what keeps you going?

[The Guy]

I was getting to feel like I was too tied down and so I decided to shut down my frag tank and only look after and enjoy my 90 Gallon reef tank. After trying fragging I decided I was not very good at it and didn't like messing up the corals in the 90 G scape.
I often sit in front the tank and just watch all the different things that go on, which I enjoy a lot. So sit back and take the time to admire what you have and keep your tank going.

[IanWR]

When I hear you talking about your mixed emotions about shutting down your tank, I couldn't help but think about pre-breakup thoughts, especially in a long term relationship. Feelings of being stuck, resenting and procrastinating some basic interactions, guilt and sorrow at even contemplating leaving, etc.. Ideally you should love what you do with your time. People rarely get to have that with work, but our personal relationships and our hobbies can and should be uplifting and supportive not a source of angst and a drain on our emotions and our energy.

If we were talking about a relationship, you would have been dating a guy for 3 years but considering breaking up for more than a year. It can be hard to break up, especially if the other party is not a jerk. They've done nothing wrong, nothing much has changed, but you just aren't feeling it like you used to. Well all the new outfits, weekend getaways, special dinners, and whatever else you can think of to rekindle the flame aren't likely to fix it. Sometimes the best for both parties is a clean break, even if it is very painful in the short run.

The good news is we aren't talking about another human, we are talking about a hobby. You can chose to shut down your tank and put it in storage and see if you get the urge to restart. If that hasn't happened in a year or 2, then you can sell off everything and move on. But don't keep throwing time and money at something that is adding stress to your life. Much as it can feel like it at times, keeping saltwater aquaria is not a religion, a way of life, a marriage - it is a hobby. Don't make it more (or less) than it is. As one human to another, I want for you to be happy. If keeping your tank can make you happy, great! If not, stop it and find something that does.

- Ian

[MMAX]

Sounds like me in the summer time. I always take a break from this site and my tank when the weather turns nice. I got real bad last year, so bad I hadn't scraped the glass in a couple of months. When I did, my fish were so scared cause they hadn't seen my in a long ass time. The amazing thing was I run almost a strictly sps tank. When the glass was clean, I couldn't believe the growth of some of them. They were massive. I don't know if I just got lucky or if they needed to go through that.