[zhenya]

Chuck!

Willingness to learn is also very important factor. Information is out there but sometimes I wonder if people are really interested to read articles that we link to because some of them come right back and ask the same question again as if the link to the helpful article wasn't helpful at all. I guess the patience thing didn;t settle in as yet when people are more interested in the instant answer and not in getting ahead by reading the whole article.

[leebca]

Gene,

A very astute observation. Twenty or so years ago books on the hobby did pretty well in sales. Now, almost 10% are sold compared to then. Several LFSs in my area have had the same books on their shelves for years without any customer buying any, yet they 'run through' five new hobbyists every week!

Chuck has some good points and I appreciate your input, Chuck. That is where these kinds of forums are of great value. But the other part of the 'contract' is that the one asking has to do some homework.

[weez1959]

I've been at this for one year next week and I'm still learning, I think I'm finally past bugging Lee with fish diseases as I've had my share and I think I have it under control now
I think quitting might have a lot to do with the LFS like Chuck said, they are rarely there to really help especially if there's an expensive piece of useless equipment to be sold. Some will purposely sell you something that will cause your tank to go wrong just to make more sales down the line (ex. cute widdle baby trigger to go in your peaceful reef tank)
I learned this on the first day when the guy who sold me my start up equipment had me buy a Fluval and crushed coral...

[zhenya]

Louise,

Unfortunately some of the LFS empoyees are less informed than the starting out hobbyists, so, holding them responsible sometimes doesn't quite fit the bill.

I've seen some of the kids that work there that couldn't tell a difference between zoanthids and Aiptasia. And one time I found one of them writing on the glass that certain "polyp rock" were for sale at $79.99 each. When I pointed out that it is Majano anemones on those rocks, and they are quite a pest, he looked at me as if I came down from a moon to specifically make his day miserable...

[seahorse7]

It does get frustrating when you add a new fish that costs quite a bit and the next day it is fish food for the others. I think some people think you set up add fish and that's the end. Tank duty is an every day issue. So you have to be dedicated or you do end up quitting. It took me 9 times before I finally had seahorse fry survive. I did get alot of help from internet. The company that sold me my first seahorses were very unwilling to offer any help.

[leebca]

Lest we forget. . .It is the LFSs that get people into the hobby, albeit sometimes misdirecting. The vendors are the means to getting more involved in the hobby. Not surprisingly, they are responsible for many who quit!

[SPasse]

Hi All,

Some of us also hit periods in our life where they don’t have time and/or spare financial resources for this hobby.

I personally am in the longest “dry spell” of not having a running system since I was 10 years old.

Regards,

Scott

[Reefland]

Well that's just all the more reason to get one set up then Scott. If nothing else perhaps you could find the time for a small nano to enjoy.

[leebca]

Equipment has become more and more sophisticated and to some extent. . .unnecessary. It is often forgotten that FO tanks were the standard 25 years ago. They were run with undergravel filters, no skimmers, and a mechanical filter. Lighting was just to see the fish. A used 100 gallon tank setup could be gotten for under $100 then, which would be more like $250 now.

There are also a lot of do-it-yourself opportunities in the hobby, if the aquarist is so inclined.

When the hobby moved on to live rock, then came the skimmer. As it moved on to hard corals, then came reactors, hi-tech lighting and higher electric bills!

I think some leave the hobby (the point of this thread) because they get advice they need more and more equipment or $$$ additives. There's that ol' conflict of sales vs. reality.

[weez1959]

Originally Posted by Frag Hag

Maybe the main reason people leave the hobby, is the same reason why there are so many dogs and cats at the animal shelters.
Shay

I don't remember where I read this but I read that a woman got rid of a cat she had for about 5 years because it (the poor cat) didn't match with her decor anymore!

Originally Posted by zhenya

Louise,
Unfortunately some of the LFS empoyees are less informed than the starting out hobbyists, so, holding them responsible sometimes doesn't quite fit the bill.
I've seen some of the kids that work there that couldn't tell a difference between zoanthids and Aiptasia. And one time I found one of them writing on the glass that certain "polyp rock" were for sale at $79.99 each. When I pointed out that it is Majano anemones on those rocks, and they are quite a pest, he looked at me as if I came down from a moon to specifically make his day miserable...

You have a point there, I've seen a few of those guys at Big Al's in Montreal.
But I have heard my share of baloney from seasoned aquarists/LFS owners.
My Daughter was one the those quitters, her biggest problem was stopping at the LFS after work and buying on impulse. Her first tank was a 20 gallon cube and she was assured that a small regal tang would be fine for a long time She also came home with a ritteri anemone (which killed my tank) for her 35 gallon and a porcupine puffer for her 50 gallon.

