Thinking of pulling the plug, I need counseling

[Brian DeGolier]

I love my aquarium and the hobby and for the last several years, I have been planning to upgrade to a larger system. My current aquarium is a 55 gallon RR tank, we all know that 55's have deficiencies, especially their front to back dimension of 12" which really does not allow for many realistic options for aquascaping and corals can easily outgrow this space. There's a part of me that would like to ignore my doubts and to push forward with a 90 gallon or DSA 110 gallon (quite possibly the perfect aquarium"¦for me) in hopes that this new aquarium will rekindle my love for the hobby. But what if it doesn't? I have estimated initially about $2400 for the aquarium and drilling for CL, the new lights, skimmer, the higher more roomier stand that I plan to make, and all the other equipment as well as unforeseen items. But I just don't get excited anymore and am becoming lazy about the water changes, the maintenance, the challenge of eradicating brown stuff and algae that is growing, the ATS that I am constantly redesigning, even the frag swaps that I really used to look forward to. I have such limited space under the aquarium which does not allow for a larger ATS and/or a larger skimmer, this is one of the main problems and with a new taller/deeper stand I could achieve this. I've pulled out my Takashi Amano books and am thinking about having a planted aquarium which requires a lot of trimming, but no R.O. water that needs to be lugged up from the basement, the mixing of saltwater, the chemistry-dosing and testing and adjusting, the feeding, the pests, the list goes on.

So, my question is, does this sound familiar to anyone and if so, did you ignore these thoughts of doubt and proceed forward and thought it was one of the best choices you have made, or was it a mistake? I know that if I take the aquarium down, I will sell everything, because I would not get another 55 gallon and probably not get another reef aquarium for several years, perhaps after I retire. The planted aquarium will take several months, perhaps a year or 2 to start I'm sure. I would be heartbroken to see someone take my clown fish and some amazing LPS that I purchased as 3 headed frags and have grown to over 100 heads, my zoanthids and SPS. Anyway, please feel free to chime in. This hobby is a labor of love and a fine line between owning your aquarium and the aquarium owning you"¦.. these were from RC members signatures, but very true. Thanks

 

[mtaquarist]

Imo sometimes you need something new to get excited about. Bigger tanks are easier and more room in the stand will help ease the maintenance however if you don't really feel like putting the effort into building the new aquarium then you most definitely won't want to put in the work to maintain it. In the end nobody can tell you do it or don't. Just think about the pros and cons and be responsible about the live stock you could look into automating everything even water changes or you could look into some maintenance services you lfs might have if you need a break.

 

[tsiklauss]

I was in the same boat and I am going the opposite direction. I am going from a 92g corner to a 40 breeder just to change things up. Maybe try a little nano tank or rescaping your current tank to rekindle the passion before you dump all that money into a bigger tank.

 

[Sk8r]

Imagine the corner empty. A nice piece of bric-a-brac in its place. Are you ok with that? If so, pull the plug. If OTOH you're feeling overwhelmed by some other concern, go settle that, then decide.

 

[swcc]

I think the problem comes from your need to be too hands on with your current setup.. with 25 years keeping salt water tanks, I have found that good planning in equipment choice and patience in setup leads to a very low maintenance tank. Back in the early days I too found frustration that I had to do so much to keep my tank running... nowadays I hardly do anything but attend to feeding a put a little time in every couple weeks to change some water and siphon detritus out of the substrate. I guess all in all I spend about 2 minutes total on my tank daily(feed fish twice a day and dose 2 part change out the filter sock). I do spend about 1/2 an hour attending to small water changes bi-monthly. By small I only end up changing 5 to 6 gal of water a month on my 60 cube.
Of course ever few months I run pumps in vinegar water and do clean out the sump and overflow, but, I like doing it and spending the time because it is not at all a frequent, exhausting, dreadful occurrence.

 

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

Hang in there pal, Reefers Anonymous! Im here for you, we all are and hope you make the right decision in the end...

