So what do you do when you're burned out?

[SallyWho]

I've only been in the game for a year and a half or so, but I am tired. Maybe I shouldn't have started with something smaller than a 120g. Maybe I should have had a professional or at least somebody experienced help me put everything together. Maybe I should have had someone inspect the thing before I filled it up, to make sure everything was in order. So many maybe's. I'm beginning to resent my tank. I've got plumbing issues that I can't seem to resolve, I've got vermetid snails that I have to fight daily to keep away from my corals, I have a crappy DIY canopy that needs replacing, and I don't have the money to make the whole thing really come alive. So what do you do when you start low key hating it? I gave up a quarter of my living room, my coat closet, my bathtub, and god knows how much time and money. I wanted this. I dreamed of it, planned it out for 8yrs until I was in a place where I could have one. Breaking it down and trying to sell it off sounds like a ton of work, though. I don't exactly live in a metropolitan area- tanks don't sell fast around here. Do I just tough it out a while longer and wait for the melancholy to pass? Do I give up on it, at least for now? I could start smaller next time- an AIO wouldn't have any plumbing to worry about and would be small enough that I could still use the bulk of my living room. I dunno. What would you do or what have you done when you got burned out a little?

I guess I just wanted to vent a little. Thanks for listening.

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

Break the tank down, Rescape and try new livestock. Try new things start a nano. What I like about nanos is if you get burnt out a nano doesnt take up much room and can be a nice long project

 

[kichimark]

I understand your frustrations. I have been in this hobby for about 20 years and have seen and learned so much. I did become burned out a few years back and saw the hobby as more of a chore than something of passion. During this time I did sell my house (not because of the tank haha) and I sold the tank. I did keep a few frags of hard to find corals and had them at a LFS of which I know the owner very well. He held onto them for me while I resettled and after a few months I got a nano tank. Big difference between the nano and my 100G but i find more pleasure in the hobby again. It doesn't take forever to clean for example and the plumbing is much easier since the tank is all in one.

 

[zalick]

I can 100% relate. And despite being in this hobby for about 25yrs, I felt the way you do just last year. I spent a TON of time and money planning my upgrade to a 300g only to have my first ever outbreak of Dino's and bad algae. I kinda got lucky the first 20years....

I would suggest you stick it out. Going FOWLR is an easy way to "step back" and reboot. Just focus on getting things clear and under control. Once you've got a feel for that, then start adding back the corals.

Fish only tanks can be very beautiful!

You've out so much time and effort already, keep at it. There are ups and downs in this hobby for sure, but once you get some a sustained "up" it will be all worth it!

 

[Fishy212]

Hey man, everyone has been through this sooner rather than later. The endless hours spent on mantience and cleaning. This is an aspect of reef keeping most people will not understand. It is worth it. It is amazing to see what your hard work and dedication looks like at the end of the day. Most people have no idea what it really takes to not only maintain a tank but to make it thrive. Hours upon hours of research especially on R2R and watching YouTube videos. I recommend starting from the basics and working your way up. That’s why R2R is an amazing place. You will find all kinds of people and experiences. Sometimes you just need a little reassurance or a kick in the butt. Instead of having a huge list of things to do, break it down into more manageable lists.

I honestly do not know where I would be in my mental state of mind without my tank. Yeah it’s a lot of work, I have a 55 gallon display but it’s my time. I am in my own element. Call it being neurotic or plain crazy, the feeling of accomplishment is worth all of the above. Keep your head up high and keep pushing through. Don’t loose sight of why you do it. it’s for yourself and no one else. I hope this helps you, good luck!

 

[Flippers4pups]

I think as a long time hobbyist there are definitely times that interest gets low, especially when life in general gets heavy. Work, family and activities take up time. Money to spend can get tight, especially in this economy.

One thing I can say from me is that the hobby has filled a void I had. It's been a source of interest to me and by me reading and helping others achieve their dreams of a tank has enriched my life. A place of peace and accomplishment.

The other thing that I've learned is that through patience I can do what I want with a tank. Doesn't have to be a full blown reef right away. Planning and saving money to do what I want with it, going slow helps immensely. Having goals for what you want helps!

