What’s The Average Time A New Reefer Stays In The Hobby?

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Exactly my point. New hobbyists are much more likely to hand out advice based upon popular perception rather than actual experience.

And there is a LOT of terrible advice out there because of it.

 

[jimk60]

Exactly my point. New hobbyists are much more likely to hand out advice based upon popular perception rather than actual experience.

I started a post not long ago with "in my opinion." Guy replies that I should stop giving bad advice. He's had a reef since December and I've been doing this for thirty years. I probably have fish older than he is!

 

[Reefer Matt]

I started a post not long ago with "in my opinion." Guy replies that I should stop giving bad advice. He's had a reef since December and I've been doing this for thirty years. I probably have fish older than he is!

I think sometimes Reefer’s enthusiasm blinds them from perceiving the truth. We’ve all been on this rollercoaster, and imo most Reefers quit when they hit the bottom. I’ll admit that I’m halfway up the second hill now, just after seven years of experience. But that ride is different for all of us. Sometimes there’s more valleys to go through also. Still no excuse to berate each other, as we can disagree respectfully. That’s something we can all work on, but especially those at the top of the first hill.

 

[Bruttall]

Since I like to assume everyone in the world thinks and acts like I do (HAHAHAHAHAHA) I have to assume no one would ever quit willingly, this is an ADDICTION!!!

Finding these forums and seeing the posts about everything, and wanting to learn as much about the hobby as I could, I have to admit being here made an impact. I learned early on not to panic, hitch-hikers happen, DIP Everything before you add it to your tank, what parameters to test and I learned this stuff the easy way.

To bad I learned to QT all new fish the hard way but you guys helped me thru that as well by all the info here on diagnosing and treating.

18 months in and I have no intentions of stopping any time soon.
When I do give opinions/advice here, I just speak from what I have witnessed/experienced with my own eyes.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

I started a post not long ago with "in my opinion." Guy replies that I should stop giving bad advice. He's had a reef since December and I've been doing this for thirty years. I probably have fish older than he is!

Its easier to just keep my mouth shut anymore with so many with that mindset. I noticed a LOT of GOOD experience isn't around here anymore and it's partially because of that.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Its easier to just keep my mouth shut anymore with so many with that mindset. I noticed a LOT of GOOD experience isn't around here anymore and it's partially because of that.

Well I hope you guys don’t shut us out of your knowledge. I’m always looking to learn more. I wish people would try the advice they are given by experienced Reefers before dismissing it, but I get it that you can only go through that for so long.

 

[vlangel]

Its easier to just keep my mouth shut anymore with so many with that mindset. I noticed a LOT of GOOD experience isn't around here anymore and it's partially because of that.What I have learned in my 25+ years of reef keeping is that there is more than one way to do it. Our personalities,

I think sometimes Reefer’s enthusiasm blinds them from perceiving the truth. We’ve all been on this rollercoaster, and imo most Reefers quit when they hit the bottom. I’ll admit that I’m halfway up the second hill now, just after seven years of experience. But that ride is different for all of us. Sometimes there’s more valleys to go through also. Still no excuse to berate each other, as we can disagree respectfully. That’s something we can all work on, but especially those at the top of the first hill.

What I have learned in my 25+ years of reef keeping is that there is more than 1 way to do it. Our personalities, experience and talents all play into how we choose to keep our reefs.

For example, I am a free spirit who can not be bothered with testing parameters and I adjust things as I observe changes in my tank. Two decades of experience has sharpened my instincts to recognise when something is not right. That does not mean that testing parameters is not a very valid way to determine important aspects of what is going on in a reef tank however. And there are so many other areas that can be done in different ways: to QT or not QT, to rely on biological filtering or use high tech equipment to export nutrients or even to use only RODI water or water straight from the tap, (which is what I do).

I think we can and should share what has worked for us but be gracious with those who have found other methods that work.
Respectfully,
Dawn

 

[Ironwill723]

Its easier to just keep my mouth shut anymore with so many with that mindset. I noticed a LOT of GOOD experience isn't around here anymore and it's partially because of that.

Yep. I read threads all the time that I could answer. I don't bother anymore. Not worth the hassle.

 

[vlangel]

Yep. I read threads all the time that I could answer. I don't bother anymore. Not worth the hassle.

I hear you and I also want to stay out of controversies and argumentativeness but a friendly, respectful sparring can be fun and informative.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

I hear you and I also want to stay out of controversies and argumentativeness but a friendly, respectful sparring can be fun and informative.

That's the issue, people tend to only believe in their method and all the rest are junk.

 

[manaman]

Haha I started in 1994 The nice thing now is that I can mentor people and help them achieve long term success, I have myself made every single mistake humanly possible over the last 30 years.

 

[revhtree]

Haha I started in 1994 The nice thing now is that I can mentor people and help them achieve long term success, I have myself made every single mistake humanly possible over the last 30 years.

LOVE this!!!

 

[revhtree]

I started a post not long ago with "in my opinion." Guy replies that I should stop giving bad advice. He's had a reef since December and I've been doing this for thirty years. I probably have fish older than he is!

Its easier to just keep my mouth shut anymore with so many with that mindset. I noticed a LOT of GOOD experience isn't around here anymore and it's partially because of that.

Yep. I read threads all the time that I could answer. I don't bother anymore. Not worth the hassle.

I hear you and I also want to stay out of controversies and argumentativeness but a friendly, respectful sparring can be fun and informative.

That's the issue, people tend to only believe in their method and all the rest are junk.

All the more reason we need experienced reefers like you all to help give good advice to new hobbyists! If someone is giving you a hard time, creating drama, not allowing others to express their reefing knowledge please report it and we will handle it! We're thankful for the experience you all bring to R2R! Thank you!