 

[Jon B]

I think if your gut is telling you to take some time away from the hobby, then do it. You will most likely come back later, enthusiastic and ready for something bigger (or smaller).

I agree with the other poster that mentioned having a low maintenance system. I think that the more you can look at and enjoy the tank, as compared to the amount of time required to maintain it, the more easily you will maintain your enthusiasm.

You shouldn't feel guilty if you want to take a break.

 

[Brian DeGolier]

Hang in there pal, Reefers Anonymous! Im here for you, we all are and hope you make the right decision in the end...

Thanks Man, a great support group for sure

 

[Brian DeGolier]

I think if your gut is telling you to take some time away from the hobby, then do it. You will most likely come back later, enthusiastic and ready for something bigger (or smaller).
Yeah, when I mentioned retirement my wife laughed, she said give it 6 months.
I agree with the other poster that mentioned having a low maintenance system. I think that the more you can look at and enjoy the tank, as compared to the amount of time required to maintain it, the more easily you will maintain your enthusiasm.
And that is the key, scraping algae off an ATS is actually fun and rewarding and what I consider is low maintenance. I'll definately go this route if I move forward. I've just spent so many Saturdays working on the aquarium and I don't want that anymore. I've got lots of thinking to do. Thanks for your input.

 

[Brian DeGolier]

Can anyone send me a link as to a good procedure for replacing an existing aquarium? That is one of the activities that I dread the most, the interim time between tanks.

Aside form making a new stand and finishing it, drilling the glass for the CL, a new sump, reuse the existing overated skimmer, a new ATS linked to 1 of the dual drains etc., I will need to set up a new rubbermaid bin or aquarium or both. I will probably put my clown pair in my old 12 gallon nano with a piece of xenia in which they host and quarentine the rest of the rocks for flatworms, perhaps use chemi-pure for the protein based film, kill the evasive blue clove xenia and algae with peroxide, not all at the same time. I just would want to put everything back in with no pests or unwanted corals. Anyway, I need to come up with a plan and post for feedback. I could write forever about what I have thought about in the past several years

So maybe I'll keep it. We'll see.

 

[nattydread]

Time to sell everything, take 6 months off, and start over with a blank canvas. Half the fun of this hobby is building out the system and treating yourself to new toys. If you can't convince your wife that it makes good financial sense to do that, then you were just lucky the first time.

 

[Tuton]

Go snokaling in the keys
Thats what I did in your situation and have just dumped another $100 in my tank this morning
Don't give up, find something new other than the usual fish and coral.
Keep a Mantis Shrimp or Octapus and see if that doesn't rekindle your passion

 

[saf1]

Probably a lot of people get there at one time or another. Not sure if there is a quick solution or not other than maybe take a break? Then again, if you find any solace or enjoyment then I'd continue on.

I know I found my motivational button was broke several years ago after losing my 100 gallon tank while I was on vacation. Lovely power outtage / brown out one hot summer day in Ca. High energy demand and a power outtage later sent my tank into over drive I guess. I didn't have enough precaution built in, more water evaporated, pumps failed, tank was dead upon return.

100 gallons + sump water, large frog spawn and elegance corals, schools of green chromis, kole tang, and several other corals all died in that mess. I didn't want to do much of anything but didn't have much of a choice. Removed all the dead coral, cleared rocks of what I could, drained sump and tank water to top of sand. Daughter said to fill it back up and see what happens...

Needless to say - sand was still alive and about a week later rocks had life on it via a few stubborn zoa's. Added in a 2 clowns and cleaner shrimp and let the rock come back to life. It stayed that way for about 2 years until I tore it down again moving rock to a couple 29 gallon bio-cubes. Moved some sand too in which all is still alive and kicking.

Even from something like that it can be interesting what survives and enjoyment can still be had.

