Alex, Tubs and others, do you regret leaving the hobby?

[Maximus]

As most of you know, I am taking a hiatus from the hobby. I really feel sick to my stomache and already miss it. What have you guys done after you left? Do you have the same feelings as I do? Any regrets? Please discuss.

[Quatro]

Sang,

If you have already made your decision, you need to have confidence that you made the right choice, and believe that your life will be better because of your decision.

If you are still on the fence, have you thought about automation? Make the tank self-feeding and self-sustaining, so you don't have to stare at it daily. This way you can spend time away from the tank to do more important things like vacations, children's plays and hanging out with the wifey. Another option would be to downgrade to a smaller tank, but I think your current tank is doing very well, and with some additional equipment, you could be able to leave it for a few weeks at a time if necessary.

Remember, you can only make your family happy if you yourself are happy. This may just be the regret of taking down such a beautiful tank setting in, but is it going to affect you more substantially than you thought? It would be far worse to feel resentment against your family months later when the tank is down.

Having a reef is one of the greatest things in my life, but more importantly is my family and loved ones. If one side of your life becomes unbalanced, of course trouble is gonna happen, maybe seek a balance between reefing and other areas of life. I don't know what religion you are, but in Buddhism, there is something called the middle path or magga, and it is a process of constant renunciation of the extremities in life. Our minds are contantly on fire with defilments of our ego, and often reefing can become an obsession, so maybe the time has come to renounce this attachment that has lead you down the wrong path, at least for awhile. You don't have to completely give up on it, just prioritize things and seek a balance.

Not sure if that's what your looking for, but I'm trying to write this paper for my Buddhism class, so sorry if it came off as too "religious"

Take care bro!

Harry

[reefer on a budget]

sang,
i left the hobby due to dimishing interest in keeping a reef so our situations are probably different. it sounds like you were more forced to take a break in the best interest of family which is understandable.

sad to say this but in all honestly once my tank was fully powered down i felt a big burden lift off my shoulders where i no longer had to worry about caring for the tank and spending more money on it. it felt good knowing that an extra $150 or more a month on electricity was being saved up and for once in the past 6 years leaving town for several days was possible w/out having to worry about feeding fish, topping off, having a tank disaster or relying on someone to tank sit.
in short, i dont miss taking a break and maybe later down the line when im at a different stage of my life ill setup another talk. in the meantime i still like looking at tanks and checking out things online. its just now, i dont really look at keeping tanks the same way and always remind myself of how much of a chore it was in keeping a nice reef tank. at this moment, im typing this up im looking at my ever so neglected 7gallon nano in my cube. the tank has 1/4 of the water evaported, all corals dead, micro and cyano algae everything but with a happy clown fish so that just tells u where im at with reefs..haha

[Unarce]

John (tubs) left the business, but I think he's still going tol keep a small tank. You're going cold turkey. I thought for sure you'd keep your angels in a small FO:(

I can understand the mixed emotions, but it's better to get out while the gettin's good. You can always look back at this set-up, fondly, since it's on your terms.


The hobby's going to be here for you when you return...just think...BLACKURA:D

[Maximus]

Hey guys,
I'm at work now and can't respond in depth, but I thank all of you for posting here. Btw, who's quitting?:)

[Mike in CA]

Sang, if you want to get out of town for an extended time just let me know and I'd be more than happy to help out with the tank or in any other way I can.

Welcome back!

[Maximus]

Thanks Mike! I appreciate it. I just realized that I would miss the fish too much. The funny thing about my fish is that they greet me when I come near the tank. When they see a stranger, they hide. I just couldn't get over that warm feeling.

[Sparkss]

So glad that you are going to at least stay with FOWLR :) (your fish thank you also :D)

[tuberider]

I left the hobby for several years to persue an aquaculture venture. Even being surrounded by Haliotis, I missed my tanks, and wound up setting up tanks for friends to help out with the DT's.

[dannieboiz]

3 Words....


THEY'LL BE BACK!:lol:

[reefkeeper1]

You know, in the movie Adaptation, Chris Cooper summed things up pretty well about any hobby that becomes an obsession:

John Laroche: Then one morning, I woke up and said, "F*** fish." I renounce fish, I will never set foot in that ocean again. And there hasn't been a time where I have stuck so much as a toe back in that ocean.
Susan Orlean: But why?
John Laroche: Done with fish.

[Lordhelmet]

i think i will always have some kind of tank set up for the rest of my life. to me the possibilities are as endless as well the sea.

[Lordhelmet]

and I'm glad your keeping your angels. they truly are beautiful.

[Maximus]

Thanks Lordhelmet.

[Casshern]

Couldnt you just go with a more managable size, and keep only what you truly like? A lot of people get caught up in the flavor of the month and forget that it's just a tank in the end. Shame though, you had a really nice tank. I enjoyed talking to you the few times we've met, even though I was always a sales rep at that point

[Maximus]

Yeah, I have decided to keep the tank for now and keep it simple. Thanks dude.

[racrumrine]

Maximus:

I just want to say that I always thought you always had nice stuff.

I hauled my old 55 gallon tank and equipment from place to place for over 20 years always dreaming of setting up a salt water aquarium.

Thanks to finding Nemo, my Boys wanted to set up a tank.

Now the whole family is hooked and I finally got to do what I always wanted to do. And yes, the 55 still holds water.

Don't give up your dream.

Best of luck,

Roy

[zemuron114]

maximus - what are your plans for the interruptus pair? I hope they find a good home along with the rest of your inhabitants :(

[GreshamH]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8736597#post8736597 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Maximus
Thanks Mike! I appreciate it. I just realized that I would miss the fish too much. The funny thing about my fish is that they greet me when I come near the tank. When they see a stranger, they hide. I just couldn't get over that warm feeling.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8751889#post8751889 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Maximus
Yeah, I have decided to keep the tank for now and keep it simple. Thanks dude.

Zemuron114, he's keeping the fish and going simple :)

[tacocat]

Sell me your Vortechs dude. It's not like you need the extra flow for corals. :D

[Maximus]

Hehe, thanks guys. I have decided to keep most of my corals as well:) I can't shake this addiction!!

[GreshamH]

WOw, that was a close one :)

[Maximus]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8795991#post8795991 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GreshamH
WOw, that was a close one :)

Absolutely right:D