This hobby seems tons better when the wife likes it too!

So, for me this hobby all started back in very early spring of 2007. My wife and I were at a pet store and we walked past the saltwater area. I saw that all the fish they were selling were in 10 gallon tanks. I said to my wife, "I'm going to set a 10 gallon saltwater tank and try this out."

I set up a 10 gallon up in our first house. Since I've only done freshwater tanks, it started off with white pebbles for freshwater fish tank and no live rock. I then found out a few days later from a person at work that I need to take the pebbles out and put sand in and live rock. I was like, "okay?..."

So I took the pebbles out and put in sad and three very small live rocks. About a week later I bought a blue fin damsel. He survived the first night. Then I bought a fals percula clownfish. It survived too.

Well, this little "try a saltwater tank" became and awesome hobby for my wife and I. Our little 10 gal became a full mixed reef within a few years! I got ride of the blue fin damsel. Bought a lot more live rock and bought a second clownfish.

My wife really likes this hobby! She loves looking at and picking out corals. She's always wanting more corals and wanting to go to coral frag swaps! We went to one in 2008 in Rhinelander WI. We had a great time!

Our 10 gal was up for around 4 years, then we moved. And now we have a 75 gal that will soon become a reef.

But it's funny how just wanting to try a saltwater tank, not knowing a thing about em, has become so much fun! I've learned so much!! And I gotta laugh because one of the hardest tanks you can do, are the nanos. And I made that my very first try at this hobby.

For any of you who would like to see what our lil 10galreef looked like, here's a link to my youtube page.

75GalReef - YouTube

 

You are truly one of the lucky ones man. Many wifes are much less approving than yours, shes a keeper for sure. lol Good to see another Wisconsinite on here.

 

My wife got me into it haha I said I wanted a fish tank and she said I always wanted a saltwater tank! Now we have a 120, a 90 and a soon to be 40b frag tank....

 

My wife as well got me into the hobby. She has had sw tanks before and was a while since she had one. We acquired a 60g bf from her step mom and it was all over from there. We upgraded to a 80g reef and a 12g nano reef. I've wanted bigger for a while and one day I found the fish she wanted and we needed a bigger tank for him. She found a 125g at a good deal. She was the one who got it all squared away. She loves the corals and loves picking out fish and corals. My wife is always supportive of all my ideas, my DIY concepts and all the time and effort I put into OUR tank. She is a big part of everything and loves every part of it. I wouldn't do it without her support and her ideas. She is amazing.
I'm glad you also can share it with your significant other. It is truly an amazing journey to take.

Your 10g looked great and the 75 is coming along great.

Gotta love reefing.

 

Boy, I envy you guys!! The only thing my wife really likes of my tank, is watching the fish! Anytime I ask her opinion on something, the response I get is "well it's your tank, do whatever you want!". But I do have to say, my 4 year old son just can't get enough of my tank! He's always wanting to help me work on it, and is always more than happy to hand me stuff or use the mag float to scrape algae. Any time he gets a new toy he has to take it to my tank and show his Nemo fish, then says that Nemo wants to play with him and the new toy, but he can't cuz he'd get the toy wet. And he calls my sump "his tank" and loves to touch the snails shells when they go above the water line

 

My wife supports me 100%, the bank... not so much!! She wanted a betta fish for a Birthday 10 years ago and the rest is history
It helps to have both partners into a hobby. Especially this one which cost some cash even with DIY builds it adds up. Only complaint I would have is having to share what we both want and making sure its compatible in the same tank. Thats had its up and downs

 

Haha I can totally relate. My wife wants eels, lion fish and anything else that looks menacing. I keep telling her, I like the peace the tank brings to me, I don't want bloodshed. lol I told her later we could set up a corner tank for her so she can have her killer fish and she seems receptive. But I told her she is feeding it! lol

 

HA!! Id feed it all day long, Shes the one cleaning it. Im not sticking my hands in there. Call me what you want

 

I am lucky that my wife actually loves it. While she is not as INTO it as I am. She loves the fact of our tank in our family room.

When I bring home a new coral she enjoys them, but I never tell her the actual cost of any of them (well some of them).

I started my SW career with a 175 Oceanic Bowfront. That went away because I got sidetracked and not enough time to really work on the tank.

A couple years later I went with a 28G JBJ Nano. That lasted for less then a year and I upgraded to a 75g Deep Blue Rimless (current tank). The 28G went into my daughter's room before I broke it down and went with an 8g in her room.

If my wife didn't like it I would not have what I do now. It also helps that my sump is in my basement and you barely hear anything from my main tank.

 

my wife hates its, only thing she enjoys out of it is watching the fish now and then. wont let me set one up in the living room the list goes on, its ok gives me my own little sanctuary in my computer room lol