Too much work...no motivation

Rob Top1 · Feb 28, 2015

Anyone else suffer from too much work and no motivation? I need to clean algae and do a water change on th 180 fish only. I have two fish that have been ready to come out of QT for um a month, but that would mean having to clean those tanks, my frag tank has probably $500+ in z&p that have grown onto the egg create. Got dosing pumps in November, still in the box. I've been six hours of work away from having my 240 up for longer than I care to admit. And then there are the lizards to deal with, 31 cages worth.
Well maybe it isn't so much lack of motivation as much as it's life has gotten crazy busy since October. Son plays on two basketball teams, daughter is in gymnastics, had the holidays, car accident and subsequently car shopping, two jobs and one is a new one.
Need to get caught up before baseball starts.

gcrawford · Feb 28, 2015

Sounds like a downsize could help things. Being overwhelmed is no fun!

Rob Top1 · Feb 28, 2015

gcrawford said:
Sounds like a downsize could help things. Being overwhelmed is no fun!

Thought about that but in reality taking tanks down is more work than maintaining them. Don't get me wrong. That list is in no way over whelming, just wasn't feeling it today. Son's last two games were this morning then out to eat with folks, other life stuff and sitting on the couch with my daughter seemed like more fun than lizard poop and algae. If this work needed to be done for the well being of my charges I would be doing it. Likely go down there when the wife and daughter go to the movies tonight and the son sleeps over at his friends

deerhunter06 · Feb 28, 2015

better get off the forums and go do it.

akma · Feb 28, 2015

Lol. At least I'm not the only one. I have so brand new equipment such as 2 auto tipoff to make my life easier that I bought last year. To this day I'm still topping off my Nanos by hand.

MrDJeep123 · Feb 28, 2015

akma said:
Lol. At least I'm not the only one. I have so brand new equipment such as 2 auto tipoff to make my life easier that I bought last year. To this day I'm still topping off my Nanos by hand.

lol self punishment much?

merlberg · Feb 28, 2015

Lol deerhunter06 but he is right [emoji23].. Hopefully you get to it.. Good luck!

AdamNC · Feb 28, 2015

Sounds like your over doing it, really. I was in the same boat as you at one point with 20+ arboreal snake adults, about 6 dirt snakes and at least 17-20 neos at any given time. ETBs(Northerns and Basins), GTPs(Jayas, Meraukes and Biaks), Carpets(IJs and Jags) and a few Balls(Pastels and Bees). Every week I'd be in the snake room for at least 3 hours every Sunday and sometimes upwards to 5-6 hours at a time. Slowly I sold off my neos and then started on the adults. I'm now down to 7 adults and I now spend less then an hour cleaning and feeding. 1 ETB, 1GTP, 1 IJ, 1 Jag, 2 Pastels and 1 Spider Ball left. Lizards I know take more time with their cleaning and feeding.

My only recommendation is to figure out your passion and go with it. I've found mine after 33 years(been active since age 8) of reptile, bird and fish keeping and have found it to be reefing. Pick your poison, er hobby, lol and you will be much happier.

Rob Top1 · Feb 28, 2015

Sorry that this was taken as I'm unhappy. Not just was feeling a little unmotivated. Big difference.
Very happy thank you

GrampaDon · Mar 1, 2015

Any chance you worked at a LFS called petwarehouse a long time ago.?

maroun.c · Mar 1, 2015

We all go through some stages of lack of motivation, feeling overwhelmed... I would try to take a step back review your maintenance routine and try to make changes, automating things or trying to do them different. Look at your obligations and try to work out a time management plan so everything has it's time.
In my case I've been struggling with this as well with non ending changes to my filtration room which turned the basement to an absolute mess. The focus was to keep the system functional while making changes so now I have the worst task of making it neat.
Then I have added another Frag tank which I have still to plumb to the system and fill up (since 7-8 months)
Purchased a Mocean which I still have to install, also still have to finalize setting up a spare return pump from the basement up. My electrical although safe and provides all functionality I want over 5 tanks is still a mess and needs a lot of work to make it tidy. The worst part is the amount of equipment I have on the side and most of which I doubt I'll use again . This I have to sort and get rid of most....
in my case I guess being a frequent traveler and undertaking a larger and more complicated setup is mostly the cause. Family life and work obligations do add their toll but it's all about working on finding a good equilibrium.

Rob Top1 · Mar 1, 2015

GrampaDon said:
Any chance you worked at a LFS called petwarehouse a long time ago.?

I didn't. I did work for a Petland for a few years, had hoped to make it a store I would be happy to shop at. Got close but then it was time to move on.
Again let me stress this wasn't a thread to say I am unhappy with how things are and this is a huge step back from were I once was. And I really don't feel over whelmed was just motivated. Time management isn't an issue either, I have no issue with priorities... Its been all family the past several weeks due to the job change and a better schedule. I did get up and do some work after the family went off and did their stuff. And between activities today I expect to get my to do list down to, fish only, QT system and the 240 work

Gopi · Mar 1, 2015

I'm feeling unmotivated/overwhelmed too... I'm frustrated with my return pump plumbing...everything is glued together and now I can't get a good seal from the bulkhead so the overflow box fills up and then leaks under the rubber seal. But it's also the end of term so I have to finish grading labs and enter report card comments by Tuesday morning and we had 4 snow days this week so I had to re-plan all my lessons. (Thankfully we can call it a virtual learning day and post online assignments so we don't have to make it up.) Did I mention that a hot water pipe broke in our garage last weekend and I didn't go in there for 2 days so who knows how long that was running. But my husband also brought home a stray puppy a couple weeks ago and then had to go back to the job site for 3 weeks leaving me with: 1 puppy to train + 2 adult dogs, a reef that needs to finish being set up, cleaning up after the remodel, a broken dishwasher, a broken pipe in garage and all the grading to do. Oh, and I spilled a bucket of RODI water on the new floor. (Better than dirty tank water, I guess.)

One thing at a time, I guess.

GrampaDon · Mar 1, 2015

Just curious.
I knew a guy who lived near me and moved close to where you are and was into reptiles and breading them.

Rob Top1 · Mar 1, 2015

GrampaDon said:
Just curious.
I knew a guy who lived near me and moved close to where you are and was into reptiles and breading them.

I got into the lizards as a result of working at Petland. Son wore me down on the idea of a bearded dragon, got the daughter one too and they grew up and breed and those babies bought more dragons and more babies bought more gear and dragons and so on for a few years. I now expect to produce about 1000 babies this season. And just like we have high end fish and frags there are high end lizards. I have four of the five more sought after genotypes and if my math is right I expect the lizards to send my son to Michael Jordan fantasy camp in the fall and find the daughter through cheer comp and gymnastics team. As well as a few a "few" more frags for me
Guess I need to just remember the math. Now that IS MOTIVATION