"Getting Out of the Hobby"

[92Miata]

It sure doesn't help that all the major news/learning sources in the hobby are now vendor outlets and newbies get an enormous amount of nonsense advice, and tend to struggle.

People spending way more money than they need to and then still failing because they got set up to fail leads to churn.

 

[lynn.reef.nerd]

I think it's very regional. At least in NC it feels like a lot of people left/slowed down right around covid hitting, and there haven't been enough new people entering to replace those who exited.

Are you able to get data from local reef clubs in your area? I would be interested.
Are there more/less members in local facebook groups?

 

[Cthulukelele]

Are you able to get data from local reef clubs in your area? I would be interested.
Are there more/less members in local facebook groups?

The local reef club essentially vanished in 2020 when a staple local coral vendor closed to the public. It's not a great representation of overall trends--which is kinda my point about it being region specific

 

[Cincyreefer513]

Something I've noticed over the past 6-8 weeks while looking through local FB marketplace listings is a lot of tanks with notoriously mean fish in small tanks (ie damsels and dottybacks) and/or the tank is an absolute mess. Most of these people claim equipment is less than 1-1.5 years old. My speculation is either they bought the wrong fish due to lack of knowledge which turned their tank upsidedown or battling/waiting out the ugglies as well as the realization of time commitment scares most new people away. There have been several disgusting tanks that people say they don't have the time for, but have been running for several years.
Add the immense cost/increasing prices with the current economy and it weeds out more people of all skill levels.

One last thing from what I'm seeing. More people are willing to drop big $ on reefing stuff than a lot of the other expensive hobbies I'm into. Some of these hobbies were super easy to sell equipment in even a year ago, but now are very difficult or next to impossible even with prices being less than half for a practically new item. I'm not seeing reefing get hit quite as hard yet and honestly the Cincinnati/Dayton/Columbus area has a VERY strong reefing/aquarium in general base. This probably is why there are so many lfs around with new ones opening and hardly any closing.

 

[Genetics]

There are always people leaving the hobby. The recent inflation in the economy will certainly hurt a lot of people. Many downsize their hobby interests during recessions and what you are seeing is people getting out in anticipation of such event.

This hobby isn’t for everyone and the costs can well exceed any enjoyment. One of the largest disservices starting is not knowing how much planning is required upfront. The second is not understanding how important it is trying to limit nuisance algaes or pests during the initial phase or break in period. I think these two are the largest contributing factors in driving off new people.

Another issue I am noticing is the destruction of hobby oriented groups by Facebook. At the same time people listing on that site are not honest about what they are selling which can lead to much frustration. Out of four purchases on FB marketplace one was correct in description and that one was of the quality I came to love about this hobby.

 

[Nano sapiens]

Locally, we've had 3 long time reefers (10+ years) completely tear down and get rid of everything.

I think it's a sign of the times. I honestly think that we will see an abnormal uptick in folks leaving the hobby, mostly due to financial reasons.

As we saw in 2008/2009...

 

[LeannaBanana]

I don't want to create a social commentary here so take this for what it's worth..........

I feel like a lot of people started during/around COVID. People had more time on their hands and to a previous poster's point the economy was for the most part in good shape. I can include myself in that as I started the reef tank in my office when I was sent home to work full time. Granted, I was already an aquarist and have been for many years. COVID and working from home just gave me the push I needed to start a reef tank.

Now I can see where some of the COIVD folks that started weren't prepared for how much work and how much money reefing actually involves. Obviously I'm simplifying things but I think you saw an uptick in new reefers and are now seeing people get out because of cost and/or they don't have time to dedicate to the maintenance side of this hobby.

I fall into this in a way. We ran freshwater tanks for yeeaaars, and I always swore to my husband that I didn't want to get back into reefing (Had a tank and helped in our lab tanks in college) because of the time and money suck. Then COVID hit, we weren't traveling or doing any of our other social hobbies, so what's a few more tanks?!

I'm the opposite in that I keep adding MORE tanks, though. haha.

One thing that is a little frustrating, and part of the reason I stay more active here on R2R is the lack of resources in my community. There's no local reef club (that I've found via asking around and on FB searching), there were 2 LFS kinda close by, but one closed down (or maybe moved) and the other is TINY tiny, so I'm stuck with there, Petco, or a 60-90min commute one way if I want a decent fish store for shopping or general troubleshooting. If I didn't have R2R, I'd still know how to Google and look past some of the obvious sales pitch videos, but it would absolutely be more difficult.

