Daniel@R2R
Living the Reef Life
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My Tank Thread
The moment we’ve all been waiting for is here! After an incredible round of entries, it’s time to meet the February Mariner of the Month finalists—an inspiring group of reef hobbyists who have shared their creativity, passion, and dedication to this amazing hobby. Now it’s YOUR turn to decide who will claim this month’s title!
This contest is about more than just the tank—it’s about the Mariner. As you vote, consider their:
These finalists have gone above and beyond, showcasing the heart of reefing—Dreaming, Exploring, and Discovering. Take a moment to read their entries, be inspired by their journeys, and cast your vote to support these incredible hobbyists!
What’s at Stake?
The February Mariner of the Month will receive:
This month’s winner will also secure a coveted spot in the running for Mariner of the Year 2025, with a grand prize worth over $12,000!
How to Vote
Browse the finalist entries below and cast your vote for the Mariner who best embodies the spirit of this contest. Votes must be registered through the poll in this thread (not as comments). To vote, your account must have at least 10 posts and 2 weeks of membership at R2R. Voting closes January 31, 2025—so don’t miss your chance to make a difference!
Let’s celebrate the best of the reefing community—vote now and make this an unforgettable moment for our finalists!
Meet Our Finalists Below!
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Mariner #1 - @jazlyn
Name of Ree#1 Bikini Bottom
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
Well I struggle with mental illness, so it’s a stress reducer. It’s also something I can focus on to clear my head. I love being able to just sit and watch the current through the corals and fish. Focusing on water changes and tests calms me. I also find myself researching a lot of new things on my reef on a day to day basis. I’m always trying to learn as much as I can about my specific tank. I love the beach as well and having a part of my own little ocean is amazing to me. I want to try and make sure within time I have the best equipment possible. Being able to focus and care for my tank helps with my mental health a lot being able to sit and focus on water changes or testing my parameters. I love my reef tank and I’m always open to learning new things about reefing!
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Mariner #2 - @Usarmy227
Name of Reef: Brian#2 Reef Tank
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
My name is Brian Chandler. I’m a 100% permeant and Total Disabled Army Veteran with PTSD and multiple respiratory Disabilities.I was deployed to Afghanistan in June 2009-June 2010 and May 2011- Sept 2011. I then was honorably medical discharged in June 2012. I got into reefing in August 2024 as an alternative treatment for my PTSD. So far Reefing has been a great outlet. It’s calming and keeps my mind busy daily with all the reminders going off, testing, water changes, dosing, feedings, and just flat out Researching on reef2reef. It has been an amazing experience. I take hours out of my day to reflect and take notes in my journal about my progress. I can say that I have fell in love with reefing. Never have I thought that fish and coral can be a treatment. I hope to pass on all my progress to all veterans I know so I can help them. My dream goal has came true. I just recently received a Pro-Star 90 to start setting up. Once I make the transition to the bigger tank. My little 15g will be Donated to another veteran with PTSD.
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Mariner #3 - @*GAREEF*
Name of Reef: Sublime
Li#3 to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
I began my reef tank journey in 1996. I was immediately captivated by living coral and read and re-read all of the literature at the time available to me. I became very successful at keeping coral alive and thriving rather quickly. This became a side job and then a permanent job for many years, until I joined the Army in 2002.
While in the Army, I was stationed in Germany and got to see some of the most amazing reef aquariums that I’d ever seen and quickly started a reef tank. Shortly after this, I was deployed to Iraq for thirteen months, starting in 2004 and ending in 2005, where mostly I was a gunner on top of a truck on a combat patrol team. We performed security escorts, reconnaissance, and were a QRF team.
This experience changed my life forever, not only from the explosions that caused a brain injury but the loss of life that I had never experienced before. The experience also resulted in moral and ethical injuries that will never leave me. Returning from Iraq, I still kept and maintained reef aquariums, but over the years I wasn’t experiencing the same happiness from it as I once used to. Eventually, I became an alcoholic, developed extreme anger issues, and my mental health and well-being declined so badly that I ended up in a standoff with the sheriff’s department, and I had two officers pinned to the ground.
Luckily for me, a lady named Lory Ott, who was a news reporter, got involved and helped create a veterans court, which led to treatment instead of prison for me. I got sober, and my mental health gradually was getting better, and I got back into reef keeping. After a few years of sobriety and reef keeping and aquarium maintenance as a profession and obsession again, life started to throw me a few curve balls, and I started drinking and using drugs.
This went off and on for several years, and again I left reef keeping, but this time it was for eight years. I ended up institutionalized and released into a new program the VA started implementing, called WRAP. After two years of sobriety and meeting with other Veterans daily in this program, I started to feel better but still had quite a bit of anxiety and depression. One of my peers in the program asked me what I do that makes me happy, truly happy, and something that I can do to break away from when things aren’t going well.
There were many things I thought of, like walking my dogs in the woods, fishing, my garden, etc. But I was told to keep looking, and those weren’t what really made me happy. When I really started to think about it, she was right, because while I enjoyed doing these things, they were more of a routine for me that I kinda enjoyed.
For two years, I was asked this question, and my answers never satisfied my peer support counselor. Well, after two years in the program, I finally found it, and it was right there all the time; I just couldn’t see it. I found Reef2Reef and started reading about everything. Some things have definitely changed in the last ten years, but it sparked my old passion that I never thought would come back to me like it once was and that I remembered.
In October 2024, I started a reef tank, and I’m on cloud nine again. I love to get on Reef2Reef and help people that are new to reef keeping, and I love looking at all of the members’ reefs and pictures of their corals. My Sublime and Reef2Reef is my happy place.
