Was it worth it in the end

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Yup, I agree with most of these comments about not selling at this point unless feeding/housing yourself becomes an issue.

You can sell off some of your extra equipment that you no longer need & use that towards upkeep costs.

In the past, it is usually when I no longer am able or have the interest in keeping my pets that I end up selling things off & sending my pets to a better home. This, however, does not sound like the case for you. You still get enjoyment out of your fishies, so hunker down, cut spending to a minimum, but maintain the tank. It may help keep your sanity.

Just my $.02.

Anthony

[my2rotties]

I am not going to lie, my situation is quite dire at the moment. I am still hanging in there. I never turned the halides on yesterday and left the T5s on. However my T5s are over a year old now and need to be replaced. The tank is not costing anything at the moment if you know what I mean, but it does need new T5s. I went through the entire system the other day and everything else is running properly. All my corals died over the summer (neglect and lack of funds, as well as flat worms). My fish all thrive and grow... and that is what matters the most to me in this hobby.

I guess if I started having issues with dying fish, I would pull the plug on this entire thing. That would be the last nail in the coffin so to speak.

I know I would NEVER recover a dime if I sold everything. I know my fish would be quite a score for someone, but I had already told Tony that I would GIVE him my Achilles of he wanted him. The fish are pets and I am not worried about recovering funds of any kind for them. I would sooner hand pick homes for the hard to keep fish and know they are happy and thriving some where else.

Thankfully it has not come to this just yet. My tank will be impossible to remove from the house on many levels... I don't want a disaster and tank shut down seem terrifying. I am very proud of my tank and the livestock, and am trying to hang in there. I just wanted to know if you all kicked yourself in the butt for ever selling out. I see it happen and then you guys start all over again.

I can honestly say I could never afford to do this again. This was my one and only shot. It started with a run down 44g and went to the 260g. I still wish I could have gone bigger sometimes...

Thanks everybody!!!

[fishoholic]

I can't imagine my house without my tanks I love my fish and the space the tanks sit in would be depressing to look at without them there. Even when I had the marine velvet outbreak I still wanted to keep my tanks, because I couldn't imagine life without them. Besides the little $$ we'd recoup from selling everything compaired to what we paid for it would so not be worth it.

If it means putting food on the table or buying a bucket of salt for the tank then yes (although horrible to think of) you should shut it down. However if there is anyway you can afford the salt and costs of power per month (which is about $70-100) then you should keep it. You love your fish and I think you would feel sad anytime you went into your office area and looked over and didn't see your beautiful tank sitting there.

[my2rotties]

Yes you are right... plus I like the sound of the tank, and when we have had blackout the house was way too silent without the sound of water running.

I guess I will have to buy cheap salt at Big Als for now...

Originally Posted by fishoholic

I can't imagine my house without my tanks I love my fish and the space the tanks sit in would be depressing to look at without them there. Even when I had the marine velvet outbreak I still wanted to keep my tanks, because I couldn't imagine life without them. Besides the little $$ we'd recoup from selling everything compaired to what we paid for it would so not be worth it.

If it means putting food on the table or buying a bucket of salt for the tank then yes (although horrible to think of) you should shut it down. However if there is anyway you can afford the salt and costs of power per month (which is about $70-100) then you should keep it. You love your fish and I think you would feel sad anytime you went into your office area and looked over and didn't see your beautiful tank sitting there.

[banditpowdercoat]

Originally Posted by my2rotties

Yes you are right... plus I like the sound of the tank, and when we have had blackout the house was way too silent without the sound of water running.

I guess I will have to buy cheap salt at Big Als for now...

What's wrong with IO?? LOL

[my2rotties]

I use IO all the time, but pay more else where since I don't like to shop at Big Als for numerous reasons... now I have to save the money regardless...

Originally Posted by banditpowdercoat

What's wrong with IO?? LOL

[lastlight]

I should add that if I thought I could afford to run a big tank in the future I would have kept my high-end skimmer and light as they are simple enough to move. I know that no time in the near future if any can I see that happening so i fire-saled it all. The tank and stand had to go as my stresses at this time are huge,wanted to list and show my house asap and my new place has no space for something that large not can I move it myself.

I won't mind startup (again) with my small cube. I can take it wherever I go and won't have to give it all away.

If you can manage fish only I'd do it. But keep in mind a tank that size when you're under financial stress is not just a stress on the pocketbook. It has this... presence... in your life that could contribute other stresses. I know my relief was huge as I drained mine. You may possibly be more attached to yours since it has life in it...tho I had a long TIME into mine and still had no issues tearing it down. I think when priorities change you will thank yourself for lowering the priority or removing it...if all along maybe it was a little too high on your list and you always knew it.

This is just me tho =) I hope you get you situation under control.