Why do people quit this hobby?
- Thread starter ptomoson
- Start date
THEUNION1
New member
I agree with this one for sure....
I found this out the hard way having bad advise from a LFS who gained my trust and nearly cost me 5k before i realized they just wanted my money (im super gullible with this stuff btw). Im still in the "fixing" stage but wont give up because of poor advise. I must say if anyone is reading this thread because they have been in a situation like mine and want to give up, dont do it. Just do your homework and it will get better as long as your heart is in it.
There are many reasons which i cannot relate with but im sure if someone gets out of hobby they have their own valid reason for it.
Good luck peeps!
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Paul B
Premium Member
It is true that we get that attitude, been there, done that, and that has also happened to me. I used to want to breed everything and had 12 tanks, now I have two. When fish spawned I would always try to raise them which is very time consuming. I very rarely raise anything anymore because I know I could. I also used to have a tank full of SPS corals and after you get them growing for a few years, you want to try something else. I have been removing things from my tank for many years. Just a few weeks ago I gave away 10 gallons of rock for a different look.
Quote
"it's like your first Trophy wife, nothing lasts forever."
I still have mine, after 35 years. But I had my tank before I met her.
Quote
"it's like your first Trophy wife, nothing lasts forever."
I still have mine, after 35 years. But I had my tank before I met her.
FranktheTankTx
New member
Hey I know that girl!!! Her and I use to.... well, nevermind.
As a "newbie" reefer this is a good thread to follow. I want to be sure I keep this hobby fresh to me or at least keep my tank looking fresh. I don't have a lot of room for livestock in my 29 gallon and being a person of inaction I'm not adding livestock too quickly....but I guess I should consiter this a good thing for the health of the tank...and for my continued interest in a tank that still feels like an on-going project.
I know how I have been with tanks in the past...something always causes me to loose interest and they go sour as a result. So for my first reef tank I decided to keep it simple...just a remora HOB skimmer (with drain fitting) and water circulation. All I do to maintain the tank is every monday I do a glass clean/water test and every other monday a 5 gallon water change/equipment cleaning. I wanted to plan for a time when I check out so I developed simple yet habitual regimen to follow. In the past my maintanance was more random so I felt it was driven more by my interest in the tank. Does that make any sence? Because I figure if I at least cover the basics needed to keep the tank healthy my interest will eventually re-bound.
Also tank placement for me was a factor. It's the first thing me and my guests see when they enter my home. It's visible from the sofa where I entertain. Since I started it few guests ignore the tank when they enter my home...and if it went to pot I'm sure I would recieve plenty of comments from my opinionated family/friends. It's also near a bathroom where I do my cleaning and prepare my ro water which makes maintanance less daunting.
Hopefully this works. I'm way too add to have this be my #1 hobby forever but I at least want to make sure I've layed the groundwork to keep my tank happy and healthly.
I know how I have been with tanks in the past...something always causes me to loose interest and they go sour as a result. So for my first reef tank I decided to keep it simple...just a remora HOB skimmer (with drain fitting) and water circulation. All I do to maintain the tank is every monday I do a glass clean/water test and every other monday a 5 gallon water change/equipment cleaning. I wanted to plan for a time when I check out so I developed simple yet habitual regimen to follow. In the past my maintanance was more random so I felt it was driven more by my interest in the tank. Does that make any sence? Because I figure if I at least cover the basics needed to keep the tank healthy my interest will eventually re-bound.
Also tank placement for me was a factor. It's the first thing me and my guests see when they enter my home. It's visible from the sofa where I entertain. Since I started it few guests ignore the tank when they enter my home...and if it went to pot I'm sure I would recieve plenty of comments from my opinionated family/friends. It's also near a bathroom where I do my cleaning and prepare my ro water which makes maintanance less daunting.
Hopefully this works. I'm way too add to have this be my #1 hobby forever but I at least want to make sure I've layed the groundwork to keep my tank happy and healthly.
