Getting out of the hobby.

[Leah]

Why lol!!!!!

[Pier Pressure]

I am in the process of getting out of the hobby as we speak. I have sold my fish and corals and am blacking out my tank to kill off the hair algae growth. I am getting out for four reasons: (1) $$$ it costs a fortune; (2) too much time and effort is required; (3) tired of fighting algae and other such nuisance stuff; and (4) I, too, do not want to spend money on something that is depleting natural coral reefs. I still enjoy hanging out on the forum and seeing everyone's beautiful tanks and creatures but after I sell what I have left I cannot see getting back into it being in my future.

[whatcaneyedo]

I havent really noticed too many people getting out of the hobby where I live. The big change is that not many people are getting into it. Back in 2006 I think there were 4 people setting up tanks over 200gal in PG and I think only 1 person has done that since. Many of the people around here who have been getting out of the hobby are those who just recently tried to rush into it without taking enough time to let things mature or researching enough.

For two of the six years that I've had a reef tank I've been a student living under the poverty line with little free time. So sometimes I have a tough time believing that people cant afford or dont have time for this hobby. Maybe they cant afford a 100+ gallon tank but nanos are relatively inexpensive and dont require a lot of time.

[Pier Pressure]

Well, whatcaneyedo I simply listed my reasons for leaving the hobby. Any reef tank is a commitment of time and money and once you lose interest you might as well get out of it.
I actually got a DVD set for Christmas (Undersea Explorer) and it is horrible how people rape the natural reefs for a profit. I don't want to contribute to that whatsoever.

[Pier Pressure]

Another thing - we should have researched more before we got into salt. We were big into freshwater and did very well at it. When we got into reefs we were too willing to take advice at the stores - causing us to buy creatures we could not possibly maintain and then watching them die. That really took a lot of the fun out of it for me. We have of course gotten smarter about it but I truly lost enthusiasm within the first year.

[Mr.nintendo]

Originally Posted by Pier Pressure

Well, whatcaneyedo I simply listed my reasons for leaving the hobby. Any reef tank is a commitment of time and money and once you lose interest you might as well get out of it.
I actually got a DVD set for Christmas (Undersea Explorer) and it is horrible how people rape the natural reefs for a profit. I don't want to contribute to that whatsoever.

It's shocking the methods and destruction used... not to mention people buying set-ups and not having the full drive and commitment necessary to care for their tank. Fish and reptiles are treated like disposible pets by some people and it feeds this industry, hence why even with me taking the utmost care of my tank I have trouble supporting any suppliers or LFS

[Pier Pressure]

I sure hear you on that. I made sure all of my fish and corals had a good home. They moved from my little 28 gallon into a 120 gallon set up so that probably feels like the ocean to them by comparison!

[whatcaneyedo]

That is something I can definitally understand. If you're not 100% into keeping a saltwater tank then its really not worth it. I vividly remember every single specimen that I've killed and if it wasnt for the fact that I've become much better at keeping things alive I certainly wouldnt be in the hobby anymore either. Fortunitally I often have a lot of free time between jobs to read and play with my tanks.