The other day as the lights were coming on, I finally caught a melanurus wrasse red-handed sleeping in the sand. Poor little guy truly must have thought that he was covered and I couldn’t see him, but lucky for me he was fully out in the open and sleeping very well. Of course my first thought was to grab the camera and get a picture of him while he was sitting still. It’s not often that I get this chance, so I took quite a few shots and he still didn’t wake up. After a couple of friendly pokes, he dashed off and began his day.

It’s times like these that make the hobby worth it for me. Many people seem to strive only for the payoff of their tank being done and having a masterpiece in the living room, but I find that it’s the little things that really get me going. I do look forward to reefs being fully mature and looking like I planned them for years, but all the little discoveries along the way are some of the real fun. Small animals that snuck in on rock, new heads growing out of a coral frag and strange fish activities are just a few of these draws, and there’s an endless list of others. Sometimes I think people can take this hobby a little too seriously as if the hobby is only a means to get to an end, but in reality the journey to that end is the hobby. The end is just a piece of furniture.

I guess what I’m getting at with this is we should all slow down a little bit. Buy frags instead of colonies. Watch your tank cycle extra long. Take pleasure in all the little activities your reef demands. Most of all, remember that you got into this to enjoy the process.