TitusvileSurfer
New member
If you want to take your wife on vacation for 2 weeks, you may be able to trust relatives to feed and walk a dog, but not take care of a $5,000+ octopus garden. They don't know what any of those gadgets do either.
reefkeeper2
Premium Member
An interesting thread. Reading it you can see there are a lot of different reasons for people to get out of the hobby. Sometimes the reasons are practical (money, time) and sometimes emotional (boredom, frustration). I have had aquariums since I was 16. Over the many years my interest has waxed and waned, sometimes depending on what was going on in my life and sometimes for no reason. I think this is normal and unavoidable. I can say though that I never felt like dropping the hobby altogether, even when things were going really bad with it. I think it has to do with your expectations of what the aquarium ultimately does for you and what your goals are. As a recent TOTM winner, I have been wondering if my interest towards my hobby would change since acheiving what a lot of people say is the pinnacle of success . Because becoming TOTM was not the reason or my goal for having my tank, I can say so far it has not. I love having a reef aquarium for many different reasons, and I can't see that changing any time soon if ever.
aquaman67
Active member
Why do people get puppies and then abandon them when they become dogs?
We have a short attention span.
It's fun to set up a tank and watch it grow, but like a puppy, it takes work and people tend to shy away from work.
It turns out to be not as fun and exciting anymore. It becomes another chore.
Unless you absolutely love it, you'll leave it.
We have a short attention span.
It's fun to set up a tank and watch it grow, but like a puppy, it takes work and people tend to shy away from work.
It turns out to be not as fun and exciting anymore. It becomes another chore.
Unless you absolutely love it, you'll leave it.
atoa
Member
I almost left the hobby a few months ago. Last summer I was doing a lot of work related travel. My aquarium had a few setbacks during that time. The worst was when I lost most of my corals after a chiller failure.
Needless to say, I was very frustrated and pretty much abandoned the tank for a couple of months. Now I am in the comeback trail and once again I'm feeling excited about the hobby. I'm looking at it like as a new beginning.
So I can see why frustration may be a big reason people may quit this hobby.
Needless to say, I was very frustrated and pretty much abandoned the tank for a couple of months. Now I am in the comeback trail and once again I'm feeling excited about the hobby. I'm looking at it like as a new beginning.
So I can see why frustration may be a big reason people may quit this hobby.
Squidward5
New member
.
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K' Family Reef
New member
"why do people QUIT this hobby???"
'common-sense' finally prevails!
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc130/WarrenAmyMadelinne/ShockedtheMONKEY.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
'common-sense' finally prevails!
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc130/WarrenAmyMadelinne/ShockedtheMONKEY.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
eferna
Member
Having been in this situation myself I can say that "I'm one of the guys that got out" I did get back in just recently, and forgot about what I've being missing.
My main reason would be shifting from one place to another. I was not really sure how long I would be in the same place, so I decided to give it all up. I gave a lot of things away for cheap, and you can say that I did lose a considerable amount from what I invested. I didn't get bored, but like a lot of people have been saying that money (or well shortage of it) does make someone get out of the hobby.
My main reason would be shifting from one place to another. I was not really sure how long I would be in the same place, so I decided to give it all up. I gave a lot of things away for cheap, and you can say that I did lose a considerable amount from what I invested. I didn't get bored, but like a lot of people have been saying that money (or well shortage of it) does make someone get out of the hobby.