 

[ReefUrchin]

You need to sit down and think about it, aka, do you want a tank in general? I would even go as far as taking the 55 down now. Who knows, you may get busy in other things of life to where you dont even miss it!? If, over time, you have that twitch, itch to get back into it, just wait until you cant take it any longer. Dont jump back in on a whim. In the mean time, you need to redesign. You need to make it 95% automated. If you have $2500 to spend, you have enough to make it automated. Thats waaaaaay more than enough to get a used tank and equipment if you shop smart. Two buckets down stairs with PVC pipe through the floor (its only two holes and the floor is wood) and you have auto top off/auto fresh saltwater refill.

It will work "if" you want it to, but, thats up to your desire.

 

[edsbeaker]

I had a 180 and went back down to a 75. Larger tank means longer time for maintenance, even if your equipment is set up to make it somewhat hands off. Water changes take longer, making saltwater and RODI water takes longer, scraping coraline off the glass takes longer, cleaning a bigger skimmer, bigger pumps, bigger powerheads all will add to the maintenance time. If you are lazy right now with the 55, going to a larger tank is just going to make you dislike the tasks even more. I say take a break, and if you want back in later maybe go back in with a slightly bigger tank, a 75 gallon, or a slightly smaller 40 breeder. Both have that extra 6 inches front to back which is VERY useful for aquascaping, but won't change the amount of time you will have to devote to maintenance. If you are tired of it all, though, I don't think the excitement of changing to a different tank size will make the work any more appealing then it is now, and you can only make it automated to a certain extent.

 

[ska d]

I'd say start fresh. Keep one or two of your favorite fish and coral and take the rest in a totally new direction. I've always wanted a predator tank, but I'm still having way to much fun with the reef. But if in the future i get bored I'm selling it all and it'll be puffers and triggers for dinner. Lol

 

[term_paint]

Dont Pull Plug

Dont Pull Plug

I have been doing this for approx 7 years. I have had the same feelings many times but then finally i decided to get setup correctly. By correctly i mean more hands off. I had a 55 and purchased a 75 tank which gave me more room. Then i added the 40 gallon live stock tube for a sump. Now i have a pump hooked up just for water changes. It is much easier to setup a pump and plumb it to removed the water from the setup and then i have a pump to refill with fresh salt water. I ran electric to the tank and setup approx 3 four gang boxes so i had plenty of electric and not running a million cables all over. I also drip kalk which helps replenish the water. I did have an ATO but it stuck once and fill my tank with way too much fresh water which killed all my corals. Good Luck

 

[ACBlinky]

I took a break when we had our son -- I found being pregnant and caring for a reef was difficult, and knew having a newborn would mean WAY less time spent on the tank. I thought about ditching the tank all together, and then decided to just go back to FW for a while. I've got years of experience with planted tanks, lots of species of FW fish, but had never tried African cichlids, and that's what I ended up getting into.

After a couple of years our son was in daycare, I was back at work, and I started to get bored. I did some fun tank projects, making a funky custom background, then switching to calcareous rock and sand... I bought every pretty cichlid I wanted (within reason), they bred like rabbits, and yes they were beautiful but something was missing. After four years, I realized I missed my reef enough that I wanted to go back to salt. Now that our son is in school, I have a bit more time and energy, and we're saving the outrageous cost of daycare. Unfortunately over the past little while that money and more has gone straight into the tank but... that's a story for another day

I was pretty rusty, but got back into the swing of saltwater quickly -- all it took was a bunch of reading and playing around online to remind myself how different SW and FW are. In my case I had good lighting, rockwork and sand I could still use, a tank, stand, sump etc. that were all great for SW, and I'd kept my skimmer and some other assorted goodies in the back of a closet 'just in case'. I still spent a bundle getting back into things, because I bought things like Hanna checkers and other fancy doo-dads I don't need but that's just part of my illness (I too need Reefers Anon).

