The Worst Compliment Ever

[ReeferRob]

I saw this thread on another forum and just kinda shrugged it off.............

But if one more person comments on how cool my snails and hermit crabs are, I'm throwing them in the tank.:paddle::angry5:

Last night two of my fiances girl friends came over. And my skin was crawling.
I mean with all the amazing pieces in my tank you want to comment on the .75 cent hermit crab, but not the $150 fish or any of the cool clams or crazy colored corals. Seriously, if I hear "oh, look at that little thingy moving" talking about one of the three aptasias in my tank I'm going to :exploding_mad::exploding_mad:

What about you guys? Whats the worst you've heard?

[igot2gats]

I agree. People who don't know much about sw, typically comment on the little things - aaaaand it's annoying.

I've get tons of comments on my cleaner shrimp.

[Mike]

It is true that I get more comments on the room the tank is in then the thank it'self....MY favorite is when people compliment the plantation shutters that double as access doors and ventilation. They never think about what they are for just how ice they would look on a door wall!!!

[Rabidgoose]

LOL, yeah I have a couple people come over that will sit in front of the tank and just look for Stan(about an 18" bristleworm) and that's all they care about. I'll try and point out a new piece I got and they just say yea that's nice, grab me a beer will ya...

[jimsflies]

the cleaner shrimp always steels the show in my tank...and he is sitting on a 3.5-inch watermelon echino.

[jojo22]

I had someone tell me how cool my bubble algae was...WTF???

[ReeferRob]

Oh, what's the pretty green bubbly stuff.

[jojo22]

Pretty much, they thought "all the little bubble corals" where really cool.

[tankdude]

I personally don't care if people compliment me on the algae in my tank, I still tell them about the other inhabitants and I most certainly don't gloat about how much money a fish or coral cost. Think about it for a minute, most people don't know as much about what you go through to make that little ecosystem work, so tell them about it and be proud of it. Don't insult them by saying your going to shoot the next person who doesn't know what you know.

[jojo22]

I would never throw out the money issue, or belittle others, it was just one of those things that irrked me and I kept to my self. I told them it was algae and moved on.

[Sir Patrick]

I have been complimented on the grape calerpa that was in the process of taking over one of my previous tanks.

[graphixx]

I feel all your pain as well.... when I had my 400 gallon in wall they were more impressed with THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TANK... I mean the back side of the tank the equipment room rather than the finished side that was all beautifull and trimmed and pretty.

and as far as livestock it seemed everybody love my big ole UGLY lawnmower blenny not the 10" long blue tang or the school of anthias but the big ole ugly damm lawnmower blenny!!!

too damm funny

[ReeferRob]

I would never throw out the money issue, or belittle others, it was just one of those things that irrked me and I kept to my self. I told them it was algae and moved on.

+1, not sure who would beat their chest like a big dumb gorilla. I paid this much for that and this much for that.

I was bringing up the point that it is beyond annoying that people notice the stupid stuff.

[jojo22]

yeah, but they don't know any better. Now if one of the guys on here did that they would most likely receive a nice swift kick in the junk...LOL

[BriGuy31+]

I get that about the little feather dusters. I want to say, "Hey look at the purple hornets, those are cool, eh?"

[schminksbro]

It used to bug me when this stuff would happen. "Whats that little green bubble?" "Thats bubble algae, did you see my purple monster" lol
Now I take a more positive look at it. It brings me back to a time when I was facinated by all the little "things of wonder" that I would find on my live rock. After a few years in the hobby you take for granted the diversity found in a reef tank. Those new comers bring ya back.:)

[tazzy695]

now this is the worst compliment I have gotten happened just after adding some sand to the tank

"cool how do you get the water so blue colored" it was cloudy with actinics only on

[thefishgirl]

I'd totally shoot 'em! :gangster:

And when I finally make it over to see your tank Rob, I'm gonna totally comment on your hermit crabs that appear to smelling your pretty aiptasia. ...I will be wearing a bullet proof vest. :D

[elekamit]

MY last tank was an LPS dominated tank. Filled with all sorts of acans and blastos, pricey ones too.
My buddy preffered the xenia. I hate him now :)

And about the money, I don't tell people that just because they would think I'm iNsANe!!!, spending 100$+ on a little colored thingy :big_grin:

[jimsflies]

And about the money, I don't tell people that just because they would think I'm iNsANe!!!, spending 100$+ on a little colored thingy :big_grin:

+1...non-reefers (or even newbies) can't comprehend the $$$ we spend on things. Sometimes I can't either though. :crazy:

[Fishgeek88]

my favorite is i like the "dory" ...no blue tang in my tank, I have a yellow, purple, Sailfin, Naso and Vlaminigi...tell me which one is blue and looks like "dory"?

[softiegirl]

+1 on that! i get the awwww its NEMO!!! and it bothers me too about the hermits, since when are they the stars of the show??!!

[BK's Reef]

working in a fish store you get this stuff everyday, you kinda get over it and have a few giggles, to yourself of course. I have some customers dont have rock in the tank and even with an in depth conversation why its beneficial, they dont want any because they wont have coral to place on them lol.

[stunreefer]

I'll never forget the time I was at the Trop (worked there then) and a guy called me to the back room to ask the price of this "awesome green coral"... it was a softball sized ball of Valonia.

[Sir Patrick]

Before I had my own tank, I was infatuated with my dads field of aptasia!

[redemer123]

i hate when i tell someone about my SW tank and they interrupt saying "GET A SHARK!! OR A PUFFER FISH!!"......take the time to learn a few new species of fish seriously jeez :duh:

[MizTanks]

Y'all remember that big beautiful Gold Striped Maroon Clown I posted? Well I was visiting the LFS where he's homed. A couple came into the SW room and spotted him. (wife) honey he would look great in our tank! (husband) he sure would! (employee) what size tank ya got? (husband) I think it's a 10 gallon. (employee) that's waaay to small! (wife) oh he'll fit, we only have 2 lil fishes in there right now.
(Jamie) silently says-stupid people shouldn't breath!

