[boots]

Well, I need a new hobby. Something that, in my wife's words, "grounds me around the house." She thinks I work too much and don't feel enough of a reason to be around the house....but that's a different thread.

My new hobby? Reef Aquarium. I'm buying a 75 gallon reef aquarium to study...complete with Lion fish, Potter's Angel fish, and a variety of soft coral. I've been reading voraciously to try to get up to speed on reef care. I've certainly been home more. There's a lot to learn even before I start figuring out the quirks of all the critters. I'm getting it (already establish, I'm buying it from a local kid whose moving for grad-school) on saturday, so I'll post pics when I finally get it reassembled.

This should be fun.

Here's a few pics as it is currently set up:

Full view of tank


Close up of lion fish


Central part of tank showing a couple of the soft corals


Right side of tank showing the frog-spawn coral, zoanthid (sea mat), and mushroom coral


Anyone else have salt water aquariums?

[wataru]

Very nice. I just have some small freshwater aquariums, but I'd love to have something larger in the future.

Good luck with your aquarium! I've found mine very rewarding.

[gomanute]

gomanute suggests a Macquarium.

[Socially Awkward Solo]

Looks incredible. I have been wanting to do it for the past 10 years but I keep chickening out.

[andi*pandi]

that's impressive. I haven't had fish in a long time, think they were freshwater though. And not nearly that impressive.

Hope they like their new home!

[Xeo]

It's very difficult. I'm sure that by getting an already set up tank, you have all the necessary parts to keep them alive, but starting from scratch is a pain. The water levels can fluctuate so quickly and the fish can die off so mysteriously that you can start to lose interest in purchasing new ones. It can be an expensive hobby as a result, but well worth it if your disposable income allows it.

Read up on hospitalizing new fish. It's probably important that you do it from the beginning. Introducing ick into the tank can be a nightmare. Hospitalizing new fish will keep that from happening. It will require another smaller tank, though. Once ick is in the tank, it takes 4 weeks of no fish for the tank to cure itself. Medicine will kill all the invertebrates.

I've only learned about reef tanks as a bystander, helping a friend's parents work on theirs. But I've watched all the time and money they've put into it, and after losing another fish a week ago, they are losing hope. So be persistent and read as much as you can so you know what to do when things go bad.

Oh, and get an Arrow Crab. He's really cool. Good luck!

[Rev-O]

No saltwater... just Oscars.

[Sage]

Oooooh, not this Marine Aquarium... gotcha.

[Socially Awkward Solo]

Originally posted by Rev-O:
No saltwater... just Oscars.

I had those 10 years ago, awesome and smart fish, really messy though.

[IFLY2HIGH]

Time to goto reefcentral.com. There you wil lfind so much information on your new hobby it's unbelieveable. I have a custom 29 gallon Oceanic reef system. I had it for a few years, but currently it's empty. You very lucky to get one setup and that has already gone though it's cycle process. I wish I could of had done it that way. Anyway have fun and it's a real money pit too if your not careful, but the beauty is truly awesome, especially some of the night time critters...

[AKcrab]

And for a slightly different challenge:
http://www.nano-reef.com/

[Il Duce]

I did my first open water scuba dive today and I've never wanted a marine tank so badly. I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I really can't afford it at the moment

Reading is the most important thing you could be doing right now. Go to the library and read every book they have on the subject, then go and buy the one you like most for future reference.

You'll also need to check the water a lot to begin with, but I'm sure you'll get a feel for it pretty quickly.

What kind of setup is it? Does it have a sump or a plenum (or other)? You'll need to be careful not to disturb it too much during transportation if the tank has a plenum.

Enjoy the tank. I'm extremely jealous

[el chupacabra]

You must be willing to throw a lot of money into these systems to have them. Heat is a real problem. Besides the fact that the summer heat alone is enough to kill my fishys the lights and filter heat the tank up an extra 10 degrees on top of that. I will be buying an air conditioner just for my fish. An in tank chiller costs 600 dollars. So I think I'll just get a conditioner for the house...which will probably cost me 700 in electricty or something over the years but oh well. Not to mention the lights have to be replaced every 6 months...and at 300 watts they'er a real drain on electricity too.