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Mariner #4 - @JayM
Name of Reef: The Reef That Shall Remai#4Nameless
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
To be brutally honest, when I started this tank about a year ago, I didn’t think it would affect my daily life in any significant way. But I quickly found out that I was completely wrong. Especially when it ended up infected with ick and/or velvet a couple of months in. Wiped out everything but my Hippo Tang (Beauty) my YWG (Grumpy) and two Firefish (Spark & Sapphire). That was a busy bit of work that nearly got me to get out before I was all the way in. Fast forward a couple of months, all is well and I find myself staring into my personal deep blue sea for extended periods the moment I walk through the door after work everyday. It’s an instant stress reliever, and extremely relaxing even on the non-stressful days.
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Mariner #5 - @Stang67
Name of Reef: 3rd time better be the charm
#5ink to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
Well to be honest it keeps me going everyday. Like some others have mentioned I struggle with mental health issues. When I started my reefing journey it was purely to prove someone wrong. I was really struggling at the time and was in a pretty low spot. A way for me to cope was to learn something completely new. Get my mind busy and find something to occupy me to avoid the alternative. I dug in and with the help, guidance, encouragement and friendship from people here I was able to succeed. I also dive so I dreamt of having that same peace I felt under water in my home as well. As time went by, I explored all the different ways of doing things and dealing with issues or problems I came across as my tank matured and I grew to love the hobby. Eventually I discovered my starter (and then my second) tank were just not going to satisfy my need for a true piece of the ocean. I was able to get my dream tank (third time is really the charm) a 180g. After a lot of hard work and perseverance, I feel I am at a point where I can truly contribute and pass down the knowledge, skills, tips and tricks I learned along the way and hopefully help others. I still remember that feeling when I set up my first tank and I never would have thought that I would be where I am now. And I wouldn't be, without the help of so many others. Some just stopped by, some stayed, and some no matter how hard I try WILL NOT LEAVE
But seriously, this hobby saved me so thank you. Thank you to all the other Dreamers, Explorers and Discoverers. I am so thankful for each and every one of you and all you do for everyone. My daily life is healthier, happier, and more meaningful all because I started this crazy journey with all of you.
Nominated by @tbrown: Becky has been my friend here on Reef2Reef for several years now. She's always willing to help out new reefers and reefers that are down on their luck. She's always willing to offer advice to those having a hard time with their tank. She has an amazing tank and a great attitude. I enjoy hanging around with her and having conversations whether reef related or just about life in general. If you haven't yet met Becky, go and track her down and get to know her!
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Mariner #6 - @armyvetheather
Name of Reef: Sophie's Reef
Link to Reef: #6B]CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
The name of my tank is Sophie's Reef and I've honestly found since exiting the military that staying busy and keeping my mind occupied is one of the best forms of therapy there are. There is nothing better after a long day at work than coming home to see the blue light through the window, almost like a beacon, and I can't wait to run inside and see how everything is doing each day. When I take the first look at the tank each evening it sets the entire mood for the rest of the night. One of two things happen from there; it's generally just a matter of dosing all my dailies and then changing sock filters or adjusting a coral here and there, but on the off-chance something is wrong - everything goes on high alert until I figure it out and you should probably just leave me be until that happens. I usually cook dinner each evening and adjust things here and there or tweak this or that in the tank. It really has given me something to focus my energy and mind towards and stay active, something positive and at this point I'm not sure I could imagine pulling in the driveway and not having that blue light.
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Mariner #7 - @luis angel
Name of Reef: Jason's Reef
Link to Reef: [#7]CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
My story in the hobby begins on 10/9/23 when a coworker wanted to get rid of his tank because he didn’t have much time to dedicate to it. So, a beautiful Biocube 32 arrived at my house. At that time, I had zero knowledge on how to keep an aquarium. With what my friend explained to me and by searching on the internet, I started taking care of the tank. Then, I discovered Reef2Reef, and there I began to explore a whole new world about this beautiful hobby. I can say with great certainty that all the knowledge I have gained so far—and continue to learn day by day—is thanks to R2R and the good friends and family I have found here, like the #SmorgasbordFamily and many more.
How does having an aquarium affect #SmorgasbordFamilymany good things have happened to me in life, but I can assure you that having an aquarium has been one of the best, and above all, it came at the right time. I would have liked it to come much earlier, but life has a plan. My day-to-day life is not very complicated—going to work, hugging my son and wife, and then going to see the tank are the first three things I do when I get home from work. I also love to cook a lot, lol.
Those who know me are aware of a situation in the family that I had in April of last year, and apart from the support of my wife, having an aquarium helped me a lot. When my mind would drift to that situation, I would go sit in front of the tank, and for that moment, I could focus my mind on something else. I also thank my family and friends here at R2R who helped me a lot during that difficult time in my life.
Having an aquarium has a great impact on my daily life since it is a hobby that requires a lot of attention. It has also sparked an interest in my wife and son, who always accompany me to the LFS. This past year, we went to Skellyfest here in Miami, and every now and then, they ask me when there will be another event to attend. And so, this is a part of my story that surely has many chapters left to write.
Nominated by @tbrown: For those of you that haven't met him, Luis is an awesome friend! He hasn't been reefing for long but the growth in this hobby he has had is outstanding! He went from a relative newbie to offering sound advice to anyone that needs it. Pictures of the food he's making makes all of us hungry but we love him anyway! Thanks for always helping keep us entertained Luis!
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Mariner #8 - @TangerineSpeedo
Name of Reef: The names of my tanks...
Frank#8cube AKA 40Trop.
Tide pool temperate AKA RS170Temp
The Aquarium no one wanted AKA Frag
30L is going thru a transitional stage now and identifies as The Caribbean tank.
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
I have been keeping marine tanks since 1989. While not continuous, it would be if I had my druthers. The ocean has special healing powers for many, including myself, and when I became a certified diver in 1989, I needed to somehow keep a bit of it with me. I’ve always had MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome) from the very beginning, and nothing has changed in that department. I’ll touch on this in a second, but first, I want to express my appreciation for the people in my life who share my love for the ocean—from the community here on R2R to friends in public aquaria and aquaculture.
