Does anyone else ever gettired of this hobby?

[MSHUR]

Mark!!!!

why did you start this!!!!!)))))
now i have second thought...

mike

[JustinReef]

I am not a big fan of this hobby at all in the summer. But I always feel a responsibility to make sure the animals are ok.

I for one would never, ever let a fish tank get in the way of travel. Ever. When I go, the tank is 100% out of mind. Its usually a relief to get away from it for a few weeks.

I think its ridiculous to not be able to take a proper vacation because of a hobby!

[drummereef]

Mark, sounds like you're itchin' for an upgrade. No better way to get excited about the hobby than to spend some money. Summer is a hard time for me too. It's nice to get outside and spend time on the house and yard, let alone bike rides and walks. There's so much to do outside in the summer that it's hard to focus on the aquarium that's inside. Unless it's 100 degrees with 99% humidity like it has been this week!

[Chooch1]

Interesting topic. I've been keeping reefs since 1993 so I've had up and down periods of interest. I think it's natural and normal to have your interest ebb and flow. I had a bad hair algae outbreak maybe 5 or 6 years ago and my wife actually talked me out of giving it up and I'm glad she did because I did regain the interest and enthusiasm. I would recommend in a down period of interest to keep the tank going and just try to do the basic maintenance to keep the tank healthy and viable. Don't buy any new animals for a while and save yourself some money and work. Thinking about the cost to restart a 180 gal reef system keeps me from breaking it down during those periods of lower enthisiasm because I know in the back of my head that I'll miss it if I get rid of the tank. I try to sit in front of my tank at a little distance once or twice a week and just relax and enjoy the beauty of it without a critical eye. I've also found that some of the colorful Acroporas and other SPS are very demanding and can create a lot of work and stress to maintain in a healthy state. A mixed reef with less demanding corals and colorful fish can be less demanding and just as beautiful IMO.

[goldmaniac]

Yes, i totally get frustrated with this hobby at times. I think only my high tolerance of patience, which I've ironically gained from the hobby, keeps me from making drastic measures.

Recent bummers that have me on the edge:

Trying to QT fish these days to keep ich out of the tank, it's probably futile, and i've killed about half of the fish before it makes the display tank, anyway

my skimmer is more tempermental than my mother-in-law

a little bit of leftover detergent in the washing machine, unknown to me, when i washed my filter socks killed my only 2 sps frags and some softies. honest mistake --> disaster

I have no idea what parameters my zoas enjoy

equipment breaks down. this time it's a SCWD that i have to replace. $40 maintenance cost. today

so, yes, I feel what you're feeling.

but at the same time, my 2-year-old and 5-year-old are loving searching for the new spotted mandarinfish in the tank these days. that makes things better.

[mpoletti]

Originally posted by drummereef
Mark, sounds like you're itchin' for an upgrade. No better way to get excited about the hobby than to spend some money. Summer is a hard time for me too. It's nice to get outside and spend time on the house and yard, let alone bike rides and walks. There's so much to do outside in the summer that it's hard to focus on the aquarium that's inside. Unless it's 100 degrees with 99% humidity like it has been this week!

No upgrade from the 180 these days. I would need a much bigger house if I ever upgraded, but I do not see that anytime soon withe the state of the California real estate market.

[mpoletti]

Originally posted by MSHUR
Mark!!!!

why did you start this!!!!!)))))
now i have second thought...

mike

Sorry Mike. I have just been burnt out and new fish or new corals have not even helped the cause

[HotHotHot]

The only time I really lost interest is when *I* nearly crashed and had no energy. Lost a year and a half of tweaking and tuning to that.

Thank goodness the tank was in maintenance mode. Lost my sps and lps, but snails, fish, and anemones survived, if not a little worse for wear. Contemplated packing it up/in for a while, but really couldn't.

The reef bug kicked in again back in February and now 4 months later I've got small sps colonies that are happy and growing. The tank is starting to flourish again.

I need to post some pics again to document the "phoenix" tank.

Happy reefing!
Ed

[steve76s]

I gotta tell ya, I love my reef tank. I have been doing reef for over a year now, saltwater for 3 and it does not compare. I do testing every other day to ensure water quality (overkill). Water changes are always fun!! (that's a lie) but having a reef tank helps me due to having an home business. Keeps me occupied all day. I just started thinking about trading in my 155 bow for a 210 reef tank just so that I can change the rock work and layout.

[aquariumclown]

Well as for me. I took about a 3 year break from my reef as at the time, I didn't have the time to devote to it. As the corals died, I left it as a basic fish only and did very little to it. I started getting back into it March of this year and I'm really enjoying seeing all the new species of corals and fish I've never seen before. Not to mention all the new equipment that are much better than they were when I dropped out of the scene. I've been restocking my tank over the last few months and this hobby is exciting again. I have come to realize though, to keep up with this hobby, for whatever reason, you have to consistently throw money at it, whether it's equipment, livestock, or cold cash. Like a high maintenance gf/wife, it can get tiresome.

[MSHUR]

Originally posted by mpoletti
Sorry Mike. I have just been burnt out and new fish or new corals have not even helped the cause

Sorry, to hear that man..I recently lost my big Purple monster colonie and now i have some corals with based recession.. Bumer..
I am thinking to drop bac system and just start with GFo and Biodigest only.