But I love it

[boots]

Originally posted by Xeo:
It's very difficult. I'm sure that by getting an already set up tank, you have all the necessary parts to keep them alive, but starting from scratch is a pain. The water levels can fluctuate so quickly and the fish can die off so mysteriously that you can start to lose interest in purchasing new ones. It can be an expensive hobby as a result, but well worth it if your disposable income allows it.

Read up on hospitalizing new fish. It's probably important that you do it from the beginning. Introducing ick into the tank can be a nightmare. Hospitalizing new fish will keep that from happening. It will require another smaller tank, though. Once ick is in the tank, it takes 4 weeks of no fish for the tank to cure itself. Medicine will kill all the invertebrates.

I've only learned about reef tanks as a bystander, helping a friend's parents work on theirs. But I've watched all the time and money they've put into it, and after losing another fish a week ago, they are losing hope. So be persistent and read as much as you can so you know what to do when things go bad.

Oh, and get an Arrow Crab. He's really cool. Good luck!

I've been working with one of the students in the bio department who has a tank set up on the third floor of Nobel. He's the one that really got me interested. Another student who just graduated has loaned me his library, so I'm learning quickly and not going in with my eyes shut. I'm up for the challenge, though. I'm thinking of setting up a hospital tank (when I need it) in my office. But I don't expect to be adding anything soon.

Oh, and the tank has a banded coral shrimp, so the arrow crab would get eaten pretty quickly.

I should also add that we have RO water in the lab, so that will make water changes easier and less costly.

[boots]

Originally posted by Sage:
Oooooh, not this Marine Aquarium... gotcha.

Yeah, well...some people like to have the fireplace screen saver to set the mood too. I've always thought that was cheesy...

[boots]

Originally posted by Il Duce:


What kind of setup is it? Does it have a sump or a plenum (or other)? You'll need to be careful not to disturb it too much during transportation if the tank has a plenum.

Enjoy the tank. I'm extremely jealous

No sump or plenum....yet. It's got two protein skimmers and a biowheel filter. It also has about 90# of live rock and about a 3 inch bed of sand/aragonite. The sand bed isn't deep enough, but the system has been up for about three years. so it's pretty stable.

The tank isn't drilled, so I'll have to put overflow boxes on it to instal a sump. I'm thinking about putting two overflows (so that if one clogs, I don't flood the house) and a sump big enough to house a live sand bed with a plenum. Since the bacteria don't need light, it should be fine under the tank. But I'm going to wait and see what the tank does and how it's ecosystem works before I start tinkering. Maybe next year when the cash reserves are a little higher I'll put in the sump.

[boots]

Originally posted by el chupacabra:
You must be willing to throw a lot of money into these systems to have them. Heat is a real problem. Besides the fact that the summer heat alone is enough to kill my fishys the lights and filter heat the tank up an extra 10 degrees on top of that. I will be buying an air conditioner just for my fish. An in tank chiller costs 600 dollars. So I think I'll just get a conditioner for the house...which will probably cost me 700 in electricty or something over the years but oh well. Not to mention the lights have to be replaced every 6 months...and at 300 watts they'er a real drain on electricity too.

But I love it

No metal halide bulbs (yet), so the temp from the bulbs doesn't seem too bad. He claims that the tank has never needed a chiller in the three years he's had it. And he's had it set where it can get direct sunlight (which raises the tank temp). We have no place in our home that gets direct sunlight. We live in MN, so for at least 9 months of the year it will be fine. In the summer, however, we'll have to see. We have central air, but we don't use it much. We like having windows and doors open. I'll be watching the temperature like a hawk in July and August, though.

[Rev-O]

Originally posted by Socially Awkward Solo:
I had those 10 years ago, awesome and smart fish, really messy though.

Used to have two apple snails about 1" in diameter. Couple weeks ago my stupid oscars decided it was time for escargot.

Now I have one scared apple snail...

[powerbook867]

anyone care if I post pics of my SW tank?? don't want to intrude on someone else's thread!!

I love my tank!!!!

[boots]

Originally posted by powerbook867:
anyone care if I post pics of my SW tank?? don't want to intrude on someone else's thread!!

I love my tank!!!!

Go ahead, man. The more the merrier. I'm still working through a few of the books, so anyone that has practical advice and/or setups of their own is welcome to post pics. Who knows? Maybe I'll borrow a couple of ideas here and there.

