The dearth of spirited discussion

[squibege]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

I used to frequently obsess over this hobby but lately I feel almost a bit pushed away from it, and one huge driver is the sheer cost of things compared to a decade ago. Whereas in the early days, there were lots of expensive things, there were also a lot of DIY attitudes and experimentation that made things fun. I don't seem to see a lot of that cowboy'ing anymore?

Now everytime I see a new product, first of all, there's pressure to "preorder" it before it's even hit the market; and odds are good that whatever it is, I can't afford it anyhow. Part of it is my own station in life, have kids now, other expenses other priorities etc. but my own subjective feel is that it just costs more now.

As a newbie I'm scared to attempt to DIY stuff.The fear of harming my tank is greater than my disappointment at shelling out $$. I saw a post on how to build a skimmer from an air stone and a waterbottle. I would WAY rather do that than spend a couple hundred bucks- but I don't trust being able to figure our how its working for my tank. Purchasing something a fancy company has poured R&D into just seems 'safer' even if it is way less fun.

Money is what has kept me at bay from starting up this hobby for years.