How do you overcome the times you have little to no interest in your tank?

[Ssteve]

Had a nice setup going for about a year and shut it down when I had my son. Now he's two and I think it's a good time to start up a new tank, so I am getting close to getting a standard 120g wet.

For you guys who have had tanks for years on end, how do you deal with those times where you just don't have the time or interest to provide constant attention to your tank?

This time I am going a bit more automated with a apex, apex feeder, over sized skimmer and just dosing two part. I am hoping that will prevent some "burn out". I am also going t5 instead of led to stick with a more hands off, proven setup as to cut out one more "what if" if I am not getting the results I am after.

What are your thoughts, tips/tricks etc?

[Sonyardo]

The way I overcame the last one was with a big tank crash. A few fish made it through. I was FOWLR for a few years until I got the bug back. Just now rebuilding it as a matter of fact. I wouldn't recommend this method, It was expensive and heartbreaking.

[scubadan206]

Involve your son in the tank every night. Plumb in a frag tank and grow coral to trade and sell to friends. Go to club events and frags swaps and keep interested through others success and failure as well.

Daniel. :wildone:

[saf1]

Involvement if they show an interest. One way.

Another way is the tank itself. Keep it simple and automate what makes sense. This will keep the day to day job somewhat easier and leaving the heavier tasks for when you have time. Like cleaning pumps, power heads, glass, etc. Also knowing how it was when I had children buy spare power heads or pumps to make cleaning even more timely. So swap out rather than spending an hour. Then clean after they go to bed or a nap.

The idea is to make it something you can spend time on but it is your hobby time. Much like knitting or sewing, etc. :) What I found is that I can't do everything so some things slowed down or I made a choice to divert that time to tank say instead of RC hobbies, etc. I did manage guy trips for scuba diving in here or there but everyone needs me time.

Anyway - looks like you have the right idea. Balance.

[blackthunda77]

watch videos, read up on tank builds that inspire you on forums, and if you can hook up with a local reefing club.

[fishchef]

Had a nice setup going for about a year and shut it down when I had my son. Now he's two and I think it's a good time to start up a new tank, so I am getting close to getting a standard 120g wet.

For you guys who have had tanks for years on end, how do you deal with those times where you just don't have the time or interest to provide constant attention to your tank?

This time I am going a bit more automated with a apex, apex feeder, over sized skimmer and just dosing two part. I am hoping that will prevent some "burn out". I am also going t5 instead of led to stick with a more hands off, proven setup as to cut out one more "what if" if I am not getting the results I am after.

What are your thoughts, tips/tricks etc?
Sorry, I was into SW since '91 and got out this year. The only way I would get back in would be FO and I would need more money. Then I would wonder why? Probably wouldn't do it. Once a burnout always a burnout. There's no cure, at least for me.

[Ssteve]

Sorry, I was into SW since '91 and got out this year. The only way I would get back in would be FO and I would need more money. Then I would wonder why? Probably wouldn't do it. Once a burnout always a burnout. There's no cure, at least for me.

what is "FO"?

[mandarin_goby]

Fish only?

[Bent]

Truthfully, I find my interest level directly correlates to the inhabitants of my tank. If I have fish or an eel that I view more as a pet, my interest stays pretty even keeled since the animal needs me and I feel obligated to take care of him/her.

If I have mostly corals, with little to no fish, I find I stay as interested with it as I do my garden. It sort of becomes tedious. I dunno, corals don't give me much reward. Sort of like growing a flower garden. They bloom, I say oooh pretty, then I stop giving a crap.

I'm a fish geek though.

[starkii]

Truthfully, I find my interest level directly correlates to the inhabitants of my tank. If I have fish or an eel that I view more as a pet, my interest stays pretty even keeled since the animal needs me and I feel obligated to take care of him/her.

If I have mostly corals, with little to no fish, I find I stay as interested with it as I do my garden. It sort of becomes tedious. I dunno, corals don't give me much reward. Sort of like growing a flower garden. They bloom, I say oooh pretty, then I stop giving a crap.

I'm a fish geek though.

I feel pretty much the same, fish are the main interest.

I tend to lose interest when the sun is shining (normally just our short summer) and keep it simple during this time. I just set simpler expectations or goals such as less corals but wanting to grow them larger. I find that's easier than maintaining lots of little frags. In truth I find the tank does better with less of a hands on approach and when it isn't seen as a chore you enjoy it more.

