I've been out 10+ years. Should I come back . . .

[Lemon Shark]

Greetings All,

It started with an innocent trip to the LFS (The Coral Corral, Tampa, FL). I thought my 3.5 year old would get a kick out of the coral and fish - she did. A local brewery was nearby, so I got a beer afterwards (the 3.5 year old has been sober for 3.5 years now), and began to fondly reminiscence about my past tanks. Once upon a time I had 5 nano reef tanks. I remember the joy. The color. The impressed guests . . . and then I began to remember the noise. The stress. The cost. The frustration. The time. OH THE TIME!!!

And yet . . .

I've been online shopping. I've been on YouTube catching up on all the new gadgets, new philosophies, and new software (holy smokes - the software!?), and, as you no doubt would've predicted, my finger has overed over the "purchase" button more times than I'd like to admit.

I'm not sure what's keeping me away from the hobby. Unlike last time, I can actually afford a tank. Although, unlike last time, I have THREE KIDS and TWO CATS. I barely have time to properly supervise my children, but before you call social services, help me! Do I want back in (of course I do, please enable me!)? Should I keep my life simple and reef free (of course not, but I need your help!)?

So help me, new best friends. Inspire me with pictures. Inspire me with stories of great reefing victories. I want to get back in, but I need a little nudge . . .

 

[Peace River]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!!!

 

[Keko21]

 

[Keko21]

Get back in and get your kids into it!

 

[NanoJHB]

Do it!

Life's too short to pass up things you find joy in. Buy yourself an awesome tank and set it up in a way that doesn't require too much maintenance.

You'll love it and find so much joy in it for a while. If you find you can't keep up with it anymore, there's nothing stopping you from selling the stuff off again

Do it !!!

 

[fishguy242]

hi,welcome to the reef...

...

 

[Lemon Shark]

Get back in and get your kids into it!

That's smart. Indoctrinate the kids and form an army of support to assault my wife's sensibilities!

Do it!

Life's too short to pass up things you find joy in.

Solid point.

hi,welcome to the reef...

...

Funny, that's exactly how my older brother welcomed me to the first day of our community pool. It wasn't embarassing or traumatic at all . . .

 

[Lemon Shark]

Also, while we're here, why does everything I post need approval? Is it a new guy thing?

 

[1112-425XL]

Ohhh the time!!! And with three kids???
But it is an awesome hobby, and so rewarding. The Coral Corral is the LFS I use also. Great place, very helpful people. Like NanoJHB mentioned above "Life is too short". Whatever you decide is the right decision. Good luck and Welcome Back.

 

[shakacuz]

welcome aboard the r2r board!

 

[Stephen8169301]

 

[|Frank|]

 

[Petcrazyson]

 

[ronnie]

Thankfully the hobby hasn’t been hit by inflation. You’re still able to tell your wife that the new thing in or for the tank only cost $20…

 

[j.falk]

Set up a nano...keep it simple and easy to maintain. The kids will love it!

 

[Auquanut]

Hello there. You can call me Mr Enabler or just En.
It sounds like you don't need much help talking yourself into getting back into the hobby, but I had a couple of thoughts.

This could be a good family experience. A chance to share responsibilities and the wonders of the reef world with the youguns. It's also a great lesson in perseverance. As challenges arise, and they will, the kids will see how those challenges are addressed and overcome. Great life lessons.

Just a thought.

 

[Simon Reefing]

 

[RedReefer]

Also, while we're here, why does everything I post need approval? Is it a new guy thing?

Most likely due to new status.

 

[RedReefer]

Welcome to R2R!!! Glad you joined us!

 

[kevgib67]

Ya, as Nike says, just do it! I jumped back in after 10 years and wow the amount of information that is available at the touch of your fingers has made it so much easier. New equipment and I never had leds. Much easier this go around and just as exciting!