My setup has been running for almost 3 yrs but my stock comes and goes. I go through phases. Monster, cichlids, community back and forth
How long until you get bored?
- Thread starter David R
- Start date
Hey David, that set up has matured very nicely. Now quit complaining & enjoy it! 
Welcome back, I actually just came back to the forum myself and I do remember your build; very nice
As far as the original question, the longest running setup I've had was about 4 and a half years, I imagine it would have been longer but my family and I just recently moved and it's time for a rebuild.
I totally get you on the whole: setup and planning excitement though. If it weren't for me building other small tanks for myself and my friends, I'm sure I would have ended up changing up my display constantly.
As far as the original question, the longest running setup I've had was about 4 and a half years, I imagine it would have been longer but my family and I just recently moved and it's time for a rebuild.
I totally get you on the whole: setup and planning excitement though. If it weren't for me building other small tanks for myself and my friends, I'm sure I would have ended up changing up my display constantly.
Getting bored with a set up? Simple solution, set up another tank!
My tanks are never the same. Fish grow, fight, etc. It's a regular reshuffling for me. I actually often wish I had a break from all the changes and the ensuing worries - how they are accustoming to new tank and tank mates, whether they restart feeding well, how they are they withstanding advances or whether they themselves are getting aggressive, etc.
The answer to boredom is the addition of another tank. Do this and you will never grow tired of the hobby.
TBH, didn't really read what you posted, but I have to say the tank and fish are beautiful!First time posting here in a long time, trying to reignite a bit of my passion for the hobby...
Lately I've been completely "meh" about my tank, yep that massive one that only a little while ago was my life long dream-build finally coming to fruition, and now I'm already thinking about tearing it down. Yesterday I figured out why when this pic popped up on my Facebook feed as being a memory from four years ago...
Holy sh!! Four years already! In the twenty years I've been keeping fish this is the longest period I've ever had one tank continuously running for. And further more, it's nearly been three years since I sold my aro and went down the 'monster community' route with angels and tetras etc, which is the longest I've ever kept a single "theme" (for want of a better word) going in one tank.
No wonder I'm bored with it!!!
Today I pulled apart the big pile of wood to do a thorough clean, and a stocktake on my plecs (still got 6 out of the 7 tiny L85s that went in there nearly 3 years ago). I contemplated the future of the the tank and decided to persevere with it, maybe change up the stocking a little. In the mean time here's a couple of current pics, as it is this morning.
It also got me wondering about how much of the fun in this hobby is the excitement of doing something new, setting up a tank, re-scaping, new fish etc etc. So how old is your longest-running set-up? Both in terms of equipment and unchanged stocking? Is three years unchanged a good run or do I just have a short attention span....
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I think you've had a good run, and a very nice looking tank! I bore easily. My longest running tank is 5 years old, but the stock and scapes have changed many times in that span. I've probably had 10 or so different tanks come and go with my 100 gallon sticking around the longest. But it's luck is running out.
As I think with any hobby (for me at least) our taste and preferences change over time as we're introduced to new things and ideas. I am also a tinkerer. Most of my enjoyment comes from tinkering. Now that I've been in the hobby for awhile and kept a lot of different species a lot of the excitement is gone and my desire to tinker and try something new is leaving me.
The days of many tanks are over for me. My setups are just getting bigger and less in quantity. I don't care for all the maintenance. To many other hobbies and spending time with with wife and kids is the most important and enjoyable thing for me.
I've recently acknowledged to myself that I've made the mistake of doing to much of one thing. When I was into planted tanks I had 4-5 running at once, now I have none. I have 3 different species tanks running of the same species. As
philipraposo1982
pointed out to me "So what's the end game with all these GT's?"
I have a vision now of where I want to be, but after I get there who's to say how I will feel then. It is a hobby after all, and if I'm not doing anything in my hobby besides maintaining it,I will get bored. That's just my personality. My state kind of sucks when it comes to the hobby. Especially american cichlids. The interest here is very low and my LFS are unenjoyable to me. Hobbies are more enjoyable when enjoyed with others imo. I wish the wife and kids were more into it or I had some good buds that also was into fish keeping.
As I think with any hobby (for me at least) our taste and preferences change over time as we're introduced to new things and ideas. I am also a tinkerer. Most of my enjoyment comes from tinkering. Now that I've been in the hobby for awhile and kept a lot of different species a lot of the excitement is gone and my desire to tinker and try something new is leaving me.
The days of many tanks are over for me. My setups are just getting bigger and less in quantity. I don't care for all the maintenance. To many other hobbies and spending time with with wife and kids is the most important and enjoyable thing for me.
I've recently acknowledged to myself that I've made the mistake of doing to much of one thing. When I was into planted tanks I had 4-5 running at once, now I have none. I have 3 different species tanks running of the same species. As
philipraposo1982
pointed out to me "So what's the end game with all these GT's?"I have a vision now of where I want to be, but after I get there who's to say how I will feel then. It is a hobby after all, and if I'm not doing anything in my hobby besides maintaining it,I will get bored. That's just my personality. My state kind of sucks when it comes to the hobby. Especially american cichlids. The interest here is very low and my LFS are unenjoyable to me. Hobbies are more enjoyable when enjoyed with others imo. I wish the wife and kids were more into it or I had some good buds that also was into fish keeping.
Haha, if only I was in the US!! It would probably be a black-water set up with schools of Uaru f., Satanoperca daemon and Altums. Or maybe a monster Polypterus pile, or maybe rays, or...
Yep, we still have our Vizsla, she's 7 now, just as crazy as ever only with a few more white hairs on her face! Rediscovering my love of mountain biking is probably "what happened" to me, been trying to spend more time outside and less time in front of a screen.
Funny, I feel thats a big part of why I'm so blasé about the tank, because shut away downstairs and forgotten about. I guess I really need to make more effort.
Hey David, that set up has matured very nicely. Now quit complaining & enjoy it!
I think that's the best advice eh...
I'm hoping new fish will rekindle some interest in the set up too, I'd probably kick myself forever if I got rid of it without at least trying a school of clown loaches in there! And Geophagus sp. Orange Head Tapajos have finally made their way to NZ and a couple of people are starting to breed them, so I'm hoping to pick up a good sized group of them too.
Your tank looks amazing man. Now if it were me, and I had a tank that sized with stock I was bored with, I would definitely switch up stock. Your possibilities are endless. The longest I had a setup for was probably a 90 gallon with an Oscar and a couple severums I had with that stock for around 3 years (estimated). I too get bored and like to try different things every year or so, unless I have certain fish that I am attached too.
