Tough decisions

Mr31415 · 10/23/2007, 02:02 AM

I am in a bit of a predicament. I have invested about $55000 on my aquariums thus far... I have a large 480g predator tank and a 145g reef tank. Both rather established by now.

I have lots of fish that I really do care for.

But I might have a job opportunity about 1000 miles away. Obviously I cannot move my tanks that far. The shipping costs and live stock loss would just be too great. Also the chances that the 480g tank would fit in the new place is very small.

So how does one weigh up the job opportunity (not a salary increase - actually a decrease but much nicer work conditions) to the loss of ones aquariums and live stock?

I know this is ultimately my decision - I'd just like to get some comments from other people who might have been in a similar situation.

Playa-1 · 10/23/2007, 02:28 AM

I personally don't think you can put a price on happiness, however, being broke is not too much fun either. I think if your leaving old friends and family then you should seriously consider how you will adapt to a new location and what happens if you get home sick. The grass is not always greener on the other side and once you put down roots somewhere else it's hard if not impossible to go back. You can convince yourself that you can always fly home and visit but the reality is that in a few years the cost of energy could make flying for the average Joe cost prohibitive. The days of cheap energy and fuel are rapidly coming to and end. As far as the aquariums go if it were me I would sell out and start a new system at the new place. On the other hand if you can afford 55k to invest in an aquarium then you can surely afford to take your stuff with you, if you choose to do so.

uscharalph · 10/23/2007, 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mr31415
I am in a bit of a predicament. I have invested about $55000 on my aquariums thus far... I have a large 480g predator tank and a 145g reef tank. Both rather established by now.

$55000? I hope you mean $5500. LOL!

Mr31415 · 10/23/2007, 03:45 AM

Is it so difficult to believe?

Deltec AP902 skimmer: $2200
Sfigoli Light Pendant: $2800
Giesemann Light Pendant: $1700
Salt: $1500
480g Tank: $3000
145g Tank: $1500
180kg LR: $2100
Calcium Reactor: $1000
Chillers: $1800
Generator: $2200
UPS: $2000
Aquatronica: $3800
Tunze pumps: $4400
Hanna tester: $2200

Ignoring live stock, food, other media and equipment, test kits, replaced equipment and I am already on almost $30000

KDodds · 10/23/2007, 06:22 AM

NOt hard for me to believe at all... 450 and 180 here... and 125, 40, two 12s... anyway...

Not knowing all of the specifics, I think you really have to ask yourself some questions. First, why the desire to move? This can lead down multiple paths... it may be a change in the people. That alone might be worth it for you, or it might be more "temporary" (i.e. you new boss at your current position is a tool, but may be gone next week). Or, you might be changing careers entirely. I went to school for psychology, wound up running/managing an auto-parts warehouse, and changed careers completely, with a pay cut, to get into programming. If it's a career change, you have to ask yourself which is more promising. Why it would be more promising is up to you. Job satisfaction goes a long way, it's not always about the money (lost or gained). So completely disregarding the tanks, will the move be worth it for you, for your personal happiness.
Second, if you do take the position, is the stability as good as or better than your current position. Besides satisfaction, job security also goes a long way. If you're younger, unmarried, this may not be that great of an influence, but if you're older and/or have a family, relocating 1,000 miles away only to find yourself looking for a new position in a year or two is not a great prospect. Also, is the opportunity for future advancement there? Is the potential for a greater salary, long term, there? IOW, it's not just the immediate changes you need to consider, but the long term changes as well.
And last... the tanks... You're going to wind up selling them for a song. More likely than not, you WILL have to part out, and more likely than not, you'll have "parts" remaining. Don't count on the sale to fund your relocation. For most mid-range set-ups, a "used" price of around $10/gallon is pretty normal here, for the full reef tank, with livestock. Parting out will get you more, per piece, but, like I said, you may find yourself "stuck" with pieces and not make the gross sale you would have if you sold it in one lump, but much cheaper per piece. You have some pretty high-end stuff there, but you have to understand that the "used" market "demand" isn't going to meet your "supply". The whole reason people are looking for "used" set ups is because they're looking for a deal, looking for a "cheaper" start-up, usually. My guess? You'll be lucky if you can get $10K for the 450, with everything, with $5k being more likely for the sale of the whole thing. You're not going to get back even half of what you paid for the high-end stuff. Really. Sad, but true. For us, this made our decision to keep our 180 an easy one when we moved up to the 450. I just wasn't going to settle for being pillaged. Oh, yeah, p'd off a lot of people trying to sell it. You'd be amazed at how cantankerous some buyers can be when you don't meet their price demands. One guy wanted to give me $200 for the tank alone, IF I delivered it, about 60 miles away. Sheesh. Anyway, getting rid of everything is going to be more than heartache, it's going to be headache as well unless you're open to giving stuff away for mere fractions of what it's worth. Can you handle that? Would it make the move a sour thing? IMO, if the move will ultimately vastly improve your life's outlook otherwise, you really can't weight the tanks against it, you just have to swallow that bitter pill and accept the pennies on the dollar you'll get and move on, and rebuild in that happier place.

