Why are Reefers 99% GUYS!?

[huskysglare1]

It just hits me! reefers are 99% guys! I've never come across a female reefers yet. Is it because it's a highly technical hobby? It's weird how mostly the guys who are enjoying the reefing hobby. I mean, we're growing such beautiful creatures(like gardening). It's like guys have suddenly became nurses. Wouldn't it be something if the women in our lives beg us to get a Vortech MP40W? hehe. We can dream.

[jhawkor]

I wouldn't say 99%. I know a few girl reefers.

[Capslock118]

Well,

I can say my girl has zero interest. She likes to look at the tank now and then and look for all of the neat little critters walking around that came from the live rock and such.

But discussing lights / sumps / dosing / testing? very boring stuff for obvious reasons - who cares other than us hobbyists? The amount of time to care for something that ought to be left in nature isnt exactly appealing either.

She might be a bio major but she cares about life, not about a fish tank.

I would think these are the reasons for other women as well. This is just my perspective.

[spw4949]

IDK, I know a lot of female reefers.......& there are a bunch on here as well.....I couldn't tell you the exact percentage but I would say it's more than 1%......

[Sugar Magnolia]

<<<<------------------ Not a guy. :D

[Guygettnby]

i have met a pretty good amount of women reefers in my time aswell. my wife was interested in it for awhile but i think it was to just please me and try to be into something i was into. she couldnt handle all the upkeep of the tank and always got upset when something died. so we sold her tank and now she just admires my tank and alows me to do all the work :lol:

[Chubosco]

They know how to spend their money better.

[MikeandNicole]

My wife was the one who got me into reefing. She got into it at a very young age when she went snorkeling in the middle east and came back wanting a tank. She has been doing it almost 15 years.

[Guygettnby]

They know how to spend their money better.

:lol: i only wish this were true!! i am the money pincher in my house hold:eek2:

[Snowgrrl83]

Last time I checked, I was a girl, but I would still consider myself a bit of a newbie. When are you not considered a newbie anymore in this hobby anyway?

[Nanz]

Wow, I didn't know I was in the one percentile. So that makes me rare?

[huskysglare1]

It's great seeing more ladies are into reefing then i originally thought. I am lucky to have such a cool lady in my life who supports my hobby. I can always convince her to buy stuff. hehehe. I should really buy her that NEW LV Purse...

[Sugar Magnolia]

I should really buy her that NEW LV Purse...

Pfffft. I'd rather have a bigger tank than a LV purse.

[jhawkor]

See, already two girls have posted in this thread alone. They aren't that rare. :)

[unbreakable]

When are you not considered a newbie anymore in this hobby anyway?

When you identify a new species of clown fish. I thought that everyone knew that :D

[goldmaniac]

if it's not 99%, it's up there. we're going to have to factor in that your thread title will intrigue many women reefers out there, so of course many highly intelligent, contributing, knowledgeable, special women will be replying to this thread.

If you're asking my opinion, its the God Complex factor that men tend to have. Since fish, inverts, corals are not particularly cute or warm or loving, my interest in successfully caring for these animals is more of a "I keep you alive and well" viewpoint instead of a "You're part of the family" viewpoint that you'd have with a pet that doesn't live underwater.

Maybe it's Ego that attracts males to the hobby.

As for the technological/biological processes side of the hobby, there are plenty of women who have an interest in the Life Sciences or the engineering side (yes, there's lots of engineering in this hobby)

[got2envy]

I am a reefer chick :D

[jacksonpt]

<--- guy who is about to speak WAY out of turn

Generally speaking...
My suspicion is that everything that goes into starting up a tank is a bigger deterrent to women than it is to men. I don't mean the task of setting up a tank (buying a tank, filling it with water, setting up plumbing, filters, etc), but rather getting your head around what needs to be done, how to do it right, what decisions need to be made, how long it takes get going/cycle, what you plan to keep, what is required to keep those things, etc etc.

To do this hobby right, there is A TON of preliminary work/though to do. And let's face it... even in this day and age, in the typical family household, the majority of the work still falls on the woman.

After a regular day at work, then getting home and having to cook dinner, probably do some cleaning (dishes, kids, whatever), think about school lunches for tomorrow, maybe iron/laundry... does she have the energy to sit down and spend 2 hours sifting through RC posts to figure out if she should go with T5s or MHs in order to keep her dream acropora which she's 6 months to a year away from actually being able to buy/keep?

I will say that I think/hope the all-in-ones will make it easier for people to get into the hobby regardless of age, gender, income, etc.

Just my thoughts.

[goldmaniac]

my brave friend, you just said that women are doing the cooking and the laundry, or inferred that they should be doing the cooking and laundry.

RIP

hahahah

[huskysglare1]

Pfffft. I'd rather have a bigger tank than a LV purse.

Sounds good! i think i'll get her 2 tunze 6105 for her Bday. I hope she'll appreciate it as much as i will.

[Jamie2337]

I am a girl reefer. My husband has zero interest in the tank. I spend hours researching all my stuff for my tank. He just shakes his head at me and complains about the $. Give me tank stuff over shoes and purses any day!

