# What's more demanding.. keeping a dog or a marine aquarium



## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

Guys, it's 8 months into the dark side. what started out as a minimal trial has ended up with a few thousand dollars invested despite limited budget. my main display tank which started out as a few hundred pounds of live rock being cured in spring is still in getting ready to be a reef tank mode after a bout of black ich in early fall. I'm starting to think having a reef tank is like raising a kid. lots of patience... takes months before it can be born... I mean my display tank has been in gestation for 8 months and it isn't reef ready yet! (still trying to get nitrates and phosphates to 0).

I'm thinking a dog might be way easier than a marine tank. bajesus this thing requires a lot of TLC and stability. like kids.


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## liz (Jan 16, 2008)

Kids and a dog = stress
My SW tank = stress reliever!


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## cica (Feb 10, 2013)

Bayinaung said:


> I'm thinking a dog might be way easier than a marine tank.


Might be easier but not necessary cheaper. My 5 year dog just had a surgery. One moment playing, running like a bullet, next moment backacke. He got herniated disk. Had to pay 6k. Recovery time estimated 3-4 month with special exesises 5-6 times a day.
But I love my dogs and I also love my fishtank. So don't give up. It's a learning curve.


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## cica (Feb 10, 2013)

liz said:


> Kids and a dog = stress
> My SW tank = stress reliever!


Or:
Kids = stress
SW tank and dog = stress reliever.


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

best of both worlds:


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## wtac (Mar 17, 2006)

Once you're past the humps, it's pretty easy. 

Kids and dogs...the "sphere of influence" AND destruction knows no bounds...LOL


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

fesso clown said:


> best of both worlds:


LMAO that's awesome! you have no idea how many times I wanna reach in and pet nemo. I saw a big puffer with huge eyes at R2O, he looked so much like a bulldog I wanted one LOL.


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## Steel_Wind (Oct 26, 2013)

I have a good size backyard which is all fenced in, so the dogs don't need regular walks.

My dogs are ZERO work. So yes, more on aquarium side - and not by a little,


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

cica said:


> Might be easier but not necessary cheaper. My 5 year dog just had a surgery. One moment playing, running like a bullet, next moment backacke.


Ouch. sorry to hear about your dog. hope he's ok. I'm not giving up on this. It's amazing how long it takes to get the tank to mature. I'm definitely thinking bigger and bigger all the time... that's the trouble with this hobby lol.


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## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

Dogs=Bath,Walks (Even in Winter+Pick up Poops),Brush Teeth,Special Food
Fish=Always taking a bath,Eat Poops,No brushing,Not too many choices of foods

Thank God I was able to convince my daughter to have Nemo,Dory and Marlin instead of a Dog.....plus SPS,LPS and little bit of Softies.
Fish don't bite people.


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## damsel_den (Oct 31, 2011)

Husbands beat dog+kids+tank!!!!

I'm a stay at home mom with a 2.5 yearn old and a 1 year old (and a 27 year old spoiled mommas boy ....hubby)and at an animal shelter the rest of the time 
The tank is my escape... And a lot less work!!


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## Taipan (Feb 12, 2012)

*Double Take.....*

I'm fairly certain "damsel_den" meant to say 'Husband' _*trumps*_ Dog+Kids+Tank.

I read it quickly as 'Husband' beats on "Dog+Kids+Tank"

GLAD I re-read it.  lol


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## damsel_den (Oct 31, 2011)

LOL 
Glad you pointed that out Red! 
Hubby doesn't beat anything
He's just more work then all the other things posted


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

damsel_den said:


> LOL
> Glad you pointed that out Red!
> Hubby doesn't beat anything
> He's just more work then all the other things posted


LOL! 
well I'll make sure not to get a hubby then LMAO!!!

ummm when I get into a relationship, can I send her to you for training? I'll pay you seriously! LOL.


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## damsel_den (Oct 31, 2011)

Bayinaung said:


> LOL!
> well I'll make sure not to get a hubby then LMAO!!!
> 
> ummm when I get into a relationship, can I send her to you for training? I'll pay you seriously! LOL.


Sure! 
Make sure you make a lot of money though because hubby gives me his bonus for Boxing Day LFS shopping and every time I stick out my hand it magically fills up with cash...hope you like the sound of a whip cracking


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

damsel_den said:


> Sure!
> Make sure you make a lot of money though because hubby gives me his bonus for Boxing Day LFS shopping and every time I stick out my hand it magically fills up with cash...hope you like the sound of a whip cracking


ooooo I'm definitely sending you my next gf LOLOLLLLLLLLLLLLL


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## dc_addict (Mar 14, 2013)

Dogs are WAY more work if your tank is setup right. I can walk away from my tank for two weeks and not have to touch it. If I left a dog in my house for two weeks and didn't come home I am pretty sure I would have some serious issues when I came home,

Even day to day, if I have to work early in the morning and don't get home until 9PM my fish don't care.. Dog on the other hand, probably an issue. 

