Do U ever ? $ spent on this hobby?

Ditto. Personally, I myself don't spend money on the hobby. Because I have my mom who's more of a freak about it than I am to spend it since my brothers and I are off to college next year. All the money that went to raising kids is now going to Fishies. I get my ownership of the tank by being the one who maintains most of it...cleaning out that skimmer was a draaag. Along with testing water with the drippy droppy method, and starting the siphons when cleaning etc. All of MY money goes to school and my car.

However, I had an older hobby of Remote Control stuff. Airplanes, helicopters, and a nitro car. I worked at the Local Hobby Store in my area, and every paycheck went back into the store. I made some unwise spending decisions, but I was 16 without my own car and a long distance girlfriend. What else was there to spend money on?

RC and Aquariums run the same price ranges give or take...And I personally think having your own slice of the ocean in your home is worth the costs. And for the freaks like me, I enjoy building and setting up systems as well as just watching them. Same went for remote control stuff. I had just as much fun building everything (which could take 2 evenings to weeks) and working on things as I did flying and crashing everything.

I don't think of the tank as a glass box holding fish. It's a slice of the reefs in the ocean. Beauty that very few people get to see outside of Zoos, aquariums, books, and movies.

 

If I didnt spend it on this it would be somthing else.

At least I get to make the choice on where I waste my money!@!@!

 

My nano is understocked.. that's the key to a nano, and religious waterchanges! I love nanos, though.. I don't have the space for the 55-75 I will have in the future.

 

With nanos the hobby is more of the upkeep of the tank then the actual animals in the tank. Which has it's own place in our hearts if we have the patience for it. If you have a bigger tank and get ticked off at a nano, you can always just put the stuff in the big tank

 

And that pretty much sums it up for me. When I put together my train set (A post-war American Flyer S-scale), I spent months and months working on the track, cars, couplers, stations, diorama, etc. And it was not cheap, rebuilding and replacing that which needed fixing. I have done astronomy. There is another money pit. The thing I did right before this was antique clock repair and restoration. Did a bit here and there, but that is expensive too. Two-thousand up front for all that you need to just get started. Sound familiar? Then I came across reef aquariums. By far the most expensive and by far the most enjoyable IMO. A piece of the reef in my dining room. Wonderful.

So you have to look at it from a few points of view. One. Money is going to be spent on something. Two. You are not perfect, but in the end your fish stand a better chance in your tank than out at sea IMO. Three. You are a member of 3reef. That, in and of itself, says something. Not a lot of SW enthusiests are into it so much that they would spend time on a forum discussing their hobby.

So since you obviously dig this gig.....stick with it. If you tear down your 180, you will kick yourself in the backside bigtime.....I guarantee it.

Peace.......John.

 

Everyone has to have a hobby. And every hobby costs major bucks. Some more than others. Just think...the amount of money some people spend on guitars is insane in my mind! But then I'd go out and spend $60 on a 480 brushless motor and the only part of that phrase people can slightly understand is "motor".

"Where your treasure is, your heart will be also." Part of my treasure is in the ocean, but I'm in Tennessee. So we had to come up with an alternative. I've got my treasure chest right behind me, along with my red duffel bag filled with SCUBA/Snorkeling gear and a SCUBA certification card.

 

Ha guitars! I'm a musician (my other hobby). I sing in a Punk/Metal band.. my Yamaha PA equip and Sennheiser mics have put me well over $4000... so far my Nano is cheaper..lol

 

Its hard to put a price on something you love to do.


I play golf and own two motorcycles, this reef thing is pretty cheap in comparison.

 

My dad plays golf. My dad thought we were being stupid for paying $80 for a shrimp and goby pair. My mom was kind enough to remind him that he pays $40 per week to play golf heaven knows where, so for two weeks or a month of his golf is the same as our fishies. He backed off after that.

My brother plays guitar. Had to combine Christmas AND Birthday to get the last one. Weirdo Of course, I payed around $150 for a mask and fins in a snorkel/diving setup. So I have no room to talk. Don't even get me started on what I've spent on airplanes. Wow oh wow oh wow.

 

I don't know if this will help your quandary, but I equate my tank with my gardens. I spent a lot of money and time on landscaping over the years, moving and changing and adding on,etc...until I finally got tired one year and just let it grow. It's beautiful. I inherited this tank and spent money and effort and agony, replaced this that and the other thing, and 3 months ago decided to let it grow. I haven't done a water change, bought any new animals, or gotten in the tank for anything except the seaweed clip. I check my chemistry every 2 weeks or so, supplement as needed. To me, it's beautiful. Everything lives, grows, and mostly without our intervention!