Inspire Me

Challenge yourself. You say you have considered starting over, maybe try a rare expert only Fowlr tank or a NPS tank.

 

The obvious answer is to just sell it. You could also provide some to regions to use for fragging demos at a cost of course.

 

Hey JB -
I went through a similar phase. I think once you have so many things on your plate with work and family (& the club) it starts to become a chore and you lose interest in the hobby.  Unfortunately I let everything go downhill and neglecteded my tank until everything but my fish died off. My 125g is still setup at my parents in Jesup with live rock, fish, and some polyps. It's been running under bulbs that are probably 2-3 years old and hasn't seen a single water change or ro/di filter change in at least 2-3 years.
After a break from the hobby, I'm starting to get the bug again.
My suggestions:
1. Get your kids & family more involved to help with the maintenance & chores. Perhaps they would have interest in learning more about the chemistry/technical aspect of the hobby and you would get the satisfaction of teaching them.
2. Possibly upgrade to a bigger tank so you can get the satisfaction of seeing your corals grow-out again---or sell off some of the big colonies and watch your small colonies/frags grow out again in your same tank.
3. You are a technical guy----Invent something new and super cool for the hobby.
4. Sell off your livestock and equipment now before you start neglecting it more and everything of value dies off.
You've been a great asset to this club and the hobbyists in the state of Iowa considering the work you've done getting the website running and with MACNA.

 

Get tickets and go to MACNA 2012, relax and enjoy that one, stress free!!!

 

I was also going to suggest an NPS tank. They really really fascinate me.

 

Why did you get into saltwater?

 

Everyone has the one fish or coral they got into this hobby for...i love xenias, always have probably always will....i have a ton of them in my tank, all kinds. Sometimes when i wonder why i keep my tank i shut off the pumps and watch there hands pulse away. I even have my oldest son watching them in amazement now.....find that. And you'll find your passion!

 

I was wondering why you haven't called me about that RBTA

 

I think everyone who has seen your tank, knows that you have a talent for this hobby. If you have been thinking of setting up from scratch just do it. Sell everything in the display, if there is anything you want to keep just keep your frag tank going. Its really had to tear down the tank knowing how much work you have put into it. It will all be worth it when you start the bigger and better upgrade. I would hate to see you leave the hobby, it would be a loss to the club and the hobby if you got out. If I could make the decision for you, I would just make the decision to start over from scratch. It would be another great build.

 

Frag all your colonies down to mini colonies, and sell off all the coral you don't really like. Once you get a bunch of same sized mini colonies remove 50% of your rock and aquascape with your most interesting rock pieces. Buy a couple really cool fish you have always wanted... for me that would be some belles angels.

It will seem like you have a brand new tank. Your mini colonies will be full again in a couple years. Perhaps buy some cool coral now that you have re-claimed some room.

That is what I did over the course of a couple months and it rejuvenated me for sure. My tank is much more open and I can actually see EVERYTHING in my tank. I bought a couple awesome corals too...probably too many!

 

I dont think NPS would be that much work with automation. A little dorm room fridge and a few automatic dosers and you are set!

 

   Aren't we all for being in this hobby.
   Just think outside the box, surf forums, read up something specific and see if it is plausible. How about going the a cold-water species tank? 
Frag, rearrange, hell pencil and paper does wonders, sit back and just start sketching and go from there. The forum just throws ideas out, you ultimately have to 
maybe take that idea and run with it and who knows where it will go.

 

haha truer words have never been spoken lol
I'm really thinking about down sizing since I haven't been able to upsize. I'm looking at weeding out all my run of the mill corals and curating an elite collection in a 30x24x24" tank with some really nice cabinetry.

 

Start a freshwater planted tank. /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif

 

Get rid of everything that annoys you about your tank. Mushrooms, brown corals, anemones, caps, and anything else plain and now boring. Use the money to upgrade your equipment and go for the high end stuff. Now that you know how to grow coral, try something you have never had or isn't readily available in this area. Some of it may be more slow growing, but more rewarding years down the road.
I've been thinking more about efflos and multi-colored sps lately. Maybe even chalices or something else crazy colorful.
Also, what fish do you want but can't have right now.

 

Jason I've been going through the same thoughts as you and this is what I have to say!
I too was going to just get out of it, sell every thing and just walk away. I no longer had the drive to build things with Acrylic or grow out frags. All I could grow was algae. (I've fought it for over a year.) I was going to sale everything, but I knew that if I did that, that I would regret it later.
  So I sat back and done something that I hadn't done in a long time and that was just look at it. I thought about the things that I didn't like about my setup. Ways to simplify things to make it easer to maintain. I decided to only keep the corals that I really like and clean out the ones I didn't, and to try some new things with my rock work.
  I'm still not totally back in the game, but I'm getting there!
Good Luck!