[dwhanc00]

Actually my wife got me into the hobby. At first I refused, too expensive, too hard to keep up, CHEMISTRY (which still frustrates me)... Of course now I am addicted and have taken over most of the work. She still feeds the fish, sometimes...

She loves the tank, just has a difference in opinion on what to put in it! Of course I love the acros and she wants softies that "flow" in the water. Is the acro love more of a manly thing? I just love the colors and challenge of getting them to thrive...

[jacksonpt]

my brave friend, you just said that women are doing the cooking and the laundry, or inferred that they should be doing the cooking and laundry.

RIP

hahahah
Look around you... they are. Talk to your friends and coworkers... in the *average* american family, more household/parental responsibility is taken on by the woman than by the man. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying it's still the norm. Again, generally speaking.

[edandsandy]

Wow, I didn't know I was in the one percentile. So that makes me rare?

+2 we are special!:beer:

[CorkPullerPHL]

My informal observations confirm (to me at least) there are many many more men in the hobby.

I think it's changing though....

[LeslieP]

I agree that there are probably more men in the hobby, but we do have some very active women members in our local club. But I certainly don't mind being part of a select few :beer:

[huskysglare1]

If only i can find a "select few" that's crazy about reefing as i am. hehe ^_^ i can't complain about the one i have now. She's 1 of a kind.

[rssjsb]

Pfffft. I'd rather have a bigger tank than a LV purse.Any day.

[seafansar]

<--- another chick. Invertebrate zoology got me into the hobby. I know of 5 other women in my area who are in the hobby too, but you're right, there are many more men in the hobby.

[Jachael]

It just hits me! reefers are 99% guys! I've never come across a female reefers yet. Is it because it's a highly technical hobby?

Careful with the "highly technical" comment. You're implying something I hope you don't really mean.

I'm female. Gender doesn't usually come up in posts. And I think male is the default assumption.

[ReefTECK]

I work in an LFS and I gotta say about 95-99% of the reefers I see are dudes. The explanation is simple really, it's just like everything else about guys and their hobbies; "boys never grow up, we just get bigger, more expensive toys."

[LisBorden]

I'm a reefer chick. My partner likes to look at the tank and even helps build stuff for me (ie: canopy, stand, ect) but when it comes to the tank he's hands off.

[kevantheman35]

my girl just gets mad that im spending money on a "box of water" there are a few in my local reef club though

[huskysglare1]

I don't mean girls are technically challenged. What i am saying is most girls aren't into things like controllers, making stand, canopy, light fixtures, drilling holes, doing the plumbing those sort of things... Maybe that's why there aren't that many female reefers.

[Metal Man 1221]

my girl is a reefer as well, still kinda learning stuff but she knows the basics and then some

[Mel-E-Mel]

Pfffft. I'd rather have a bigger tank than a LV purse.

Now your a keeper for a lucky reefer! :thumbsup:

[usefulidiot213]

There are a couple of girls in my local club, but it's hard to still buys shoes when your maintaining a reef...

[Capslock118]

Look around you... they are. Talk to your friends and coworkers... in the *average* american family, more household/parental responsibility is taken on by the woman than by the man. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying it's still the norm. Again, generally speaking.

wait...this is the norm? my lady must have tricked me to believe the opposite was true...damn..just wait till i get home :spin1:

[Ritten]

Woman reefer here. My husband is really supportive of the hobby. He loves to look at the tank, pours water for me and I recently got him to frag my monster leather for me.

[fkbsar]

I'm a female reefer and know quite a few here in Indy.

[Wannabe29]

<--- guy who is about to speak WAY out of turn

Generally speaking...
My suspicion is that everything that goes into starting up a tank is a bigger deterrent to women than it is to men. I don't mean the task of setting up a tank (buying a tank, filling it with water, setting up plumbing, filters, etc), but rather getting your head around what needs to be done, how to do it right, what decisions need to be made, how long it takes get going/cycle, what you plan to keep, what is required to keep those things, etc etc.

To do this hobby right, there is A TON of preliminary work/though to do. And let's face it... even in this day and age, in the typical family household, the majority of the work still falls on the woman.

After a regular day at work, then getting home and having to cook dinner, probably do some cleaning (dishes, kids, whatever), think about school lunches for tomorrow, maybe iron/laundry... does she have the energy to sit down and spend 2 hours sifting through RC posts to figure out if she should go with T5s or MHs in order to keep her dream acropora which she's 6 months to a year away from actually being able to buy/keep?

I will say that I think/hope the all-in-ones will make it easier for people to get into the hobby regardless of age, gender, income, etc.

Just my thoughts.


I'm not a woman and even I cringed when I read this. I don't doubt that a mother has a whole heck of a lot to do. But, your post implies that it's the woman's job to do all of the stuff that you listed. So, if she's doing all of the cleaning, school lunches, laundry, of course you'd be the only one with the time and energy to take of your tank...sheesh. I don't know if you do or don't help your wife with the household stuff but...yikes...your post doesn't make it look that way. I hope your wife never reads this forum!

