the power of nerding out, pt. 2
My husband, Jake, is nerdy about aquariums. (He taught me the identifying noun for “person who keeps aquariums” the other day, in case you also did not know: aquarist.) His whole life, he has really loved the ocean and essentially all ocean life. As a teenager, he started keeping fresh water tanks and caring for a variety of types of fish, as well as taking pride in setting up the tank environment and layout with substrate, wood, rock, and plants. Then he started getting into saltwater. Then we moved into our first little apartment together, and he had to greatly downscale his aquariums. Now, we live in a house with more room, and over the past several months, he’s become really invested in saltwater tanks again.
His nerding out looks like: spending hours and days watching aquarium YouTube videos and tutorials, doing lots of research and practice on everything from type and care of fish, to corals and anemones, to water quality and testing its levels, to cycle time and introduction time/order, establishing a balanced ecosystem, letting the tank mature, quarantining and medicating new fish (we are talking a 45 day time period that included every-other-day water changes), staying on schedule, getting a water test kit and an RO water system…
He has set up a beautiful, simple, and highly intentional mini tank. Every creature is chosen with care. The big picture is considered for every move. The overall design and synergy of the tank is really enjoyable, especially when you hear Jake talk about it.
He loves watching it. He’s also been talking a lot about the importance of patience and how that’s been one of the biggest challenges and growing points for him in this hobby. Waiting for the tank to develop, inviting delayed gratification, not making any rash decisions that will upset the tank, following the process and staying curious for each slow-motion step while he holds out for the big picture rewards that come with time… Jake is nerding out, learning, paying attention, investing time and effort, having fun, and growing patience.
This is the second of a 3 Part series. Read the power of nerding out, pt. 1 and pt. 3 here.