 

[vlangel]

Haha I started in 1994 The nice thing now is that I can mentor people and help them achieve long term success, I have myself made every single mistake humanly possible over the last 30 years.

I started a couple of years after you and also made a lot of mistakes ( and I maintained tanks for clients of the lfs that I worked for, ha ha!). Fortunately most of the mistakes were made on my own tank!

 

[Paul B]

54 years of reefing and I killed more fish than Starkist Tuna. But now I know better and never lose a fish unless it dies of old age or jumping out. I got the jumping out thing under control now which is difficult because I have no top on my tank but I teach my fish what happens when they jump out by occasionally throwing them on the floor.

They hate that.

I also know how to cure most fish diseases but after half a century you learn how to keep illness from fish so they stay healthy and never have to be dipped, medicated, quarantined or punnished.

Fish know how to stay healthy as long as we don't screw it up with unnatural procedures. I don't even have any medications or a hospital tank and I have almost 50 fish.

I think a big problem with Noobs is that a new tank is so much more susceptible to all sorts of problems and the general consensus is to throw some sort of chemical or medication in the tank which I feel in most cases is counterproductive and chemicals don't fix everything. Algae is another big concern in this hobby but the people who SCUBA dive know that algae is a natural and healthy "issue" that just needs to be controlled and not completely eliminated.

Some of my fish are still spawning and are 34 years old. They have never been quarantined or medicated but when I started my fish would also get all sorts of diseases and I also used medications. At the time, I didn't understand the "secrets" on how to keep fish healthy using their own immune system.

It's hard to teach because so many people disagree, and it just isn't worth the trouble unless the person is susceptible to a different method than is advocated on many threads.

 

[zerozero]

Haha I started in 1994 The nice thing now is that I can mentor people and help them achieve long term success, I have myself made every single mistake humanly possible over the last 30 years.

This is a nice way of keeping things in perspective.

I have been reef keeping for... 37 days

I'm still at the "child-like wonder" part of my journey (Hope I keep that to be honest). Have to say it's been a blast so far. As a newbie the most daunting thing is the not the cost but trying to keep a nano tank stable. I know it's not stable, but judging from how the beginner corals putting out new polyps/heads, I'm not going to fret. I don't need to know everything today.

54 years of reefing and I killed more fish than Starkist Tuna.

I think the biggest blow comes when you lose an inhabitant. I lost a pulsing Xenia. It was my favourite coral (I know. I'm a newbie). It got attacked by a majano anemone and then a single aipastsia and though I removed both it never recovered. I did what I could but I still felt low for a few days.

The first year and a bit when you're trying to get your tank stable and mature I expect to be the hardest. I can understand if someone gets disheartened if they spend their first two years fire-fighting algae outbreaks, then cyano bacteria, dinos only to lose corals due to aipastasia. Anyway, I have all that fun to look forward to.

 

[reef’r]

I do things a little unorthodox but here’s my take, I’ll add I’m an INFANT when it comes to experience, that being said I have been successful this far… knock on wood. I think a lot of people want to get into the hobby but soon find (or are told) you can’t have this type of fish, you can’t have an anemone until your tank is 6 months, 12 months, so on. No fish or coral in the tank until it’s fully cycled, then wait another week, then keep the lights off for another month, no tangs in anything under 6ft, or 4ft or whatever size the acceptable tang tank is now. I’ve hopped on here and asked the standard “what do you think about my cycle questions” mainly because I was just bored, excited about the hobby and just wanted to get on here and have some back and forth with fellow reefers. I say all that to say, I think a lot more new people would find the enjoyment they are looking for and would enjoy the initial stages of the hobby much more if they would run the tank how they see fit, which would lead to being in the hobby longer I would think. If you want to add a $300 dollar acro on day one go ahead. May be successful, may not, but I would rather do it and take my chances and enjoy it instead of sitting around wishing I could have that cool coral now instead of in a year, or wishing I could have that cool fish but I can’t because I don’t have a 10ft long tank. Sorry for the rant, but I’ve become a lot less frequent on here because of that reason and I’m sure there has been more like me. I’ve got a 5 month old 40g cube with some cool coral and some cool fish, that a lot of people would probably say would never work. I’ve enjoyed it since day one and it’s kept me in the hobby. The diatoms, and then the Dino’s, and now the green algae hasn’t really bothered me because I enjoy the tank. If your not enjoying the tank because your not stocking the corals you like, or the fish you like, then when it gets hit with Dino’s your going to likely throw in the towel.

 

[OG Reef Tanks]

I enjoyed reading the responses to the question. I think that most people enter reefing as a hobby and most people move on to other hobbies pretty quickly, especially if they run into frustrating problems; and, if you have been in this hobby long enough, you will run into frustrating problems. I think solving frustrating problems and finding success is what keeps those of us who have been in the hobby for a long time going. That and the sheer beauty of reef tanks. Even after more than 17 years of reef keeping, I marvel at how beautiful corals are and enjoy just looking at my tank and other hobbyists tanks everyday. (I watch a lot of YouTube videos etc.)

 

[ShadowMan]

There are statistics out there, and this site tracks them. Ask Rev what the average activity for a new account is and that will give you a ballpark.

My guess is in the range of 12-18 months. That's long enough for a new hobbyist to realize that they're initial expectations were unattainable.

I would hope that site activity is not an indicator of Reefing longevity! Otherwise I'd be considered having 'quit'

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

I would hope that site activity is not an indicator of Reefing longevity! Otherwise I'd be considered having 'quit'

Although not 100%, I'd say it would be a good indication that if you started an account and was active with new hobbyists questions and then simply vanished shortly after, you're no longer in the hobby.

But ro your point, with social media being more popular these days, it might be a very muddy statistic to interpret.