More on topic, if my wife was any indicator, most women don't have an interest in technical things that aren't practical for the well-being and survival of a family, ie, a fish tank. Don't get me wrong, my wife loves the idea of the one I'm setting up. However, it's the practicality of the thing that she seems to have trouble with. I think most women are geared more towards family and stability. Guys tend to be more prone to taking risks. Financially, these tanks are risky and I think in the backs of most women's minds they'd like to see that money applied to something actually necessary. That's not to say that they don't want them or understand the technical nuances of the tanks. I just think they'd rather spend their time on more important things, as they apply to the welfare of the family. Just my observation.

[jrp1588]

haha, I wish my girlfriend was into reefing. It's ok though, I humor her when she's showing off her new clothes, she humors me when I'm showing off my new corals and fish. I tried to get her interested in fish a while back by getting her a small betta tank. Somehow it managed to die after a couple weeks despite what seemed to be adequate care. She got discouraged, needless to say, she probably won't be trying again. haha

I just hope when we get married, and realizes how much money I spend on this hobby, she doesn't take offense and decide to secretly nuke my tank.

[Pcrain]

when I meet my wife she had a planted Fw tank and i was in the process of getting my first reef tank.. i think the whole process intrigued her and she one up'd me and bought a 90g. but over the years i have almost completely taken over i believe hauling water, plumbing, nice equipment, building the tank is weighed to the male persona the garden aspect lets decorate the tank with beautiful fish and coral is a women persona

and the reason the males like the coral is to test out what they made ie. can it grow coral fast?

i think women are in a 10% in this hobby

[Wannabe29]

when I meet my wife she had a planted Fw tank and i was in the process of getting my first reef tank.. i think the whole process intrigued her and she one up'd me and bought a 90g. but over the years i have almost completely taken over i believe hauling water, plumbing, nice equipment, building the tank is weighed to the male persona the garden aspect lets decorate the tank with beautiful fish and coral is a women persona

and the reason the males like the coral is to test out what they made ie. can it grow coral fast?

i think women are in a 10% in this hobby

I think this falls into another aspect of the female mind. They know that, if the guy is interested in doing something that is dirty or requires brute strength, why the heck should she do it? It's not they don't know how to do it...it's just that us guys tend to be more willing.

[jacksonpt]

And let's face it... even in this day and age, in the typical family household, the majority of the work still falls on the woman.


your post implies that it's the woman's job to do all of the stuff that you listed.
My apologies. I am not implying anything, and at face value, I don't think my statement implies my feelings either way. I am simply saying that with the exception of my mother/step father, the majority of the responsibility falls on the wife in EVERY family I know. Based on my experience, it is the norm. Is it fair? No, clearly not. But from my experience, it is the reality.

For what it's worth, I'm a single dad (4yr old son, 8yr old daughter), I maintain my own home, am a decent cook, haven't ruined my laundry in a long time, and am a hell of a parent. I'm not trying to defend myself or my statement, just trying to give a little perspective.

[10001110101]

I see lots of chicks in reefing. Actually a lot of 20 and 30 somethings, who have their own tanks coming into my LFS asking about lighting and flow and SPS and all this.

They are the minority, but I think women have been steered away from constructive, hands-on hobbies that arent' cooking and sewing. This doesn't really apply anymore but there is still a lot of vestigial sexism. And actually I don't really know any women my age who can cook, or sew for that matter. I know a lot more guys who can cook.

Women tend to be more pressured into falling into traditional sex roles by their parents, men often feel less restrained with choice of leisure activities and hobbies than women. Societal pressures still exist, and some people still think it's 1953, but women are becoming more and more plentiful in this hobby. You see more women enjoying traditionally male pastimes like video games etc...

Men like to assert their manliness, we feel proud of our technical expertise and hands-on direct approach to things... we like getting dirty and not being dainty... Well women like to assert their femininity as well, and this may be done by AVOIDING many things traditionally deemed "for men only" including anything technical, dirty, constructive.

Men also seem to thrive off of hobbies and work by nature, we need an objective outlet that involves building and understanding things... We need to mess with our physical environment in a direct and tactile way, while generally women have a far greater need for social relationships, and need to mess with them just like we need to mess with our computers, fish tanks, cars, carpentry what-have-you...

While men see such activities as "an escape" from everyday social "obligations and responsibilities" women care more about those social obligations and responsibilities, and generally want to maintain them directly than seek an outlet or escape.

But women like this stuff too. I think they see a reef tank usually as a pretty piece of furniture, uninterested in the labor and technical requirements of its maintenance, at least those who strictly follow traditional sex roles. I was at my not so local fish store the other day, and had a pretty long and technical discussion with an older woman, in her fifties, who was very much into it, she seemed to love talking about it even the technical aspects including lighting, flow, filtration... So that may not be all that true, it's hard to be sexist, but it's hard not to state the obvious as well. To say women and men aren't different, not just in our essential composition and function, but especially in our social roles, is just to spurn the obvious reality of our current state of existence.