I would have to say being impulsive is a pretty good reason too!

[jackryan]

I think it would be a combination of different factors notable: patience level, how deep one's pocket is, the amount of time spent into the hobby, and the amount of focused and keen research one must invest into the hobby.

all these factors contribute eventually to a point in time, into a make-or-break kind of decision.

interestingly, the hobby should be more easier now given access to a lot of experienced reefers around the world at one's disposal via the internet and countless published materials such as books, etc from Amazon.com and the like.

PS. I also do wonder, where the old equipments and livestock of those who quit goes to... hopefully not in the landfills...

[leebca]

Here in the USA, used equipment is offered for sale. In fact, there are Forums set up just for those kinds of sales, not to mention a long listing in newspapers for equipment for sale by those who have quit or who have decided to get larger systems.

Although you'd think it would be easier with more informed people around. But what sometimes happens is that informed aquarists don't share similar views AND there are often many ways to setup a marine system. So the learning aquarist doesn't get just one answer, but up to several answers to the same question. This can make new aquarist very confused and frustrated.

I'm glad you posted! Hope to see you around here!

[jackryan]

Hi Lee!

Yes, I definitely agree. While access to data and information may be easier now, in a number of cases, it becomes more complex instead of simplified because of the differences in opinions, observations and practices --- almost like how politics and religions differ :-)

Cheers,
-JackRyan

[art_of_war]

All my tanks do well; I have some expensive fish and some even more expensive corals (both rare and common) but I'm not going to lie to you guys, Next year, I'm done with the hobby. It was fun but it's too expensive.

[leebca]

That would seem to be in your best interest. Some don't handle the costs well, although there are very inexpensive ways to keep aquariums. Most of us are not do-it-yourselfers.

[dendro982]

a large majority of them give up within 18 months. Why do you think they are quitting?

From personal experience (I'm trying to quit - or at least drastically downsize - every 5-6 months):
1. Tired
2. Bored.
3. Trying to get my life back
4. Nothing works as it was described, not much help on forums: who had the same problems - already quit, who answer at forums - have no such problems and can offer either generalizations and assumptions, or, when cornered, that they don't know, what my problem is
5. Money pit too, and pity to waste already spent thousands by quitting.
6. Impossibility of social networking by interests: some topics, like keeping non-photosynthetic corals and fine filter feeding invertebrates, are regularly silenced. In the same time, they are quiet about what will happen to the reef tanks at the first serious power failure in winter, if the generator is not affordable.
7. (6a) Making multitank setups good looking, taking less place and be well organized - a dream, when reality is a real pain in the neck.

Sincerely hope to find more tips on improvement, than critique

P.S. I did my research.

[Bullet]

This is an interesting thread. I think there are several factors involved here as to why so many people get out of the hobby. They've basically all been touched here. I personally think it has to do with money, impatience, lack of research, poor advice from the LFS,maintenance, ect.

[JRGumby]

I think a big part of it is that it can be frustrating, and I think the internet can make things a lot worse. It's so easy to just wander around on forums or ask the fish store guys, but the well written books out there are far and away superior to anything I've ever seen or gotten elsewhere (the Reef Aquarium Vol III is quite possibly the best guide I've ever read to anything). There's also a huge amount of contradiction, everyone saying their way is best. So actually getting a good set-up to start vcan be hard.

Once you've got a screwy set-up, bad things start to happen. With my nano, I was starting to go mad with the insane overgrowth of Caulerpa I had. I literally could nt keep it in check, and the only 'solutions' i tended to here were "bake your rocks start over." I actually ended up breaking the tank down for different reasons, as I was moving a lot at the time.

Finally, I think it's easy for new reefkeepers to see the photographs of amazing tanks online and think that they can have that in a year. It takes a huge amount of patience to get that kind of tank, and a lot of those hobbyists seem to be on their 4th or 5th set-up after decades of learning (not to mention thousands in livestock).

I loved my old tank, and I couldn't wait to set up a new one when I could. It's just that this is uncharted waters for almost everyone when they get started, since meeting fellow reefers and truly knowledgable fish store folks is rare. So when anything bad happens, you're kind of on your own. And then your huge investment of time, money, and dedication can fall apart all of the sudden.

With my set-up I had a leak I could not stop for almost 4 weeks. Every time I thought I'd fixed it it would start leaking a few days later. I eventually had to tear down the entire set-up, get a new sump drilled, and replumb half the system. It was... infuriating. And that was before I even had sand or fish!