Now if your tank is Auto top off, you have to feed it manually three times a day different foods, you are turning lights on and off, you are dosing manually, well that would be a lot of work. Setting up a tank is a lot of money, way more than any dog I have ever owned, but I have yet to find a way to automate dog maintance.. A nice skimmer in the backyard would be nice as opposed to picking up all that crap in the spring!!!


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

dc_addict said:


> A nice skimmer in the backyard would be nice as opposed to picking up all that crap in the spring!!!


ewwwwwww LOL. Ok one up for marine aquarium LOL.


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## Letigrama (Jul 6, 2008)

dog is much easier hands down!!!

If you have a front yard/backyard and a small dog that doesnt require excercise you dont need to walk it everyday, is all a matter of luck and perspective.

My dog is 10 years old and other than cleaning her teeth and neutering her, I have never spent more than the rabies shot.

Fish in the other hand, have die, die, die, got sick, sick, sick, changed tanks tanks tanks, filters, filters filters, should I keep going? Is more money, time, headache and also heartache if you are attached to the fish. People also will look at you weird when you start to talk about fish, like getting excited to go to the LFS and your friend looks at you like you have 2 heads 

Now, I had the SW tank for 7 months now, and is doing great, so I was just lucky. But maintenance, oh yeah, dog is much easier!!!


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## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

We have a family friend who have a dog with diabetis.Everyday the dog gets Insulin shot not to mention the specialty food he has to eat.Can you imagine the expense plus the time they spend caring for the dog?Never mind,fish don't get diabetis only Ich.


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## Nicole (Aug 2, 2013)

It def depends on the dog. I had a 13 y/o shepherd mix who I loved (still do) to the end of the earth and he had multiple very serious health issues including liver failure. He was far more expense and work than any tank. Guaranteed. But worth every bit. 
I have a little guy now who thankfully is healthy like a horse and once he passed the annoying puppy potty training chewing on everything phase, he's no work at all now. Or maybe it's just that I enjoy doing everything with him like training, walking, playing etc. I hate doing water changes and acclimating livestock. 
I guess that's why I downsized to a 29 gallon reef and I train dogs for a living


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

my 2 cents worth on this subject, you can't hug a marine fish, nor can you ask it to fetch a ball, or lay by the side of a sick child providing comfort in ways you will never understand! Dogs may smell, slobber, poop in inappropriate places  and just be a pain in the behind, but their value to our health, well being and overall mental being far outways the problems we encounter with them.

I LOVE fish, I LOVE to watch them swim around and often envision what it would be like to be their in the ocean with them, but listening to the heartbeat of my furry pet snuggling next to me on the couch, or by my side while Im on the computer, just does NOT compare.....NO fish will every take that place.

In comparison to a marine tank a Dog far outways the benefits all round in every way!


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

Try owning a horse. 2 colic surgeries in 2 days = $15,000 vet bill and a horse that "might" live...

Fish tanks are a breeze compared to what I've been through.


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

Norman said:


> Try owning a horse. 2 colic surgeries in 2 days = $15,000 vet bill and a horse that "might" live...
> 
> Fish tanks are a breeze compared to what I've been through.


ouch yeah horses are pretty expensive. no question!


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

Bayinaung said:


> ouch yeah horses are pretty expensive. no question!


And far more enjoyable in these crazy sub zero temperatures! I have to blanket the horses...talk about a money pit! ;-)


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## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

I think some of you guys/gals are loosing track of what the OP wanted to ask us"What's more demanding.. keeping a dog or a marine aquarium".


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## Norman (Feb 13, 2011)

Flameangel said:


> I think some of you guys/gals are loosing track of what the OP wanted to ask us"What's more demanding.. keeping a dog or a marine aquarium".


Sigh... Fish don't need to be walked. LOL


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## badmedicine (Oct 27, 2012)

Personally it is like asking a mother " which kid do you love more"?

I can say that my heart got bigger as my animal list increased.


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## pyro (Dec 6, 2010)

Norman said:


> Sigh... Fish don't need to be walked. LOL


Fish also don't poop on the rug!


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## boun (Feb 16, 2012)

pyro said:


> Fish also don't poop on the rug!


But fish tanks with a sump left unchecked/maintained will over flow. Then it becomes a question of what is more demanding, dog poop not cleaned up or an overflowed sump? LOL


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## uniboob (Dec 29, 2012)

Definitely a dog. There is a controller for your reef, not for your dog. But man I LOVE having both


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## 1200assassin (Jan 14, 2011)

*lol*

I would say they are both kind of the same. You spend the first year of their lives training, cleaning and looking after them. If you do a good job they will be easy for life. If you don't you'll be cleaning up messes and issues for years to come. Neither are easy in the beginning, but atleast dogs cuddle


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

1200assassin said:


> I would say they are both kind of the same. You spend the first year of their lives training, cleaning and looking after them. If you do a good job they will be easy for life. If you don't you'll be cleaning up messes and issues for years to come. Neither are easy in the beginning, but atleast dogs cuddle


that's a very wise observation my friend. Didn't think of it that way. I think this statement should be in the short list of advice for newbies.. "so you want to keep a marine tank".


