What is the most stressful part of keeping a reef that's supposed to reduce stress?!?

[reefwiser]

I can be stressed as much as it relieves the stress Thru the years I have had aquariums where everything fell into place and live was wonderful. But then when I moved or upgraded a tank I would get a tank where nothing worked and it would drive me crazy trying to figure out the problem. You learn more from the stressful tank but it’s nice when things just work.

 

[Dragon52]

I love watching the fish & other critters doing their daily playtime,
The stressful part is loosing corals & fish that start out doing good then watching them gradually die without knowing how to fix the problem.
i wish I had the money to get a controller & setup dosing containers & basically run my system. Also wouldn't mind haveing someone with lots of knowledge That I Trust to come to my house & give me some ideas on my system.

 

[SkiCatTX]

When I can make the time, and there is not an active emergency situation it's quite relaxing, even doing a few hours or routine maintenance. However, more often than not, other non-reef related things are going on, or something bad happens with the system, then it becomes a quite stressful situation either racing to complete maintenance before needing to run off to something, or to save a fish or coral gone wrong...

Wouldn't have it any other way though...

 

[S2G]

Checking parameters hoping something isn't crazy and adding livestock. Adding something new is suppose to be exciting but the fear of something slipping by then creating havoc is very stressful.

 

[tripdad]

Tank problems are kinda like a bad food choice....and this too shall pass.....

 

[Terrp]

Primary stress inducers: Unexpected problems (algae, invasion, disease). Lack of time to work on tank.

Primary stress relievers: Viewing tank. Tinkering with tank to improve the setup and the quality of life for inhabitants.

 

[TVV]

Viewing your aquarium definitely reduces stress.
Maintaining the aquarium adds stress.

It is a zero sum hobby!

I suppose that is why automation is so popular and getting better all the time. Automation is an effort to tip the scales toward reducing stress.

 

[DeepBlueSeaV1]

Personally, I don’t stress over much these days, but I do have a few.

1. A tank seam that leaks.
2. An ATO malfunctions, while I’m on a week long vacation.
3. Long term power outages, but only when I’m away.

 

[Jamestown]

Any reef worth keeping (ie is attractive and filled with life, no algae, happy) is going to take work and money - which unless you have unlimited time and money will add some stress when things go south. All in all, worth it.

 

[Reeferguy365]

I voted for both. Once your tank settled in everything is doing good definitely relieves stress just staring at it seeing how everything is growing fish are happy swimming around getting bigger but then there's this stressful side when you notice some things are doing great and some things like a really expensive dragon soul torch that only has one head left and you can't figure out why it's dying or you notice there's something growing on your rock that you cannot move that you don't want growing on it or you notice part of your jaw dropper Acro has a little death on one spot then the stress of hoping it it doesn't progress on any more of the acro. But I guess as long as 85% of the tanks doing good I'm a happy camper still beautiful to stare at and it's fun showing the pictures to people that don't have salt water tanks not having a clue all the colors that can come out of it

 

[afuel]

Super clean water everything going great=enjoy
Dino’s=stress

 

[KrisReef]

Great question....

You can get a tax credit for having a tank in the waiting room of your business (e.g., doctor/dentist office)... apparently its been proven to reduces stress.

I definitely feel a sense of calm when I stare at my tank.

However, when it comes to "keeping" a reef tank as the question was worded, I feel like my tank is more stable than I am. I constantly worry about something going wrong. If I hear a noise in the house, I run for the tank to make sure everything is OK. When I am away on vacation, I worry even more.

My system has me on pins and needles for no good reason other than my own fear. Its such a big investment of my time, my money and my pride that I feel stress over the thought of something bad happening.

I need to learn to trust mother nature more in keeping things balanced since it is such a complex ecosystem and I don't fully understand how it all works.

Most of the tanks I've seen in waiting rooms look like they were set up as a tax issue instead of a animal sanctuary. I find most of these tanks incredibly painful to look at with sad fish and algae in all the crevices.

But I do know of a few businesses that keep fantaxtic reefs and fish displays that I look forward to viewing. I think ugly public tanks should be fined for bad management!

Sorry for the hijack, but I stress when I see a sick critter tank.

 

[TreyC2010]

I enjoy the test of patience, the commitment, and the work that it takes to make this hobby what it is, but I get stressed about the cost of things when something breaks or needs attention. I play golf and they say that's a rich man's hobby but they apparently haven't tried a reef tank..

 

[coralcruze]

hmnnn you got a point there. I think that when I am at the public aquarium its stress free but when viewing my own... first i look to see if everything is ok, nothing has fallen, fish are all accounted for... breath and only then i can relax.

the most stressful thing about owning an aqaurium is pests... algae and parasites.

 

[Nevets9333]

Not knowing how to fix/what to fix when something goes wrong. Everything looks good then one coral just dies and you don't always know why.

 

[foxt]

As others have said, being able to just sit back and follow along with the life of the tank when all is well if very relaxing. So, "viewing the tank" relieves stress.

However, my most stressful moments also come from "viewing the tank". Waking up the day after new livestock has arrived (coral or fish), and sort of squinting into the tank with one eye closed to see how things fared overnight. Or walking in to the house after being away for a week, and doing that "squinting" thing again.

I don't like bad surprises, and I've gotten a few over the years by "viewing the tank"! On balance though, it is a net positive otherwise I'd stop torturing myself.

 

[ShaggyRS6]

They say that viewing an aquarium reduces stress but I'm not so sure about that when it comes to us reefers!

Would you say that keeping a saltwater reef aquarium actually induces more stress?

What is THE MOST stressful part of maintaining a reef aquarium?

Tuning a Skimmer. Why has nobody come up with an auto tuning WiFi enabled skimmer!

 

[krbshappy71]

I am feeling stressed trying to plan and learn it enough to just start. My stress comes from the fear of things dying while I learn, it really isn't fair. I have lost pets before due to my lack of knowledge and I really beat myself up about it.

The non-stressful part is when I visualize that I've accomplished it. I just know I can do it. We have the $ stress gone now as we have planned to start in one year when other $ will be freed up, so I try to just tell myself pretend it's learning anything just like home maintenance or renovations only with water.

 

[BayouReefer]

Your comparison makes no sense. If my tv fries or my computer, home a/c, even my 50 thousand dollar car, or any other material possession it doesn’t matter they are just inanimate objects. Your tank is alive! That’s where the stress comes into play.

Just like how a 2000 dollar tv or computer could just fry itself or an AC or furnace. You can apply that to anything in life. Whether it be a life essential or a luxury. Enjoy everything in life while you have it.. because unfortunately, you might not always have it.

 

[Todd1white]

They say that viewing an aquarium reduces stress but I'm not so sure about that when it comes to us reefers!

Would you say that keeping a saltwater reef aquarium actually induces more stress?

What is THE MOST stressful part of maintaining a reef aquarium?

When all is good, no stress. When parameters get out of wack, very stressful.