Not directed at powerbook867:
In terms of reading, I've gone through a number of things. I will say that "The Reef Aquarium" (Delbeek and Sprung) has been both a treasure trove and a disappointing book. It's touted as the "Reef Bible" by a lot of people, and it is very well written with lots of really detailed facts. But I'm frustrated with the amount of supposition. If you don't know, that's fine...but half the recommendations they give are based on guesswork. They cite one or two observations and then make really detailed hypotheses about the complex biochemistry. I think we could do without that kind of supposition. If it you have an idea, do some research (or talk to someone about doing the research). Then publish. Supposition is fine in the lab...it leads to new experiments...but they don't belong in the literature. Overall, however, the factual info is well worth the investment (I'm only done with Volume 1)

"Natural Reef Aquariums" (Tullock) Is also really good as an intro book. I would have been kind of lost reading the Delbeek and Sprung book had I not cut my teeth on this one. He does seem to have a rather self-important tone in his writing, but it was excellent none-the-less.

[powerbook867]

cool!!

[djohnson]

I once had a couple of FW tanks, real small ones with guppies and cory cats in them. Right now our house is so small a basic 5 gallon tank for baby guppies would be too large. I hope one day we can get a large FW tank and possibly a SW tank. Thanks for bringing back my happy memories of raising guppies!

[boots]

Originally posted by djohnson:
I once had a couple of FW tanks, real small ones with guppies and cory cats in them. Right now our house is so small a basic 5 gallon tank for baby guppies would be too large. I hope one day we can get a large FW tank and possibly a SW tank. Thanks for bringing back my happy memories of raising guppies!

How quickly do guppies propogate? The lionfish has been fed guppies because they can acclimate to salt water (for a while at least) so feeder fish are not a bank-breaking venture. I've been toying with the idea of setting up a guppy breeding tank, but don't know if they would keep pace....

Having the lionfish, while undeniably cool, is going to be a major hassle. Mostly because they are incompatible with a few of the fish had originally wanted (back when I was thinking about setting up from scratch).

[KrazyEvilGoat]

Originally posted by Rev-O:
Used to have two apple snails about 1" in diameter. Couple weeks ago my stupid oscars decided it was time for escargot.

Now I have one scared apple snail...

Don't you just luuuuuve Oscars? They eat all your other fish then look at you with those big innocent eyes

[dampeoples]

I've been dying to get a saltwater tank, but I want one that 75 gallons or so. I also am concerned with the floor, that'll be roughly 1000lbs. or so once the tank, rock, sand, filters, water, blah, blah are sitting there.

[djohnson]

Originally posted by boots:
How quickly do guppies propogate? The lionfish has been fed guppies because they can acclimate to salt water (for a while at least) so feeder fish are not a bank-breaking venture. I've been toying with the idea of setting up a guppy breeding tank, but don't know if they would keep pace....

Having the lionfish, while undeniably cool, is going to be a major hassle. Mostly because they are incompatible with a few of the fish had originally wanted (back when I was thinking about setting up from scratch).

You will only need a male to about 5 females. The more you have, the faster and more they will propogate. I believe the gestation was about 25 days but then you have to let them grow up. Unless you have a 29+ gallon tank with lots of guppies AND are able to pull out the babies. They are very tiny when they are born. When I was in college, I has to leave my tank in the hands of my little brother. I gave him exact instructions on the care of the tank. He would never add water nor change it and rarely feed the fish. Luckily so much algae would grow that the fish had enough to live off of. It was always a mess when I would come back... That is why I stopped keeping a tank. Well that and my Siamese Fighting Fish who could do tricks died after transporting him over a dozen times over 300+ miles. My guppies would repopulate themselves over the 5 years I was in school. I bought 2 females and 1 male and at one time had 20+ fish in the tank. A little inbred, but oh well. I hope this helps some.

[djohnson]

Originally posted by dampeoples:
I've been dying to get a saltwater tank, but I want one that 75 gallons or so. I also am concerned with the floor, that'll be roughly 1000lbs. or so once the tank, rock, sand, filters, water, blah, blah are sitting there.

Keep it on a foundation floor and you will be fine. Make sure you get a good stand as well. Lots of floor contact is good!

[wdlove]

Congratulations boots on your new acquisition. Looks like a great hobby. Will look forward to seeing more pictures.

Beautiful pictures powerbook867.

[voyageur]

Really nice pix. I have neither the time nor space for an aquarium, but it sounds fascinating. What's the toxin in lionfish, boots, and how dangerous is it to humans? Does it act on one of the ion channels?

