Reef tank burn out

[dmbfreek]

Anyone ever get burned out of the hobby? I've had my reef set up for almost 3 years and have been pretty good at keeping everything in the tank happy. Lately, it seems that I spend more time doing other things like working on my project car, spending too much time on the computer and other things. Now I'm doing water changes every other week, feeding twice a week and not even scraping the glass until I do the water change. I still love the hobby but it seems like I find other things to do with my time. I look at some hair algae and cyno algae in the tank and get a little confused on if I still want to keep reefing or just give it up. Sorry if I sound like a sad b@stard, it's just that I'm wondering if this ever happend to anyone else.:doubt:

 

[jake65]

Try switching out some livestock or corals with some new stuff, kinda like havin a new tank.. You can also change the aquascaping around a bit to give it a new look. Just a thought

 

[MarineTeng]

ya, i've phased in and out a bit, new tanks are always a good cure, new types of livestock or attempts at stuff aka breeding, seahorses sps, basically harder things to do, not that i have experience with any of the mentioned things aside from the new tank, but those other things have always facinated me

 

[barrierreefcf]

With my experience as a hobbyist and on the retail end of things I've seen hobby burn out very frequently. MarineTeng is right. A new tank or trying something different usually helps. Most of the people I saw give it up came back after a break. For me personally, trying a new fish, experimenting with a new food or piece of equipment, taking vacations to areas where I can view the reefs in person, and reading the new literature as it is published all keep me inspired. That said...there's still nothing like designing a new system, putting it together, and stocking it!! Hope you find the spark again dmbfreek!

 

[Slickdonkey]

What helped get me off my butt is a new tank

Well, that and moving the tank to a location where it was highly visible and would therefore motivate me to keep it up.

 

[mattseattle]

Yeah, a new tank helped me as well! Not that that is the best idea as it doesn't come cheap and requires a ton of time which in turn could burn you out again! so far that hasn't happened to me....

 

[shallowreef]

I deffinatley get burned out with this hobby right now i have a new tank to remotivate me so will see what happens.

I like the idea of reworking the tank or switching out livestock.

 

[Scooterman]

Well I sold off my 100g tank over a year ago & in the process of building a new tank for months now, I wanted something smaller & easier to take care of, sorta like what Krish has that is about the right size but I don't know what happened because I now have a bigger tank, more stuff, broker than ever & I don't even have water in it. In most cases it is the husbandry that becomes a problem, it take a lot of dedication to keep up a reef tank, lots of water changes, glass/acrylic cleaning it requires your time to do it right. After keeping some sort of fish for almost 30 years I can't seem to get away long without one.

 

[Krish]

A lot of people get like that and need a break, but usually they always come back to the hobby later on down the road at some point. Sorry to hear about your lost in interest and I wish you well with whichever decision you make

 

[shallowreef]

After my major die off i was ready to get out of the hobby for good. But then i went a week without looking at my tank full of fish and coral and decided that i missed it a lot.

 

[ronj]

i used to do SW tanks ten years ago...i quit for probably 5 years, then i set one up for fun and caught some fish from the ocean... i let them go a few months later and quit again...i just got back into it about 2 years ago... i got a little bored after my 72g was full ....now i have some new fish(hippo's) which i have always wanted to keep, and i just bought a 125g... i will have fun setting it up and stocking it for a while

 

[Brenden]

dmbfrrek I am in the same situation. I have started selling off some of my least favorite corals and plan to sell the 525 and get a smaller reef tank prob 72-125 gal. I plan on keeping all my tangs and putting them in a new tank that I will have built into the new addition to the house. It will prob be around 3000 gal but will be a FOWLR tank. Reading this I am thinking what will I do when I get bored with a 3000 gal tank? Try fragging some new corals. It always seems to make me more interested. Good luck.

 

[ronj]

have fun with those 600g water changes every month Brenden...lol...i hope you own stock in Instant Ocean!!!!!

