what keeps you going?

[Ken]

Coralgural : What keeps me going? I have been in aquariums since 1970, I seen many hobbyist give up on it for many reasons as discussed here. For me, I don't regard it as a hobby, it is a lifestyle that I chosed that interested me when I was younger, it was part of my life, just like a family, you don't choose to abandon your family when things get tough, you find a way to make things work, people complain that things get too much work or hard to deal with, then downsize, go to one smaller tank, you don't need a huge tank to be sucessfull, you need to find a comfortable size that you can intergrate with everything that goes with your life. Keep away from difficult corals if you can't meet their demands, you will be more rewarded with keeping it simple, I hear people alot that can't seem to get their tank functioning and that lead to a lot of frustration, to the point of shutting it down, I encourage them to stick with it, whatever I can help, I will help them, a lot of Canreef hobbyist here in your area should be more than happy to lend a hand, I personally have 12 functioning saltwater aquarium operating in my fishroom, they are not a burden to me, they are part of my life, but does that mean I don't have any other life, not really, I enjoy the maintainence just as much as spending time in the fish room with a cup of tea with friends, family or just myself enjoying the aquariums. I,m sadden to hear you speak of your frustration, cheer up, don't give up. keep it simple, downsize, let it become part of your life and not so much as a hobby. I love this, and will never give it up. I hope this will encourage you, and I also know that many Canreef fans will support you as well. Regards Ken

[Reef_Geek]

I don't know how else to describe it...

I try to care a little less when crap happens.

When things go awry, I recognize whatever happens, I think of the two extremes- worse case scenario and the best fix, and decide in terms of cost and effort... I don't care that much but will do a little... so I'll settle for a middle outcome.

If I try to solve every problem with best available solution, scraping away every last bit of algae on the glass, killing every last aiptasia, worry about random coral deaths... I'd burn out and lose patience and not have time for everything else in my life. It's supposed to be fun, a small part of my life, but it's not my life.

[Dearth]

In my short time of reef keeping I've run through the gamut of emotions with my tank made lots of mistakes unintentionally tried to kill a coral and had a partial tank crash which truly depressed me. I would like to upgrade but my 33 gallon is already a time sink and a bigger one might drive me batty.

On the other hand I can sit in front of my tank for hours and just watch the coral/fish/crab and snails interact and it calms me my cats will also sit there for hours on end and watch the smorgasbord of food swim around. My nieces love my tank and those that come over love it as well. The cost is minimal now that my tank is established and all those little idosyncratices keep me going take the good with the bad.

On a side note thank the maker that our only SW LFS is so crappy cause I could literally spend tons in a store. It's easier to control my urges since I have to order everything in tempers my spending a lot.

[SanguinesDream]

What keeps me going???

My health.

This is my therapy. My sanctuary. Sometimes the only thing that keep me going.

Instead of dreading trips to Vancouver or Edmonton, I just think of all the opportunities I will have to bring back new livestock. I'd much rather read about each corals needs and how to achieve those requirement as opposed to the latest scholarly paper in gene therapy any day. Plus, I get to garden year round. Being so far north, our gardening season is so short and bittersweet. But with aquariums, particularly saltwater, I can "garden" year round.

But on the downside, there is the being gone from month to month that constantly worries me because of the failure to maintain them properly by the designate house sitters. Mind you, when I come back, getting my tanks back into shape keeps me going steady for at least two weeks, so I guess that can be construed as a blessing too?

Corlgurl, rediscover what ignited your passion and get over the momentum hump. It sounds like you are well on your way to getting back into the groove and with a supporting group like Canreef, you can't go wrong.

[asylumdown]

Figuring something out, and solving problems successfully keeps me going.

Watching SPS frags start to plate, change colour, and then start to grow keeps me going.

Looking at photos I've taken along the way and seeing how much things have advanced and matured keeps me going.

Turning a couple of empty glass boxes in to a fully functioning ecological system keeps me going

Watching how the dead, largely sterile, blindingly white marco rocks That formed the base of my system have been slowly brought to life over months of being in the same water with a relatively small amount of high quality live rock keeps me going.

[Zoaelite]

1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6(3H,7H)-dione 3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione keeps me going .

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Zoaelite

1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6(3H,7H)-dione 3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione keeps me going .

dont you need a prescription for that lol