what keeps you going on with this hobby?!?

[MarvinsReef]

what keeps you going on with this hobby?!? I'm sure we all have experience different things with this hobby that almost made us get out of the hobby... whether it be equipment failure, loss of a beloved fish or coral, tank move, etc... throughout the past 2-3 years, I have experienced this with the last 3 tank moves I've done... seems like every time I moved tanks, I always lose a few things... I hope to do a write up in the near future about the lessons I've learned and re-learned during those times... actually, I'm going through one right now with the recent tank upgrade from 28g JBJ to 110g... seems like the first 6 months are the toughest with a new tank... all I know right now is PATIENCE!!! PATIENCE!!! PATIENCE!!! is key with this hobby... I know, I know, it's the hardest one to learn and I need a reminder every so often!!! I should put a PATIENCE IS KEY message near my tank... :)

anyway, I'd like everyone's input on this and I'm sure your experience will help someone reading this thread at some point... sometimes, a little encouragement is what we need to keep going... I'm glad to have the R2R community to lift me up whenever something is not going right with my tank... oh, and the sponsors and fellow hobbiest that keeps showing me the eye candies... :)



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BE NiCE!!! :) :) :)

btw, this thread is for the general public... I wanna hear your experience and advice so myself and others can learn from it... I know there's a lot of people here that know how to take care of their reefs but there's always things that are out of our control... and please be nice to people sharing their experience coz I know at some point, you were a newbie... :)

 

[Murfman]

Do it right the 1st time, it is cheaper and you can buy more of those chalices you love so much.

 

[cntryboi407]

I just love the feeling you get from acquiring that one special piece, even though by the next week you might be wanting another. A point of advice, make sure if you live in an apartment complex, you make it clear that they inform you when they planning on doing a carpet cleaning. Came home from a weekend trip to find an oily residue on my water, sure as s##t they came in and did my rugs. lost half my tank.

 

[MarvinsReef]

I just love the feeling you get from acquiring that one special piece, even though by the next week you might be wanting another. A point of advice, make sure if you live in an apartment complex, you make it clear that they inform you when they planning on doing a carpet cleaning. Came home from a weekend trip to find an oily residue on my water, sure as s##t they came in and did my rugs. lost half my tank.

yikes!!! sorry for the lost... :(

 

[MarvinsReef]

btw, this thread is for the general public... I wanna hear your experience and advice so myself and others can learn from it... I know there's a lot of people here that know how to take care of their reefs but there's always things that are out of our control... and please be nice to people sharing their experience coz I know at some point, you were a newbie... :)

 

[SDguy]

Keeping and growing beutiful marine creatures of all kinds has kept me in this hobby for 20 years. Setbacks are a part of life. They won't kick me out of this hobby! :D I just try to learn, and move on.

 

[aerius007]

Two main reason, #1 beautiful new stuff is always popping up and this hobby is in my blood. #2 some of my best friends I have met in this hobby and we wouldnt let each other get out.

 

[twinspots_goby]

I can't swim. so diving is out of my optino. Guess this hobby is the only way I can observe the ocean and appreciate its beauty.

 

[Usefulidiot213]

I love Saltwater life. I grew up next to the Ocean in San Diego. I decided I wanted a little bit in my house. A couple of years ago I moved to Arizona, and brought the ocean with me. Of course moving a reef tank from San Diego to Arizona was not the greatest experience of my life....

 

[amay121]

I'm actually bored with the hobby at the moment. My tank looks full with all the frags that I have, my fish are healthy (except for the yellow tang that I got with HLLE, but he's at least eating like there's no tomorrow). Corals are growing, snails are reproducing. But, my enthusiasm is down a bit, maybe because I haven't had any new toys or been excited about any new corals. Hard to say, but I read as much as possible about the types of corals that I have and I'm trying to figure out how to breed/rear clown fry, should my clown pair actually lay eggs.

 

[EliteReefs]

i just like it. never needed any help keeping interest. liked it from day one and still do. I find it easy and relaxing. to many people make this way to complicated. its not that hard and meant to be fun.

 

[foxyb]

Its 30 degrees outside but when I sit in front of my tank it feels like Im in paradise.

 

[underwaterfirefighter]

For me when things are going well with our tanks it is very relaxing. Siting and studying the corals, watching them grow and change from day to day and week to week is very rewarding. Also watching the fish and their interaction with each other and the rest of the inhabitants is mesmerizing!
But then there are the set backs. The crashes, the lost fish or coral. As frustrating as they may be. As much as they make you wanna give up, you can't. You post a thread here about what happend and their are many responses from your fellow reefers to help get you through these times. You learn from mistakes and move on. And of course theirs always the next must have piece that keeps you going as well.
This is a fantastic hobby and R2R is a great place to help make it all happen!

Dave and Lisa

 

[JNye]

i'm too stubborn to quit.

 

[Usefulidiot213]

Yes Stubborn is a good word for it.. :)

 

[Mitsuko]

I believe this hobby offers a feeling of accomplishment. Nothing beats being stressed out with everyday life situations and sitting down infront of the tank to zone out. There's always something new to discover in the hobby.

 

[Paul_N]

i'm too stubborn to quit.

LOL love that one. My wife would agree with this one for me.

I take my time and read before I do anything and try not to go overboard with purchases as far as livestock and equipment. I buy used equipment (99% of mine is) when I can. Also purchased all my coral from fellow reefers when I started out so when I made my mistakes they were not that costly.

The main reason is I just love everything about this hobby!

 

[FateX8]

im not a quitter!

 

[MarvinsReef]

i'm too stubborn to quit.

im not a quitter!

gotta love the replies, esp these one liners... :) :) :)

keep 'em coming... :)

 

[Sea MunnKey]

Born and raised in the island of Borneo but never really knew about this hobby ... until much, much later and now I'm trying to make up for all those loss time!!

I used to live right next to the ocean and back then nobody told me that there's saltwater corals and fish and also much more beautiful than those freshwater cichlids, gouramis, guppies, ghost shrimps ... :cry:

Paul