Leaving the hobby. Life happens and changes happen

[vetteguy53081]

While it seems less frequent, there are hobbyists on R2R who list their entire systems and equipment in the marketplace forum due to job changes, arrival of a baby, no time and more. It is understandable things arise and warrant a need to let go of their tank and even other hobbies.

If you were to leave the hobby due to such circumstances, what can you say you will miss the most and enjoyed the most ?
What would you not miss the most?

I will set up a nano tank before i leave but based on the question, I enjoy(ed) watching both fish and coral grow and the colors they provided and the enjoyment of daily sea life in my living room. What I would miss the most is waking up each day and feeding the tank, adding coral periodically to further beautify the tank.
What I would not miss is the cost of essential equipment and WATER CHANGES !

** Please note that I am NOT leaving the hobby as I have 5 PM messages with offers for my fish and coral. The subject is about those who left or are considering leaving

 

[SnazzyUrchin792]

I enjoy(ed) watching both fish and coral grow and the colors they provided and the enjoyment of daily sea life in my living room. What I would miss the most is waking up each day and feeding the tank, adding coral periodically to further beautify the tank.
What I would not miss is the cost of essential equipment and WATER CHANGES !

I will not be leaving the hobby anytime soon, but you described how I feel about the hobby perfectly.

 

[shakacuz]

what i would miss the most is: tinkering and watching the growth. what i enjoyed the most is the process of establishing a balanced ecosystem/biodiversity. what i wouldn't miss are the maintenance aspects of the hobby that many of us neglect (in my case, cleaning out equipment...). edit: and the cost...

 

[fodsod]

I think I'd miss the interactions I have with my fish the most. Second would be watching corals grow and flourish. As frustrating as the hobby is there is still real sense of accomplishment in getting right most of the time and the results that produces.

I wouldn't miss the expense of the hobby and I'm not sure what I'd do with all the time I'd get back if I got out of it.

I'm sure my stress/worry level would go down also.

 

[Northern Flicker]

Dude I thought this thread was you announcing you are leaving, gave me a scare.

 

[Nano_Man]

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

I would miss it all. Reefing has become a part of who I am. I literally have nothing else to do besides work and reef. I have a family, but my kids are older, and we don't go out anymore. So this is it for me.

 

[Stephen8169301]

I think the satisfaction of watching an ecosystem that you created with feeding dosing and changing water all done by you is what I would miss the most

Also all the learning

 

[Dburr1014]

Next time I leave the hobby will be because I'm going to a rest home. Even then, I might convince them they need a reef tank for the patients.

 

[Glammers]

I left the hobby for about 5 years and missed it terribly. I wanted to set permanent roots down and start a family before I got back into the hobby, which I have now done both. My new tank has been up and running for a year and a half and I am very glad to be back.

The thing I missed the most was being able to pull up a chair and watch my tank. I didn't realize how calming it is to just watch the corals move in the flow and see the fish swimming by. My kiddos also love to sit with dad and ask all sorts of questions about the entire ecosystem, they have made having a tank more fun than ever.

 

[Propane]

I would miss the constant mind stimulation and the stress relief I get watching my tank.

 

[o2manyfish]

I would first miss having such a collection of living art. I love that no matter how often I do (or don't) look at my tank - it is never the same. It's always a different picture/image/view. The fish are never in the same place, the corals are never the same color or size, and it's always changing.

The other thing I would miss is the friends I have made. Having been a hobbyist for almost 4 decades and an active online hobbyist for over 2 decades, and having travelled the country speaking at reef clubs and conventions, and attending conventions - I have made some wonderful friends. Not having those relationships and having to try to maintain conversations over all the other mundane things in life would kill me.

Dave B

 

[Dbichler]

I have no plans to ever quit but when I get too old to do maintenance on a large tank will downgrade to a nano. I would miss the activity of fish and not miss the shoulders deep to clean the glass.

 

[kevgib67]

I would miss all the ups and downs and watching my reef slowly transform into how I pictured it in my head when I first added rock and water. I wouldn’t miss the cost.

 

[DaneGer21]

Although we still have our home tank rolling; our other breeding system was crashed because of an ATO while on vacation. We have not restarted that system because of what was lost in the process and the heartache felt from it.

 

[alton]

Dang I thought you were quitting, glad your not. I have been quitting for thirty years, I have had up to five tanks and then down to one. Today I have an office and a home tank, I love my fish.

 

[damselindistress]

I would miss watching and making minor changes and seeing the effects, it has taken my thick skull a number of years to finally get a good grasp on water chemistry.

I would miss the satisfaction of seeing my coral thrive and positively respond to my attempts to meet their needs, it's very fulfilling to be able to grow something from the ocean in the middle of my living room.

I would greatly miss my dorky fish, all of whom have their own personalities and quirks.

I would not miss water changes, skimmer cup cleaning, pump disassembly and cleaning or water testing.

I have been on the fence the last couple months on whether to in fact get out of the hobby. I work full time and look after two elderly family members with dementia. I can barely keep groceries bought and laundry done some weeks and those weeks the tank is a source of pressure instead of enjoyment. It's hard to predict the turns in the road until they hit us in the face.

 

[dowdalld]

I left 5 or 6 years ago. I always regretted giving up certain individual fish. I didn't miss the continual pressure, expense and the emotions associated with a huge euphyllia turning to jelly over 48 hours or a favourite colony stripping overnight. I am currently in the process of setting up again and the primary focus of this tank is to avoid the pitfalls of the last time round....

 

[FishTruck]

I left when I was 26 due to working two million hours per week and making less than minimum wage... and at the time, I just had no time or money for the type of tank I wanted to run. I swore I would not get back into it until I had the resources to do it right without worrying about the money. For me, it was the right decision. When I came back, the whole world had changed (under gravel was out... and the internet was in).

 

[zoomonster]

Spending all that money I did take a few years off when the job market was a little wonky (think tech bubble bust and 9/11) and moved a couple times. Once I was back in FL, bought a new house, declared the next time I move would be to the cemetery and the first thing I did was to get a tank. Just missed it and jumped back in head first.