 

[pitlife79]

I too have experienced the same "cycle". I had a FOWLR tank for a couple of years, but became bored with the same ol tank. I took it down, sold everything off and got out completely for about 2 years... Now I have a simple 29 gallon Reef that I'm happy with. I think once you catch the bug it's always there, it just goes in cycles. Switching it up and challenging myself with new species and system design has definitly helped. I'm sure my wife would've loved it if I had stayed out, but I don't see that happening again

 

[Little Luey]

I went thru a time like that, the HA was overgroing my tank and nothing I did seem to help. What help me out of the funk was when I attended a local reefers group meeting, seeing someone elses tank and talking to some of the local guys, they help me out and I got very encourage knowing that everyone goes thru bad times with our tanks.

Hang in there and find yourself a reefing group in your area.

 

[Paul B]

I am in the hobby for over fifty years and I still love it. I also have many other hobbies which take up my time (along with work) and I only change water maybe every two months, if that. I get some algae and cyano but the tank still looks great and that stuff does not effect the health of the inhabitants which still only die of old age. I still get excited when a pipefish spawns or I discover some new creature. As for keeping it new, I always change things around. Here is a new addition I found in the sea around New York.
Paul

When I get tired of that I will put other stuff in there

 

[Brenden]

Nice Paul. It has a nice natural look. No effects from the aluminum?

 

[ronj]

Brenden, how about those 600g water changes????? that kills me.lol..i was telling my girlfriend about your huge 3000g tank

 

[dmbfreek]

Well, I've decided to put the project car on hold to start working on the tank again. I've decided to add a sump to the tank and maybe some more livestock. I wanted to thank everybody for your replies. You made me realize how much I would miss the hobby if I were to give it up.

 

[Ed Hahn]

We all made mistakes..

Anyone ever get burned out of the hobby? I've had my reef set up for almost 3 years and have been pretty good at keeping everything in the tank happy. Lately, it seems that I spend more time doing other things like working on my project car, spending too much time on the computer and other things. Now I'm doing water changes every other week, feeding twice a week and not even scraping the glass until I do the water change. I still love the hobby but it seems like I find other things to do with my time. I look at some hair algae and cyno algae in the tank and get a little confused on if I still want to keep reefing or just give it up. Sorry if I sound like a sad b@stard, it's just that I'm wondering if this ever happend to anyone else.:doubt:

Sometimes things can be confusing why we have problems. That is the best time to pick up a book, look at what works for others at Clubs, Read what has worked for others in forums like this one or others.

When a simple problem is identified you only improve. A reef Tank or Tank full of colorful fish is very relaxing. So is chatting with a friend that enjoys the same hobby.

When people have Cyano Bacteria, I think of dead spots. I think of places where waste has built up. Sometimes landscaping can fix this issue, Sometimes alternating flow in your tank so that all the rock surfaces are hit with alternating or constant current. In order for your tank to work at the best of its ability, it needs be balanced. Flow puts things in the water column for your skimmer or filters to pull out.
I ask you to monitor what salts, what salinity, your temperature, Your lighting time and shape of lights, If you are mixing your salt I hope you are premixing externally with powerhead and bringing your temperature to the same as your Tank you are delivering to. I remember a meeting in Spokane years ago. Its best to premix with powerhead using filtered water, rinse your frozen foods with Filtered water, watch what additives you use, feed only what fish can eat, prevent dead spots by land scaping, keep a good flow, clean your prefilter for your overflow, etc.

I see Walla Walla on your name. I invite you to visit the closest Club around you (Midcolumbia Saltwater) or travel to other clubs(Seattle, Spokane, Portland, Idaho). They are all good people wanting to share the hobby. You can learn from anyone you want to. You need to know that the door is open and waiting for you.
I hope to see you at a Meeting,
If you in the Tri-Cities and want oppinions what has worked for me,
My door is open,
Sincerely,
Ed