Top Ten Injuries You've Had That Were Caused By Your Reef...

10) My wife finally saw my credit card bill!
ebauman75 of Springfield, IL

9) Reefkeeping hobby: Warning - side effects may include eye irritation (specifically burned retinas), anemone skin rash, accidental flooding, increased power bills, uncontrolled obsessive/compulsive spending leading to mysterious holes in your pockets and potential debt. Use ony as hobbyist prescribed; discontinue use should signs prolong after one month and consult your LFS or psychologist!
Nanopodreefer of Canada

8) I lifted a tank by myself at the wrong angle, herniated disc L5-S1 in my back and was bed ridden for nearly three months.
Serk of Rowlett, TX

7) I have a chronic back pain from my wife making me sleep on the couch!
Dirt4dinner of Mesa, AZ

6) I have a chronic “elbow-in-my-side” condition every time I bring my girlfriend with me to the local fish store. The elbow is often followed by a “You don’t need that so keep moving” sound.
PoorCollegeReef of Clemson, SC

5) I would not recommend testing the responsiveness of your clam by touching the mantle with your index finger, especially if it is a large clam because an unpredictable chain of events may develop... Yep! It closed suddenly and my finger was trapped for two minutes while my wife observed nearby - laughing. Ouch!!!! Double cut deep to the bone.
jdieck of Naperville, IL

4) I fed frozen Mysis to my seahorses but forgot to rinse my hands and later rubbed my eyes! That resulted in my eye becoming swollen shut and a visit to my primary care doctor who rushed me to the opthalmologist. I then received 10 days of antibiotic drops-steroid drops-and missed three days of work!! And... I have the pictures to prove it!
cherie3001 of Unknown Whereabouts

3) You open your eyes in the morning and realize you can't move out of bed. Your back is frozen and has sharp pains. Then you remember that you spent four hours yesterday doing a 50-gallon water change, carrying heavy containers and bent over the sump doing major maintenance and cleaning. Then you miss two days of work, which adds another injury, this time to your wallet!
FSOL of Los Angeles

2) Aside from the usual cuts caused by my sloppy DIY work, I've also had several bruises (and a black eye) given to me by my girlfriend because of my frigging reef tank. Lesson learned: I'll never mention the words "reef," "corals," "tank" and "I can't go with you because I'm busy with my tank" to my girlfriend again!
yrema of Manilla, Phillipines

1) New fish to buy - $30; travel cost to LFS - $10; extra things bought from LFS that you don't really need - $50; actually tripping over a small child belonging to another reefgeek and spraining your ankle because you were too busy staring at the new softie display - priceless!
Nanopodreefer of Canada

Reefkeeping's next Top Ten for April: Top Ten Best Days In The Hobby... Our thanks go out to Baddi for suggesting the next topic!

Honorable mention goes out to the following members for submitting 10 Top Ten reasons: Serk. Thanks, Serk!

If you have questions, would like to suggest a future Top Ten topic or place an entry, visit our online forum or hit the button below: