A little more than nine months ago, I set up an aquarium--a saltwater aquarium. Now I'm an addict. There is no other term for it, and if you are reading this, you, too, are an addict or are close to becoming one. The beauty of our aquatic charges, the endless joy of discovering new creatures and behaviors in our tanks, and yes, even the mind-boggling and wallet-emptying technical frustrations along the way are all a part of the allure.

It has struck me, though, that the challenges often come close to outweighing the joys. According to Bob Fenner, contributing author for "Freshwater and Marine Aquarium Magazine", the average experience level of the marine hobbyist is just two years. This means most people throw in the towel long before that. Why is this so? Is the hobby really that difficult? It's harder than most, for sure, but I don't think that fully explains the phenomenon. Rather, I think most failures are due to lack of knowledge. The newness of the hobby is partially to blame, as the techniques necessary for a successful marine aquarium are still being discovered and refined. But I also see commercial greed and the easy availability of misguided information as two other major culprits.

The intention of this series of articles is to attempt to counterbalance these forces by sharing my experiences as a beginner in the hobby along with the insights I've gained along the way. "Along the way" is a significant phrase because it emphasizes that our hobby is an ongoing adventure, a journey of discovery. How much we discover is a choice left up to us, but I think our enjoyment increases as our knowledge grows. Those who follow their curiosity and learn to think broadly will be rewarded.

"Along the way" is meaningful for another reason: Tao (pronounced like the "dow" in "down") means "the way" or "the path" in Chinese and refers to the workings of Nature. Its symbol, the yin and yang, represents the harmonious, dynamic balance that exists in the universe. We can peer into our aquariums and see the Tao in action. If we look closely and seek to truly absorb what we observe, we can gain powerful insights into the workings of the Tao that will help us in our hobby and in our lives.

Clearly, as a novice aquarist, I cannot presume to present a treatise on the hobby; but, perhaps, I can begin a discussion that will stimulate some thought and prevent a few of you from making the same mistakes I have. Who knows? You might even learn something about life...along the way.

Lesson One: Be Excellent! --Bill and Ted

As the movie characters Bill and Ted counseled from the silver screen, we should do our best at everything we undertake. This applies to life in general and our aquariums in particular, and if I had to pick a single theme for this series, it would be this. The drive to attain perfection is fundamental to the human experience. It's why we stand in awe of beauty, why we appreciate a smoothly running machine, why we yearn to hear pleasing music over and over again, and even why we comb our hair in the morning. It's why we feel ill at ease when we disregard our conscience and neglect a necessary chore or act in a way that brings misfortune or grief to another. If we listen, we know intuitively what is right and what is wrong. We know when we are doing everything we can and when we are accepting mediocrity in our performance. It is, perhaps, the single unifying thread of our existence and has fueled the minds of philosophers, spiritualists, artists, and engineers through all time. Why include this in a discussion about marine aquariums? Because, as you will come to find if you fully involve yourself in this hobby, everything is related. One of the wonderful results of this fact is that you can take what you've learned in other areas of your life and apply the lessons to your aquarium. Equally, you can, and should, take what you learn in your hobby and apply it in your day-to-day life. One is just a microcosm of the other, and the more fully you recognize this, the richer will be the rewards of your endeavor.

Does this sound too esoteric? Does it fill you with images of trying to drink from a fire hydrant? Then, for now, think only of the section heading: Be Excellent! Do not accept mediocrity in your life or in your hobby. Too much is at stake in both. With time, perhaps as a result of thinking provoked by this series of articles, you'll come to understand why, and the interconnectedness of things will suddenly make sense. When it does, your enjoyment of the hobby (and life) will blossom.

Lesson Two: Life is Precious--and Expensive

Keeping a marine aquarium is an expensive hobby. Some have experimented successfully with bare-bones "natural" systems, but the key to their long-term success is invariably an extremely low bioload. Most of us, when we close our eyes and imagine our dream aquarium, see an enclosed world teeming with life. If you want to combine the qualities of "enclosed" and "teeming", you're going to need some technological assistance, and it doesn't come cheap. Nor do the costs ever cease; they just slow down in between upgrades and the commencement of new projects. Remember, this hobby is an addiction, and as with any addiction, it's hard to say "Enough!" and walk away.

This hobby resembles other addictions in another way: lives are affected, sometimes for the worse. Just as we disapprove of couples who bring children into the world that they cannot support, others will rightly disapprove of us if we assume responsibility for the lives of creatures snatched from their homes in the wild only to let them perish in our aquariums. As we disapprove of gamblers who squander their income and can no longer support their families, others (including our families) will rightly disapprove of us if we ignore our financial responsibility to them as we pour more money into our systems and cause our families to suffer. And, as we disapprove of substance abusers who become so entrapped in their addiction that they have no time or emotion left for their families, others (especially our families) will disapprove of us if we spend all of our time with our heads under our tank stands and none nurturing our human relationships.

There are two messages to be taken away from this comparison. The first is, if you can't afford to do the hobby right (i.e., buy the equipment that will keep both your animals healthy and your maintenance chores at a reasonable level), don't start. Your tank should not be an acrylic or glass slaughterhouse with a revolving door. It should be a stable, evolving ecosystem where your animals can live and you can enjoy and learn.

The second message is that our hobby should enhance our own quality of life, not undermine it. The keys, in my opinion, to having both a healthy aquarium and a happy home life are these:

• Plan your aquarium carefully to minimize your janitorial duties;

• Spend the [often significant] money on quality equipment to bring the plan to fruition; and

• Police your own behavior to keep your addiction in check. If the system is running smoothly (as it should if you have planned it well), accept it and go relax with your significant other. Don't obsess, constantly tweak the filters, and neglect your human relationships. If you do, you may find yourself alone with your hobby.

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