"How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?" The short answer to that question is… it is an obsession! And maybe a bit of a curse, I guess. I am always thinking about my tanks or projects that I want to try. My current project idea is to create a Caribbean reef without using actual Caribbean reef coral (because it’s not really available). My family and friends know to politely ask about my tanks when we get together because my eyes light up as I excitedly talk about the latest happenings with them.
As I mentioned earlier, I started keeping saltwater tanks with MTS, and today is no different. Currently, I am keeping four tanks with independent support systems and two satellite systems. What this means on a daily basis is that priority goes to feeding and supplements, ensuring the systems are running within acceptable parameters, and putting out fires. Scraping the glass and gluing frags to plugs are a bit further down the list (I have so many frags just laying at the bottom of the sand bed…).
I haven’t chosen the easiest styles of tanks for someone with MTS either. From my SPS-dominated display tank (DT) to my tide pool temperate tank, each requires its own attention. I try to keep my DT and frag tank as close as possible in parameters so I can move corals back and forth with little or no shock. My temperate tank is a whole different animal, and my IM30 long is an AIO tank—which, for me, is a daily struggle. I only have about an hour before work each day to fix whatever the CUC has torn down the night before. Luckily, I live close to work, so I can come home for lunch and give everyone an afternoon snack. At night, the tanks get their phyto and coral food.
My weekends are when the big tasks happen: water changes, making live foods, going to the ocean to collect kelp and NSW, cleaning, and testing the tanks. All of this can be thrown into turmoil if I decide to start a new project—anything from hatching and raising Grunion fry to building a new tank or maybe even rescuing a jellyfish for fun.
The interesting thing is, with all of this chaotic MTS reef-keeping, I am fairly accidentally successful—and that creates its own catch-22 that keeps me going. (Catch-22… dang, that’s another book I forgot to list in the book thread!)
I love keeping tanks and designing their own unique life support systems. I guess the real question is: if I lived in a place with an amazing, accessible tropical reef, would I still keep tanks? Probably.
Thank you all again. I am blessed.
Nominated by @tbrown: Experience, attitude, humor and a sense of community meet in our Mariner @TangerineSpeedo . I've been fortunate to be among the locals in his SoCal community that benefit from his knowledge and generosity, whether it's dishing out frags, calling to discuss your build or egging you on to jump into the Pacific Ocean (Not in these waters! Nuh uh!). He can build his own tanks or refit any old tank. He runs multiple successful reefs and a temperate water tank! You can try to transplant his bone marrow but all you'll find is rock salt! He's a Mariner through and through and should be a contender for this MOTM!
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Mariner #9 - @Projects with Sam
Name of Reef: DIY Solutions or ParlAquatics
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
#9]How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
Here is the prompt submitted to AI to assist in responding: write a short essay about how having and aquarium affects my daily life. Include points about how it gives me something to look forward to; noticing all the changes, new life, loss of life... also, mention how the daily task of feeding and observing the tank is relaxing and add a sentence about how routine and pets helps mental wellbeing. Having the tank helped me quit nicotine... Also mention something about the pride of researching and setting up and getting it to all run and keep these wonderful creatures alive imparts a great deal of pride; not to mention how enjoyable it is sharing all of it with my kids. Answers to the prompt may be seen here.
Nominated by TangerineSpeedo: @Projects with Sam is like the Beyonc'e of reefers! Scrappy, innovative, creative, family man, 3d printing fume huffer ! Why would I compete against the like of him? That is not even a competition, that's a slaughter. When Sam first started all he had was a used 120 Oceanic tank he found at a spring cleaning yard sale with nothing in it. Being a family man in this economy, he had to come up with creative ways to make it work. With his Western Suburb, street dog style, he did that and more. He parlayed that into ParlAquatics, which is now so successful that it had to move to a new dedicated location.
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Mariner #10 - @Imrahilwjz
Name of Reef: "Frank"
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does hav#10 an aquarium affect your daily life?
My daughter jokingly suggested “Frank” as a name for the tank, and it stuck—partly because we play Helldivers and have the “Make Frank Kill a Tank” achievement. My second-oldest son also said, “The tank’s name was Frank,” which is a paraphrase of a line from the “song” Classified by C.W. McCall. That probably solidified the name’s use for us.
The last photo is my nephew, who took the family photos. His dad, my brother Ryan, is the reason we got into aquariums.
Keeping a reef tank affects my daily life in multiple ways. It’s a diverse and engaging hobby that my entire family can participate in. It gives my children and me a shared interest, with endless topics to discuss. Every time I tell my son, Gil, “We’re going to do (x, y, or z) on the aquarium,” he replies, “Sounds cool,” or something similar, and we work on it together. All of my children peer into the tank and ask questions. I’ve lost count of how many times one of them has dragged me over to the tank, exclaiming, “C’mon, Dad! Before it hides again!”
I also love receiving pictures by text from my family of things they’ve spotted in the tank. Those little updates brighten my day at work. My wife is quick to point out to visitors that the tank is a source of stress relief for me and is very supportive of the hobby. She often says, “Wes comes home and checks on the tank, then fiddles with it to be sure it’s alright.”
I really enjoy making DIY items for the tank as well. I’ve built an algae scrubber and even welded together a stand for my future refugium. The tank helps me stay calmer and more balanced, which in turn makes me a better husband and father.
Nominated by @tbrown: This guy has an awesome reef tank. I've been stalking it since the beginning and I love the way he gets his kids involved! I've got two kids and both of them will look at the tank and ask questions, but his kids are involved and excited! You want to talk about a mentor? He is literally raising up the next generations of reefers. His kids are learning skills that they're going to take with them for the rest of their lives - skills like responsibility! 9 kids and counting and he still has time and energy for his reef tank.