Once the hobby gets in you, and you are hooked, it doesn't really matter what sex you are.

[pr12]

Another chick reefer, my mom and one of my little sisters have both gotten into the hobby watching my tank. The men in my life just help fund the obsession.

[Michael]

men waste money more than women, and this hobby is a money eater, actually i see quite a few women reefers posting here on the site, and sugar as well as sk8r know a lot more than most of us, i suppose we out number them 5-6 to 1, but they are catching up

[Wannabe29]

My apologies. I am not implying anything, and at face value, I don't think my statement implies my feelings either way. I am simply saying that with the exception of my mother/step father, the majority of the responsibility falls on the wife in EVERY family I know. Based on my experience, it is the norm. Is it fair? No, clearly not. But from my experience, it is the reality.

For what it's worth, I'm a single dad (4yr old son, 8yr old daughter), I maintain my own home, am a decent cook, haven't ruined my laundry in a long time, and am a hell of a parent. I'm not trying to defend myself or my statement, just trying to give a little perspective.

I wasn't implying anything. Just thought your post might rub a few of the women around here the wrong way. Trust me, I was raised by a single mom. I know exactly how much work women in the house do. I would hope that, when both parents live under the same roof, the responsibilities would shared equally. That certainly what I'm going to strive to do when my wife and I decide to have kids (hopefully no sooner than a few years from now).

On the flip side, I hope I take enough of the burden off of her that she would be able to focus a little more attention on the tank and how it works. Kind of a win win scenario. We'll see how well it works out.....

[STEELERFAN747]

It's great seeing more ladies are into reefing then i originally thought. I am lucky to have such a cool lady in my life who supports my hobby. I can always convince her to buy stuff. hehehe. I should really buy her that NEW LV Purse...

how do you think I'm able to keep buying stuff. It's called bribes!!!! :)

[cubsFAN]

A lot of black and white so far. I'm surprised the thread has lasted this long. The OP is offensive. This is hilarious. Me thinks the mods are at least 99% male, or this thread would not continue....

btw I hope this thread keeps going. just found it to be ironic as ive seen threads get shut down for less.

[lucidheights]

somebody make a poll so we could have a lil microcosm of the reef keeping world

[fufu]

If more women are reefer, and two reefers get married, they will have an empty house with a very pretty aquarium. Family would take lfs trip as vacations spots, ups man would be there everyday, fish eat better food than the family. I think it is a good balance now only 1 out of 2 people in the family should take on this addiction.

[robojet]

:wave: I'm a girl!!!

My husband enjoys the tank, but has no interest in maintaining it. He does get to make major decisions about what goes in it though. And he's asked me to write a manual on how to maintain it (in case something happens to me and I'm unable to do the regular maintenance for awhile).

But I agree... many more men in the hobby than women... not really sure I could come up with a good reason why. But I suppose if I had kids (I skipped that life changing event), my focus would be elsewhere, and a reef would do little to hold my interest. I think men with kids still need a hobby though :twitch:

[chartwell]

Me = girl = reefer! :lolspin:

[ChadTheSpike]

Ok, so here is what I counted for polling purposes, there are 17 posts from those who identified themselves as reefer chicks, so out of 56, thats ~30%.

My girl is interested in the tank, she loves to watch it (she does it as soon as she comes home for 10-15 minutes or so and often notices stuff before I do), feed it, have me move stuff around in it (she doesnt get her hand wet though because it is "icky", which I find unbelievably ironic because she is a vet and often has stories about things that are WAY more "icky" (me talking now), that I wont go into!), and choose stuff to add to it. I really like that she is into it.

[goldmaniac]

Look around you... they are. Talk to your friends and coworkers... in the *average* american family, more household/parental responsibility is taken on by the woman than by the man. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying it's still the norm. Again, generally speaking.

I'm not disagreeing with you at all, I'm just amused that you put it out there.

[goldmaniac]

Ok, so here is what I counted for polling purposes, there are 17 posts from those who identified themselves as reefer chicks, so out of 56, thats ~30%.



You do realize that there are tens of thousands of RC'ers, I believe. a disproportional % of comments will be from women on a thread about there's no women here.

[ChadTheSpike]

^oh, absolutely I realize that... I thought about talking about statistics and skewed results based on what you are talking about and all that, but instead just decided to leave it at that.

Really, though I was just looking for an excuse to talk about my girl not putting her hand in the tank, but doesnt think twice about putting it places I woulnt consider putting mine. But the tank is 'icky' :D It makes me laugh.

Edit: also, Im rather entertained by this thread, and I the misrepresented statistic may be intersting to observe.

[hoffy02]

My apologies. I am not implying anything, and at face value, I don't think my statement implies my feelings either way. I am simply saying that with the exception of my mother/step father, the majority of the responsibility falls on the wife in EVERY family I know. Based on my experience, it is the norm. Is it fair? No, clearly not. But from my experience, it is the reality.

For what it's worth, I'm a single dad (4yr old son, 8yr old daughter), I maintain my own home, am a decent cook, haven't ruined my laundry in a long time, and am a hell of a parent. I'm not trying to defend myself or my statement, just trying to give a little perspective.