[aquariumclown]

Originally posted by MSHUR
Sorry, to hear that man..I recently lost my big Purple monster colonie and now i have some corals with based recession.. Bumer..
I am thinking to drop bac system and just start with GFo and Biodigest only.

What all were you dosing, maybe it can shed some light for the rest of us.

[briangg57]

Every time I look at my tank, I still can't believe that for about a year it has been absolutely perfect. My tank is 1 foot from my TV and every commercial, my eyes go right to it. In the beginning,5 years ago, it was a new challenge, now it is total relaxation. Everytime company comes over, they go right to the tank. I especially love to see the neighborhood kids faces when they stare in amazement. It's been 5 years and I love it more than ever.

[Mark426]

I went through the "too much" of everything several years ago. Fixed it by going nano. I run a super simple 30G tank stuffed full of LPS. No skimmers, no sump, no dosers, no fuge, no nuthing.....just light, rock and water. My maintenance consists of a 3 gallon water change every other week and the as needed glass cleaning. Never have to adjust or tweek anything. My largest chore....every so often a coral gets too big and I either frag it or sell it and replace it with a smaller one. My tank has been running wonderfully this way for 3 years now. I enjoy every minute now.

Think about a SIMPLE nano tank as a cure of the "too much" syndrome. They are truely a breath of fresh air.

[iamwrasseman]

well im not happy that others feel the way i do but relieved in a sort of weird way . for all that are getting bored there are many thay are just starting the hobbie . i have been in saltwater since 1983 bach when high tech was an undergravel filter ! i hope i can enjoy this for years to come but in all reality the expence verses the economy make it more difficult each year .i hope that all of you that may be discourager will be reborne in this hobbie and find it once again amazing as it once was . until then i myself will be in a holding pattern ,i have lost so much money in corals to a few diseases or parasites it just gets so discouraging not to mention the zillions of lost money in fish too . i hope we all enjoy once again ! ~ good luck ~

[MSHUR]

Originally posted by aquariumclown
What all were you dosing, maybe it can shed some light for the rest of us.

I am dosing Brightwell stuff with vitamin C.

[ricordeanut]

I am like most, I have got tired and shut it all down and then went in to the dt's and started it back up and ended up spending even more money. There are times when your favorite zoa rock melted or your most expensive fish dies and you want to cry. You can not get into this hobby and ever get out, its to addictive. God spent more time working on the marine life than he did humans.

[OwenInAZ]

Originally posted by francis1123
my only complaint is trying to plan a vacation as previously mentioned. even with friends that know my system, they can't be over at my house feeding as often as i do. always worried when i'm leaving town, and always wondering who can cover what day for food and water.

That's why I just arrange to have someone stay at my place when we're gone for more than a couple days. Between my dogs and my tank it's almost a requirement. Give them full run of the place, and some money to order food/rent movies/pocket/whatever, and I come home to a tank with algae on the glass, but nothing else wrong with it

[manuelink]

i have 2 years and i think this is like a videogame with no finish
and you are discovering some new things each day
this is the best playgame of your life ever

[Paul B]

I'm just curious if anyone else ever feels the drag of this hobby?

What Hobby?

[gem]

Mark....you can't be tired of this hobby. I forbid it. I need people like you , Doug, and Tim to keep me inspired!!!

Totally understand that feeling though. I've only been in this hobby a couple years and often times picture my reef tanks converted to freshwater. Can't live without fish but sometimes I get frustrated with equiptment, or corals, or the unexplainable disasters. Have had my share but have always won the battle with them in the long run. I think it's the battlesthat keep me going. I'm stubborn that way...I refuse to be beat by a glass box full of water and rock!

ODAT

[Gregsgsr]

I get tired of the hobby! I am not a big fan of the up keep which makes me want to brake down tank.

[lilalove]

I had a 55 gallon for 7 years before I finally upgraded to my 180. I never got bored, did weekly water changes, didn't mind any maintenance. But the tank was full, so that's why I got the bigger one a year ago. Since then, most of my zoas have died for no apparent reason. I'm dealing with hair algae, and I can't keep an SPS frag alive. But my softies and LPS are doing fine. So yeah....right now I am about to take a sledgehammer to the tank. Zoas are my favorites and I'm upset that I can't seem to keep them alive now and don't know why. But all my fish are doing great so that's a positive.

[29reef]

I had been away for three years before Feb '09 and I really enjoyed not having a tank of my own. All my corals and livestock had gone to other reefkeepers who were very happy to get my corals. I just needed to take a break. Sometimes no matter how successful you are or how large your tank is; taking a break can just be relaxing. Not to mention you get to spend time and money on other hobbies. The fact of keeping corals is they grow and generally pretty fast. So you have to tune into the tank every few months to trim corals and replenish reactors etc. If your getting tired of the hobby maybe it is time for a break or some sort of change.

[rehype]

Originally posted by rroselavy
I get intensely obsessed with a particular hobby, then another hobby will capture my attention for a while while the other one is put on "maintenance". That just happened to my reefkeeping, but now I am back in full swing. None of my hobbies are good for my pocketbook.

I totally agree with you. There were time when i just wanted to throw in the towel and do another hobby but when i get the "itch" im ready to start a new tank. I feel sometimes its more of an addiction than a hobby