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Mariner #11 - @kitti-fish
Name of Reef: Bigger is Better
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?#11o, I have had some type of fishtank since I was 8, my first being two 10 cent goldfish that ended up living 13 years. Even do my fish keeping was terrible at the beginning, I have always grown and improved as the time went one. After keeping freshwater, I took the plunge to go saltwater in 2024 and it's been lifechanging. There is something super soothing about watching life thrive in an ecosystem you created. Watching my clowns swim around when they see me, my shrimp dance in the toadstool, and watching the coral grow and multiply has been incredible. Even though this hobby can be slow and difficult, I truly enjoy and appreciate every moment of it. I feel incredbly priviledged to be able to have a little bit of the sea in my home. I don't think I could honestly have a home without some type of reef tank. It takes over every aspect of my life and has been the longest standing hobby in my life. The fact you have to be a scientist, engineer, architect, and so on is enough for anyone in the hobby to be incredible. I truly enjoy watching others build and getting ideas and inspiration for my own build!
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Mariner #12 - @vlangel
Name of Reef: Dawn's Natural Nutrient Reef Garden
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your dai#12life?
Hi all, the name of my current reef is: Dawn's Natural Nutrient Reef Garden. I began reef keeping in the late 90s when I converted a 40g XH freshwater into salt. A heater malfunction caused my first and only tank crash. I have since upgrade (90g in 2004), downgraded (36g in 2011) and upgraded but not as big as my first upgrade to my current tank (56g column in 2016). My current tank began as a seahorse tank because its dimensions were perfect for a 3-4 pony herd. However when my last pony lived out its life, I was ready for an easier system to care for. So in 2020 I converted the very high maintenance clean running seahorse reef into a much less demanding high nutrient mixed reef.
I intentionally added more rock and a deep sandbed for more biological filtration. Since I was not as worried about DOC or detritus negatively affecting sensitive seahorses, I removed the oversized skimmer. Now I wanted hardy, common fish that could do well on flake and pellets for those long weekends we might get away. (I feed frozen most days however). I also want as many fish as will peacefully co-habitate with one another. (Fish are my first love!) The added rock structure helped with creating different territories for the fish. Coral colonies and macroalgae also help with creating places for each fish to call their own. Like the fish, I chose hardy, common coral and macroalgae as I do not like to see anything languishing in my little piece of ocean. I like movement so my reef has a fair amount of flow so that the coral and macros can sway to and fro. That movement and interaction of observing my fish gives me a sense of peace and serenity.
That is how my tank affects my daily life. I love to sit in the chair across from the tank at 5:30 am when only the blue lights are on and drink my first cup of coffee. i love the bioluminescence of the coral during those early hours. Then again in the evening as the lights are dimming I enjoy sitting on the sofa and viewing the tank from a corner and seeing 2 sides at once and watching the fish settling in for the night. My tank has a cucumber, some nassarius snails and a coral banded shrimp that I find entertaining too. One never knows where the cucumber is going to show up and sometimes it is only the shrimps excessively long antennae that give away its location.
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Mariner #13 - @Johnd651
Name of Reef: HelloReef 15
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
Pe#13nally, my tanks from the start have always been very calming and relaxing to look at. I like to look in on them and enjoy my little slice of the peaceful ocean, and all the symbiotic relationships all the different organisms play.
I started with FW back in 2008'ish, and worked my way up to a reef tank by 2010. I always enjoyed watching the fish, and their personalities, and with the reef, the science behind it was something fun that kept my brain active. To be honest, on a day like today, it is nice having an indoor hobby when it is -4 F outside.
That being said, my tanks had been a part of my daily routine. They were there to sit and watch, and enjoy. Even the maintenance was enjoyable, knowing that once its done, it will be better then I started. When we got Bomber, the lab, he was our first dog of 4, he would love to sit and watch it with me. It was crazy to see, for a hyper lab, that calmed him down. We all enjoyed watching the tanks we had as a family.
After moving, we did not have anything setup for a while, and had always planned on setting up my dream tank (72" long x 24" high x 30" deep mixed reef tank), but with it being an old house, it has taken some time to renovate (plus the addition of a mini-me slowed us down even more). So when I was blessed with the HelloReef 15, I actually set it up in the same room as the dogs. It was like that lab never missed a beat, watching the fish go back and forth. It made my day knowing I wasn't the only one enjoying the tank.
In addition, my little one has fallen in love with fish tanks in general. She always wants to help and understand what is going on. One night I caught her and my wife just watching the tank, and she was explaining all the different corals to her, and who eats what, and the different snails (I guess she does listen like a sponge!!!).
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Mariner #14 - @00W
Name of Reef: My Zen Island
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
For those of you who have never met him....
This is Mo#14My whole thread was started because of him.
I have no idea how to provide a link to my tank I can barely program a timer but you can hit my showcase thread badge and you'll get there.
I love helping people in this hobby, especially newbies and especially teenagers.
I believe teenagers are the future of our hobby and if they want to reef instead of be on the computer I say we all support that in any way we can.
Technology has passed me by so I reef the only way I know how just like I did in 1989.
As simple as I can.
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
Well let's see since I'm on r2r 6 hours a day at least having my aquarium keeps me thinking, answering questions and taking time out of my day to spend it with my friends.
I've been keeping saltwater tanks for over 35 years and, honestly, it's just part of who I am.
I love the hobby. I love the animals.
I'm also an introvert so coming out of my shell has been difficult yet rewarding and I blame my aquarium and r2r for that.
My tank is my zen.
That's how it effects my life-it's my peace.
Okay not easy for me but here I am.
Nominated by @tbrown: He may be as old as Mickey Mantle or as young as Bobby Witt Jr, no one knows, because he convenes reefers from all over to his Smorgasbord corner of R2R: old and young, big tanks and little tanks, tacos and... well, mostly tacos. @00W has made a lasting impact on our growing online reefing community. He freely shares his deep knowledge of reefing topics. Is extremely supportive of members in his My Aquarium Showcase thread, The Smorgasbord. And, he delights us daily with his love of all things aquaria, baseball, food and good music. And he has one of the most iconic, photogenic, fat fish on R2R! Joel is a Mariner who deserves a very big hat!