What is so "unfair" about it?? Obviously if anyone, male or femal, is made or feels obligated to do something as far as household responsibility goes, that would be unfair... I can tell you my wife goes as far as having my food plated when I get home from work!! And cut up sometimes into bite size pieces!! Her friends and even my family have told her she is CRAZY and she says it is her pleasure to do it for me.. and she works full time as well... I dont lift a finger in our home, She doesnt lift a finger in the yard or garage.. The point to my rambling is I think your observation is right on but in my case and probably the majority of the ones you have seen, its not a case of "fair" but simply a happy couple.. No matter which partner is doing more...

P.S. I would jump in front of a bus for you honey... :inlove: LOL!!

[guilloryreef]

I am a female reefer also. My husband does not understand or decide much about the tank. He is there when I ask him to hold something for me or if I need a hand moving something big. When at the LFS, he asks me what can go in the tank. LOL It is there for his viewing and bragging pleasure.

Oh, and talking about the "chores" that need to be done around the house.. I hate housework so I hired a cleaning service. :) This gives me more time to mess around with the tank and work in the garden.

[Peale]

<----another reefer chick! My hubby is allowed to look at the tank and tighten/loosen things if I need him to, but he is NOT allowed to put anything into/take anything out of the tank.

Plumbing/electronics/glueing animals to rocks does not bother me at all! I love it all!

[scapes]

<-------------- female reefer here.

i got my first aquarium in 10/05 from my hubby as an anniversary gift. he will say that that was his worst mistake of his life. not knowing anything at the time, my LFS owner set up the whole thing himself. Since then, I've built my 180g two years ago all by myself (granted not the greatest): installed mh retrofits, sump, return lines, the whole bit. I' ve also started countless other tanks, too many to mention. My current tanks are 80g, 75g, and 180g..Two years ago, our area didn't even have a club of anykind. Me and two other guys started our first club, and we single handedly got it started. I designed and built our very own website b/c the "men" didn't know how (i didn't either). I became the treasurer in the first year and still am this year. I help organize the meetings, recruit new members, sign em up and get them good to go. I homeschool our daughter, do the laundry, dishes, clean the house, designated family taxiwoman....all i would like him to do is cook dinner ( i hate it, he loves it). I then make time at the end of the day to drink my brewski's:celeb1:

we women are out there!!! GIRL POWER DUDE!!!! :beer:

[BethanyM]

girl reefer here, too. I had to talk the husband into it after I researched for more than a year.

[xtm]

I'm sure that there's a thread somewhere in some Flower Arranging Forum that asks why not a lot of guys are into flower arranging..... ;)

[Pescado Amigo]

Wow, I didn't know I was in the one percentile. So that makes me rare?

FRAG HER!! she's rare. we'll make a mint

[Wannabe29]

P.S. I would jump in front of a bus for you honey... :inlove: LOL!!

My wife is very motherly and nurturing and really does enjoy doing "womanly" stuff...but if I sat back and said that she should do that stuff because she's a woman and I should do the "guy" stuff because I'm a guy, she'd probably throw me in front of a bus. I'm just sayin'.

In a lot of ways, she does like doing the "guy" stuff. We're shopping around for houses and she's really gun-ho when it comes to tacking fixer-upper kinds of problems. She's even helped me with projects at my mom's place, like putting in flooring, hanging drywall and the like. But, when it comes to that kind of stuff, it's for the home. I think that speaks to her nurturing side. I don't think she (and my guess would be most women) wants to "nurture" fish. Although she really does enjoy looking at fish tanks and going to aquariums.

[OoBubblesoO]

my bf is a reefer and I LOVEEEEEEEEE aquariums, but didn't really get into the technical crazy aspects of it until now..slowly learning from him and i love everything about it....

BOY REEFERS = HOTNESS.
GIRL REEFERS = DOUBLE DA HOTNESS. HAHAHAHAHA

[otrlynn]

Another reefer chic here, but I have to confess I'm probably more in the age group of "old hen"! LOL! I belong to a local reef club and was pleasantly surprised that of the active members of the club, at least 10-15% were women. I took over a tank that my college age son left behind and got hooked. My husband is very supportive and helps as needed, but it is still my tank and I do most of the maintenance. I look at the reef tank as a sort of garden, and my tank is pretty low tech. Although there are increasing numbers of female engineers (and chemists and biologists) out there, I think that perhaps the technical aspect and the "gadgets" may have more intrinisic appeal to men.

[ChadTheSpike]

my bf is a reefer and I LOVEEEEEEEEE aquariums, but didn't really get into the technical crazy aspects of it until now..slowly learning from him and i love everything about it....

BOY REEFERS = HOTNESS.
GIRL REEFERS = DOUBLE DA HOTNESS. HAHAHAHAHA

hehe, I seem to remember a thread from a few months back something along the lines of "What do all you reef geeks look like anyway?"

The image that I remember most, burned into my brain :eek2: even though I wish it would go away is the first picture that was posted....

