I've had numerous freshwater tanks all my adult life. Always wanted a saltwater reef tank, and I foolishly assumed it wasn't all that much different. So, in true "newbie" style, I skimmed a few articles and jumped into the saltwater hobby. Oh, boy! First, can we talk about buyer's remorse? See, I read the bit about tank size...too small, and it's hard to keep parameters stable. A big tank wasn't an option, both due to my available space and the expense, because you guessed it...I didn't read that helpful bit of advice about buying used. Or reef ready/drilled. So I ended up with a 45 gallon undrilled tank from PetSmart with a HOB filter. At least the stand was included 
, but the LED lights were unusable, as saltwater would wreck them in no time. Ah well, I can still build the tank of my dreams, right? All the pretty fish, the coral...a beautiful little piece of the ocean in my living room. I was advised to research, research, research. No problem! I'm the academic, nerdy sort, so this was the easy part. Accepting the results of this research without losing my mind? Not so easy. Sticker shock for every single thing related to the hobby, patience is a must because nothing comes fast or easy (patience is not a virtue I possess), the "ugly phase" is inevitable, Murphy's Law reigns supreme, there are no saltwater stores or other reefers in my area, and even making water is a science project (what do you mean, I can't even use the water from my faucet?! And I have to cook it?!). In fact, at least once a week I'm playing "scientist", decked out in gloves and whatnot, testing, working in the tank, making water, etc. Realizing I wouldn't be getting the reef of my dreams anytime soon was disappointing, but I can accept that. Knowing that if I patiently work my way up, from the softies to LPS to SPS, I'll get there eventually. The pill I can't swallow, however, comes right back to my initial gripe of this post and my own impatient ignorance. Notice my screen name (it's pretty significant). This endeavor isn't just a hobby to me, and I messed up right out of the gate, with a tank that's too small for the fish I want. Tangs, reef safe butterflies and angelfish, a little school darting among the rocks...none of it fits in a 45 gallon tank. As luck would have it, a fellow ARC member is selling a 100 gallon tank for the very generous price of a $20 donation to our club. It's worth far more than that to me, the chance to build a dream and get it right this time, and truly be able to check it off my bucket list. I just have to figure out how to transport it the hour and a half distance, build a stand, and get it set up right. There's really no point to this post, just ranting, as the title says. Every reefer is different, or so I've heard. A lot of issues and setbacks in common, but no two journeys are the same. We all have our own gripes and failures, our own brags and celebrations, our own little anecdotes along the way to the perfect little piece of the ocean we keep in glass boxes. I guess this is part of mine. Maybe one day a new reefer will come along, feeling discouraged, and read it. Then see a picture of my (hopefully) beautiful reef tank, and not lose hope that they can do this. It just takes research, patience, and genuinely caring about the outcome and the living creatures in that glass box. Oh, and money 
...it takes a good amount of that, too . Happy Sunday, fellow reefers! Stay safe and stay blessed.
, but the LED lights were unusable, as saltwater would wreck them in no time. Ah well, I can still build the tank of my dreams, right? All the pretty fish, the coral...a beautiful little piece of the ocean in my living room. I was advised to research, research, research. No problem! I'm the academic, nerdy sort, so this was the easy part. Accepting the results of this research without losing my mind? Not so easy. Sticker shock for every single thing related to the hobby, patience is a must because nothing comes fast or easy (patience is not a virtue I possess), the "ugly phase" is inevitable, Murphy's Law reigns supreme, there are no saltwater stores or other reefers in my area, and even making water is a science project (what do you mean, I can't even use the water from my faucet?! And I have to cook it?!). In fact, at least once a week I'm playing "scientist", decked out in gloves and whatnot, testing, working in the tank, making water, etc. Realizing I wouldn't be getting the reef of my dreams anytime soon was disappointing, but I can accept that. Knowing that if I patiently work my way up, from the softies to LPS to SPS, I'll get there eventually. The pill I can't swallow, however, comes right back to my initial gripe of this post and my own impatient ignorance. Notice my screen name (it's pretty significant). This endeavor isn't just a hobby to me, and I messed up right out of the gate, with a tank that's too small for the fish I want. Tangs, reef safe butterflies and angelfish, a little school darting among the rocks...none of it fits in a 45 gallon tank. As luck would have it, a fellow ARC member is selling a 100 gallon tank for the very generous price of a $20 donation to our club. It's worth far more than that to me, the chance to build a dream and get it right this time, and truly be able to check it off my bucket list. I just have to figure out how to transport it the hour and a half distance, build a stand, and get it set up right. There's really no point to this post, just ranting, as the title says. Every reefer is different, or so I've heard. A lot of issues and setbacks in common, but no two journeys are the same. We all have our own gripes and failures, our own brags and celebrations, our own little anecdotes along the way to the perfect little piece of the ocean we keep in glass boxes. I guess this is part of mine. Maybe one day a new reefer will come along, feeling discouraged, and read it. Then see a picture of my (hopefully) beautiful reef tank, and not lose hope that they can do this. It just takes research, patience, and genuinely caring about the outcome and the living creatures in that glass box. Oh, and money ...it takes a good amount of that, too . Happy Sunday, fellow reefers! Stay safe and stay blessed.
.