 

[T-tank]

Has there been an uptick in people leaving the hobby or is it just me?

I haven't been in for long enough to see any sort of major trend, but for those who has been in for a while,
do you notice it?
Is it common?
What is causing the issue? Inflation?

Where do you see this uptick from ? For sale threads ?


Maybe just a conspiracy theory, but these “Get out of Hobby” sales get more click - frenzy. ….?

 

[Genetics]

Where do you see this uptick from ? For sale threads ?


Maybe just a conspiracy theory, but these “Get out of Hobby” sales get more click - frenzy. ….?

Getting out of hobby… selling hodgepodge
new never seen water… aquarium leaks
Used for six months… lucky if it’ll start

Did I miss any of the buzz lines?

 

[Tsquared]

This is an industry report found on line at this link. https://www.soocial.com/aquarium-industry-statistics/

The report really only focuses on dollars and not customers, units or transaction. A large portion of the expected revenue growth comes from the skyrocketing cost of livestock, raw materials, shipping and technology.

 

[Mateusz]

I think there are a multitude of reason that things seem to be in decline. I definitely notice it. Used to be easier to find interesting corals, now it's alot of the same stuff circling around.

I think one thing that really has never helped this hobby is the lack of clear explanation on how to do things in a straight forward manner. I was lucky to have known people already in this hobby who were old school and helped me to understand things, otherwise I would have been lost for a while. The amount of products that are thrown in your face can be extremely overwhelming.

Whatever company bought out BRS also has consolidated so many of what was previously separate companies, which consolidates alot of money in this hobby as well, which isn't good in my opinion.

Then there is the overall cost of stuff. For me to add 2 more radions on a 4ft tank is going to cost me $2000 for the lights, another like $200 for hanging kit stuff, and then you still have taxes too. Thats ALOT of money for just the lighting aspect, so it's not a very cheap hobby to get into. Powerheads, sump, pump, UV if you want it, skimmer, any reactors, filter socks, the list really goes on.

Going to Reef-A-Palooza this year was an eye opener to say something must be going on here as well, because it was incredibly lack luster, and pretty empty.

Hopefully things get better for the hobby....

 

[fish farmer]

It would be interesting to know the system size of people leaving the hobby. I would think if you invest a lot up front for a big system you may be more inclined to tough it out longer or just go FOWLR.

Small AIOs are pushed more/available than when I started in 2000. More appealing to a newbie and less cost upfront and easier for the younger set that may be not settled in a permanent home. Cheaper to run, but easier to kick to the curb when they fail.

 

[jhadaway]

I think its pandemic in, post covid out. I think it happened with lots of hobbies. For me, i just ran out of space in my tank. Waiting for overgrowth to back up my rationale for a bigger one. It is hard to justify a hobby that can be roughly the cost of a used car. It will swing back.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Has there been an uptick in people leaving the hobby or is it just me?

I haven't been in for long enough to see any sort of major trend, but for those who has been in for a while,
do you notice it?
Is it common?
What is causing the issue? Inflation?

We had a long discussion in Decemeber about the most impact on this hobby - Pricing.

A decade ago, You could get a light for $200, tank for $300, Sump for under $200, Skimmer for $150 -$300 and now with a challenging economy, Everything is $800 and up taking in consideration new Technology but An apex trident is all plastic and This is $600 in material?
Price of fish have tripled and coral above that.
I cant say its no longer fun as it is, But no longer inspiring. When I Had My LFS, if you lost a damsel, you could buy another for $2.99= now $18 ??. . . . Or a Dwarf lion was $24.99 and now starting at $110.

Its just not this hobby, but these things do impact the industry as a whole and we live with it or Realize this is unaffordable.

 

[Dan_P]

Has there been an uptick in people leaving the hobby or is it just me?

I haven't been in for long enough to see any sort of major trend, but for those who has been in for a while,
do you notice it?
Is it common?
What is causing the issue? Inflation?

I don’t know. The British Heart Foundation surveyed 2000 British adults and found that on average a hobby lasts 16 months. This seems reasonable.

I don't remember the exact numbers but I think BRS said 50% are gone after year 1. However, a lot of those that make it past year 1 make it to year 2. Like 75-80%. Then it is something like 75% of those that make it past year 2, make it to year 5. Ryan talked about it on a live once. They sent out that survey and it was eye opening.

 

[Mateusz]

We had a long discussion in Decemeber about the most impact on this hobby - Pricing.