Decidedly not hot.... :hmm4:

lol

[bhammer]

hehe, I seem to remember a thread from a few months back something along the lines of "What do all you reef geeks look like anyway?"

Now, you can't just go around posting things like this without giving everyone else a link to it: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1754719

[minnemoline]

i am a girl reefer. My husband has zero interest in the tank. I spend hours researching all my stuff for my tank. He just shakes his head at me and complains about the $.

+1

[Kanicky]

I have us listed as "Katie & Nick," however, Nick never comes on RC - or any of the other reef boards. Just me! We're both very involved in the hobby, though

[Guy(ReefSmart)]

I once thought of finding a nice reefer chick to marry then I realized she may want to touch my tanks and the thought of it turned me off the idea.

[tkeracer619]

:lol:

[ChadTheSpike]

:D sorry, I should have posted the link... I noticed that it revived it though...

[kingsland]

Pfffft. I'd rather have a bigger tank than a LV purse.

+1 Reefer chick here. Hubby has 100% of the enjoyment, and 0% of the work. I'd rather be messing with the tank than shopping any day of the week and I must admit I have turned into one heck of a plumber, and electrician, and just about anything else you need to learn to set up a tank. Who needs a new pair of shoes ....not me:)

[jbird69]

WOW! A 4 page thread in 1 day.

[jbird69]

yeah, wish I could that many responses to my questions!

Yep. Its all in the title.

[kittyj]

I should really buy her that NEW LV Purse...

I guess I'm part of the 1% . . . I had my reef tank before I had my husband. That said, you shoud DEFINITELY buy your honey the LV. I love mine almost as much as I love my tank :-)

[FishBum81]

It's simple, every time I think about upgrading something, I can just hear Tim Allen in the background :)

What's this? A pump that puts out double the gph? MORE POWER

It's just another example of us boys and our toys, we love to buy stuff that's expensive and looks/sounds cool and this hobby has it all. Plus we can all sit around the ole water cooler bragging about our new pump/skimmer/light setup and there's plenty of DIY projects to keep us busy.

Just my 2cents

[Reneeslane]

not a guy and loving this hobby, a lot!

[saltwater4life1]

I've only seen a handful of female reefers, But my future gf/wife will have to be into the hobby or at least respect the 100's of hours at the lfs and 1000's of bucks sitting in a glass box :D

[Puffer Chick]

there are deffiently female reefers :D

[abulldogger2]

this 1% just ordered rodi system today, cant wait till it arrives & my husband thinks i have lost my everloving mind. GO FIGURE

fishbum 81 chicks dig power tools too HEHE

[Nanook]

Glad to see all the ladies in here:thumbsup:

[OoBubblesoO]

YAYEEEE...this is a hilarious thread...hahahahaha.....i would rather receive reef stuff as a present too..
i love purses but corals/fishies/etc are FAR MORE AWESOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE :D

i can give my bf a present for our tank and be happy...and he can do the same :) WOOHOO!

[Michael]

dont forget though, dont spray purfume on your self near the tank, it will harm the livestock.

[phuzzykins]

Can I be an honorary lady reefer?

[goochesfish]

Ya, don't assume I'm a guy when I post. I'll pass on an LV purse any day. I tell my husband don't get me jewelry either. He never inquires about my purchases as long as I don't charge it.

[Johnny C]

Can I be an honorary lady reefer?
Get back in the lounge, fuzz!

[shellzreef]

+1 single female reeferrr!!!

[Kdocimo90]

we should make a poll voting for your gender :D

[ctrl+f]

The number of posts I see around here that are some variant of "I have to trick my wife into letting me have this" or "I owe my wife some new shoes!" really make me cringe.

I am a computer programmer. In my work I am often the only woman, or one of just a few. I can't say I would even notice except that men just can't stop pointing it out to me.

[Michael]

Get back in the lounge, fuzz!

:lol: yep this thread has had it now the loungers have seen it.

[raysis]

Hello..

Im a girl :D
When i meet my man, i had a 54L freshwater tank.. After 1 year, he became interessted and bought a 180L tank, when we moved together we had an 540L malawi tank and then we started thinking about saltwater..

130L saltwater plug and play first, and now we have 240L saltwater and we pay the same on the aquarium, we discuss the aquarium, take the tests together and discuss the results :D

I know many female reefers :D

**Christine**

[Realmling]

Haha...I'm having to convince my husband that it's in his best interests to let me have my SW tank as soon as my office is remodeled. No kids, no other critters...I want the marine tank I've drooled over for over ten years and have been planning for the past five or so.

He told me the 55gal FW in the dinning room should be more than enough since I "don't do anything" with it anymore. It has his pleco in it - that's it. I had to reply that since all my fish died, it was his tank. :lmao:

I cook occasionally on the weekends when I feel like it. He's the one who's self-employed and works out of the house - he should have dinner waiting for me when I get home. Most evenings it's a fend for yourself type deal at our house unless I get the urge to make something. Also - telling your wife she makes a particular dish completely wrong does not entice her to cook more often (trust me on this one guys). I don't like the way he makes chili (too many beans - I'm a meat girl), but I still eat it. I also don't complain about it every time the topic is brought up because it meant I didn't have to cook. :lol2:

I also get my own power tools because he doesn't always like to share his. The only thing I'm not real good at is lifting heavy things, which was interesting when I had to help with the 5/8" sheetrock when we redid the kitchen. He'll probably help me build my stand and some electrical bits (he doesn't trust me with such) and then I'll be on my own.

