I am going through a burnout right now...it sucks. Burnouts might have to do with stress, not just from keeping fish, but you know how busy everything is today...I know how you feel, when things aren't going right with your aquariums and fish. Maybe just keep only one tank, and one quarantine. Good luck.
Do You Ever Go Through Hobby Burnout?
- Thread starter FishGoneWild
- Start date
I am kinda burnt out right now. I am out of work because of an injury, so I have little money. This especially pisses me off because it is black aro season, which I have been waiting for, and now I can't get one. I have been bored with life in general because all I can do is sit here. Lately it has just been water change...water change...water change...water change...nothing new, just the same old routine over and over.
Dream: when I get out of college I want to have a steady career and be able to afford a 1000+ gallon tank with some custom equiptment including a self water-changing system very similar to Boydos. 
(Need to be rich to be able to keep up with the water and electric bill, lol) This way I'll never get tired of water changes and I can sit back and enjoy my pets 
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125139
(Need to be rich to be able to keep up with the water and electric bill, lol) This way I'll never get tired of water changes and I can sit back and enjoy my pets http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125139
Well, to me. I will get a huge tank that i can afford and space for it. This mean i won't get burn out when due to water change. If i get many tank, i will put in a huge filter, capacity of filter must be 2 times the size of the tank. Doing this, i will have less work.
I currently maintain 8 tanks, 300, 240, 180, 75, 40, 30, 20, and a 10, all are my tanks except the 30 with is the fiancé’s but I end up feeding and cleaning the tank. I recently got rid of my 135gal African Cichlid tank, this took me a good 6 months to decide if I wanted to get rid of it because I have had the fish for over 4 years, from little 1.5 inch Juv’s to full grown breeding adults. I was getting bored with African Cichlids so when I got rid of the tank there was an empty wall where I use to see my fish when watching tv or eating dinner. About 2-3 weeks after getting rid of it I got my 240gal, this tank is bare for ease of cleaning, helps reduce chances of burn out. My 300gal is the only tank that has décor, all others are bare, and the 180, 75, 40, 20, 10 are basically bare grow out tanks for fish that will eventually go in one of the two larger tanks. Going bare helps with less time spent on tank cleaning. In my 180 and 240 I have 1500gph Seio pumps to circulate the water and waste into the filter intakes so in the 180 I don’t really need to vac and should be the same for the 240, I just drain and fill. I also use a large device I made using PVC and pool filter hose to drain my 300gal to the half way point in about 10-11 mins, this would have taken about 30-45mins with a python, gonna try it out on my 240 either this WC or the next WC. Once I get most of the fish grown out I plan on having only 3 maybe 4 tanks going and not running the others. Another thing I have decided is figure out which fish I want to keep forever and which ones I want to maybe try out and sell, trade, exchange to keep things interesting. I also made a promise to the fiance’s that if one tank comes in one goes out, so this means I go bigger, which is what I did with the 135 to get a 240. Want to replace the 300 with a 600 or 750 in 2-3years.
I think the key is to figure out how much time you can dedicate to this hobby and figure how many tanks that translates too. You could decide you can maintain 4 tanks with décor or maybe 6 tanks with out décor, as well as taking into account the type and amount of fish you have in each tank. You could also cut back for a while and just maintain a few tanks and leave the other dry until you get the bug to try a new fish out or do something with the empty tank.
I think the key is to figure out how much time you can dedicate to this hobby and figure how many tanks that translates too. You could decide you can maintain 4 tanks with décor or maybe 6 tanks with out décor, as well as taking into account the type and amount of fish you have in each tank. You could also cut back for a while and just maintain a few tanks and leave the other dry until you get the bug to try a new fish out or do something with the empty tank.
yes but then i pic up a magezine and get 5 new ideas and need more room and want new setups and new decor or a new filter... i love watching my fish and it helps me relax... all the work satisfies me everyday... and whenever anyone comments on my tank or stock... whenever i donate fish to a lfs and see people looking it all makes this so nice
You definitely get burned out. Especially here IMO. It always seems like you want to impress the people here o people who happen to come over and get recognition for you collection so you're always trying to find bigger and rarer fish and it eventually catches up with you when you realize that you're not keeping the fish that you wanted to keep anymore.
yes!! i totally agree i love convicts and everyone is like wow they are easy and everywhere but i still keep them for me i love watching them as parents and mine are particularly nicely colered i really enjoy them.... so all my terrors and dempseys and german rams are on my back burner i am truely devoted to my cons at the momment
Ive never burned out since I was 9 years old . Having a lot of smallish but not too too small tanks allows me to play around a lot though. I get a huge kick out of seeing my fish every morning and it's often a struggle to wait until feeding time to go out and give them some food lol. I don't get bored of the tanks but I do every so often have to re-arrange the fish and that alone is like a whole new adventure. I'll also tear apart an entire tank and redecorate it to whatever suits my mood at the time. I will sometimes try different, interesting breeding projects for a diversion, for example I'm going to be hybridizing a home raised tiger guppy (my own line) with a female orange belly Endler to see if I can get a tiger pattern Endler.. drool. I shouldn't even have to mention the huge thrill I get when I have any new fish, my dog gets jealous of all the attention he loses when there's new fish in the house lol.
. Having a lot of smallish but not too too small tanks allows me to play around a lot though. I get a huge kick out of seeing my fish every morning and it's often a struggle to wait until feeding time to go out and give them some food lol. I don't get bored of the tanks but I do every so often have to re-arrange the fish and that alone is like a whole new adventure. I'll also tear apart an entire tank and redecorate it to whatever suits my mood at the time. I will sometimes try different, interesting breeding projects for a diversion, for example I'm going to be hybridizing a home raised tiger guppy (my own line) with a female orange belly Endler to see if I can get a tiger pattern Endler.. drool. I shouldn't even have to mention the huge thrill I get when I have any new fish, my dog gets jealous of all the attention he loses when there's new fish in the house lol.
I'm suffering from it a little right now. I've got an 80g with a school of decent sized clown loaches that I love, probably first equal favourites with my large ornate bichir, which is now getting big enough to start eating them! 
The loaches are stressed by the big bichir and I've been battling white spot with them for the past month. After buying a UV steriliser and doing water changes every 3 days and dosing I think I've got it beat, lost one 12cm loach tho
The big ornate is stressed because the tank isn't big enough for him. I'm stressed because I'm trying to set up my new 630L tank but can't find a level piece of floor, and I'm paranoid about the stand not being even and breaking the tank.
To top it all off, my best friend sent me a text yesterday saying he found his 16" ornate on the floor dried out, and it died today. He's nearly over fish too, except for a love/hate relationship with his male salvini which has amazing colours, but is completely evil and just killed his GT.
Who said keeping fish is relaxing and a good way to reduce stress...
The loaches are stressed by the big bichir and I've been battling white spot with them for the past month. After buying a UV steriliser and doing water changes every 3 days and dosing I think I've got it beat, lost one 12cm loach tho
The big ornate is stressed because the tank isn't big enough for him. I'm stressed because I'm trying to set up my new 630L tank but can't find a level piece of floor, and I'm paranoid about the stand not being even and breaking the tank.
To top it all off, my best friend sent me a text yesterday saying he found his 16" ornate on the floor dried out, and it died today. He's nearly over fish too, except for a love/hate relationship with his male salvini which has amazing colours, but is completely evil and just killed his GT.
Who said keeping fish is relaxing and a good way to reduce stress...