[cincyjim]

For me, it is the challenge of keeping everything in sync and watching the fish and corals grow. My Coral Beauty turned 5 years old this past July. I've never had a fresh water fish live past a 1 or 2. So for me, the enjoyment comes from the success.

[Ron Reefman]

The wife and I will go walk the beach or go snorkeling in the Keys. These are the reasons I got into the hobby in the first place. And just bringing home one new think for the tank gets my interest level back up. Especially if I find something unique or different from what everybody else has in their tank.

[greaps]

1. Keeping the fish you like. Sprung for female orange and white snow-flake clown, and now a little black and white snow-flake male. Both fish are simply beautiful. To me the wrong fish makes it a chore feeding and taking care. The right ones make it joy.

2. Easy Maintenance. Scrub entire bare-bottom tank out and skimmer cup and body in about 5 minutes (a new clean baby bottle scrubber works like magic), and siphon and change filter sock about 3-5 more minutes once a week. Dose some vinegar daily and feed. Clean glass as needed, my kids love the tank so often. Water change... Maybe once a month or two at 20%). Every tanks different but this works for me. Water is pristine and algae does not grow. Carbon dosing, a good skimmer, and lots of mechanical filtration by scrub and siphon.

[Silly clownfish]

I have had a reef tank since 1998, and definitely gone through some times of low interest, or at least more interest in other hobbies. I agree with a lot of what has been said here.
- low maintenance is very important, and this also means relatively low bioload. This will help carry your tank through those times when you skip water changes for a month or 2. My 30 g went through 7 years of only 3 fish ( the same 3 fish for those 7 years). I had an ocelaris clown, flame hawk, and cherub angel. I think if I had more fish, there would have been more problems. As it was, the tank was on autopilot and I could tell by looking if something was out of wack and water testing was needed. Warning - these low maintenance perioods are what I believe it the real caus of the so-called old tank syndrome.
- having all of your fish willing to eat pellets or flakes takes away the chore of needing to accomodate a picky diet. Yes, during low interest periods I spwould still feed frozen occassionally, but it was more of a treat than needign to worry about keeping it stocked.
- for me, I feel an obligation to critters I have had for a long time. That ocellaris is now 18 years old and the hawk is 17. I can't give up on a critter I have had that long. Heck, I have had my box turtle for over 40 years (why parents should think twice when a kid asks "can 8 keep it?").
- locate the tank very visibly in your living space. If you need to walk past it multiple times per day and any visitor to your house will be seeing it, that helps to shame you into mimi um maintenance. If it is in your basement it might be easy to forget about.
- I don't have kids, but agree thst if your son is interested, it will help to keep you interested. It also is a valuable teaching tool: about responsibility, commitment, and as he gets older, ecology. I cringe when I see parents treat their child's goldfish or betta as a disposable pet. What a terrible example about the value of an animal's life.

Best of luck with your tank.

Kim

[fishchef]

Truthfully, I find my interest level directly correlates to the inhabitants of my tank. If I have fish or an eel that I view more as a pet, my interest stays pretty even keeled since the animal needs me and I feel obligated to take care of him/her.

If I have mostly corals, with little to no fish, I find I stay as interested with it as I do my garden. It sort of becomes tedious. I dunno, corals don't give me much reward. Sort of like growing a flower garden. They bloom, I say oooh pretty, then I stop giving a crap.

I'm a fish geek though.

Yes, I did find it was the fish that kept my interest. Some of my fish were 10/15 years old. Got involved in corals so the the end result was a better water quality for the fish. However corals are very tedious and can take some of the relaxing components of having a reef away. By the way I did have an African C. tank and some of the fish were 12 years old.

[Reel North]

My system is totally automated. I work dog long hours now, and only manage maybe 30 minutes of "mistress" time as my wife calls the tank lol.

The apex really makes stability possible. I have a CaRX with a MASTERFLEX pump, which makes a huge HUGE difference.

I just added an eheim auto feeder as well. Fish are way less grumpy lol.

[Ssteve]

My system is totally automated. I work dog long hours now, and only manage maybe 30 minutes of "mistress" time as my wife calls the tank lol.

The apex really makes stability possible. I have a CaRX with a MASTERFLEX pump, which makes a huge HUGE difference.

I just added an eheim auto feeder as well. Fish are way less grumpy lol.

Yeah that's my issue also, and the reason I am going to automate as much as I can. I average at least two 16 hour shifts a week and usually 64+ hours. Just concerned that might take away from the hobby being a little too hands off.