Now if I could just convince the rest of the family to gift me something reef related rather than clothes I'll never wear or some stupid candle holders (what is the fascination with froofy candle holders? Urgh...hate getting those) I'd be sitting pretty.

[briankauf]

My wife enjoys working with the aquarium, but more in the feeding/planning/arranging than in physically building things like the hood. However, she has a doctorate in Organic Chemistry, so I can usually convince her that it's best if she does the water testing, since she's an expert ;-)

[goldenseal]

* bats eyelashes*


Im a girl ......:D

[huskysglare1]

Calling all FEMALE reefers! Please share your treasure with us. I, for one, would like to see how you angels decorate your tanks.

[Kanicky]

As requested :)

Seahorse tank:

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f112/FairFaeth/IMAGE_180.jpg

Bella, seahorse:

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f112/FairFaeth/IMAGE_219-1.jpg

Alice & Bella:

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f112/FairFaeth/IMAGE_228-2.jpg

[hreef]

In the reef world for 14yrs....and yes I am a girl.


http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/ac338/hreef/th_DSC01151.jpg (http://s913.photobucket.com/albums/ac338/hreef/?action=view&current=DSC01151.jpg)

[hreef]

above photoshop link with pics....didn't realize I did that!

[Znut Reefer]

Another female reefer here. Been in the hobby for around 18 yrs now. :)

[Reneeslane]

New to salt but have had tropical and cichlid tanks for oer 25 years; so did my mom. I grew up with a tank in my house as well as other relatives. Salt by far is the most fun (and the most expensive.)

[lordofthereef]

I don't think that it is possible to even begin answering a question like this without someone being offended LOL. I don't think the percentage is really up as high as 99%, but I do agree that the majority of reefers are men.

[travis32]

I think "Reefing" (is that a word LOL) is sorta like computers were. In the early 90s when I got access to my first home computer (a Tandy 1000) it obsolete, frustrating, and not very user friendly. In fact, you almost needed to be a rocket scientist just to use the damn things. Not saying women aren't rocket scientists, MORE women didn't really start admiring the computer capabilities until it was user friendly. Then, they took off with it and probably use computers more than men do now.

I think a similar trend will happen with marine aquariums. They're in that transition period from clunky, difficult to figure out and run, to "plug 'n play" pour water in, add some rock, and turn the switch to the on position. ;)

If I hadn't got mine used with all the overflow plumbing and stuff, I would have probably given up because even the simplest plumbing for me, is like DOS 6.22 would be to a 20 year old right now. ;) In fact, initially it took me a week to understand that the overflow wouldn't continuously overflow my sump. Or that my sump pump wouldn't pump more water out than the overflow allowed in... I ended up buying a ball valve and had the menards guy tell me how to install an in line ball valve into my flexible tubing so I could close the flow and try to manually even out the flow from the overflow box to the sump.

After that week, I was the dumbest moron in the room... I was the only one, but hey, when I figured out how an overflow / sump works.. Water in --- water out..LOL.

I left the ball valve as a symbol of my stupidity to remind me not to be dumb anymore.

So, trust me, i could see more families (male and female) being involved in the hobby as the process is made simpler to setup and maintain them.. No one wants to be frustrated by the complexities of installation.

[huskysglare1]

Alice & Bella:

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f112/FairFaeth/IMAGE_228-2.jpg

WoW! that's a beautiful pair of seahorse! Is that ich or it's just natural?

[Michael]

I don't think that it is possible to even begin answering a question like this without someone being offended LOL..

:lol: your right there, cant win with any comments here haha

[Aerowen]

<<<<< another reefer chick ; )

[salttess]

standing proud and tall....female here:spin3:

[stormrider27]

Kanicky, your aquascaping is outstanding!! :beer:

[Kanicky]

WoW! that's a beautiful pair of seahorse! Is that ich or it's just natural?

Thank you so much! :) No, not ich. They just had tiny speckles all over their bodies that kind of made them sparkle in the light. Very pretty girls!

(They were the last h. Fuscus that ORA had.)

[Kanicky]

Kanicky, your aquascaping is outstanding!! :beer:

Thanks! Nick spent hours on placing the rocks and hitching posts. I took pictures of the whole process but didn't upload them to the computer before our camera was stolen :furious:

We've added a few things since that pictures. I'll have to take more!