K' Family Reef
New member
^^^^^
thats why one is better off when they start out
buying used goods... preferably a system that is already set up... usually/almost always get a system for pennies on the dollar (when one buys used)...
then when/if they decide to get out -
well then sell it for what they paid... or in the case of those who buy new - (they sell) for pennies on the dollar.
there are tons of aquariums for sale right now
one i saw recently was a 150 gal w/ a beautiful oak stand/canopy (on craigslist)... w/ all the fixn' of a good reef (reactors, probes etc ETC ETC)... iow a complete reef w/ LR corals equipment sump etc... they started out asking 2500... then 2000... 1800... then last i saw it was 1200 - which i assume it sold.
this hobby is only expensive
for those who go out and buy stuff off the shelf... for those more budget-conscious consumers... there are a lot of ways to save money in getting started - but then it does cost in maintenance/upgrades/livestock etc etc (which most all can still be had on the cheap thru local clubs, buddies etc)
time, money (and common sense)
are the 3 things that probably factor into most peoples decisions to get out of this hobby... not to mention the LEARNING CURVE... which seems to be a neverending process (AND costly!) in itself.
regards
thats why one is better off when they start out
buying used goods... preferably a system that is already set up... usually/almost always get a system for pennies on the dollar (when one buys used)...
then when/if they decide to get out -
well then sell it for what they paid... or in the case of those who buy new - (they sell) for pennies on the dollar.
there are tons of aquariums for sale right now
one i saw recently was a 150 gal w/ a beautiful oak stand/canopy (on craigslist)... w/ all the fixn' of a good reef (reactors, probes etc ETC ETC)... iow a complete reef w/ LR corals equipment sump etc... they started out asking 2500... then 2000... 1800... then last i saw it was 1200 - which i assume it sold.
this hobby is only expensive
for those who go out and buy stuff off the shelf... for those more budget-conscious consumers... there are a lot of ways to save money in getting started - but then it does cost in maintenance/upgrades/livestock etc etc (which most all can still be had on the cheap thru local clubs, buddies etc)
time, money (and common sense)
are the 3 things that probably factor into most peoples decisions to get out of this hobby... not to mention the LEARNING CURVE... which seems to be a neverending process (AND costly!) in itself.
regards
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E.intheC
Active member
I think a lot of this is your perspective.. think of it this way.. I agree with people who have said a lot of reefers have gotten out of the hobby because they want the perfect tank too quickly.. and just throw money at it until they get what they 'want'.. however, I think many who have this attitude will either crash and burn, or will get lucky, and yet won't ever be satisfied.
My view on the tank is this: I decided to go with a 30 gallon cube build (I have a 20 gallon as well). For many reasons.. however, 3 of the main reasons were that I wanted it to help teach me restraint and patience (you need to carefully plan out your livestock and other things much more with smaller tanks), a smaller tank won't drain as much of my financial resources as a larger tank will ( I'd rather have a smaller tank with higher end equipment than a larger tank while having to cheap out), and finally, it would make me learn to improve my attention to detail. My husbandry skills have improved greatly, and I feel I am more "in tune" with my tank than I was ever before with the larger tanks.
So for me, the hobby has helped, as these above characteristics have transferred into other aspects of my life. Therefore, I don't think I'll ever get out of this hobby.
My view on the tank is this: I decided to go with a 30 gallon cube build (I have a 20 gallon as well). For many reasons.. however, 3 of the main reasons were that I wanted it to help teach me restraint and patience (you need to carefully plan out your livestock and other things much more with smaller tanks), a smaller tank won't drain as much of my financial resources as a larger tank will ( I'd rather have a smaller tank with higher end equipment than a larger tank while having to cheap out), and finally, it would make me learn to improve my attention to detail. My husbandry skills have improved greatly, and I feel I am more "in tune" with my tank than I was ever before with the larger tanks.
So for me, the hobby has helped, as these above characteristics have transferred into other aspects of my life. Therefore, I don't think I'll ever get out of this hobby.
K' Family Reef
New member
sounds like you're hopelessly addicted
(like the rest of us)
for life!
(like the rest of us)
for life!
twogreyhounds
New member
I got into reefing back in the summer of 2006. It was a real struggle for me despite the fact I did my very best to do everything right; I read, asked questions, prepared, ect., but everything went totally wrong. I started out with a brand new 29g. I cycled the tank for over a month doing the dead shrimp thing. I also bought 30 lbs. of live rock from LA and cured it downstairs - a 20 day project. About two days after adding the newly-cured LR into the tank (it had a pair of clowns and a cleaner shrimp in it) the bottom broke out at 3am! I was able to save my fish but at that point, I thought I was done. I mean, after preparing for a month doing it right, my tank was KIA after just a few days.