My recommendation would be to keep anything you have that was pricey or hard to find, or that you're really attached to. If you have an ATO, a good skimmer, good powerheads -- anything that won't deteriorate with time that you won't recover the cost on if you sell them -- keep all that stuff. Then if you decide to go FW planted, do it without guilt, and enjoy it, but if you think you may want to return to reefing, keep that in mind when you buy things like lighting. Plants and corals aren't very different in their lighting needs; plants may prefer lower kelvin ratings, but the fixtures don't change, only the bulbs. If you get a new tank, make sure that even if it doesn't need or have a sump while you're doing FW, it could easily be converted if you wanted to make a change. Or, just use a sump -- they're great for FW tanks too! Oh, and take care not to use any medications or additives in the tank that could potentially make it not reef-safe; copper is the only thing I can think of, but I'd definitely research any chemicals before adding them to the display if you think it may someday house corals.

Just my story and my two cents -- in the end it's a tough decision that only you can make, but IME reefing has something special and it tends to pull people back. You can leave for a while, but you will probably miss it... so be prepared

 

[Brian DeGolier]

I'd say start fresh. Keep one or two of your favorite fish and coral and take the rest in a totally new direction. I've always wanted a predator tank, but I'm still having way to much fun with the reef. But if in the future i get bored I'm selling it all and it'll be puffers and triggers for dinner. Lol

I think this is the direction I may go, at leats that's my latest, I will keep the clowns in my nano and a few of my prized corals and just wait until I'm really to take the plunge, it might take a year, and I should have enough $$ for the change. Thanks

 

[Brian DeGolier]

I took a break when we had our son -- I found being pregnant and caring for a reef was difficult, and knew having a newborn would mean WAY less time spent on the tank. I thought about ditching the tank all together, and then decided to just go back to FW for a while. I've got years of experience with planted tanks, lots of species of FW fish, but had never tried African cichlids, and that's what I ended up getting into.

After a couple of years our son was in daycare, I was back at work, and I started to get bored. I did some fun tank projects, making a funky custom background, then switching to calcareous rock and sand... I bought every pretty cichlid I wanted (within reason), they bred like rabbits, and yes they were beautiful but something was missing. After four years, I realized I missed my reef enough that I wanted to go back to salt. Now that our son is in school, I have a bit more time and energy, and we're saving the outrageous cost of daycare. Unfortunately over the past little while that money and more has gone straight into the tank but... that's a story for another day

I was pretty rusty, but got back into the swing of saltwater quickly -- all it took was a bunch of reading and playing around online to remind myself how different SW and FW are. In my case I had good lighting, rockwork and sand I could still use, a tank, stand, sump etc. that were all great for SW, and I'd kept my skimmer and some other assorted goodies in the back of a closet 'just in case'. I still spent a bundle getting back into things, because I bought things like Hanna checkers and other fancy doo-dads I don't need but that's just part of my illness (I too need Reefers Anon).

My recommendation would be to keep anything you have that was pricey or hard to find, or that you're really attached to. If you have an ATO, a good skimmer, good powerheads -- anything that won't deteriorate with time that you won't recover the cost on if you sell them -- keep all that stuff. Then if you decide to go FW planted, do it without guilt, and enjoy it, but if you think you may want to return to reefing, keep that in mind when you buy things like lighting. Plants and corals aren't very different in their lighting needs; plants may prefer lower kelvin ratings, but the fixtures don't change, only the bulbs. If you get a new tank, make sure that even if it doesn't need or have a sump while you're doing FW, it could easily be converted if you wanted to make a change. Or, just use a sump -- they're great for FW tanks too! Oh, and take care not to use any medications or additives in the tank that could potentially make it not reef-safe; copper is the only thing I can think of, but I'd definitely research any chemicals before adding them to the display if you think it may someday house corals.

Just my story and my two cents -- in the end it's a tough decision that only you can make, but IME reefing has something special and it tends to pull people back. You can leave for a while, but you will probably miss it... so be prepared

Thank you for taking the time for a nice response. I have really been thinking about getting back into FW planted tanks, but there really is something so special about SW, especially reefs. I think I'll keep my prized corals and clown pair in my nano for 3-6-9, maybe 12 months until I've sold everything besides my really good equipment like you mentioned, they're one of the reasons this is a very difficult decision. Also, I have some really good tech equipment that will work nicely in a larger tank. I've still got to think this out some more, but at least today, this is my latest and greatest. Thanks.