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## Steel_Wind (Oct 26, 2013)

While each has their needs, wants and desires, a dog is an air breathing creature that does not require the maintenance of an artificial environment to keep it alive. It does not even require an owner or anyone to feed it. There are* thousands* of feral dogs in Canada (and many, many more feral cats) which prove that point.

In contrast, the creatures inside a marine tank require near continuous life support and husbandry.

When the power went off on Dec 22, 2013 and for the next 4 days, my dogs and cat were cold, but otherwise AOK. Just fine, really.

Sadly, during that same span of time, Marine tanks all across the GTA crashed and died in large numbers.

It's a cute question, but it obscures a hard truth: a marine aquarium is an artificial environment that depends upon constant electrical power to operate. Interrrupt the power, life support fails and the creatures inside the tank die _en masse 
_

Say what you like, there's simply no getting around that fundamental difference between the two.


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## jmb (Mar 20, 2012)

Steel_Wind said:


> While each has their needs, wants and desires, a dog is an air breathing creature that does not require the maintenance of an artificial environment to keep it alive. It does not even require an owner or anyone to feed it. There are* thousands* of feral dogs in Canada (and many, many more feral cats) which prove that point.
> 
> In contrast, the creatures inside a marine tank require near continuous life support and husbandry.
> 
> ...


Totally agree. Many more variable go into the existence of our marine aquariums far less make them flourish.

My dog if I need to go away can be left with family and be content. I am worry free, but the aquarium always has that what if. What if the light failed, the return pump etc. All necessary support life.


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## 1200assassin (Jan 14, 2011)

Bayinaung said:


> that's a very wise observation my friend. Didn't think of it that way. I think this statement should be in the short list of advice for newbies.. "so you want to keep a marine tank".


Lol totally agree. I also mostly agree with the other posts. If we lived in a warm climate all year round our tanks could sustain a power lose of a day or 2. But yes. You did get me there with that example. I've lost 2 tanks due to power lose in the middle of winter. Think I need a generator as my next expensive purchase. UPS power just doesn't cut it.

PS my old fresh water planted tank lost power for 3 days in the summer and my fish didn't care. But it was heavily planted. Who thought salt water was a good idea again? Oh yeah, pretty lol.


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## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

I had a dog once and it's pretty easy to take care of but then this was in a tropical country where you can let your dog outside w/o a leash,aquarium however especially reef tanks,are very sensitive to changes in water parameters making it quite difficult and not easy to take care of,jmho.


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

Not sure, as I've never had a dog. I guess I'm not a dog person, but to someone who loves a dog (or cat or whatever), you can't put a price tag on companionship.

That said...

I'm just glad that my fish don't poo and pee on the floor, don't chew up my shoes, don't eat the steaks that are on the counter, don't leave hair everywhere, don't stink half the time like something dead, don't scratch the flooring or the furniture, don't run off down the street to visit the neighbour's fish, etc...


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## fury165 (Aug 21, 2010)

50seven said:


> Not sure, as I've never had a dog. I guess I'm not a dog person, but to someone who loves a dog (or cat or whatever), you can't put a price tag on companionship.
> 
> That said...
> 
> I'm just glad that my fish don't poo and pee on the floor, don't chew up my shoes, don't eat the steaks that are on the counter, don't leave hair everywhere, don't stink half the time like something dead, don't scratch the flooring or the furniture, don't run off down the street to visit the neighbour's fish, etc...


I also felt the same way, but these cons don't hold up once you get a dog in your life. The little _terrorists_  just become one of your children and an integral part of the family. He is such happy puppy and a character...meet Dakota


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## Steel_Wind (Oct 26, 2013)

Now *that* is true. Birds, ferrets, geckos, turtles, fish -- these are pets.

Even the beloved house cat is still *a pet*.

Dogs, otoh, has been living with humans for ~75,000 YEARS longer than any other animal. Before we domesticated ANY animals. Dogs were with us when we were hunters and gatherers and for a vey long time, too. They evolved alongside us for a significant portion of the time that we have been modern humans. For at least 80,000 years, they have been with us. And there is no reason to suspect that they do not go back far longer -- that's simply as far back as we have been able to verify from skeletons and burial sites found so far.

No other animal comes even _remotely_ close to this. The comparison is 80,000 years+ of humans living with the dog vs the domestication of the _next_ animal -- 6,500-7,500 years ago.

Dogs treat us as a member of their pack and _vice versa_; dogs are _family_ in a way that no other pet is. If you have never had a dog, you don't get this. If you have -- you know it for truth, instantly.


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## Flameangel (Sep 25, 2013)

Steel_Wind said:


> Now *that* is true. Birds, ferrets, geckos, turtles, fish -- these are pets.
> 
> Even the beloved house cat is still *a pet*.
> 
> ...


80,000 years but how old do you think fishes are?


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

fury165 said:


> I also felt the same way, but these cons don't hold up once you get a dog in your life. The little _terrorists_  just become one of your children and an integral part of the family. He is such happy puppy and a character...meet Dakota


awww he's a cutie.


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## fury165 (Aug 21, 2010)

Bayinaung said:


> awww he's a cutie.


Thanks


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