[Joshua]

Originally posted by boots:
How quickly do guppies propogate? The lionfish has been fed guppies because they can acclimate to salt water (for a while at least) so feeder fish are not a bank-breaking venture. I've been toying with the idea of setting up a guppy breeding tank, but don't know if they would keep pace....

Having the lionfish, while undeniably cool, is going to be a major hassle. Mostly because they are incompatible with a few of the fish had originally wanted (back when I was thinking about setting up from scratch).

Call your local aquarium store and find out if they're willing to trade/buy the lionfish if you don't want it. My mother used to keep large aquariums (75gal and 150gal), and I believe she used lionfish to establish the tanks (I guess they're well suited for that?), and then after a few months she would exchange them at the aquarium store for something else. I got the impression that was pretty common.

[boots]

Originally posted by voyageur:
Really nice pix. I have neither the time nor space for an aquarium, but it sounds fascinating. What's the toxin in lionfish, boots, and how dangerous is it to humans? Does it act on one of the ion channels?

I don't know the specific toxin yet (that will be something to track down later), but it is similar to a bee sting. I assume it is some kind of peptide as the treatment is to run the affected area under water that is as hot as you can stand. My guess is that this denatures whatever protein is injected.

[boots]

Originally posted by Joshua:
Call your local aquarium store and find out if they're willing to trade/buy the lionfish if you don't want it. My mother used to keep large aquariums (75gal and 150gal), and I believe she used lionfish to establish the tanks (I guess they're well suited for that?), and then after a few months she would exchange them at the aquarium store for something else. I got the impression that was pretty common.

I've been told that I can exchange any salt water critter for store credit at the LFS (local fish store). I don't want to make that decision until I have had the system for a while and I see how everything interacts. I may end up really liking him...who knows...but I don't want to make any changes in the short term.

[el chupacabra]

Originally posted by boots:
No metal halide bulbs (yet), so the temp from the bulbs doesn't seem too bad. He claims that the tank has never needed a chiller in the three years he's had it. And he's had it set where it can get direct sunlight (which raises the tank temp). We have no place in our home that gets direct sunlight. We live in MN, so for at least 9 months of the year it will be fine. In the summer, however, we'll have to see. We have central air, but we don't use it much. We like having windows and doors open. I'll be watching the temperature like a hawk in July and August, though.

What kind of bulbs do you have by the way. And do you think they will provide enought light even though the coral have gotten most of their light from the window previously?

[el chupacabra]

Originally posted by boots:
How quickly do guppies propogate?

One key thing: make sure you get wild guppies not the fancy ones..the fancy ones are no where as hardy and the parents tend to eat the young.
the number of guppies you will need depends on how many your feed your lion every day. I've been raising feeder guppies to feed turtles and stuff. I just have a 20 gal setup with lots of plants and I don't even separate the babies from parents, they reproduce like mad. But you 'll need to build up a large population if you feed your lion fish several times a day.

dampeoples
I've been dying to get a saltwater tank, but I want one that 75 gallons or so. I also am concerned with the floor, that'll be roughly 1000lbs. or so once the tank, rock, sand, filters, water, blah, blah are sitting there.

think of it like this if you had 5 people each weighing 250 pounds standing in the area of your fish tank, that is where the legs touch or whatever, would they fall through the floor?

[djohnson]

Anyone have any good links to sites that show off aquariums and how to setup a SW and FW aquariums?

[d0ubled0wn]

Wow that's great. I wish I had the time and money to get into this hobby. I visited Shedd's Aquarium in Chicago over the weekend and it really sparked my interest in getting my own aquarium. I took a bunch of pics there, here's one of them:



I also took some video.

[djohnson]

Really good article on breeding feeder guppies:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/articles/guppies.shtml

[el chupacabra]

here are some links

http://www.aquahobby.com/

http://saltaquarium.about.com/

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally posted by Il Duce:
I did my first open water scuba dive today and I've never wanted a marine tank so badly. I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I really can't afford it at the moment

Reading is the most important thing you could be doing right now. Go to the library and read every book they have on the subject, then go and buy the one you like most for future reference.

You'll also need to check the water a lot to begin with, but I'm sure you'll get a feel for it pretty quickly.

What kind of setup is it? Does it have a sump or a plenum (or other)? You'll need to be careful not to disturb it too much during transportation if the tank has a plenum.

Enjoy the tank. I'm extremely jealous

You've embarked on a hobby that will give you pleasure for years to come (SCUBA diving). I've been certified for about 10 years and recently got my wife and I set up with our own equiptment. Talk about a money pit! There is nothing more serene than swimming at 90 feet with white tip reef sharks and Moray eels.

Back on topic. I wanted a salt water reef aquarium but the budget for it just wasn't there. Decided to go with a 5 gallon freshwater and 1 fantail Goldfish. His name is Buddy and he is doing well despite an ammonia spike that left hiim with black fins and lips. Poor guy. It's a sign of healing (blackness) so hopefully he will be better in 1-2 weeks. Good luck on your aquarium - looks awesome!

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally posted by Sage:
Oooooh, not this Marine Aquarium... gotcha.

Just bought it this weekend. One cool app!

[Rev-O]

Originally posted by KrazyEvilGoat:
Don't you just luuuuuve Oscars? They eat all your other fish then look at you with those big innocent eyes

Innocent? I consider that the "I'm still hungry" look!

They have the most discriminating diet: "If it moves and I can fit most of it in my mouth, it must be food."

They're cool tho, have a tiger, a red, and an albino tiger.

[Il Duce]

Originally posted by boots:
... Since the bacteria don't need light, it should be fine under the tank...

IIRC, the bacteria not only don't need light, but they cannot survive with light present. That's why the plenum part of the tank is often covered in electrical tape and recessed within a tank stand.

Originally posted by boots:
I will say that "The Reef Aquarium" (Delbeek and Sprung) has been both a treasure trove and a disappointing book. It's touted as the "Reef Bible" by a lot of people, and it is very well written with lots of really detailed facts. But I'm frustrated with the amount of supposition...

Overall, however, the factual info is well worth the investment (I'm only done with Volume 1)

"Natural Reef Aquariums" (Tullock) Is also really good as an intro book. I would have been kind of lost reading the Delbeek and Sprung book had I not cut my teeth on this one. He does seem to have a rather self-important tone in his writing, but it was excellent none-the-less.

Haha - I had those two books out for about 6 months. I kept reading through them and dreaming about awesome tanks I couldn't afford. The uni librarian eventually rang up and asked for them back. Racked up about $50 in fines, too. Should have just bought them

[Il Duce]

Originally posted by Mrjinglesusa:
You've embarked on a hobby that will give you pleasure for years to come (SCUBA diving). I've been certified for about 10 years and recently got my wife and I set up with our own equiptment. Talk about a money pit! There is nothing more serene than swimming at 90 feet with white tip reef sharks and Moray eels.

Yeah - I spent another day in the pool today. Two more open dives tomorrow. The amount of life down there is unbelievable. The humpback whales are running along the coast at the moment, so you get to listen to whalesong while checking out the scenery.

As far as tanks go, I think a clam is on the top of my list (saw two nice ones yesterday). But the lighting is so expensive. And it's too hot in Brisbane in summer to not have a water cooler, so you have to add an air-conditioner to the cost of the tank.

One day . I suppose for the moment I'll have to be content with the real thing

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally posted by Il Duce:
Yeah - I spent another day in the pool today. Two more open dives tomorrow. The amount of life down there is unbelievable. The humpback whales are running along the coast at the moment, so you get to listen to whalesong while checking out the scenery.

Hey! I got enough travel fever already! Only 45 days until I'm down there!

[boots]

Originally posted by djohnson:
Anyone have any good links to sites that show off aquariums and how to setup a SW and FW aquariums?

In addition to the sites linked by someone above, the book "Natural Reef Aquariums" (Tullock) is really good as an intro book. Check it out from your local library or buy a copy a your LFS. It is basic enough for beginners but technical and detailed enough to bring you up to speed on a lot of the issues. From there, anything by Julian Sprung will be worth reading. I recommend holding off on "Reef Notes." It's more of a diary and will be hard to follow until you have some experience. (At least that's how I feel...I've tried flipping through and it isn't helpful yet.)

Liveaquaria.com is also a good site with lots of helpful articles.

[boots]

Originally posted by el chupacabra:
What kind of bulbs do you have by the way. And do you think they will provide enought light even though the coral have gotten most of their light from the window previously?

