Am I the Only One...?

[spanish dancer]

Whenever I purchase live rock for a new aquarium...I will just sit there staring deeply at the rock, just observing all the little things that come out and swim around or crawl around while it is being cured... It is just so amazing! Does anybody actually truly appreciate what all can live on just a single piece of live rock? Not to mention when people will buy hundreds of pounds of it and all they can wait for is to add a fish, because "it is better than looking just at rock", when in reality, it isn't "just rock" it is alive with many live forms... Obyiously...hence the name LIVE rock. why is it that so many people spend so much money on reef aquariums, and cannot even appreciate all they are getting? All that so many people can think of is the next step in this hobby, why can't they enjoy EVERY step? Am I the only one that thinks about these things or are there other reefers out there that are so passionately involved in this hobby that they can actually appreciate the marine biome to its fullest?
-"Spanish Dancer"

 

[thomas712]

Your not alone, sometimes I spend more time looking at my 55 gallon refugium longer than I do my 90 gallon display tank, I'll even use the flash light when the lights are out looking at the bottom sides of rocks to see what is developing. Your hardly alone, but you know your in trouble when your spouse says you pay more attention to that thing than you do them.

 

[alyssia]

I am ALWAYS looking at my tank at night with a flashlight.

 

[fishieness]

you dont knwo how many disposable flashlights ive gone though..... i actualy need to replace the bateries for my new flashlight.

 

[granny]

SAme here. My husband thinks Im nuts. I stand or sit and just stare. you can watch the algae grow! I read somewhere that the actinics are harmful to your eyes though, so am a little worried-wonder if I can blame my failing vision on that or old age???

 

[ninjamini]

Fish I dont know that I really need fish. But my kid likes them.

 

[dragonboy]

Well at night there are more creatures that come out and feed so it seems more things are going on at night. I wish we can have the glowing bacteria in the tank and watch those things light up at night. Thats why this hobby has more to offer than just corals and fish.

 

[spanish dancer]

A couple of years ago, when I started my 65 gallon reef, I just kept the live rock in there alone for about 8 months. I didn't see a purpose to adding anything, because I was slowly seing some corals and sponges grow from the rock, and I just wanted it to "naturally" become something, not to mention all of the featherduster worms that spawned and babies were all over the tank! (Simply Amazing!... untill I learned it was common for that to happen) But all of a sudden, one day I came home from school, and there were two DOMINO DAMSELS in my aquarium!!!!!!!!!!!! My parents "got tired of all rock" and wanted something to look at. Well, they got something to look at! it took me forever to remove them from my aquarium!!

 

[jerth6932]

Originally Posted by fishieness
you dont knwo how many disposable flashlights ive gone though..... i actualy need to replace the bateries for my new flashlight.
Get the one that you just shake and it works again.... my grandmother has it for when the lights go out........

No batteries.....

 

[gasman4433]

My wife and I both do the same thing.We go through more batt. than you can shack a stick at.Just looking at the tank at night.Even when the lights are on.I mean the corals and fish are awsome but we sit alot and look at the rock.Just to see whats in it or looking at the new coraline that has grown.Or even in the sand.I think we watch the tank more than we watch T.V.

 

[cigar101]

I too love to watch and admire the new items that just appear. I added a DIY refugium a few weeks ago and at night when the display light go out and my Fuge lights up I just get on the floor and investigate for hours.

 

[oxbeard]

Count my wife and I in as well. While our tank was cycling of course the LR was all we had and we started checking it several times a day to see how it was changing, then the amount of time we spent staring at it began to slowly increase. Now we might sit down in front of the tank when we get home and a couple hours pass before we know it. Kid's in the background hollaring "When are we going to have supper?"

We've just started introducing the first fish and we still are fascinated by the LR.

 

[dejaco]

Oh Yeah Her I thought I was nuts, my wife laughed and siad you mean there are others as bad as you! I use a small mag light at night a BUNCH. I have been looking at it steadily for 146 days now and every now and again I find myself hollering with the voice of discovery - Hey come look at this! I waited for so long to get into this hobby, and read so much, but actually seeing the things you read about - well it's simply amazing.