So sad so many people leaving...

I am still here, kinda. My job has taken over my entire life. I think it's time for grad school. The tank is still doing good though, it holds water and cichlids now. My how things have changed.

 

All I can tell you is that I'm not going anywhere any time soon. I get RO/DI water from a water dispenser at the grocery store for $.35 a gallon and I don't plan on having to run a kalkwasser or calcium reactor or anything like that. I don't run a MH either and for that reason I don't have any SPS, which is perfectly fine with me, I prefer softies any day. :-[

T5's and heaters will cost money to run no matter how you cut it, but when you don't use a lot of electricity in other areas around the house it isn't that bad. For some people, like those with families, this might be easier said than done.

I've also stayed small, 40 gallons is perfect for me. The bigger you go the more you are likely to abandon the maintenance required for it, in my opinion. And obviously the cost of the maintenance itself goes up.

Looking for bargains on equipment and buying in bulk are also two things that help a lot but as Americans we are conditioned not to behave this way.

Add it all up and it's easy to see why it's common for people to have to give up the trade for a while. :-/

 

I think some people want to get such a big tank, and then realize they are spending too much and drop out..

If you know you cant spend much, get a biocube or something..Im 16 and basically i am spending about $100 a month-2 months on average for my 29g biocube..Im still stocking a little coral and filter pads and also my 20 L mantis. I have no job, my parents dont pay for anything in it, my reef tank pays for itself and the 20 L.

 

Keeping my system reasonably small and low maintenance has helped make the hobby more enjoyable and most importantly more affordable. A 40 gallon system on a Kalkwasser drip is perfect for me. I can continue with my other hobbies and still relax at the end of the day in front of my tank.

It's sad to see people go, but saltwater is so intriguing I bet allot of people come back to it after a break.

 

I agree with the overall consensus from all in this thread. I am new to the hobby which was costly initially but still is way cheaper than a dive trip per month. I do however read read read and ask for advise and then determine what is best for me and what i expect from my tank.

In addition and most important look for deals which are always out there and never forget to be patient it will grow as i have heard from many 3reefers here it has worked for me...

E

 

I've been in the hobby for 3+ years and I absolutely love it, I dont think I can go 1 hr being at home without looking at my tank and just recently (3 weeks ago) I had a baby girl, so the idea had been tossed around in my head about throwing the towel in because finances have been tough recently and now I have bigger obligations. i know now that I dont need (want) anymore fish or corals and all the expenses are just for the upkeep its not that expensive but it still takes away from my family. So I brought it up to my wife over the weekend, that I was thinking about throwing in the towel, and she being so great told me "that everything will be alright, we'll figure it out. We worked to hard to get to the point that were at with the tank and that it really is your get away." She is the one that got me into the hobby and i appreciate that she let me spend so much money over the past 3 years. Since that talk I'm not going anywhere! I'm here to stay.

 

Finances have been especially tight for me as of late. Had to even discontinue having the internet for a while, though we do have a public library nearby so I'm rigging an old satellite dish to increase the gain from thier WiFi signal.

As far as the tanks are concerned I'm just doing maintainance for now....no new anything, till I can get everything back to normal. I was thinking of throwing in the towel due to cyano issues and the utility bill...but then I clean the tank up up and look at it and just can't pull the plug so to speak.

So I shortened my light cycle and the cyano issues have slowed/stalled to just a few spots. I have my tank by a window and use that to light the tank till noon. I make my own food which costs me about $10 every 3 months plus flakes which last about the same ammount of time. I cut the electric bill further by actually remembering to shut down my PC and only using the big freezer during the first half of the month (since I shop in bulk) and will afford the pool pump by only running it @ night & for only 8 hrs a day (which according to the elec co is just fine).

Also we will run the house at the warmest we can while keeping the tanks cool enough. so we don't have to use the a/c much (though my house tends to stay much cooler than outside).
For the big tank I'm planning I'm just getting the stuff together slowly & on sales, though that project is halted for a bit. The nano tank is run nearly like a FW so the only added expens is lighting and salt, though we don't chage the water often ( as many others do as well) we don't have SPS though and just use additives to replace lost minerals. So there are ways to keep your tank and cut expenses or just not have it be as expensive or time consuming in the first place.

Frankly I'm in the camp not spending too much on it in time or money on the tanks in the first place as I have way too many hobbies and not enough time & money for all of them at once. I also believe that buying the right/quality equipment saves you much frustration, time & money. We're staying in the hobby we enjoy it too much, just gotta prioritize our extra expenses. We stopped cable service a while back since we don't watch tv much anyway and I was watching my tank a lot more than tv.

 

This saddens me.

We are seeing less and less of some lately. For those of us that have been doing this awhile it's a passion and I know most will make it back into the hobby eventually, we are that devoted.
:-/:-/:-/

 

I lurk on the site while at work ;D just don't post as much.

I've been working hard on my garden as of late and with my new little ducklings and gosling, yup I have a little urban micro farm going....LOL.

 

Oooooo baby ducks, well seeing as they are the cutest darn thing on the face of the planet, this is very good thing, but I digress.