If it's all just become a burden to have, then there's nothing wrong getting out. If it's still a dream or gives you what you want, but it's just not there now, set goals to improve it and plan for the future.

 

[tripdad]

It's kind of like a marriage.....there are going to be those times when.......but if you stick it out and work at it then something beautiful can happen. If you quit then you lose all chance at that. Just breathe, learn not to sweat the small stuff, fix what you are able to and accept what is. Learn to be imperfect and enjoy the quirks. So many of us reefers are perfectionist. Learn to embrace the chaos.

 

[WVNed]

When I got burned from working overtime I converted to FOWLR. Turn the lights down and do a water change and testing once a month. Feed the fish when you get home. Not so many rules.

 

[SallyWho]

Thanks, guys. I might try reaquascaping, but I really should redo the canopy first. It's being held up by wooden blocks right now. Ugh. My main frustration at the moment is with the plumbing. I posted a thread a few weeks ago but to sum up, every few days I have to adjust the gate valve on the primary drain of my bean animal overflow. Sometimes it happens after the ATO kicks on, sometimes when the Gyre changes its flow, sometimes after changing filter socks, and sometimes just randomly. I am so sick of it sucking air or turning the secondary drain into a waterfall. My local LFS isn't very familiar with bean animal overflows so while they want to help, they aren't sure how to troubleshoot it. I guess it's just a cumulative effect with other stuff.

But watching it really is relaxing (so long as everything is working). It's been fun planning and dreaming and putting it all together. I've learned so much along the way. I want it to look good- fill out with corals, get some more fish, etc. It's been both good and bad for my mental health. When it's working smoothly, I get so much satisfaction and relaxation out of it. I could watch it for hours. But when I hear that familiar popping or gurgling in the pipes, my heart starts racing and my stomach clenches. Guess I just have to focus on the good times and white-knuckle my way through the rough ones?

 

[ca1ore]

Interest waxes and wanes. I got burned out by the hobby and took an almost four year break in 2009 (also partly because my kids were small and I wanted to spend my time with them not doing water changes.) ... that was after having had a reef tank for over 20 years though LOL (not 18 months). In my case, there are multiple elements of the hobby that interest me. If I get bored with the tank I’ll go off and build something. I also find solving problems to be an intellectual challenge - it’s when everything is just cruising along that things get boring for me. That sounds kinda weird, doesn’t it. If you do ultimately choose to take a break, save your equipment. I stored all of my valuable stuff so that when the inevitable return occurred it was (mostly) waiting to be reused.

 

[Fishy212]

Thanks, guys. I might try reaquascaping, but I really should redo the canopy first. It's being held up by wooden blocks right now. Ugh. My main frustration at the moment is with the plumbing. I posted a thread a few weeks ago but to sum up, every few days I have to adjust the gate valve on the primary drain of my bean animal overflow. Sometimes it happens after the ATO kicks on, sometimes when the Gyre changes its flow, sometimes after changing filter socks, and sometimes just randomly. I am so sick of it sucking air or turning the secondary drain into a waterfall. My local LFS isn't very familiar with bean animal overflows so while they want to help, they aren't sure how to troubleshoot it. I guess it's just a cumulative effect with other stuff.

But watching it really is relaxing (so long as everything is working). It's been fun planning and dreaming and putting it all together. I've learned so much along the way. I want it to look good- fill out with corals, get some more fish, etc. It's been both good and bad for my mental health. When it's working smoothly, I get so much satisfaction and relaxation out of it. I could watch it for hours. But when I hear that familiar popping or gurgling in the pipes, my heart starts racing and my stomach clenches. Guess I just have to focus on the good times and white-knuckle my way through the rough ones?

Have you tried to contact the manufacturer about the issue? They should be able to get ahold of a mechanical guy who can troubleshoot the noises. I expect some kind of noise, hum or water flow which I find soothing and relaxing. As long as my wife approves we are good!

 

[S2G]

I think as a long time hobbyist there are definitely times that interest gets low, especially when life in general gets heavy. Work, family and activities take up time. Money to spend can get tight, especially in this economy.

One thing I can say from me is that the hobby has filled a void I had. It's been a source of interest to me and by me reading and helping others achieve their dreams of a tank has enriched my life. A place of peace and accomplishment.

