Share the Love & Win Tickets to Midwest Marine Conference

[tazzy695]

it is all about the colors that is the reason I love my reef everything else is just side bar to me

[labman]

as a hobby to share with my daughter. I wanted something interesting also that involves science teach her about life and death etc etc. one of my favorites days when she was about 10 she asked if I help her setup a tank when she grows up! I love it when she helps me pick a fish or coral. Only problem I have is sometimes she is more concerned with the fish then if it's reef safe.

[jimsflies]

Lets go guys! Less than a week to go!

Time remaining:

[Sir Patrick]

Less thn a week??? I can think of lots of reefers that havnt submited, but would love to win this pass!!

Post up guys and gals!

[cmpenney]

I agree...This is a once in a lifetime chance to see some of these guys in person.

[reptileblvd]

Reefing not only brings me a personal satisfaction of a job well done, but it has introduced to me a great community and many, many new friends over the years.

[pjr]

At first pass, the initial joy from reefing is that experience of viewing a piece of the ocean in your home. I've been fortunate enough complete a reef that is a true explosion of color! It provides me with a great level of peace, satisfaction, stress reduction. and fulfillment to just sit in the chair and watch the tank. It makes the worries of jobs, finances, and everything else just melt away.

But there is more than the tank itself. It is the trip to get there. I would NEVER have achieved this success to date without the many tips, support, and friendship from local reefers. People like Mustang, John Brancheau, George at Captive Reef, SaltwaterKid, Novi Tony, Mermaid, DLBerlin, Murph, Tim Tsezella, BeakerBob, Dick & Ray at the Trop, Fish Doctors (Dr. Juan, Dr. Marcus, and Dr. Tom) just to name a few... countless people that I would have never met without the web sites available to us that brought us together. And I must say, I like the community and the "vibe" at this site most of all!

Which leads me to so many great new friends that I've met through this site. People who have done me great favors, and those with whom I am able to help. It's a great community of superb people with a common interest... and they are always willing to lend a hand. I have friends here and other sites that are true gems of this planet. Wonderful people that I would not have met without the reefing common interest.

Finally, it's a passion that has helped my build relationships with my children. My oldest daughter loved going to stores every weekend to look at fish and corals when she was little. Currently, my youngest daughter, who is 15, has been going to frag swaps and the various shops for the last four years. She has become very schooled on marine biology through this hobby. She drags ME to the stores and swaps! It's a thrill to watch her talk about the differences between montiporas -- a digitata vs a capricornicus. Not many 15 year old girls can do this! This hobby has been educational for her, and has created a unique awareness of the ocean and the balance for conservation and maintaining our ecological balance to ensure the reefs survive. But more importantly, it has created quality time for us together, whether it's doing a water change, fragging a colony, or adding new livestock.

I have learned a lot, but have a lot more to learn. I look forward to continued growth in this passion of the reef.

[cmpenney]

Good one Pat..


There are only 2 days left! Get those submissions in today.

[thefishgirl]

How I came to love this crazy hobby...

As a kid growing up, I always loved animals whether they were furry, feathered, finned, scaled, or otherwise. My mom would never clean my room for fear of what she'd find in that shoebox on my desk. I grew up with a FW tank and a goldfish pond out back. The "goldfish" pond had a little bit of everything in it depending on what I could catch and bring home with me, including snakes much to my mom's horror.

I'd always been fascinated with saltwater after a few trips to the zoo and Shedd Aquarium as a kid. As an adult, I'd go to the local pet shops and fish stores just to see what animals and aquarium life they had. At one point, I had a boss that had a 1000g SW reef tank in our office. I would help him clean and maintain it. As a joke, he'd hide any dead fish in my desk drawer. My favorite was a yellow tang.... the one I found in my desk! Poor lil guy. That experience set me on the path to one day owning my very own saltwater tank. ..once I was rich like this doctor! *cough* I was 19 at the time.

Flash forward to a trip to Hawaii 4-5 years ago. That cemented my desire to finally have a SW reef in my house. After getting home, I did a lot of research, joined a few reefing boards and became a reader of anything SW related. What I found on the boards was a group of very knowledgeable hobbyist that were willing to share almost anything they had to help a new reefer.

I love the people in this hobby. I've met a lot of helpful, kind, and extremely intellectual people since starting my first tank. I've learned so much about this hobby from the people around me.

I love that every day.... EVERY DAY... I learn something new about something. Critter, equipment, lighting, etc.

I love that every day there is something new and different in my tank. I only have to go look for it. New growth, new critter, sudden coral regrowth on a seemingly dead piece of coral, a zoa polyp that I don't recall seeing before. New pest...ok...I don't "love" those so much.

I love that hobbyists love to barter and trade! Whether it's for coral, fish, photography, equipment, or help to set up something new....it's just a trade away if you don't have the cash.

I love that we can each do our own little part to help save a tiny piece of a natural reef by coral propagation, raising captive bred fish, or buying / trading for aqua-cultured and captive bred livestock. We make each other aware of environmental issues or events going on around the world.

I love that most people in this hobby are very generous with time, money, and frags.

I love that there is always a new challenge to overcome. Water parameters, a pest in the tank, lighting seems off, not enough money for that hot new coral, some piece of equipment stopped working, my banggais only want to eat and not make babies, etc.

And finally, I love that I can immerse myself into my underwater world for a few hours to escape the rat race of every day life. I can just stare at my tanks for an endless amount of time. The incredible kaliedescope of color...the movement...the peacefulness... and the thought that I've brought a piece of the ocean into my house...in Michigan. How can you not love it?

[cmpenney]

Thanks to everyone that entered.

The judging has begun and we will post the winner on the 16th.


Good Luck everyone!