So sad so many people leaving...

My $69 Dymax Pico at work is kicking my $$$ acro tank at home. When I have things dialed in on the acro tank - it is great. But the money and attention is high. This little pico has me rediscovering the easy corals that are still very colorful and interesting. More staring, less stress. I agree with others here about the obsession with high tech. It can be distracting and is not always needed if you plan right. There are many options in this hobby that are not all that expensive.

 

Just gotta be smart about what your spending and don't go bananas buying everything you think you your going to die without. It took me a year to get the money for my ten gallon. I saved a little here and there. I enjoyed the process. I haven't paid for full price for anything. I am a sales shark.

 

i have a friend that has a thriving sps reef without any energy bill, he has all his tanks in a separate building by his house and the lights over the tank are just sunlight. he has some sort of thing in his roof that refracts all the light that hits it and concentrates it all over his tank. then he runs all the pumps and such off of solar power. he has a solar panel hooked up and he just plugs everything into there. it must save alot of money but the panel was quite expensive.

 

So true that is what I meant some things we need and some we could use. I try not to buy things more than once and decide what I need for the future.

 

i do agree even if your tank is beautiful, there is always a tank out there that is way better. it can get very discouraging. and many hobbyists think the answer to a better tank lies in buying all this expensive technology. you just have to appreciate your tank. it doesnt take all this stuff to make a great tank more so knowledge research and patience

 

Well if you're having to decide weather to buy salt mix or pay the light bill I would say you need to find a cheaper hobby.

 

I agree.

I guess I don't understand the getting discouraged by seeing other peoples' tanks. My tank is my tank, and it's nothing like anyone else's. And it would be really weird if it were LOL. I'm very satisfied with the tank as it is.

I think there's a lot of people getting into the hobby that have no clue how to appreciate what THEY can do or enjoy the time it takes to get it where it's going. I see way too many immediate gratification people getting into the hobby, and this hobby can never be immediate gratification. Plus a lot of those same people throw their hands up and give up 6 months or less in because they can't wait for their tank to become established and healthy. Every speck of algae is a horrendous issue "to be dealt with" severely LOL.

 

great point.money can buy us lots of things some bad some good.

 

There is a certain amount you have to spend. Now I am concentrating on making the tank conditions the best they can be. Other than some dosing and test kits its spend as I have extra money. This is such a beautiful and rewarding hobby.

 

I think you should elaborate upon this- explain the what's and how's of it. It is my feeling that far too often many people bail because of losses- they simply give up, because they get frustrated, and do not understand how to make things better for that which they have. I guess it comes down to actually proving to people why they need some piece of equipment, that actually works, and makes the vision of SW tanks what these folks thought it could be, in reality.