The other thing that I've learned is that through patience I can do what I want with a tank. Doesn't have to be a full blown reef right away. Planning and saving money to do what I want with it, going slow helps immensely. Having goals for what you want helps!

If it's all just become a burden to have, then there's nothing wrong getting out. If it's still a dream or gives you what you want, but it's just not there now, set goals to improve it and plan for the future.

I couldn't of said it better myself.

Your not the only one. I had money set aside for corals, to finish my stand, & canopy. Boom ruptured a tendon and emergency surgery. Now I have a bunch of med bills instead of extra tank money. Patience and perseverance.

 

[Terri Caton]

I don't have experience in this with fish tanks (not yet) but I'll tell you a story about when it did happen in my life and what I did about it. And I would apply this to my tank when/if needed.

I went to school full time for 8 years. No summer breaks, nothing. Then I spent 20 years in my career. OB/GYN medicine. I delivered babies. I took care of women. I helped women from pre-teens to post menopausal. I loved it.

But...it was a 100 hour a week job and after 20 years I was totally burned out. Had grown to hate it. This was very sad because I had worked so hard and had such a passion for it.

I thought about quitting. I Wanted to quit. I did quit. I decided to go to Guatemala for 3 months to study Spanish and then I'd figure out what I wanted to do when I got back. While there I met a nurse who worked in a rural clinic with the Mayan Indians. She invited me to come visit. I ended up staying for 4 years My job was to care for the pregnant and non-pregnant women of these rural villages. SUPER back to basics!

What happened? I fell in love with women's health all over again.

The moral of the story is when you feel overwhelmed and burned out go back to simple. Do the easy things that you love. Nothing wrong with that. You might even find that you have the energy again to go bigger.

I venture to say that you know now what you love about reefing and what you don't. Plan a tank around what you love and you will be happy in the reefing hobby again.

 

[WVNed]

People do all kinds of complex and cunning things with drains here. I am a simple person and only use 2 types. An open bulkhead on a full siphon drain with a valve or a standpipe on an emergency drain. The valve on the siphon controls how noisy the standpipe is.

Works every time.

 

[WVNed]

There is a lot of expectation here as to what a tank should look like. My tanks look like what I want them to look like and have things in them I am interested in and are easy to care for. Are they works of art. Nope, but that isn't really why I do this.

 

[ZoWhat]

C A F F E I N E

 

[All Mixed Up]

Typically when you're having problems with a bean animal overflow, it's to do with air in the line. Either the pipe is too low in the sump and not allowing air to escape, or the valve is open too wide and pulling air into the main drain.

Thr best thing I found is to do the following:

1. Turn off everything.
2. Mark the main drain line where the water level is with everything turned off
3. Cut the drain line about 1" below the mark you made. This allows the water level to drop after the return pump kicks back on and allows your drain line to purge any air and restart its siphon.
4. Are you using threaded caps? If so slightly unscrew the cap on the main drain line. This will also allow air to purge from the main line to help restart the siphon. I can adjust my main line just by adjusting this cap, without ever touching my gate valve.
5. Make sure the main drain and secondary drain are set at the same height in your overflow. if one is higher than the other, it can affect which line starts pulling water first.
6. Make sure the secondary line is airtight except for the airline you have threaded into the cap.

 

[vetteguy53081]

A N D

 

[schuby]

I know and also dislike the sucking noise. I have about 600 gph circulating from my DT to my sump.

I had intended to do a bean-animal overflow, but it was just too difficult to find the right fittings. I ended up with an overflow box with 3 drains, but each drain has a mini-standpipe (small piece of straight pipe). The first one is 1" higher than the bottom of the overflow box, the second is 2" higher, and the third is 3" higher. The water flows into the lowest(1") first and this is the drain on which I have a gate-valve.

My gate-valve is at the end of the drain pipe, right before it goes into my sump. I think this location for the gate-valve helps tremendously to prevent any sucking noise, after adjusting the valve to get a full siphon. There is at least 60" of drain pipe full of water. This gives me a big buffer in cases where my overflow isn't exactly smooth (wave-makers cause a lot of turbulence).

Where is your gate-valve located? Is it close to the overflow box (start of drain) or close to the sump(end of drain)?

 

[S2G]

A N D

I suggest hard liquor lol