What do you think the ratio is??

afamousjohnson · Mar 16, 2013

I have seen a lot of tanks going dry and peeps dropping out of the hobby/or sitting stand by lately(at least in my area). You figure it takes a good year to get over your 1st humps in the hobby and by that time of decided you are going to make it through all that lie ahead because you gotta and they will be there.

So what do you think the ratio is of people experimenting in the hobby that make it past the 1st year mark. Lets make the example group 5 people.

And lets get more in depth by bringing the 1-5 year hobbiest into the polls also.

From what I've seen that in new tanks&thier owners coming up on their 1 year mark I would have to say the ratio from staying with it, or getting out at: 2 out of 5

And the 1-5 year I would put at 3 to 4 out of 5. (4 out of 5 on a temporary basis)

The 1st year is hard but when you make it past that its reason enough to keep it going in one direction or another. I would say the majority of the in it to win it #'s on 1-5 years have found ways to automate/make life with the system easier and in turn making the decesion to keep going easier as well- while the # going in the other direction has usually had a "life changing-or In life" event that has brought on the dry spell. Face it after a year you love to love it and you love to hate to love it

So what do you think for 1 out of 5 people for
Up to a year and
Success through 1-5 years

How about the ratio for people that drop out after making it past 1 year and than coming back...? I would have to put that equal with the #'s that make it past the 1 year mark but a deffinet 4 out of 5. SaltWater gets into the veins.

Zack · Mar 16, 2013

It's been a year for me and I'm in deep and can't get enough! Saltie for life!

Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

revhtree · Mar 19, 2013

BUMP for a good thread!

Swordfish215 · Mar 19, 2013

fallout ratio, ultimately, 80%......

PaulKreider · Mar 19, 2013

I just recently made it past the one year mark, the next big challenge is moving the tank :cry:

fragmatic · Mar 19, 2013

I see two underlying reasons.... oops make that three...
> too much challenge during the first several months
> too expensive
> after all the challenge to get it going, then after it gets balanced and everything running smoothly, comparably it gets too boring but cost a considerably amount of $$ and work to keep in display condition.

I think most people get into reefing for the challenge and/or for the show off of skills to friends.
For me it is all about the challenge.. friends don't have enough of a clue to be impressed to the point of any reasonable personal reward value.

I have no idea of the drop out %, but expect it is higher than one would think. Many will drop out quietly.

cdness · Mar 19, 2013

I am at the 7 year mark and I am still going strong looking towards the next big upgrade...

I would say though if you can get through the first two years you are good to go.

afamousjohnson · Mar 20, 2013

Looks like another one bites the dust in the way of selling off their system rather than dry storage as planned. Always sad news. Im sure a lot of factors play in but +1 on the big two(not so much 3, as by than hopefully they have learned to keep it exciting for themselves, and allowed themselves to evolve with the tank needs-but I guess your right that it could easily play a factor in dropping out)
1-to much $ and not feeling the reward
2-problems within the 1st year and a feeling of inadaquecy in solving them.

I would say a huge factor in the "success" rate is the movement peeps make to help their tank self sustain. Anyone can only carry buckets of water for so long before they make it better or give up. for ex. I hear people hating on the process of their WC-and a simple answer would be to make it easier for yourself. Got mine down from "what a hassle" to about 3-5minutes flat-Its been a huge saver on maitenence up keep which in turn brings me more pleasure within the tank itself. Hmmm gives me another good idea for a great thread to put up today.

ntime60 · Mar 20, 2013

Looking around at my local area. 20 years ago fish keeping both fresh and salt were very popular. Reefing was for the hard core serious aquarist. I did it for the challenge then. Looking at the available shops here and the number of people reefing has declined considerably and prices of supplies are significantly higher. The support system/ecosystem isn't what it used to be.

My decision to get back into a decent sized tank and to reef specifically comes from my last reef tank. May my old 55 rest in peace. An ice storm stuck and we lost power for 2 weeks. I watched it die. I went fresh for several years after that and raised Cichlids, before selling everything with my last home 6 years ago.

I miss reefing, there is a certain level of pride in creating a tank that thrives. That feeling of success is addictive. The awe others express at the sight of a well designed tank is simply priceless.

A devastating loss drives people away after they invest significant outlays of cash and themselves into their tank(s).

I think the ratio of people that stick with it is very low. Maybe 1 in 10.

For me it is a labor of love. I love life in its many forms, especially sea life.