There is a set of 4' florescent in back and a four ballast power compact in front. Currently he has one white and one actinic...and the other two ballasts are empty. The tank wasn't "mostly" natural light, just for part of the day and the temp didn't fluctuate too much. I'm going to hold off on putting the other two bulbs in the ballast until I see how the critters are doing. I'm told that changing the lighting in drastic ways can be really bad. Your supposed to lower all the specimens when you increase the lighting, then slowly bring them back up. We'll see how they do. If they aren't thriving in a week or so, I'll add the additional bulbs.

[d0ubled0wn]

Originally posted by Mrjinglesusa:
You've embarked on a hobby that will give you pleasure for years to come (SCUBA diving). I've been certified for about 10 years and recently got my wife and I set up with our own equiptment. Talk about a money pit! There is nothing more serene than swimming at 90 feet with white tip reef sharks and Moray eels.

You've piqued my interest... what's involved in getting a scuba license? I have a mild phobia of deep water, probably because I almost drowned at the age of 7. I believe I can get over that fear if I can learn to scuba dive.

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally posted by d0ubled0wn:
You've piqued my interest... what's involved in getting a scuba license? I have a mild phobia of deep water, probably because I almost drowned at the age of 7. I believe I can get over that fear if I can learn to scuba dive.

It's actually pretty easy. Look in your local phone book for SCUBA Instruction and take a couse. It only takes 3-4 days depending on the class. You will do course work, pool work (with and without gear), and then 4 Open Water Dives. After that, you are certified and can buy or rent equiptment and go diving wherever you travel. Don't worry, you don't go too deep, only 40-60 feet for the open water dives. It's actually a very safe sport/hobby. Go to http://www.padi.com for more info.

[Il Duce]

Originally posted by d0ubled0wn:
You've piqued my interest... what's involved in getting a scuba license? I have a mild phobia of deep water, probably because I almost drowned at the age of 7. I believe I can get over that fear if I can learn to scuba dive.

Yeah - It's a blast. I had two more open water dives today. The weather couldn't have been better (less than 0.5m swell, no clouds, not too much current, 20m visibility). Saw whales, turtles, rays and what may have been an octopus

PADI is easily the biggest (and most widely recognised) organisation, so it's probably easiest to go through them. The way I did it was:
Day 1 - Watch some videos, do some quizzes, practice basic skills in the pool
Day 2 - 2 open water dives
Day 3 - More videos and skills
Day 4 - 2 more open water dives

I did 4 days straight, but they probably also do it over 2 weekends.

This qualifies you as a PADI open water diver (allowed to buy gear, fill air tanks and go diving without supervision)

I really enjoyed it. The guy who took us was great. Took everything nice and slow if there were any problems (I've had a cold, and blocked sinuses make things a bit of a pain in the a$$)

Definitely worth checking out

</shameless scuba diving promotion>

[paully dub]

Originally posted by Il Duce:
Yeah - It's a blast. I had two more open water dives today. The weather couldn't have been better (less than 0.5m swell, no clouds, not too much current, 20m visibility). Saw whales, turtles, rays and what may have been an octopus

PADI is easily the biggest (and most widely recognised) organisation, so it's probably easiest to go through them. The way I did it was:
Day 1 - Watch some videos, do some quizzes, practice basic skills in the pool
Day 2 - 2 open water dives
Day 3 - More videos and skills
Day 4 - 2 more open water dives

I did 4 days straight, but they probably also do it over 2 weekends.

This qualifies you as a PADI open water diver (allowed to buy gear, fill air tanks and go diving without supervision)

I really enjoyed it. The guy who took us was great. Took everything nice and slow if there were any problems (I've had a cold, and blocked sinuses make things a bit of a pain in the a$$)

Definitely worth checking out

</shameless scuba diving promotion>

Got my open water on holiday in Zanzibar. Much more fun that way! Not recommended at all to dive with a cold or blocked sinuses though!

I too almost drowned at a young age. My parents made me take swimming lessons, but I'm hardly Mark Spitz...Firt of all, diving is very little like swimming. The most difficult aspect, in my opinion, is the clearing the pressure in your ears. Some have no problems, others have a real hard time. If you tend to have problems in airplanes, you may have trouble.

Coral gardens are really a site to behold - an of course I'd love to have my own miniature version chez moi. Personally I'd love to have some sea urchins - wonder if those are at all do-able in a tank environment...