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This contest is about more than just the tank—it’s about the Mariner. As you vote, consider their:
- Creativity and vision
- Dedication to reefing
- Contributions to the community
- The beauty and uniqueness of their tank
- And their response to this month’s prompt: How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
These finalists have gone above and beyond, showcasing the heart of reefing—Dreaming, Exploring, and Discovering. Take a moment to read their entries, be inspired by their journeys, and cast your vote to support these incredible hobbyists!
What’s at Stake?
The February Mariner of the Month will receive:
- Mariner of the Month Trophy!
- Eshopps C-120 Skimmer
- $250 Premium Aquatics Gift Card
- $250 Top Shelf Aquatics Frag Pack
- $250 SaltwaterAquarium.com Gift Certificate
- Bragging Rights!
This month’s winner will also secure a coveted spot in the running for Mariner of the Year 2025, with a grand prize worth over $12,000!
How to Vote
Browse the finalist entries below and cast your vote for the Mariner who best embodies the spirit of this contest. Votes must be registered through the poll in this thread (not as comments). To vote, your account must have at least 10 posts and 2 weeks of membership at R2R. Voting closes January 31, 2025—so don’t miss your chance to make a difference!
Let’s celebrate the best of the reefing community—vote now and make this an unforgettable moment for our finalists!
Meet Our Finalists Below!
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Mariner #1 - @jazlyn
Name of Ree#1 Bikini Bottom
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
Well I struggle with mental illness, so it’s a stress reducer. It’s also something I can focus on to clear my head. I love being able to just sit and watch the current through the corals and fish. Focusing on water changes and tests calms me. I also find myself researching a lot of new things on my reef on a day to day basis. I’m always trying to learn as much as I can about my specific tank. I love the beach as well and having a part of my own little ocean is amazing to me. I want to try and make sure within time I have the best equipment possible. Being able to focus and care for my tank helps with my mental health a lot being able to sit and focus on water changes or testing my parameters. I love my reef tank and I’m always open to learning new things about reefing!
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Mariner #2 - @Usarmy227
Name of Reef: Brian#2 Reef Tank
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
My name is Brian Chandler. I’m a 100% permeant and Total Disabled Army Veteran with PTSD and multiple respiratory Disabilities.I was deployed to Afghanistan in June 2009-June 2010 and May 2011- Sept 2011. I then was honorably medical discharged in June 2012. I got into reefing in August 2024 as an alternative treatment for my PTSD. So far Reefing has been a great outlet. It’s calming and keeps my mind busy daily with all the reminders going off, testing, water changes, dosing, feedings, and just flat out Researching on reef2reef. It has been an amazing experience. I take hours out of my day to reflect and take notes in my journal about my progress. I can say that I have fell in love with reefing. Never have I thought that fish and coral can be a treatment. I hope to pass on all my progress to all veterans I know so I can help them. My dream goal has came true. I just recently received a Pro-Star 90 to start setting up. Once I make the transition to the bigger tank. My little 15g will be Donated to another veteran with PTSD.
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Mariner #3 - @*GAREEF*
Name of Reef: Sublime
Li#3 to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
I began my reef tank journey in 1996. I was immediately captivated by living coral and read and re-read all of the literature at the time available to me. I became very successful at keeping coral alive and thriving rather quickly. This became a side job and then a permanent job for many years, until I joined the Army in 2002.
While in the Army, I was stationed in Germany and got to see some of the most amazing reef aquariums that I’d ever seen and quickly started a reef tank. Shortly after this, I was deployed to Iraq for thirteen months, starting in 2004 and ending in 2005, where mostly I was a gunner on top of a truck on a combat patrol team. We performed security escorts, reconnaissance, and were a QRF team.
This experience changed my life forever, not only from the explosions that caused a brain injury but the loss of life that I had never experienced before. The experience also resulted in moral and ethical injuries that will never leave me. Returning from Iraq, I still kept and maintained reef aquariums, but over the years I wasn’t experiencing the same happiness from it as I once used to. Eventually, I became an alcoholic, developed extreme anger issues, and my mental health and well-being declined so badly that I ended up in a standoff with the sheriff’s department, and I had two officers pinned to the ground.
Luckily for me, a lady named Lory Ott, who was a news reporter, got involved and helped create a veterans court, which led to treatment instead of prison for me. I got sober, and my mental health gradually was getting better, and I got back into reef keeping. After a few years of sobriety and reef keeping and aquarium maintenance as a profession and obsession again, life started to throw me a few curve balls, and I started drinking and using drugs.
This went off and on for several years, and again I left reef keeping, but this time it was for eight years. I ended up institutionalized and released into a new program the VA started implementing, called WRAP. After two years of sobriety and meeting with other Veterans daily in this program, I started to feel better but still had quite a bit of anxiety and depression. One of my peers in the program asked me what I do that makes me happy, truly happy, and something that I can do to break away from when things aren’t going well.
There were many things I thought of, like walking my dogs in the woods, fishing, my garden, etc. But I was told to keep looking, and those weren’t what really made me happy. When I really started to think about it, she was right, because while I enjoyed doing these things, they were more of a routine for me that I kinda enjoyed.
For two years, I was asked this question, and my answers never satisfied my peer support counselor. Well, after two years in the program, I finally found it, and it was right there all the time; I just couldn’t see it. I found Reef2Reef and started reading about everything. Some things have definitely changed in the last ten years, but it sparked my old passion that I never thought would come back to me like it once was and that I remembered.
In October 2024, I started a reef tank, and I’m on cloud nine again. I love to get on Reef2Reef and help people that are new to reef keeping, and I love looking at all of the members’ reefs and pictures of their corals. My Sublime and Reef2Reef is my happy place.
