Feeling Defeated After 18 Years in the Hobby

[bakbay]

Sorry man — we’ve all been here before and this hobby teaches patience and humility. I’ve recently lost all my prized angels after spending $15k+ on a new tank & equipment. I can definitely relate to the emotional stress, time wasted, and financial hit. However, I’m confident that things will pan out over time, they always do. Proof: I was struggling to keep SPS alive before — spent thousands on frags and equipment. It was very frustrating. Now I have a an overgrown 150g SPS tank and I’m struggling to frag these sticks! lol

It’s a learning experience and we have to embrace these challenges and improve. I’ve been in this hobby for more than 30 years and looking forward to another 30+ years.

Happy Reefing!

 

[wjm6449]

Overwhelmed by the responses and support, thank you so much to this amazing community.

Honestly if you get back yon your feet I think a lot of us would be happy to donate frags to you to get you going again. While it’s not the same it does soften the losses. Honestly I get more joy out of seeing small frags turn into huge colonies then just having huge colonies.

 

[DanConnor]

Never give up.

Here in the rural northeast land of ice and snow, we have 8 hour outages several times a year and I have been through a number of 5+ days. I got by with a gasoline generator until last year I finally bit the bullet and got a propane whole house generator. Now when the power goes out I hardly notice. Cost about 12k installed though. I'm keeping the gasoline generator too- just in case.

Regarding your original post- if you continue you can go simpler. Nobody needs a controller, for example, unless you are on the road half the time. I sell at frag swaps and hang out there with a lot of coral growers. Practically everyone uses what would be described as "old school" simple systems.

 

[Brian916]

I am sorry to hear about the circumstances and your losses. That sucks!

I will take the less popular position and say that maybe it is time for a break? We all hit a wall sometimes with this hobby. It is often too hard/expensive for the rewards. Maybe go FOWLR or even freshwater. Or maybe you are just feeling like you are "Done with Fish"?

Clean all of your gear nicely and put it in storage. It will mostly still work if you decide to come back to reefing, but maybe you will find that the extra bit of free time and reduced responsibility is a welcome change.

Good luck!

 

[zen]

Feeling Defeated After 18 Years in the Hobby

I’ve been in the reefing hobby for roughly 18 years, and right now, I’m feeling like I’ve reached my breaking point. Over the years, I’ve poured my heart, soul, and a lot of money into my 265-gallon reef tank. From top-of-the-line LED lights, skimmers, wave-makers, chiller, reef mat, and battery backups, (you name it, I got it) to constantly staying on top of water parameters and upgrades, I’ve always tried to give my tank the best. But despite all my efforts, it feels like I’m losing this battle.

The recent hurricane that hit Georgia knocked out my power, and to my devastation, one of my battery backup failed when I needed it most. I’ve lost 80% of my fish and corals, including clownfish I’ve raised from fry for over 15 years. These were fish I watched hatch and grow. Losing them hit me harder than I expected.

I’ve gone through a lot in this hobby: just about any disease possible, mass fish losses, algae outbreaks, and even palytoxin poisoning that landed my family and me in the ER. But this… this is different. After all these years, it feels like no matter how much I invest and prepare— time, money, energy — there are still so many things out of my control. And it’s tough to come to terms with that. I've spent thousands on equipment that is simply not good. Reef mat motor broke after a few months, Apex Trident NP (I'm on my second one) that can't seem to measure Po4 correctly to save it's life, Eco Tech LEDS that can't manage to stay in sync with one another, eco tech battery back up that literally can't do the only job it has when the power goes out.

Now, I’m sitting here wondering if I still have it in me to keep going. I love this hobby, but the emotional and financial toll of this latest loss has left me feeling defeated. Has anyone else gone through something like this? How do you pick up the pieces and decide whether to rebuild or walk away? I’m genuinely torn and could really use some advice and perspective from those who understand the struggles.

Thanks for reading and for any guidance you can offer.

I'm sorry to hear about your losses. Someone in our local club went through this a few months ago. He posted about his experiences and was debating throwing in the towel. By sharing with local enthusiasts, he gained a lot of encouragement and support. Some people even donated coral and fish and in-person help. Reach out to people around you and don't give up if this is something you love.