A Reefer’s Tale

Discovering Failure as the Path to Success in the Saltwater Hobby

I wanted a dog. I was struggling to fit in at the University I had been teaching at for six years and combined with being a blue blood Northeastern in a deep red Midwestern state I was feeling very isolated and alone. I had always wanted a dog and it seemed like the perfect time to get one, but we were sharing a home with my brother-in-law who really was not a dog person at all. So, as Christmas 2016 approached my wife came up with what she thought was a perfect compromise: a saltwater tank.

My introduction to the saltwater hobby was a 13-gallon nano “complete setup” purchased off the counter of the local fish store. As I began setting it up, I was confronted by the first question all reefers must consider: how much do I want to know about my hobby? The spectrum of answers ranges from people who own “show tanks” only as decoration to the hobbyist turned entrepreneur who never stops trying to learn more. My little tank had come with a few basic fish, some live rock, and a small LED light. But it also came with a few corals, and it was these small animals that would become one of my greatest passions. I have always enjoyed nature and had appreciated other people’s saltwater tanks whenever I encountered them. But now that I had my own I felt compelled to learn as much as I could, and that’s how the hobby gets you hooked.