While its great for looking at your fish,smoking isnt the best idea when taking care of your tanks! at least I've heard....... we all have to remember that we are supposed to be doing this for fun, when its not fun anymore you're doing something wrong, self-control is rarely practiced by Monster fish keepers but its an important thing we all forget sometimes!!! dont take on more than you can handle and stop impulse buying fish!!! ( i cant believe I just said that??)
Bit off more than you can chew??
- Thread starter redtailfool
- Start date
I constantly feel that way. I'll often work 10-12 hour days and barely have the energy to feed when I get home.
I combat this a few different ways
I combat this a few different ways
- Consolidation - It's much easier to keep one big tank looking nice as opposed to numerous smaller ones. For me, it means sacrificing some of the species I really want to keep, but adds to my enjoyment of the hobby on the whole.
- Solicit Help - If willing, peers can make things a lot easier. My roommate has poison dart frogs that I help care for when he leaves town. In exchange, he pitches in when my tank needs it. In fact, he cleaned my pre-filters this morning because I didn't have time to do it. Good system. ANYONE can be taught how to care for fish with time and patience.
- Automation - This is my biggest piece of advice. I can't believe how inefficient most fishkeepers are. I love my aquacontroller. It allows me to spot check parameters and control everything from 1 head unit. It even has a feed timer (shuts pumps off for a predetermined amount of time, then auto starts) that goes a long way towards keeping food out of the filter. We spends thousands of dollars on this hobby. Part of your budget should include automation equipment.
- Streamline Your Operation- The goal is to keep daily time commitments to a bare minimum. My tank is placed right by an outside door to accomodate easy water changes. No substrate it used. I utilize 1.25" pond hose and a pvc contraption to drain ~120 gallons of water in 5 minutes. I use 2 pythons with various pvc fittings. One is a crap vacuum and the other is the tank filler. I peel the whole bag of shrimp and cut into pieces in one sitting to save time during the week. Pre-cut and bag filter media. Organize your supplies and keep them in one place. Do some serious thinking before starting any aquarium. All the little things add up.
repair said:Mine are 14 and 11 so I have more time and I'm OCD
OCD LOL..
Great answer guys.. Check out boogers reply. Should i give you an A+ for that essay? Looks like you really did your homework man.
Big E hit the nail on the head with that one. I always empasize the word fun with any hobby.. it should all be about fish and having fun.
Booger said:
...this is a good one, the quicker and easier the maintenance is done, the more time you have to sit back and enjoy the fish
Great topic!
I spend about 6 hours or so a week on my 3 tanks. The thing that really made it easy for me was getting a python, no more buckets!
DH thinks I spend too much time "messing" with them, but it's worth it when everyone who has ever seen my tanks says "Wow! You always have such nice fish tanks!"
It's also worth it to sit back and watch my little worlds behind the glass. They are thriving eco-systems, with living things going about daily life: swimming, eating, breeding, growing. To see everything in my tank healthy and happy gives me a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Sure, sometimes I get bored or overwhelmed (trying to prune plants and clean gravel isn't easy with a toddler underfoot) but that's when I realize it's time to replant a tank or trade in some fish so I can try something new.
I'd love to do another tank (got an empty 55 waiting to be set up) but I just couldn't handle it right now. It would stress me and than the whole point of the hobby is lost.
My fish have been one of the few constants in my life. I've had fish since I was 8. It wouldn't be MY house without a tank.
I spend about 6 hours or so a week on my 3 tanks. The thing that really made it easy for me was getting a python, no more buckets!
DH thinks I spend too much time "messing" with them, but it's worth it when everyone who has ever seen my tanks says "Wow! You always have such nice fish tanks!"
It's also worth it to sit back and watch my little worlds behind the glass. They are thriving eco-systems, with living things going about daily life: swimming, eating, breeding, growing. To see everything in my tank healthy and happy gives me a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Sure, sometimes I get bored or overwhelmed (trying to prune plants and clean gravel isn't easy with a toddler underfoot) but that's when I realize it's time to replant a tank or trade in some fish so I can try something new.
I'd love to do another tank (got an empty 55 waiting to be set up) but I just couldn't handle it right now. It would stress me and than the whole point of the hobby is lost.
My fish have been one of the few constants in my life. I've had fish since I was 8. It wouldn't be MY house without a tank.
i try not to get my self into situations like that once a month i go out to the gulf of mexico and catch thousands of silversides and i clean my tanks every 2 weeks it really never seems like a hassle to me
