what keeps you going?

[riceboy]

Originally Posted by kien

that's one way of looking at it.. i was reading the question a little differently, like, how are you able to keep going in this hobby??? Well, without money you're hooped.. LOL.

very true

[Reef Pilot]

I think what has kept me going is one step at a time. I have made some mistakes in the past, and needed to understand and fix those. But so far, have not had any major disasters or crashes. I am trying to prepare for that possibility, but of course hope it never happens.

I feel that I am progressing now, and just recently started adding SPS to my main DT. Still looks pretty bare, but am resisting the temptation to load up.

My biggest fear is going away on trips for any length of time. I have automated quite a bit, which is good and bad. Good that it takes cares of a lot of things, but bad in that not sure if anyone else could figure it out in my absence.

But I still love the challenge, and am happy with the wins so far, and will keep pushing forward slowly. My thanks to the many beautiful FTS pics I've seen here. They are my inspiration to where I want to go with my tanks.

[kien]

Ultimately I think what has helped me is/was simplifying and automating my setup. Granted, everyone has their own interpretation of what's "simple" but for me simple is not having to do anything on a daily basis. When I first started this tank I was all gung-ho and dumping in all sorts of ZeoVit stuff and manually adding additives (alk/calc). This wore me down because there are a crap load of other things that need my attention. Eventually I got a doser for my additives and I stopped using those zeovit bottles. Keep in mind that I am in no way saying that ZeoVit doesn't work! It does, I'm just too lazy for it. Got an autofeeder for my fish. For nutrient control I use bioPellets because to me they are the easiest to use. Dump a bunch of pellets into a reactor and let it tumble for months. I don't touch that pellet reactor for probably 6-8 months.

Now a days I can easily go 3-4 days without even touching my tank for any reason whatsoever.

Mind you, all that automation costs money, so I'm back to my original answer I guess.

[Parker]

The only thing keeping me going at this point is I don't have the time to take it down...

[Coleus]

Originally Posted by kien

Ultimately I think what has helped me is/was simplifying and automating my setup. Granted, everyone has their own interpretation of what's "simple" but for me simple is not having to do anything on a daily basis. When I first started this tank I was all gung-ho and dumping in all sorts of ZeoVit stuff and manually adding additives (alk/calc). This wore me down because there are a crap load of other things that need my attention. Eventually I got a doser for my additives and I stopped using those zeovit bottles. Keep in mind that I am in no way saying that ZeoVit doesn't work! It does, I'm just too lazy for it. Got an autofeeder for my fish. For nutrient control I use bioPellets because to me they are the easiest to use. Dump a bunch of pellets into a reactor and let it tumble for months. I don't touch that pellet reactor for probably 6-8 months.

Now a days I can easily go 3-4 days without even touching my tank for any reason whatsoever.

Mind you, all that automation costs money, so I'm back to my original answer I guess.

+1, simplicity, automation and patience (introduce fish or coral not too fast) is the key for this hobby. I only look at my tank when i feel stressful these days and cleaning the tank only one weekend for 1 or 2 hour to helps me forget about my daily problem with works , kids...

If you have to pay attention to your tank every day, then that amount of works will take away the fun of having the tank. It now becomes works not hobby.

I suggest you stepped back and have FOWLR tank to reduce the works that you have to put into your tank. You can go without water change for like couple weeks easily or throw in some hardy softies coral like GSP, muhsroom, leather coral.

Good luck with whatever you decide :-)

ALSO- I found it weird that people never mentioned about controller when setting up tank, only talk about awesome skimmer or lightning. True that you need good skimmer and lightning but controller is as important in this hobby IMO, it reduces lots of works and peace of mind when you are away from your tank which makes this hobby more enjoyable and last longer. There is no fun in it if it is not enjoyable right???? hmmm talking my self into hurry up finish my new tank so i can enjoy it. LOL

[Coralgurl]

Well I've been back for a week now and finally in the mood to tackle my tanks. My 55 is having a meltdown, literally, so I'm going to another large water change today, get the skimmer I bought months ago up and running, scrape it and remove all that's died. It's very green at the moment and likely going to need a few wc over the next bit. I'm also testing all my parameters as I haven't done this in ages.

The ato on my 180 crapped out again right before we got back, thankfully Mattjolly took a call from my daughter at 1:30 in the morning and helped get it sorted out.

I'm going to stick with very simple for the next while, easy corals, easy fish. I have a controller and all that's hooked up to it are my heaters. I want to get this figured out so it makes it worth the money having one.

I feel much better after our vacation, I was so overwhelmed with work and the holidays and just life in general, I can't believe the difference it's made!

I don't want to give up either tank, both are unique to me, the 180 is a year old in a couple of weeks, the 55 will be 3 in march.

Again, I appreciate the encouragement and advice, hopefully it was just a small slump.

Now to the tanks!

[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.