[tc2007]

do what I do. watch www.reeftube.com, www.reefhub.com, www.xreefster.com it helps keep interest in the subject ;)

[nmotz]

I like reading others' comments and recognizing so many similarities.

My thoughts are that many people who are really successful in this hobby are also extremely OCD (myself included). We take all the little things so seriously that a burnout is inevitable. Even OCD people get tired of trying to control every individual factor of success in reefing. It's just exhausting.

That's why I agree that people should come into this hobby with a goal being to set reasonable limits. If you can't do that, you might as well get out sooner rather than later to at least save yourself some money. Everyone goes on a spending spree every now and then, but I've found that the more I add to my tank the less I end up enjoying it over time because I just have more and more to worry about.

The KISS method isn't just good because it's "easier", it's good because it'll allow you to actually enjoy the hobby and give you a much better opportunity to stay in it long term.

I also think choosing the right fish or inverts in necessary to maintain interest. Honestly, I wouldn't have made it in one year without my Peacock mantis shrimp. Corals are just tough sometimes, especially SPS, and they are more of a science project than the relaxing getaway from reality that most of us enjoy from time to time.

Finally, selecting the right tank size is important. Everyone has a different threshold of course, but if you buy too big, it's just going to suck. Conversely, experienced reefers all know how much work a nano tank can be. I think the constant desire to upgrade eventually destroys people's interest in the hobby. I saw myself heading that way and put a stop to it, broke down my second tank, automated as much as possible on my primary tank and was glad I did. You just have to know yourself and find that sweet spot. For me, 40 gallons is plenty and keeps husbandry manageable.

[toothybugs]

I just took my 75 down a month or so ago because I "may" have a move coming. I could keep it going, but opted not to. That said, if you think you are going to have a problem keeping it running I'd suggest holding off another year or so. It'll give you time to accrue equipment, time to research what you really want to do with it and where you want it to go. That includes planning smartly so your glass box doesn't become a money pit - that leads to frustration too.

My system wasn't doing what I wanted it to (I basically started over save for a few zoas and all my fish when I upgraded from a 40 in February) so I took the opportunity here to take a break before I burned out on it. I also know more about what I want and how I'll do it when I set up again. In addition to "pets" in your tank, I think it's important to have a really clear picture of what you want and expect from your system. That way you aren't chasing a mystery point that keeps shifting - you end up throwing money at a phantom and make your tank a money pit that frustrates everyone financially invested. That was part of my problem, with the crash in February I had to completely reset my goals and plan as well as do some serious restocking that ultimately didn't work out too well (500 bucks in SPS and I only have a Green Slimer stick hardly hanging on in my office tank...). Taking a long hiatus here before I got too frustrated I think is going to do well for me - because I still want to set up a system, just not right now.

[prickles]

Automation is key. Auto water changes, dosing, etc. All I have to do is feed magnet and clean skimmer cup. The rest is for trying to improve it

[Reeferz412]

Find other hobbyists and compare setups. Go to frag swaps, club meetings, or help others setup their reef tanks. I feel like any of these actions keep me entertained and always changing up something in my tank.

[HippieSmell]

Automation, easy to care for fish, and cheap coral is the key. I get into a funk, the fish stay alive, and if I lose a coral it's not a huge deal.

[Reel North]

Honestly, I've found the less I mess with, the better I do. I changed my wc schedule from every 2 weeks to every 3 weeks. I bought an auto feeder. I use a calcium reactor and a MASTERFLEX pump. I have and apex, and I can see an issue right away.

I clean my glass every few days.

I really love Saturdays. I get a couple of hours to mess around.

My tank is all sps and Angels. And I'll tell you. I wouldn't change a thing. When I NEED to relax by the tank, it's there. Waiting to give me that special type of therapy that only the ocean should be able to give you.

[colodano]

As was said earlier, I think that tank placement is huge for this. For the last 7 years my tank was in the basement, under the stairs and basically out of mind.
This year we moved, and wanted to have the tank where we spend more time, so the tank I set up is a visually better tank, and in the most used room in the house.
By seeing the tank so much more, I am more inclined to do maintenance, and so is my wife when I am away. Even with her busy work schedule, and me being gone for 3 weeks, my corals are still thriving compared to the last 7 years, and my fish are growing well and much happier.

[reefgeezer]

Pavlov! Clean the tank - get a beer. Works every time.