A decade ago, You could get a light for $200, tank for $300, Sump for under $200, Skimmer for $150 -$300 and now with a challenging economy, Everything is $800 and up taking in consideration new Technology but An apex trident is all plastic and This is $600 in material?
Price of fish have tripled and coral above that.
I cant say its no longer fun as it is, But no longer inspiring. When I Had My LFS, if you lost a damsel, you could buy another for $2.99= now $18 ??. . . . Or a Dwarf lion was $24.99 and now starting at $110.

Its just not this hobby, but these things do impact the industry as a whole and we live with it or Realize this is unaffordable.

That is a really good point you make, when I think back; how true and accurate your statements are.

 

[G Santana]

This hobby doesn't offer much in the way of instant gratification, this hobby is measured in months and years of tank management for long term success.
Understanding and managing the maturing of a tank takes up to a year, it did for me, then you get incremental success.
Some folks can't manage that type of commitment.
In many cases there is failure well before Understanding and success.

 

[Smite]

Some long term reefers just need an excuse to take a break. Maybe they were a little burnt and looked around seeing prices across the board rising. Not just equipment but also running costs in general. Talk of recession whether short or long might be enough to warrant a mindset of "do it now while it might still sell" rather than wait it out.

Also, a long term reefer knows the days of the hobby being more about sharing knowledge, coral, DIY ideas and making/meeting new reef buddies. Trades were more common, “banking” nice frags with buddies and hooking up newbies so those first loses didn’t sting too bad.

Locally, I feel like it’s slowed. I don’t judge it by the break down sales threads, although I’ve been seeing those too, but by real deals that pop up and just sit.

Same goes for coral. I'll see deals and they sit. This could also contribute to breakdowns alone. Some people rely on selling coral to help justify and offset costs of the hobby. Personally that's not much of a concern for me as I’ve never loved selling frags. I've gone down that road of paying more than I normally would for a frag, telling myself I'll sell it later and make some money back. Those purchases never worked out for me. Once I stopped that and name chasing I've really started to enjoy the hobby more, again.

I will say my e bill with a 210 gallon tank, couple reptiles and a large pool was a jaw dropper this month…. No really…..like a tiny polyp nub of a JD frag worth of electricity apparently! Craziness. An elderly neighbor is writing in about a 300 dollar gas bill. So I get the breakdown threads. Times are odd, for sure. Lots of opinions out there and it's hard to sift through all the nonsense/fear.

I’m too invested at this point. That plus nothing selling locally anyway so I’ll be riding it out and enjoying my system as long as possible.

I'm making a point to support small local business both in and outside the hobby as much as I can right now.

 

[Nano sapiens]

Running a large tank over the long haul is a real commitment in time and money. It's easier to to do when times are good, but challenging for many when they are not.

Part of the reason I downsized from a 10 long year running 55g to a 12g nano had to do with the 2008/2009 near melt-down of the major world economies. I wanted to keep a reef tank, but keep expenses well within my budget. The little nano turned out to be so enjoyable that I just stayed with it up to now

My take is if your current reef aquarium situation isn't working (for whatever reason), there are alternatives that might be better for you without having to leave the hobby all together.

 

[lynn.reef.nerd]

Something I've noticed over the past 6-8 weeks while looking through local FB marketplace listings is a lot of tanks with notoriously mean fish in small tanks (ie damsels and dottybacks) and/or the tank is an absolute mess. Most of these people claim equipment is less than 1-1.5 years old. My speculation is either they bought the wrong fish due to lack of knowledge which turned their tank upsidedown or battling/waiting out the ugglies as well as the realization of time commitment scares most new people away. There have been several disgusting tanks that people say they don't have the time for, but have been running for several years.
Add the immense cost/increasing prices with the current economy and it weeds out more people of all skill levels.

One last thing from what I'm seeing. More people are willing to drop big $ on reefing stuff than a lot of the other expensive hobbies I'm into. Some of these hobbies were super easy to sell equipment in even a year ago, but now are very difficult or next to impossible even with prices being less than half for a practically new item. I'm not seeing reefing get hit quite as hard yet and honestly the Cincinnati/Dayton/Columbus area has a VERY strong reefing/aquarium in general base. This probably is why there are so many lfs around with new ones opening and hardly any closing.

It doesn't help that some "older" hobbyist are recommending outdated information. I had people still recommending adding damsels to a new tank to cycle a few years ago from an LFS.