[jolson10450]

the one i hatteeee the most is when people look at my tank and see my clowns then ask me where dory is?

[Black71gp]

grandparents came over when i had a HORRIBLE hair algae issue, like 7+ inches long all over the tank.. oh man that looks so good, just like the ocean! love the green algae, where did you get it.. gggrrrrrrr

[jolson10450]

grandparents came over when i had a HORRIBLE hair algae issue, like 7+ inches long all over the tank.. oh man that looks so good, just like the ocean! love the green algae, where did you get it.. gggrrrrrrr

LOL its "reef grass"

[jenghes]

Back when I had a diatom outbreak, the MIL looked at the tank and commented how the little air bubbles made the tank glitter and it was sooooo pretty.:thumbsdown:

I actually have false percs, hippo, yellow tang just for the little kids. I love to hear them say "look at Dory, Nemo and Bubbles". Of course, I have some cool fish for me.. I love my blue dot jaw and black cap basslet.

Of the corals, I get the most comments on the mushrooms and torch???? Not the pretty SPS. Go figure.

[Myteemouse]

I usually get compliments on the fish more than any corals.. and then the "is it real" comes next
then the "when are you gonna get a puffer and a lion fish"

[jenghes]

I get - when are you gonna get more fish? When I say that I think it is fully stocked - they are so puzzled.

Never get into fragging with a non-reefer. They just don't "get it" and look at me like I am a super geek!

[Sir Patrick]

My wife likes the fish- but doesnt get the tank full of colored rocks.....

[lionhead]

I hate explaining what corals really are. I have to tell them that everything with color is alive. Plus people find the little things interesting like the mini brittle stars and the astrea stars.

[redemer123]

I had a lady come down into my room the other day to see my tank. The first thing she says is "what are all the colorful things"...to that i say "those are corals they are living creatures"...a minute passes and i ask what she thinks about my tank then she says "I have seen worse"...it took a lot to keep my mouth shut after that comment. all the time and work i have put into my tank over the past 4 months and she just insulted me big time. oh well i cant expect a clueless lady that doesn't know a thing about reefing to understand. lol :duh:

[EMUreef]

I had a lady come down into my room the other day to see my tank. The first thing she says is "what are all the colorful things"...to that i say "those are corals they are living creatures"...a minute passes and i ask what she thinks about my tank then she says "I have seen worse"...it took a lot to keep my mouth shut after that comment. all the time and work i have put into my tank over the past 4 months and she just insulted me big time. oh well i cant expect a clueless lady that doesn't know a thing about reefing to understand. lol :duh:

wow what a bia.

I get a lot of compliments and a lot of people ask "isn't it hard?"
When i lived in a town house they had to take a lot of people through to show the place because we weren't renting again and everyone would stop and comment on it.

My favs are oooo those are cool...pointing at aiptasia...

and mistaking my elegance for a Anemone

[rmalone]

To the non hobbiest, it's all about movement. In my tank its fish then rbta then shrimp then torch/hammer. Sps and chalices may as well not be there for that crowd. I really don't care, my tank is a purely selfish endevour, I'm the only one who has to like it. Though I do like telling people that "the nem and fish are only there for customers, if it were up to me the tank would just be those colored sticks"
I overheard a "freshwater expert", he wasn't, telling his companion that it was a pretty tank, but everything was artificial. HE got set straight!! Another favorite, "who do you hire to take care of it". I like to tell them that I know more about these tanks than anyone you can hire, its not true, but the look on their face is worth the fib.
Overall though you can't blame people for being ignorant of the hobby, we all were. Also, people notice what they notice, and like what they like, they aren't trying to offend.

[handlevandal]

To the non hobbiest, it's all about movement. I

That's it exactly! Once they get past the fish (nemo, the yellow tang, and "look at that white one eating the sand") it's the xenia first, then the hammers and gsp (yeah, they like that). At least they notice the hammers. I hate the gsp but my daughter loved it years ago so it's still in there with the xenia on a couple of rocks that have been completely isolated from rest of the tank and are pruned regularly.

I notice that lots of people think the corals are flowers or plants, particularly the nems and the rics. And then there's the "I hear that these tanks are really really expensive. I could never afford...". I always tell them that I can't afford really really expensive stuff either and grow the corals out from little $20 buys into what they look like now, so time is what I spend the most of on the tank.

[cg5071]

Hehe, funny. My first piece of live rock I bought because it had an "anemone" on it. Aptasia. I was even feeding the thing for the first few months,lol. Untill one day it moved and stung some mushrooms. I could not get my partner and my friend to understand why I got rid of their fav thing in my tank. My friend now has her own tank and still refuses to get rid of her aptasia but she will find out as the tank gets fuller and it hurts something else :)

I also raised a tiny bubble up to several bubbles before I found the cool hitchhiker was what it was.

[AJ :)]

Pretty sure it was the time some folks stopped by and pointed at my harlequin tuskfish, and said Oooh I love your clown fish!!

AJ :)

[Heidi]

So first off I am a new-be (after 6 months planning set up in November). I don't have fish in my main tank yet (he is in a little qt). I have a bunch of snails of all sorts (cleaning crew) and LOVE to watch them eat the algae off the glass. Also I love watching my brittle stars legs (the rest of him resides under a rock) take in food. AND I love to watch the tiny little crabs pester the 2 rock anemones. I will be adding some coral this weekend, not sure what yet, and fish in the next month. I hope I still enjoy the fascinating little things of the eco-system I am trying to create. I know my 4 kids will :)