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Mariner #4 - @JayM
Name of Reef: The Reef That Shall Remai#4Nameless
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
To be brutally honest, when I started this tank about a year ago, I didn’t think it would affect my daily life in any significant way. But I quickly found out that I was completely wrong. Especially when it ended up infected with ick and/or velvet a couple of months in. Wiped out everything but my Hippo Tang (Beauty) my YWG (Grumpy) and two Firefish (Spark & Sapphire). That was a busy bit of work that nearly got me to get out before I was all the way in. Fast forward a couple of months, all is well and I find myself staring into my personal deep blue sea for extended periods the moment I walk through the door after work everyday. It’s an instant stress reliever, and extremely relaxing even on the non-stressful days.
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Mariner #5 - @Stang67
Name of Reef: 3rd time better be the charm
#5ink to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
Well to be honest it keeps me going everyday. Like some others have mentioned I struggle with mental health issues. When I started my reefing journey it was purely to prove someone wrong. I was really struggling at the time and was in a pretty low spot. A way for me to cope was to learn something completely new. Get my mind busy and find something to occupy me to avoid the alternative. I dug in and with the help, guidance, encouragement and friendship from people here I was able to succeed. I also dive so I dreamt of having that same peace I felt under water in my home as well. As time went by, I explored all the different ways of doing things and dealing with issues or problems I came across as my tank matured and I grew to love the hobby. Eventually I discovered my starter (and then my second) tank were just not going to satisfy my need for a true piece of the ocean. I was able to get my dream tank (third time is really the charm) a 180g. After a lot of hard work and perseverance, I feel I am at a point where I can truly contribute and pass down the knowledge, skills, tips and tricks I learned along the way and hopefully help others. I still remember that feeling when I set up my first tank and I never would have thought that I would be where I am now. And I wouldn't be, without the help of so many others. Some just stopped by, some stayed, and some no matter how hard I try WILL NOT LEAVE
But seriously, this hobby saved me so thank you. Thank you to all the other Dreamers, Explorers and Discoverers. I am so thankful for each and every one of you and all you do for everyone. My daily life is healthier, happier, and more meaningful all because I started this crazy journey with all of you.Nominated by @tbrown: Becky has been my friend here on Reef2Reef for several years now. She's always willing to help out new reefers and reefers that are down on their luck. She's always willing to offer advice to those having a hard time with their tank. She has an amazing tank and a great attitude. I enjoy hanging around with her and having conversations whether reef related or just about life in general. If you haven't yet met Becky, go and track her down and get to know her!
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Mariner #6 - @armyvetheather
Name of Reef: Sophie's Reef
Link to Reef: #6B]CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
The name of my tank is Sophie's Reef and I've honestly found since exiting the military that staying busy and keeping my mind occupied is one of the best forms of therapy there are. There is nothing better after a long day at work than coming home to see the blue light through the window, almost like a beacon, and I can't wait to run inside and see how everything is doing each day. When I take the first look at the tank each evening it sets the entire mood for the rest of the night. One of two things happen from there; it's generally just a matter of dosing all my dailies and then changing sock filters or adjusting a coral here and there, but on the off-chance something is wrong - everything goes on high alert until I figure it out and you should probably just leave me be until that happens. I usually cook dinner each evening and adjust things here and there or tweak this or that in the tank. It really has given me something to focus my energy and mind towards and stay active, something positive and at this point I'm not sure I could imagine pulling in the driveway and not having that blue light.
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Mariner #7 - @luis angel
Name of Reef: Jason's Reef
Link to Reef: [#7]CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
My story in the hobby begins on 10/9/23 when a coworker wanted to get rid of his tank because he didn’t have much time to dedicate to it. So, a beautiful Biocube 32 arrived at my house. At that time, I had zero knowledge on how to keep an aquarium. With what my friend explained to me and by searching on the internet, I started taking care of the tank. Then, I discovered Reef2Reef, and there I began to explore a whole new world about this beautiful hobby. I can say with great certainty that all the knowledge I have gained so far—and continue to learn day by day—is thanks to R2R and the good friends and family I have found here, like the #SmorgasbordFamily and many more.
How does having an aquarium affect #SmorgasbordFamilymany good things have happened to me in life, but I can assure you that having an aquarium has been one of the best, and above all, it came at the right time. I would have liked it to come much earlier, but life has a plan. My day-to-day life is not very complicated—going to work, hugging my son and wife, and then going to see the tank are the first three things I do when I get home from work. I also love to cook a lot, lol.
Those who know me are aware of a situation in the family that I had in April of last year, and apart from the support of my wife, having an aquarium helped me a lot. When my mind would drift to that situation, I would go sit in front of the tank, and for that moment, I could focus my mind on something else. I also thank my family and friends here at R2R who helped me a lot during that difficult time in my life.
Having an aquarium has a great impact on my daily life since it is a hobby that requires a lot of attention. It has also sparked an interest in my wife and son, who always accompany me to the LFS. This past year, we went to Skellyfest here in Miami, and every now and then, they ask me when there will be another event to attend. And so, this is a part of my story that surely has many chapters left to write.
Nominated by @tbrown: For those of you that haven't met him, Luis is an awesome friend! He hasn't been reefing for long but the growth in this hobby he has had is outstanding! He went from a relative newbie to offering sound advice to anyone that needs it. Pictures of the food he's making makes all of us hungry but we love him anyway! Thanks for always helping keep us entertained Luis!
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Mariner #8 - @TangerineSpeedo
Name of Reef: The names of my tanks...
Frank#8cube AKA 40Trop.
Tide pool temperate AKA RS170Temp
The Aquarium no one wanted AKA Frag
30L is going thru a transitional stage now and identifies as The Caribbean tank.
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
I have been keeping marine tanks since 1989. While not continuous, it would be if I had my druthers. The ocean has special healing powers for many, including myself, and when I became a certified diver in 1989, I needed to somehow keep a bit of it with me. I’ve always had MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome) from the very beginning, and nothing has changed in that department. I’ll touch on this in a second, but first, I want to express my appreciation for the people in my life who share my love for the ocean—from the community here on R2R to friends in public aquaria and aquaculture.
