who has success?

[Melina]

I've been reading some old threads about why people get out of the hobby & sell all their stuff. It seems a lot of people run into problems with their tanks and give up. As someone who is just about to start, I would like to hear something positive. Are there people out there who set up a tank and have enjoyed success? I know it's an expensive hobby. I know there will be a lot of challenges. But I need to hear that it's worth it, and what lies ahead of me is more than just frustration, desperation and hopeless surrender. Are there people out there who have stuck with the hobby for years and have maintained and enjoyed healthy tanks? I need to hear from you!

[albert_dao]

Some Canreefers I can think of who've maintained gorgeous tanks for years:

Snappy
Fudge
Me (kind of, tank at the back of the store has been running for well over two years now)
Sprinter (don't even know how old Al's tank is, but carbon dating should give a fairly accurate estimation)
Clubreef has had his tank for little over a year now and I don't see any chance of it going south barring a remote disaster
I believe Beverly had her tanks running for a while before she shut them down to pursue a different direction in her life; they were very nice

I'm sure other's will chime in. What it boils down to, though, is your access to information, patience, discipline and planning.

[Chaloupa]

I've had my 65g reef up since October of 2004, it did have it's ups and downs for the first 6 months but it is the easiest tank to care for and is gorgeous now....maintenance is simple on it too. It's an LPS and softie tank. My first coral was a nice frogspawn, I paid 90$ for it, had 5 (yes I said 5) heads on it.....I have just fragged it into 4 pieces...the main coral is still in my tank with over 10 heads, I have a second coral in my 150 with 10 heads, I sold several frags of 2-5 heads just recently...it has paid for itself many times over and it allowed me to learn and make mistakes (it was very forgiving!)

My 120g FOWLR has been up since February of 2006...it had it's share of trouble too but totally my error and now is easy as can be to have up and running...simple maintenance is the key for this one also

My 150g is new since February 2007....and has been quite enjoyable all along...I'm sure I'll have some trouble with it at some point...but it's great, growing and healthy. I'm seeing growth on my SPS already and I'm really really happy.

[marie]

I have had at least 1 saltwater tank since '92. I liked to think I have been successful

[blaster]

Its funny because i think of all the bad luck i have with equipment breakdowns,i should leave the hobby.I seem to get the fluke defective equipment.Now i'm stressed because i can't get the rock to look right.800 dollars in premo frags sitting on eggcrate stands.

[Delphinus]

Albert ... you've got to be kidding, you can't count that tank in the store as "a gorgeously maintained tank over the years".

Since you seemed to have completely forgotten about ME (which I'm sure was just a complete oversight, after all, I'm sure you don't really think of my tanks and accomplishments in the hobby over the last ten years as insignificant ), I'll have to toot my own horn, despite that it goes against everything I believe in .. I've been in the hobby for ten years now, and ...

Oh stow it, never mind. Those who have seen my tanks say they're nice. I think they're nice. That's enough for me. As for the original question ... anything worth doing is surely going to present a challenge sooner or later. You just have to learn when to roll with the ups and downs. Of course success is possible, most of us acheive it in some form or another (and possibly don't even realize it). Just recognize that nothing last forever, focuses and interests change, the time one can commit can change, and it causes us to change things around. Don't take the number of people "selling everything" as discouragement, we don't always know the circumstances. Maybe they just learned that they're about to give birth to triplets (this happened to a friend of mine, for real ) and they've had to adjust their routine somewhat. The problem is that the reef hobby tends to be equipment-rich - and by that I mean - you tend to soak up a lot of savings for the equipment - so even if you're going to take a break, sometimes it makes more sense to "divest your investments back into liquidity" rather than sit on a bunch of equipment.

I love the hobby - even with the ups and downs - I would miss it. So, even though there are times I challenge my involvement in it - I'm still here. I hope that as you embark on your reef journey that you get as obsessed with it as the rest of us

[Doug]

Saltwater since before many of you were born. I have been keeping reefs since 1990. Had many great tank success. Just change my tanks to much.

Definetely times its enough to drive one crazy, which is when I suspect many leave. The rest of us keep on trudging along.

[michika]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Since you seemed to have completely forgotten about ME (which I'm sure was just a complete oversight)

I have to pipe up here, his tanks are beautiful! Granted its been a couple of years, but still I was blown away two years ago when I was there to collect frags.


On another note, I've been around since 2004, not a significant time by any means, but I've had a pretty smooth ride for the most part. I've upgraded from a 29 all the way to a 230g, and now I've temporary downgraded to a 25g. I love the hobby, and the best part about it was being able to sit at my table and just watch my tank, very rewarding, calming, and addictive.

[Captainhemo]

I too have been "in" the hobby since '04 and my tanks have had their ups and downs. I have been through some horrible health issues which have led to some periods of neglect for my tank but it is still going. I'm currently working at reviving it to its previous state.
I could have very ealsily just packed it up and given up on this hobby but it is far too rewarding to do that.
Three suggestiions to anyone starting out would be to go SLOW, read lots (there is sooo much information out there), and most of all, enjoy your reef !!

[RicePaddy]

I began reefing September 2006 and would never look back. At least once a week I learn something new about my tank. To date I have only had minor problems that have all been solved or in the process of being solved. I started very slowly with my only problems being black spot on my yellow tang (problem solved) and hitchikers on my live rock which I am in the process of taking care of. My sons loves watching me set traps in the tank and we just caught a rock crab yesterday and is now a pet in a tank of his own. The kids called him "Rocky". Once I am satified that my hitchiker problem is under control, I will be buying some hard corals. I cannot wait.

Oh, and you cannot discount the friendships you make during your journey. I have met many individuals on this site and have had very good sound advise from many a reefer.

In summary, I am one happy reefer.

Will