Tphill · Mar 21, 2013

I've been keeping saltwater fish on and off for about 15 years, but just recently got into corals, zoas and palys and mushrooms to this point. Once I get my 75g up and running I'll be looking to do more LPS in there. From my perspective, in my area, I can see why alot of other people might not make it past the first year (hopefully not me included!).
First, there really aren't any LFS in the area that sell z's & p's,(beginner corals) or not any that look like the pics online. They sell tiny tiny little brown or green zoas, at $40-50 for a 10-15 polyp rock.
Second, when you purchase from online vendors, you generally get tiny frags for a considerable amount of money. Then you try to purchase frags from individuals through the forums, they want to charge $50 shipping for a $20 frag!!
Lastly, from my personal experience from reefers in the area that have been in it for a while, most of the ones I've met either in person or online have been, well, rather rude. There have been a couple of exceptions to that, but only a couple.
It just gets very frustrating, especially if you loose a frag or two and get told it will be made up (if you purchase more) but never does.

Again, this is my opinion based on my experience in the past several months. I will be setting up my 75g and will just try and find better online vendors.

Rikerbear · Mar 21, 2013

I started in the hobby back in the late 70's with FO tanks. Than got out for a few years, oly to be dragged back in with the 'new' tech and the hope of an easier go of it, and with healthier critters.
I got back out of the hobby because of the expense.
Now that I am back into it yet again and this time really trying for a nice reef tank I again see how the tech and all the differing opions can confuse and annoy those new to the hobby.
So many people say "You HAVE to do such and so"....or others "You never want to do such and so....." and all it does it confuse and bewilder.

I know what works for one may or may not work for another, simply because of all the variables involved....but I sure wish there was a better concensus for the new poeple to follow. Especially when it comes to the tech gadgets available.

coolfish5 · Mar 21, 2013

The availability of good livestock locally has been a challenge for me. I have kept Reef for 12 years over multiple tanks and moves. I did break down and sell off everything before we moved here, but mostly just due to the risk of loosing everything in transport. I would think once people get past the first year or two they are less likely to give up. I'm in a college town though and so many students are only here for maybe 4 years so tanks get set up and broken down and people come and go from the local hobby quite frequently. Many do keep and set their tanks up after they move though.

I do think the biggest portion of drop out hobbyists would have to be freshwater, no experience with fish at all type. There are plenty of small freshwater tanks with less than 6 months to a year of use that end up for sale at garage sales and on Craigslist. Lack of success early can be a big reason for people to leave the hobby. Perhaps this is less common with salt water, or reef, due to more time and money invested to get to this point and often previous experience.

Gregory · Mar 21, 2013

I guess I am one of the 1 year people you are talking about. I have had many fresh water tanks but a little over a year ago I decided to set up a saltwater tank. I bought a used reef ready 110 gal tank. Did a lot of reading on the Internet. I got a lot of my information from this forum. I didn't join until recently. I just read a lot about what other people were doing. I built my own sump/refuge. Of all the reading I took two pieces of advise to heart. First take it slow. Very slow. Second is a saying I ran across. The solution to pollution is dilution. Meaning if something is going wrong do a water change. After making it through the cycle process. Then the diatom algae take over. My tank settled in fine and has been stable for about 10 months. Now I am in the process of upgrading I bought a used oceanic 200 gal oceanic reef ready tank. I have built my own 75 gal sump/refug. I now have everything ready to move to the 200g. I hope I don't kill much in the move. I have to break down the 110 to put up the 200 up where the 110 is. I hope my critters like new 55 gal trash cans for several hours. I have found more challenge in saltwater than I ever had in fresh water. I guess since I am up grading I'm in it for the long run.

Rikerbear · Mar 21, 2013

Awesome tank Gregory! I hope you do a build thread with your new 200 gal

SeymourDuncan · Mar 22, 2013

Every time a reefer quits a noob gets his tank. And reason for quitting.

I do tons of local trades on Craigslist and run into a lot of the victims of a whole tank buy from a person who had a bad enough time to give up.

Then there are the reef builders that move, that's the good stuff.

To answer the ratio question I would say 3 out of 5 do not stay in the hobby.
and to elaborate a but: 2 in 5 stay at it for long times while 1 in 5 do stay in at around the hobby but never have kept a tank for reasons deeper than water so to speak.

I think.

jt17 · Mar 22, 2013

20 years ago my 125 gal FOWLR crashed after a power outage and it broke my heart. I sold off everything but I never stopped loving fish tanks. Whenever I would see a tank I couldn't stop watching it and dreaming about one at home. Last year I floated the idea of a tank to my wife and she said OK! The rest is reef junkie history. My point is some come back if they truly love it. I think if you love the science of maintaing clean water and creating and maintaining an ecosystem, then you'll succeed and want to continue. Everyone loves to watch a fish tank but who enjoys cleaning a sump or skimmer cup? its the routine maintenance thats required for success but we dont think of that during the excitement of buying the first tank. Like any hobby, the more time you devote to it and the more knowledge you gain, the more successful you will be. And like most hobbys its not for everyone.