I am in a slump.

[DracoKat]

I am not sure if I am bored with the tanks, or just not interested in them anymore.

I used to be hands on. Bi-weekly water changes, watch the tank, interact with the fish, research corals/fish, testing, plucking out asterina stars.. everything. I had plans for my 9g nano, and now I just don't want to carry out those plans anymore.

For the past 3 or 4 months, I hardly did anything with it. No water changes, not going to LFS, no water testing.. I just refill the top off as needed and feed daily. my asterina stars are out of control.

I don't interact with my reef club anymore, I don't buy/sell/trade anymore

Now, I hardly look at the tank. Just to make sure everyone is doing OK, otherwise, I am not sitting in front if it anymore. While everything is growing and is healthy (minus my leopard leopard who has fallen ill from a fight- she's in QT now), I feel like I am also neglecting it. I feel bad when my foxface does his little dance for attention when I am nearby.

I even considered breaking it down, but I don't want to do that either- I know I'll regret it if I do.

Anyone ever get in these spells where you are just "done" but not done? What do you do to get out of this slump?

 

[ZoWhat]

Do you think its bc its Summer and there are a bazillion things to do outside?

For me.... when the temps outside are 60 or higher there are soooooo many distractions to do outdoors.

But I always come back around and get more serious from Oct to April

From May to Sept....like you.... I just maintain the tank parameters

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I've been in one for a while now, I think it mainly has to do with me moving out to my family's farm and being away from all the LFS's I visited weekly and also not having any internet to look at stuff in the afternoons. My tank has done fine, but I don't spend nearly as much time as I used to looking at it.

I think we will all go through periods of lackluster enthusiasm for our tanks, and we just need to be patient with ourselves and maybe try something new to make things exciting again. I started planning for my next tank recently and it has perked my interest back up again. Maybe for you it could be as simple as hanging out with your local club or going to LFS's and seeing what they have in stock, I think eventually you'll find some inspiration and get back into the groove

 

[AlexG]

I can understand this feeling as I have had slumps before. Sometimes you just need to take a break and step away. Breaking a slump is not always easy is a break does not get you back in the game, but you might also need to seek out a new challenge. Try keeping a more challenging coral, write an article related to your aquarium or the hobby, conduct some research/experiments, make some vlogs about your aquarium, try to get that perfect picture. Everyone is different but sometimes that new challenge can fuel the fire to get you out of a slump.

 

[jolt]

For me it happens if I feel I am doing the same things over and over and not really making headway. I've found that I feel better when I get ahead on maintenance chores and can just enjoy the tank. I feel the same way with yard work ... really don't like to do it, but when its done I feel relieved and I enjoy the way it looks.

 

[ca1ore]

In my case, I find the tank build really interesting and fun ...... the tank maintain ..... not so much!

 

[LuizW13]

I think it's normal to have ups and downs in interest for hobbies. I used to play paintball every other weekend- haven't played in almost 2 years, mainly because of distance to fields.

 

[leahfiish]

I think almost everyone feels the same way at some point. Especially with corals when it's hard to see growth from day to day. My solution in the past has been to get some equipment to automate the maintenance enough to be able to step away from the tank for a while. Then by the time I regain motivation and come back to the tank, I can see all of the progress.

 

[Sailingeric]

It is a hobby. Dont make it work. I love playing with model trains and I had a nice set up for about 6 years and then after about 6 months of not running I took it all down. Down the road I am sure I will get them but running for now I am happy not messing with them.