The Marine Aquarium as Teacher

Posted by Ret Talbot Aug 2, 2008

Be Patient. Good things come to those who wait, and nothing good happens quickly in the marine aquarium hobby.

Every action has a reaction. A marine aquarium is a closed system; everything you put in must come out. Be careful what you put in.

Go to the roots of problems rather than looking for quick fixes. Getting sucked down the path of buying a product to fix every problem only leads to more problems caused by the product that was bought to fix the problem.

Looks aren’t everything. Some of the most unassuming marine animals can be the most interesting to observe if you take the time to do so.

Be resourceful. Few marine aquarium systems are plug-and-play, which allows plenty of room for improvising based on good old fashion common sense (e.g. the things you can do with PVC!).

Every experience is a microcosm of life at large. The mini-reefs maintained by marine aquarists are snapshots of the real rainforests of the seas. Taking care of your reef inspires you to take care of all reefs.

Television is overrated. Whether it's drama, comedy, education, or action for which you are looking, you’ll find more of it in your aquarium than on 500+ channels of TV.

Giving up some control is a good thing. Although a marine aquarium is a closed system, and the aquarist controls everything that goes in, the reef tank quickly develops a life of its own full of (mostly) magnificent interactions well beyond the aquarist’s control.

The little, unassuming guy often does the most work. While the marine aquarist may forget about the many snails, hermit crabs and other invertebrates that go about their business so often unnoticed, without them, everything else would truly be a mess.