My Obsession

No, it's not Wicked the musical! :P

I became a reef aquarium enthusiast about 2 years ago. It all started with me wanting to get a gold fish bowl when we were still living in a small apartment. We had an aquarium when I was growing up but I never really had anything to do with it. I've never kept fish in my life. At the time I was thinking about getting a pet fish, I went on a business trip to NY and my co-worker Heather (she has a 72 gallon freshwater tank) told me that if I wanted to get fish, I need to start off with at least a 20 gallon tank since it's easier to keep the water stable. At least if the heater got busted, the bigger tank, the longer it would take for me to have boiled fish. One day, she took me to this fish store during lunch time. They had this saltwater tank on display and I just fell in love with it. That's when I decided that I wanted a saltwater tank. Heather told me that if I wanted a reef aquarium, I would probably need at least a 30 gallon tank. When I got home, I dragged my hubby to the fish store to look at aquariums. I was originally going to get a 36 gallon bowfront (curved front -- looks really nice) but when we got to the store, Arvin liked the form factor of the 46 gallon bowfront compared to the 36 gallon. So, we ended up buying a 46 gallon bowfront tank. After several months, I filled up my 46 gallon tank with mostly soft corals since my lighting couldn't support the hard stoney corals. I know, wrong move but I didn't know anything at that time. Anyways, I decided that once we get our own place, I was going to get at least a 90 gallon tank.

My current tank is a 100 gallons. Yep, it's HUMONGOUS! But I still want something bigger. Maybe a custom 1000 gallon in wall tank (Hopefully once we get a bigger house). My current tank is 5 feet across and 22 inches tall. It's predominantly hard stoney corals which take forever to grow (I'm learning how to be patient since only bad things happen quickly in a reef aquarium). I have some soft corals as well but it's not that much since I am hooked on the hard stoney corals even though it's harder to keep them. I view it as a challenge. The tank is still a work in progress. I still need more rock (maybe another 100lbs or so) and I can still see a lot of empty spots.

Right now, I only have 8 fishes in my tank. I have 2 clown fishes, 1 kole tang and 5 blue chromis. I used to have more however, my fish seem to have the habit of committing suicide (jumping out of the tank) whenever I am out of town. I've had my clown fishes for about 2 years now. I've named them Ernie and Bert. They're supposed to be a mated pair. They are asexual at birth and one of them is supposed to turn into a female. I don't know which one is the female and which one is the male. I somehow have made the conclusion that my clown fish are gay, hence the Ernie and Bert names.

I went to the local reef club's coral frag swap today and scored several nice pieces. I actually won twice during the raffle draw. I'm so happy! I've never won anything at a raffle so this is a first for me. Very nice corals. Would've cost a lot if I had to buy it from the fish store.

Here are some pictures of of my obsession. I don't recall ever showing anyone pictures of my tank ever since I moved everything from the 46 gallon bowfront to my current 100 gallon tank. So here you go. All pictures were taken by Arvin. Thanks sweetie! These pictures really don't do justice to the colors of the tank. You NEED to see it in person. You can't even see the shimmering effect of the metal halide lights in the picture.

My prized pink ricordia (this is quite rare)


Rose bubble tip anemone (yes, it's Nemo's home)


Left side of the tank


Center of the tank


Right side of the tank


Acropora mini colony (I won this at the raffle)


Frogspawn


Acropora (I grew these from 2 one inch frags. It's almost a mini colony now)


Staghorn (Really looking forward to the day when this starts branching off. It's going to be really sweet!)


Any reef aquarium enthusiast would tell you that it's an expensive hobby. The equipment, test kits, fish, corals cost a lot plus the equipment consumes a lot of electricity (it's 80% of my electric bill). My dad once asked me how much I've spent in this hobby. Ever since I started, I've never kept a tally of how much I have spent. I feel that it will take the fun out of the hobby once I start keeping track. It's so worth it for me though. It has helped me decompress when I feel stressed out. There's nothing more relaxing than watching my aquarium. I love tinkering around with stuff in the tank and I love seeing the corals grow. I feel a sense of accomplishment when things start thriving in my tank. I love it!

Yes, I am obsessed with this hobby. :)