Mr31415 · 10/23/2007, 06:31 AM

Thanks for the responses so far... Very insightful.

maroun.c · 10/23/2007, 06:41 AM

Well having been there I guess I really know what you mean.
to start with if your actual Job and lifestyle allows you to spend 55K on your hoby then do you really need to move?
I invested a lot less on my tank however I spent 10 years building my tank. coral and fish supply where I kived at the time was really low so I was obliged to buy stuff that had arrived te same day. 2 days later everything was sold.
Shipping conditions were so bad that keepers rate was so low. Very slowly i managed to fill my tank and it looked fine at last. Then I had the offer to move to Dubai. I was so attached to the tank that I decided to leave it running for a few months after I left ust in case I did not love the new place and decided to come back.
I never loved it in Dubai and now 2.5 years later I'm in the stages of preparing to go back and guess what my tank is still running with of course a few losses.
A detailed instruction sheet and a willing and dedicated father that knew nothing about aquariums kep a lot of stuff alive all that time.
I will be back in 2-3 months and I'm already making the final plans on a bigger tank that I will have in my new home and afterwards I'll move my older inhabitants and stopp the old tank. If you really know you'll be happy where you intend to go, just go there setup a tank and start to take a few corals back with you (that is if your tank can be maintained by anyone and if you're keeping the house you are in now)
a more drastic solution would be to move it to someone willing to take care of it and then start to take things to the new one when established.

10/23/2007, 02:02 AM	#1
Mr31415 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Surrey, Canada Posts: 1,926	Tough decisions I am in a bit of a predicament. I have invested about $55000 on my aquariums thus far... I have a large 480g predator tank and a 145g reef tank. Both rather established by now. I have lots of fish that I really do care for. But I might have a job opportunity about 1000 miles away. Obviously I cannot move my tanks that far. The shipping costs and live stock loss would just be too great. Also the chances that the 480g tank would fit in the new place is very small. So how does one weigh up the job opportunity (not a salary increase - actually a decrease but much nicer work conditions) to the loss of ones aquariums and live stock? I know this is ultimately my decision - I'd just like to get some comments from other people who might have been in a similar situation.

10/23/2007, 06:22 AM	#5
KDodds Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Suffern, NY Posts: 2,731	NOt hard for me to believe at all... 450 and 180 here... and 125, 40, two 12s... anyway... Not knowing all of the specifics, I think you really have to ask yourself some questions. First, why the desire to move? This can lead down multiple paths... it may be a change in the people. That alone might be worth it for you, or it might be more "temporary" (i.e. you new boss at your current position is a tool, but may be gone next week). Or, you might be changing careers entirely. I went to school for psychology, wound up running/managing an auto-parts warehouse, and changed careers completely, with a pay cut, to get into programming. If it's a career change, you have to ask yourself which is more promising. Why it would be more promising is up to you. Job satisfaction goes a long way, it's not always about the money (lost or gained). So completely disregarding the tanks, will the move be worth it for you, for your personal happiness. Second, if you do take the position, is the stability as good as or better than your current position. Besides satisfaction, job security also goes a long way. If you're younger, unmarried, this may not be that great of an influence, but if you're older and/or have a family, relocating 1,000 miles away only to find yourself looking for a new position in a year or two is not a great prospect. Also, is the opportunity for future advancement there? Is the potential for a greater salary, long term, there? IOW, it's not just the immediate changes you need to consider, but the long term changes as well. And last... the tanks... You're going to wind up selling them for a song. More likely than not, you WILL have to part out, and more likely than not, you'll have "parts" remaining. Don't count on the sale to fund your relocation. For most mid-range set-ups, a "used" price of around $10/gallon is pretty normal here, for the full reef tank, with livestock. Parting out will get you more, per piece, but, like I said, you may find yourself "stuck" with pieces and not make the gross sale you would have if you sold it in one lump, but much cheaper per piece. You have some pretty high-end stuff there, but you have to understand that the "used" market "demand" isn't going to meet your "supply". The whole reason people are looking for "used" set ups is because they're looking for a deal, looking for a "cheaper" start-up, usually. My guess? You'll be lucky if you can get $10K for the 450, with everything, with $5k being more likely for the sale of the whole thing. You're not going to get back even half of what you paid for the high-end stuff. Really. Sad, but true. For us, this made our decision to keep our 180 an easy one when we moved up to the 450. I just wasn't going to settle for being pillaged. Oh, yeah, p'd off a lot of people trying to sell it. You'd be amazed at how cantankerous some buyers can be when you don't meet their price demands. One guy wanted to give me $200 for the tank alone, IF I delivered it, about 60 miles away. Sheesh. Anyway, getting rid of everything is going to be more than heartache, it's going to be headache as well unless you're open to giving stuff away for mere fractions of what it's worth. Can you handle that? Would it make the move a sour thing? IMO, if the move will ultimately vastly improve your life's outlook otherwise, you really can't weight the tanks against it, you just have to swallow that bitter pill and accept the pennies on the dollar you'll get and move on, and rebuild in that happier place. __________________ The sum of my knowledge is great, the sum of my ignorance greater still Kieron Dodds Administrator Inside Aquatics Current Tank Info: 450 Reef/180 FOWLR/125 ARLC/40 Seahorse/12 Planted/12 Planted

