Is this hobby ever going to be fun, ha

[Back where it all began]

Hi
Even though I’m kidding mostly, with a new tank the idea of fun seems a long way away. Just passing along a thought.

 

[ScottR]

Hi
Even though I’m kidding mostly, with a new tank the idea of fun seems a long way away. Just passing along a thought.

There will be a lot of work. Believe me. I wish there was a set it and forget it button. Where I could throw everything in and it takes care of itself.

 

[Pbh-reef]

This is a frustrating hobby. But There are fun parts in the beginning - making a live stock plan, trips to the LFS, having a fish that hasn’t eaten since you brought it home to eat for the first time, noticing your coral has grown a bit...

 

[GThompson]

The fun parts will get here soon enough. I just got home with a powder blue tang and watched as he got in the tank and basically put everyone in their place. I think he’ll be fine. For you those days are coming. Good luck with your tank

 

[jaxredsoxfan]

Im kinda of the motto "If it was easy, everyone would do it". The challenge is half the fun.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Hi
Even though I’m kidding mostly, with a new tank the idea of fun seems a long way away. Just passing along a thought.

Your officially a marine farmer. Right now your sowing. If all your hard work pays off, you will reap what you sow. Simple as that.

After 2 years, I'm finally reaping.

 

[Brew12]

Your officially a marine farmer. Right now your sowing. If all your hard work pays off, you will reap what you sow. Simple as that.

After 2 years, I'm finally reaping.

Hmm.. that doesn't look very appetizing ;Vomit

I'll stick with reaping corn on the cob.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Hmm.. that doesn't look very appetizing ;Vomit

I'll stick with reaping corn on the cob.

What ever you do, dont listen to him. I heard he paid pennies on the dollar , for those badges. DON'T LISTEN TO HIM......

 

[Peace River]

Hi
Even though I’m kidding mostly, with a new tank the idea of fun seems a long way away. Just passing along a thought.

As others have suggested, there is different kinds of fun at different stages. Initially the fun is dreaming, then the adventure of getting the equipment and setting everything up, then the new tank where the fun is solving problems, then....

It goes from there until you decide to add a new tank, then...

Whether it is a vicious or virtuous cycle depends on your patience, attention to water quality, tank parameter stability, level of knowledge and commitment to learning, and (if you have corals) lighting.

 

[ZoWhat]

 

[saltyhog]

Just learn to enjoy whatever phase you're in.....easier said than done! I actually enjoyed the early stages of my tank. What I haven't enjoyed is a one year battle with dinoflagellates.

 

[Back where it all began]

To all of you, thanks! I look at this as being a rollercoaster, one minute you are up, then down. My coaster will go up again.

 

[ScottR]

To all of you, thanks! I look at this as being a rollercoaster, one minute you are up, then down. My coaster will go up again.

That’s life IMO. If you fall down and refuse to stand back up, you’ll never find that pot at the end of the rainbow. I’m still looking....

 

[Sump Crab]

Starting a new tank IS the most fun part of reefing. Once the corals are grown out you are left with trimming and maintaining, adding no new fish and no new coral!

I guess every phase has its own sort of fun.

 

[Rollman]

All about the journey

 

[ducati1212]

I like the gadgets. Im in my sump more than my tank. I like the chemistry and the tech and then all the little creepy crawlies. I spend more time getting pods to multiply and watching hermits and snails. I think I have bought 1 of every pump, I now have a test kit from each brand. I like to tinker. Next up is making my water station and water change much fancier with some automation and bigger storage.

Fish and corals are just the frosting.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

I really enjoy the setup stage!

 

[2Wheelsonly]

Hi
Even though I’m kidding mostly, with a new tank the idea of fun seems a long way away. Just passing along a thought.

It does get fun and a lot easier but no matter where you are in the hobby you will run into new problems.

When I started it was trying to find equipment that didn't break my budget and fish that played nice together.

When I started getting into SPS I would look at things and they would die, if one single parameter fluctuated they would die

When I finally started getting better I wanted a bigger tank and all new problems came with that upgrade.

Nowadays I have an established massive SPS garden and I am running out of room, corals killing other corals and pests (xenia, aefw, apistasia etc) take on a whole new meaning. Thankfully I am at the point in the hobby where my params can fluctuate and my corals don't really mind much. Last year I went on vacation, alk dropped to 3.6 because my calc reactor drip clogged; came back fixed it but over comped and had alk jump up to 12 within 2 days. Not a single coral cared and I fluctuate between 8.0 and 9.5 throughout the week. I have worms but not convinced they are the tank killer people say they are; living with them should be the norm as I am a firm believer you will never rid of them and I don't sell corals so easy life for me!

This hobby is always difficult, it's just that things that caused you stress become nothing and new problems take over. I don't even measure a lot of doses, just dump stuff in with a "looks good to me" smirk.

Take your time because no matter how much success you have, you will always, always go back and wish you did things differently. I have very little space left for new corals, wish I would have placed them differently but I was so caught up into getting them to grow I never thought about what would happen IF they did.

 

[Jimmy G]

It does get fun and a lot easier but no matter where you are in the hobby you will run into new problems.

When I started it was trying to find equipment that didn't break my budget and fish that played nice together.

When I started getting into SPS I would look at things and they would die, if one single parameter fluctuated they would die

When I finally started getting better I wanted a bigger tank and all new problems came with that upgrade.

Nowadays I have an established massive SPS garden and I am running out of room, corals killing other corals and pests (xenia, aefw, apistasia etc) take on a whole new meaning. Thankfully I am at the point in the hobby where my params can fluctuate and my corals don't really mind much. Last year I went on vacation, alk dropped to 3.6 because my calc reactor drip clogged; came back fixed it but over comped and had alk jump up to 12 within 2 days. Not a single coral cared and I fluctuate between 8.0 and 9.5 throughout the week. I have worms but not convinced they are the tank killer people say they are; living with them should be the norm as I am a firm believer you will never rid of them and I don't sell corals so easy life for me!

This hobby is always difficult, it's just that things that caused you stress become nothing and new problems take over. I don't even measure a lot of doses, just dump stuff in with a "looks good to me" smirk.

Take your time because no matter how much success you have, you will always, always go back and wish you did things differently. I have very little space left for new corals, wish I would have placed them differently but I was so caught up into getting them to grow I never thought about what would happen IF they did.

So true

 

[AlgaeBarn]

The only time in my years I have found it "not fun" is dealing with some gha. Some of our products took care of that! ~Shaun K