Focus in the hobby - it's easy to lose it.

[Redearsunfish]

I had 8 tanks up and running. I realized that I had 5 too many. Since i've lowered the number to 3 tanks, i am able to better enjoy my fish and tanks, and I've been able to focus on keeping the animals i really want to keep.

Sometimes I think this hobby can balloon to the point where you lose focus.

I think a bigger tank is almost always better, but too many tanks is almost never better.

 

[divemaster99]

I have 10 tanks up and running and pay a good amount of attention to each as well as make sure they all get weekly or twice weekly water changes. You just need the time to put towards appreciating each tank and you're good.

 

[Redearsunfish]

I have 10 tanks up and running and pay a good amount of attention to each as well as make sure they all get weekly or twice weekly water changes. You just need the time to put towards appreciating each tank and you're good.

That's great! I just have far too obsessive a personality which caused me stress as I approached 10 tanks. Glad it works for you though!!

 

[xraycer]

I have 10 tanks up and running and pay a good amount of attention to each as well as make sure they all get weekly or twice weekly water changes. You just need the time to put towards appreciating each tank and you're good.

Time is a luxury when you have a full time job/career, family, and home to take care of.

 

[Binge]

Time is a luxury when you have a full time job/career, family, and home to take care of.

+1 maintaining my home/my family/job/tanks and my mothers home. Time is the one luxury I don't have. I did manage to sit in front of my 125g last night and smoke a cigar a truly relaxing experience.

 

[divemaster99]

Time is a luxury when you have a full time job/career, family, and home to take care of.

Thankfully I don't, yet that is. Once I get a job and a house I'm willing to cut back to 3 tanks temporarily if time and money are issues, but no less .

 

[fishnatics]

right on xraycer

 

[DMD123]

Redear you have nailed it about focusing on just a few prime tanks. I am also down to three tanks and did some serious thought on my stock and l got it down to only what I really like. Granted Im not suffering that much with a 210g community (Cichlids, bichirs), a 72g bow with a bumblebee Oscar and my 40B with a hairy puffer. When I focused on just the fish I really liked the whole thing just fell into place.

 

[Quo Vadis]

I agree, both about going bigger, but also about less number wise. I notice once I get above 3-5 tanks I really don't enjoy it as much. I think for me it is not so much the maintenance as it is that I like to really watch my tanks, and when I get over that number it becomes more like glancing at each tank, and not really being able to enjoy longer amounts of time with each tank. Plus more things go wrong when you are only glancing at each tank. I have more tanks than I like right now, (7) but I am building a really large tank, and when I get that done and move a bunch of my grow outs in there, I will be going down to 3 or 4 tanks.

 

[the lion who ate the sun]

My girlfriend and I have 5 tanks up and running. This is on top of our ~90+ houseplants, and three cats. We are both passionate about plants and animals of all kind. Maintainance is never a chore because we do it together and love feeling like we are doing something positive for our creatures. I generally maintain the 180 and the poly grow out tanks, and she maintains the axolotls and our guppy breeding tank.

We just added pothos/chinese evergreen filtration systems to all of the tanks last night. That should significantly cut down on our weekly maintenance. Looks great too

Binge, I had the same experience last night. I finished all of my maintainance, put food in my 180, sat down with my vaporizer, and watched the magic.

The 180 is stocked with an 11" senegalus, two 5" ornatipinnis, 3 4" clown loaches, and a raphael cat. I keep tons of ghost shrimp in the tank. Last night was fantastic for viewing.