Well, the guy running the LFS took pitty on me and gave me a used 40g breeder. That's where everything went really, really wrong and I couldn't figure out why. Basically, my fish kept dying -- fish that I *really* wanted to keep alive and healthy. I maintained perfect RO water, salinity, Ph, temp, tested every day, etc. Still my fish kept dying. After about 6 months I found myself totally burnt out and finally took what fish I still had back to the LFS and give him that tank back.
Now that some time has passed, I really started thinking about what went wrong and I believe I now understand what happened. I have reason to believe that tank was a hospital tank for a customer who had a much bigger system. God only knows what that 40g might have been laced with, was it coppered? And I'm pretty sure that was the problem. Back then I simply didn't have the knowledge or experience to figure it out.
So in a nutshell, something as simple as that crushed my interest in keeping a reef tank. As a side note however, I do not consider myself "out of the hobby" -- more like in hiatus. I do miss it and as soon as possible I'll be purchasing a *brand new* 75g and starting all over, but that is several months away at best.
Given my story, I do expect that some other beginners probably have equally hard times and simply don't have the knowledge to figure it out so they end up leaving for some other hobby -- unless they're like me becoming truly attached to the hobby and unable to stay away from it for very long - despite it all.
-Ryan
Well, the guy running the LFS took pitty on me and gave me a used 40g breeder. That's where everything went really, really wrong and I couldn't figure out why. Basically, my fish kept dying -- fish that I *really* wanted to keep alive and healthy. I maintained perfect RO water, salinity, Ph, temp, tested every day, etc. Still my fish kept dying. After about 6 months I found myself totally burnt out and finally took what fish I still had back to the LFS and give him that tank back.
Now that some time has passed, I really started thinking about what went wrong and I believe I now understand what happened. I have reason to believe that tank was a hospital tank for a customer who had a much bigger system. God only knows what that 40g might have been laced with, was it coppered? And I'm pretty sure that was the problem. Back then I simply didn't have the knowledge or experience to figure it out.
So in a nutshell, something as simple as that crushed my interest in keeping a reef tank. As a side note however, I do not consider myself "out of the hobby" -- more like in hiatus. I do miss it and as soon as possible I'll be purchasing a *brand new* 75g and starting all over, but that is several months away at best.
Given my story, I do expect that some other beginners probably have equally hard times and simply don't have the knowledge to figure it out so they end up leaving for some other hobby -- unless they're like me becoming truly attached to the hobby and unable to stay away from it for very long - despite it all.
-Ryan
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tbar
New member
I am going on four years in the hobby. Began with a 2.5 pico (a mistake) a 33, 75 & 125. Briefly tried a few SPS but quickly learned I was not willing to spend the money on more then the basic equipment. Also discovered I am not that interested or motivated in taking extensive and numerous water parameters test. I have now settled into a softies only (and heaven forbid a few fake corals) I am most interested in the fish and inverts I can sustain on a easy level of care and low cost. Today I traded my 2 250 watt MH's for 175's as that is all I think I need and help lower operating cost. I hope this level of expect ion and compromise will allow me and our family to enjoy our tank for many many years. Reading this thread helps me feel I made a good decision.
Paul B
Premium Member
This algae trough is just one facet of why this hobby is constantly "new" for me. I built this thing a few years ago to control nusience algae. it seems to work great but it has other benefits, it lets be build something which is my passion and on a tank as old as this, there isn't much else to built. It also lets me add as much ozone as I want because it gets disapated in the 5' trough without resorting to carbon. I am sure it adds oxygen and I just thing it's cool (thats a word we used to use 40 years ago to denote good things but has nothing to do with temperature.)