"How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?" The short answer to that question is… it is an obsession! And maybe a bit of a curse, I guess. I am always thinking about my tanks or projects that I want to try. My current project idea is to create a Caribbean reef without using actual Caribbean reef coral (because it’s not really available). My family and friends know to politely ask about my tanks when we get together because my eyes light up as I excitedly talk about the latest happenings with them.
As I mentioned earlier, I started keeping saltwater tanks with MTS, and today is no different. Currently, I am keeping four tanks with independent support systems and two satellite systems. What this means on a daily basis is that priority goes to feeding and supplements, ensuring the systems are running within acceptable parameters, and putting out fires. Scraping the glass and gluing frags to plugs are a bit further down the list (I have so many frags just laying at the bottom of the sand bed…).
I haven’t chosen the easiest styles of tanks for someone with MTS either. From my SPS-dominated display tank (DT) to my tide pool temperate tank, each requires its own attention. I try to keep my DT and frag tank as close as possible in parameters so I can move corals back and forth with little or no shock. My temperate tank is a whole different animal, and my IM30 long is an AIO tank—which, for me, is a daily struggle. I only have about an hour before work each day to fix whatever the CUC has torn down the night before. Luckily, I live close to work, so I can come home for lunch and give everyone an afternoon snack. At night, the tanks get their phyto and coral food.
My weekends are when the big tasks happen: water changes, making live foods, going to the ocean to collect kelp and NSW, cleaning, and testing the tanks. All of this can be thrown into turmoil if I decide to start a new project—anything from hatching and raising Grunion fry to building a new tank or maybe even rescuing a jellyfish for fun.
The interesting thing is, with all of this chaotic MTS reef-keeping, I am fairly accidentally successful—and that creates its own catch-22 that keeps me going. (Catch-22… dang, that’s another book I forgot to list in the book thread!)
I love keeping tanks and designing their own unique life support systems. I guess the real question is: if I lived in a place with an amazing, accessible tropical reef, would I still keep tanks? Probably.
Thank you all again. I am blessed.
Nominated by @tbrown: Experience, attitude, humor and a sense of community meet in our Mariner @TangerineSpeedo . I've been fortunate to be among the locals in his SoCal community that benefit from his knowledge and generosity, whether it's dishing out frags, calling to discuss your build or egging you on to jump into the Pacific Ocean (Not in these waters! Nuh uh!). He can build his own tanks or refit any old tank. He runs multiple successful reefs and a temperate water tank! You can try to transplant his bone marrow but all you'll find is rock salt! He's a Mariner through and through and should be a contender for this MOTM!
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Mariner #9 - @Projects with Sam
Name of Reef: DIY Solutions or ParlAquatics
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
#9]How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
Here is the prompt submitted to AI to assist in responding: write a short essay about how having and aquarium affects my daily life. Include points about how it gives me something to look forward to; noticing all the changes, new life, loss of life... also, mention how the daily task of feeding and observing the tank is relaxing and add a sentence about how routine and pets helps mental wellbeing. Having the tank helped me quit nicotine... Also mention something about the pride of researching and setting up and getting it to all run and keep these wonderful creatures alive imparts a great deal of pride; not to mention how enjoyable it is sharing all of it with my kids. Answers to the prompt may be seen here.
Nominated by TangerineSpeedo: @Projects with Sam is like the Beyonc'e of reefers! Scrappy, innovative, creative, family man, 3d printing fume huffer ! Why would I compete against the like of him? That is not even a competition, that's a slaughter. When Sam first started all he had was a used 120 Oceanic tank he found at a spring cleaning yard sale with nothing in it. Being a family man in this economy, he had to come up with creative ways to make it work. With his Western Suburb, street dog style, he did that and more. He parlayed that into ParlAquatics, which is now so successful that it had to move to a new dedicated location.
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Mariner #10 - @Imrahilwjz
Name of Reef: "Frank"
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does hav#10 an aquarium affect your daily life?
My daughter jokingly suggested “Frank” as a name for the tank, and it stuck—partly because we play Helldivers and have the “Make Frank Kill a Tank” achievement. My second-oldest son also said, “The tank’s name was Frank,” which is a paraphrase of a line from the “song” Classified by C.W. McCall. That probably solidified the name’s use for us.
The last photo is my nephew, who took the family photos. His dad, my brother Ryan, is the reason we got into aquariums.
Keeping a reef tank affects my daily life in multiple ways. It’s a diverse and engaging hobby that my entire family can participate in. It gives my children and me a shared interest, with endless topics to discuss. Every time I tell my son, Gil, “We’re going to do (x, y, or z) on the aquarium,” he replies, “Sounds cool,” or something similar, and we work on it together. All of my children peer into the tank and ask questions. I’ve lost count of how many times one of them has dragged me over to the tank, exclaiming, “C’mon, Dad! Before it hides again!”
I also love receiving pictures by text from my family of things they’ve spotted in the tank. Those little updates brighten my day at work. My wife is quick to point out to visitors that the tank is a source of stress relief for me and is very supportive of the hobby. She often says, “Wes comes home and checks on the tank, then fiddles with it to be sure it’s alright.”
I really enjoy making DIY items for the tank as well. I’ve built an algae scrubber and even welded together a stand for my future refugium. The tank helps me stay calmer and more balanced, which in turn makes me a better husband and father.
Nominated by @tbrown: This guy has an awesome reef tank. I've been stalking it since the beginning and I love the way he gets his kids involved! I've got two kids and both of them will look at the tank and ask questions, but his kids are involved and excited! You want to talk about a mentor? He is literally raising up the next generations of reefers. His kids are learning skills that they're going to take with them for the rest of their lives - skills like responsibility! 9 kids and counting and he still has time and energy for his reef tank.