[Puffer Chick]

LOVE the seahorse tank :o

here's mine, my aquascaping skills are HORRIBLE

http://i747.photobucket.com/albums/xx115/Tracy_M_L/010-12.jpg

[sabazerehi]

female reefer for almost 5 years now!! unfortunately, i've only met one other girl reefer who didn't just get into it because of their boyfriend or husband. i have to say, i do love the look on people's faces when they realize i'm into this hobby and i maintain my tanks myself. here are some pics!:

my 60g
<a href="http://s840.photobucket.com/albums/zz330/sabazerehi/?action=view&current=IMG00037.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i840.photobucket.com/albums/zz330/sabazerehi/IMG00037.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

30g, soon to be peacock mantis tank
<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v690/Boboltalah23/saba/?action=view&current=DSC01464.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v690/Boboltalah23/saba/DSC01464.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[jenjen]

Female reefer here as well. I maintain a 55g and a 180g. My husband supports my hobby by picking all the fish (from an approved list) and installing plumbing & electrical for me. He isn't interested in the maintenance at ALL but loves to buy the toys and point them out when people come over. The most recent is the Bubble King skimmer he bought me... he's like a kid when he opens the stand door and points at it saying "tell them about that thing, honey!". :D

[got2envy]

Here are my tanks

10g macro
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y130/got2envy/P1010029-15.jpg

29g mixed reef
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y130/got2envy/P1010170.jpg

125g reef
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpg4autizCE

The hubby is def hands off with the tanks lol he thinks I am a mad scientist.

[nj_evoIXgsr]

there are too many variables..... but it's more like 95% of reefers are male.

plus i think most females i've known wanted seahorse tanks. so probably should go to those forums.

[Sheol]

Wow! Gorgeous tank Sabazheri( I hope I got that right.)!!

Matthew

[Lunareclipse]

<------lacks the nessecary plumbing to be of the male species.
Female reefer and proud of it. My husband is thinks I am speaking another language when I talk about my tanks.

[BFG]

<------lacks the nessecary plumbing to be of the male species.
Female reefer and proud of it. My husband is thinks I am speaking another language when I talk about my tanks.

Hmmm, I think I know what he meant..........:lmao:

[ct103]

My wife said to me years ago , I want a saltwater tank! That means get it done. We were in the reef store in Montgomery this past weekend and there were as many women in there buying things for there tanks as men. My wife is learning how to care for the tanks since my job keeps me away for days at the time occassionally and she has learned to pick the correct livestock for our setup. Oh when you think you are not a newbie anymore and don't need any more advice on anything you setting yourself up for failure. RC always.

[ChadTheSpike]

Oh when you think you are not a newbie anymore and don't need any more advice on anything you setting yourself up for failure.


Good advice that doesnt end at the reef tank :D

[Dtronic]

My girlfriend constantly tells me it would be more fun and less expensive to vacation at the places my corals and fish come from and see them in the wild than to have a reef tank. Then she can tan on the beach while I snorkle or scuba.

[Realmling]

I've thought about telling my husband something like that...but he's the type that thinks sitting around the house not working on work is enough of a vacation. Someday I might get him convinced otherwise, except we can never agree on where to go or what to do...so maybe separate vacations would be good.

That, and I'm pretty sure if I did go diving, it would make me want such an aquarium even more. He's still trying to ignore me about it when I start sneaking it into a conversation. /sigh :rolleyes:

Like that's going to stop me. :smokin:

[lordofthereef]

My girlfriend constantly tells me it would be more fun and less expensive to vacation at the places my corals and fish come from and see them in the wild than to have a reef tank. Then she can tan on the beach while I snorkle or scuba.

Depends on how much you spend on a tank. A vacation to those exotic places does get extremely expensive very fast. I know the couple grand I would have spent at a place like that can bring my system a long ways ;) But that argument is also like telling any hobbyist to stop their hobby and go to a place where they can pay to see it. A lot of the fun is actually working with the equipment/livestock, at least for me!

[huskysglare1]

very nice tanks ladies. I would like to see more.

I heard snorkeling in west Caribbean is very beautiful. I went east last time and it wasn't so nice.

[~reefchik~]

ummm...hi there :)

http://hunnybuns.eaph3.com/share/90Reef/ftsyesterday.jpg

[dnsfpl]

imo physical strength, reefing need muscle

[smwreefgirl]

another female reefer here:-) 29 gallon tank for just over a year. I'd take something for my tank over a purse or shoes anyday!!!!!

My personal experience..... I know there are a ton of females out there who understand all the technical, scientific aspects of the SW aquarium but I"m just not one of them. Actually I just purchased Saltwater for Dummies from Amazon a couple of days ago. hehe!!! Thank goodness for friends and forums to help me out as well. I love the beauty of the tanks which is what got me hooked in the first place, but yes am learning there is a lot I don't totally understand "behind the scenes". Now it's all about the challenge and telling myself I can do this!!

I do feel guilty sometimes when I'm spending time with my tank instead of spending time with my 3 year old daughter, husband, working out, cleaning. Since I do work full time and spend most of my evenings at home with my daughter, yes I do have difficulty finding the time to sit and research and ask questions. But if I don't spend time with it (the tank:-))at least a little each day, I pay for it in the long run with algae outbreaks, etc. I'm hoping in time I'll get everything under control and won't have to spend so much daily time working on it, just admiring it:-)