I hate this hobby.

[Delphinus]

Does anyone have this.

I dread coming home from work every day to find out "what's happened now."

For the first time in two weeks I was excited to come home because I finally had gotten the nerve to try a new fish and took him home.

And I came home to find out that he swam into the anemone and suffered so much injuries he could not recover.

Anytime I get just a little tiny bit ahead, I am smacked right back down.

I can't think of the last time I thought I was having fun in this hobby. I can't take it anymore.

I hate this

[Aquattro]

Tony, I sit here trying to find something to say to boost your moral, but I also come home most days to find things worst than the day before

[Delphinus]

Yeah, I'm sorry. I wrote that in a fit of frustration.

I thought the worst moment in my reefkeeping was when I had a float valve fail and I woke up to find 50g of SW on my family room floor and the SG in the tank at 1.0000 SG. The carnage was bad. But, the losses suffered this year have been worse. They've just been spread out over months instead of one specific incident.

Hard lessons to learn, I think I just did my dissertion for my masters degree from the school of hard knocks.

We'll see where to go from here. I'm thinking "one tank" instead of "several." One tank but maybe witha backup refugium or something, and that's it.

[Beverly]

Tony,

Maybe one tank would suit you better. You've actually been through more crap in the last few months than I've had over the years, and I've had BAD stuff happen

None of my tanks have even been high tech, no sumps or refugiums to overflow, no auto top up things to foul up, only a skimmer that overflowed a few times.

When we set up out current three tanks, we vowed not to have anything outside our tanks that could make a mess. This means weekly water changes and other tedious maintenance, but for the most part, it is all working out well so far. While the BBs in the three tanks seem to take more maintenance, I think over the long run, we will be happy we made the change.

One good thing about the work involved in siphoning crud on a weekly basis is that my non-reef knowledgeable husband is working side by side with me on water change day. And, you know, it's brought us a little closer together and he now appreciates the love of the tanks the way I do.

Anyway, whatever you decide, please stay with the hobby in some form or other. You are a valuable member of this online community and I would truly be sad if you were to throw in the towel.

Take care.

[Bob I]

Hate the hobby , I don't think so. . It sounds very much like you need to become Ritteri free as quickly as possible.

[Delphinus]

Thanks guys. Don't worry I won't throw in the towel just yet; I still have a commitment to my other animals.

Don't know what to do with the ritteri; it's not like it can go into a typical tank. Very frustrating that this year it's turned into a monster after having been reasonably benign over the last several years.

[AJ_77]

Kind of like keeping a white Bengal tiger...




Hey don't forget - You're welcome to come over anytime and relax over a brew while we ponder the "simpler" paths to reefkeeping...
You just have to be happy with mediocrity.

(oh, and can I buy yer reactor if yer done with it? ...ay?)

[EmilyB]

No way is it like that. It is rewarding most every day, and I demand perfection the rest. I feel bad for complaining about some cyano.

But I spend a lot of time making sure things are okay. I don't really have a life......I know you are always busy Tony. Maybe it is a priority thing?

[Doug]

Your not alone ther Tony.

Although my tank is not having any problems at the moment, I still feel that way. As I have said before, the couple years of fighting flatworms and such, has just taken the wind from my sails. Seems hard to get it back, despite what direction I go.

Its funny that three of the mods feel this way. Guess its partly because we are all "seasoned" aquarists.

I have to agree with Bev,s line of thought. SIMPLE. However its hard to do regular water changes and siphon in a large tank like mine. Again part of the problem. When I down sized before, I still used most of the same equipment, likely my downfall. So I went large again but thats solved nothing.

So, short of leaving the hobby, I like Bev,s idea. But not multiple tanks for me. Something that can run on a large power filter for circulation, use one of my single 175w pendants, no skimmers, no reactors, no huge pumps. Regular weekly water changes should fit the bill.

Seemed when I worked for a living, time was a concern, thus limiting my tanks sizes and such. Now, one needs to watch the budget, but more time.

I read on many of the boards, about many seasoned aquarists going through the same. I sometimes think we get burnout, caused by all the high tech. equipment, thats supposed to make it easier. And of course, then replacement costs. Seems you do everything perfect, then comes along problems like Brad, Tony, Steve and others have had, just to mention a few. It eventually has to play on your nerves.

Anyways, Tony, I still think there are ways to still enjoy the hobby, with less frustrations.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Flatlander

I still think there are ways to still enjoy the hobby, with less frustrations.

I'm thinking that real cool reef aquarium screensaver for Windows XP!!

I just woke up to another RTN'ed coral. Adds a nice white touch to the tank