10/23/2007, 06:41 AM	#7
maroun.c Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Lebanon Posts: 6,111	Well having been there I guess I really know what you mean. to start with if your actual Job and lifestyle allows you to spend 55K on your hoby then do you really need to move? I invested a lot less on my tank however I spent 10 years building my tank. coral and fish supply where I kived at the time was really low so I was obliged to buy stuff that had arrived te same day. 2 days later everything was sold. Shipping conditions were so bad that keepers rate was so low. Very slowly i managed to fill my tank and it looked fine at last. Then I had the offer to move to Dubai. I was so attached to the tank that I decided to leave it running for a few months after I left ust in case I did not love the new place and decided to come back. I never loved it in Dubai and now 2.5 years later I'm in the stages of preparing to go back and guess what my tank is still running with of course a few losses. A detailed instruction sheet and a willing and dedicated father that knew nothing about aquariums kep a lot of stuff alive all that time. I will be back in 2-3 months and I'm already making the final plans on a bigger tank that I will have in my new home and afterwards I'll move my older inhabitants and stopp the old tank. If you really know you'll be happy where you intend to go, just go there setup a tank and start to take a few corals back with you (that is if your tank can be maintained by anyone and if you're keeping the house you are in now) a more drastic solution would be to move it to someone willing to take care of it and then start to take things to the new one when established. __________________ 390 G mixed reef build Current Tank Info: 390G mixed reef

10/23/2007, 02:28 AM	#2
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	I personally don't think you can put a price on happiness, however, being broke is not too much fun either. I think if your leaving old friends and family then you should seriously consider how you will adapt to a new location and what happens if you get home sick. The grass is not always greener on the other side and once you put down roots somewhere else it's hard if not impossible to go back. You can convince yourself that you can always fly home and visit but the reality is that in a few years the cost of energy could make flying for the average Joe cost prohibitive. The days of cheap energy and fuel are rapidly coming to and end. As far as the aquariums go if it were me I would sell out and start a new system at the new place. On the other hand if you can afford 55k to invest in an aquarium then you can surely afford to take your stuff with you, if you choose to do so.

10/23/2007, 03:45 AM	#4
Mr31415 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Surrey, Canada Posts: 1,926	Is it so difficult to believe? Deltec AP902 skimmer: $2200 Sfigoli Light Pendant: $2800 Giesemann Light Pendant: $1700 Salt: $1500 480g Tank: $3000 145g Tank: $1500 180kg LR: $2100 Calcium Reactor: $1000 Chillers: $1800 Generator: $2200 UPS: $2000 Aquatronica: $3800 Tunze pumps: $4400 Hanna tester: $2200 Ignoring live stock, food, other media and equipment, test kits, replaced equipment and I am already on almost $30000

10/23/2007, 06:31 AM	#6
Mr31415 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Surrey, Canada Posts: 1,926	Thanks for the responses so far... Very insightful.