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Mariner #11 - @kitti-fish
Name of Reef: Bigger is Better
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?#11o, I have had some type of fishtank since I was 8, my first being two 10 cent goldfish that ended up living 13 years. Even do my fish keeping was terrible at the beginning, I have always grown and improved as the time went one. After keeping freshwater, I took the plunge to go saltwater in 2024 and it's been lifechanging. There is something super soothing about watching life thrive in an ecosystem you created. Watching my clowns swim around when they see me, my shrimp dance in the toadstool, and watching the coral grow and multiply has been incredible. Even though this hobby can be slow and difficult, I truly enjoy and appreciate every moment of it. I feel incredbly priviledged to be able to have a little bit of the sea in my home. I don't think I could honestly have a home without some type of reef tank. It takes over every aspect of my life and has been the longest standing hobby in my life. The fact you have to be a scientist, engineer, architect, and so on is enough for anyone in the hobby to be incredible. I truly enjoy watching others build and getting ideas and inspiration for my own build!
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Mariner #12 - @vlangel
Name of Reef: Dawn's Natural Nutrient Reef Garden
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your dai#12life?
Hi all, the name of my current reef is: Dawn's Natural Nutrient Reef Garden. I began reef keeping in the late 90s when I converted a 40g XH freshwater into salt. A heater malfunction caused my first and only tank crash. I have since upgrade (90g in 2004), downgraded (36g in 2011) and upgraded but not as big as my first upgrade to my current tank (56g column in 2016). My current tank began as a seahorse tank because its dimensions were perfect for a 3-4 pony herd. However when my last pony lived out its life, I was ready for an easier system to care for. So in 2020 I converted the very high maintenance clean running seahorse reef into a much less demanding high nutrient mixed reef.
I intentionally added more rock and a deep sandbed for more biological filtration. Since I was not as worried about DOC or detritus negatively affecting sensitive seahorses, I removed the oversized skimmer. Now I wanted hardy, common fish that could do well on flake and pellets for those long weekends we might get away. (I feed frozen most days however). I also want as many fish as will peacefully co-habitate with one another. (Fish are my first love!) The added rock structure helped with creating different territories for the fish. Coral colonies and macroalgae also help with creating places for each fish to call their own. Like the fish, I chose hardy, common coral and macroalgae as I do not like to see anything languishing in my little piece of ocean. I like movement so my reef has a fair amount of flow so that the coral and macros can sway to and fro. That movement and interaction of observing my fish gives me a sense of peace and serenity.
That is how my tank affects my daily life. I love to sit in the chair across from the tank at 5:30 am when only the blue lights are on and drink my first cup of coffee. i love the bioluminescence of the coral during those early hours. Then again in the evening as the lights are dimming I enjoy sitting on the sofa and viewing the tank from a corner and seeing 2 sides at once and watching the fish settling in for the night. My tank has a cucumber, some nassarius snails and a coral banded shrimp that I find entertaining too. One never knows where the cucumber is going to show up and sometimes it is only the shrimps excessively long antennae that give away its location.
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Mariner #13 - @Johnd651
Name of Reef: HelloReef 15
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
Pe#13nally, my tanks from the start have always been very calming and relaxing to look at. I like to look in on them and enjoy my little slice of the peaceful ocean, and all the symbiotic relationships all the different organisms play.
I started with FW back in 2008'ish, and worked my way up to a reef tank by 2010. I always enjoyed watching the fish, and their personalities, and with the reef, the science behind it was something fun that kept my brain active. To be honest, on a day like today, it is nice having an indoor hobby when it is -4 F outside.
That being said, my tanks had been a part of my daily routine. They were there to sit and watch, and enjoy. Even the maintenance was enjoyable, knowing that once its done, it will be better then I started. When we got Bomber, the lab, he was our first dog of 4, he would love to sit and watch it with me. It was crazy to see, for a hyper lab, that calmed him down. We all enjoyed watching the tanks we had as a family.
After moving, we did not have anything setup for a while, and had always planned on setting up my dream tank (72" long x 24" high x 30" deep mixed reef tank), but with it being an old house, it has taken some time to renovate (plus the addition of a mini-me slowed us down even more). So when I was blessed with the HelloReef 15, I actually set it up in the same room as the dogs. It was like that lab never missed a beat, watching the fish go back and forth. It made my day knowing I wasn't the only one enjoying the tank.
In addition, my little one has fallen in love with fish tanks in general. She always wants to help and understand what is going on. One night I caught her and my wife just watching the tank, and she was explaining all the different corals to her, and who eats what, and the different snails (I guess she does listen like a sponge!!!).
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Mariner #14 - @00W
Name of Reef: My Zen Island
Link to Reef: CLICK HERE
For those of you who have never met him....
This is Mo#14My whole thread was started because of him.
I have no idea how to provide a link to my tank I can barely program a timer but you can hit my showcase thread badge and you'll get there.
I love helping people in this hobby, especially newbies and especially teenagers.
I believe teenagers are the future of our hobby and if they want to reef instead of be on the computer I say we all support that in any way we can.
Technology has passed me by so I reef the only way I know how just like I did in 1989.
As simple as I can.
How does having an aquarium affect your daily life?
Well let's see since I'm on r2r 6 hours a day at least having my aquarium keeps me thinking, answering questions and taking time out of my day to spend it with my friends.
I've been keeping saltwater tanks for over 35 years and, honestly, it's just part of who I am.
I love the hobby. I love the animals.
I'm also an introvert so coming out of my shell has been difficult yet rewarding and I blame my aquarium and r2r for that.
My tank is my zen.
That's how it effects my life-it's my peace.
Okay not easy for me but here I am.
Nominated by @tbrown: He may be as old as Mickey Mantle or as young as Bobby Witt Jr, no one knows, because he convenes reefers from all over to his Smorgasbord corner of R2R: old and young, big tanks and little tanks, tacos and... well, mostly tacos. @00W has made a lasting impact on our growing online reefing community. He freely shares his deep knowledge of reefing topics. Is extremely supportive of members in his My Aquarium Showcase thread, The Smorgasbord. And, he delights us daily with his love of all things aquaria, baseball, food and good music. And he has one of the most iconic, photogenic, fat fish on R2R! Joel is a Mariner who deserves a very big hat!
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