets cascaded down to two "support tanks" that don't require as good water quality. One tank is an "exile tank" that I send bad actors, such as a specific shrimp (there were 3 others of the same species) that was bothering one of my corals. The other is a quarantine/mysis shrimp breeding tank.
Like to geek out and learn pointless facts? I am learning so much about biology and species. I can now tell you from memory the full classification of most of the creatures in my tank. I have a microscope to keep track of the diversity of the smaller creatures as well and I identify them. I have spent about $200 on some advanced books on aquarium/reef keeping as well and I am deeply saddened that there aren't any more books that would be relevant. I am struggling not to talk about this stuff with anyone and everyone.
Like delayed gratification and reward for said routine and knowledge of pointless facts? Oh man! When you first start seeing corals grow, it will be the best day of your life. I got so excited after seeing a tiny branch slowly grow out of one of my corals that I must have bored everyone I knew with pictures of it.
Like being a hermit? Get hermit crabs! Hah but seriously I put my tanks in a lower area of our house and its dark and relaxing. I voluntarily spend about half my weekend watching the tanks and want more so badly.
Want something to talk about and show off to people that come over? I did something I rarely do - I invited a coworker over to show off my tank. I had put a lot of work into it and the idea of having someone over to show it off excites me. I still have issues when about 15 minutes into it they are like, "so about the weather" or whatever small talk that everyone likes to talk about. Still, I can get a solid 15 minutes of pointing out all the little things that you have to really watch the tank for a long time to notice and understand.
The expense can make a lot of people think twice. But, from what I know now, a 20-30 Gallon reef tank can be set up for around $200-$300. You would just have to think carefully about what you put in it. Everyone starts out with fish but stays for the corals. Having fish in a tank roughly doubles the cost because they pee in it, which requires more expensive filtering methods. A zoa or button polyp only tank with live rock and live sand would be under $300. You'd be surprised at how much goes on in a tank like that.