Encourage Colby To Continue In The Hobby

[Janice]

Colby is discouraged by the 2 recent sabotages of his tank, which he has worked so hard on, to make beautiful. Last night, for the first time, he expressed such discouragement that he may not continue with the hobby. PLEASE SEND HIM WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT. He will not be sabotaged again, as all contact with the "friend" who sabotaged his tank has permanently ended. Thanks!

 

[Nick James]

If it makes him feel better, my brother urinated in my tank long long ago.. everything died from the ammonia poisoning. I hung it up for years but eventually returned to fish keeeping, and now upgraded to reefing. If he reboots, takes his time, and don't be in a rush to do anything, he will enjoy it again.

 

[Janice]

LOL-was he drunk or young?

 

[Cliff]

hopefully he sticks with it. This hobby can b a crazy challenge but it's well worth it in the end

 

[Janice]

You just would never expect a jealous friend to deliberately sabotage your tank twice though. That is why he is so discouraged. He has worked so hard.

 

[Neopimp]

You just would never expect a jealous friend to deliberately sabotage your tank twice though. That is why he is so discouraged. He has worked so hard.

I woudl be banning that kid from the house, forever.... you do know that if he has done it twice you can expect a 3rd, 4th... sounds like a kids who likes to play with matches.

 

[SamB]

Hello Colby
You and have talked in PM but I will offer a few points relative to my experience in our SW hobby
I have been in (and out, so to speak) of this wonderful hobby for 20+ years.
It has been one of the most expensive and most challenging experiences of my life
One of my cute sayings about reef keeping is that God is always in control of the ocean and He lets us think that we are in control sometimes when our reef tanks fare well. But all is an illusion as we only "borrow" our time to keep a little bit of God's ocean
I stopped counting the fish and corals that have passed on in my care.
The time that I had marine velvet felt like the Angel of Death came to visit my tank every night and took one of the fish
Maybe I am making things sound bad and I am sorry for that as I don't mean to
This hobby is full of beautiful creatures and beautiful people to help you through and answer your questions. Like the ocean, there is not a single correct answer to any question so don't get frustrated
To continue or not is your decision alone. You are a young man and you have school and University in the future. Your Mom is actively involved and that is a great support network
If it feels like too much then withdraw but keep your equipment handy because I find that many of us leave but many of us also come back to this expensive and challenging hobby !
Sam

 

[Joshbrookkate]

I was going to suggest that Colby concentrate on his smaller tank for the time being. Great way to get good at keeping good water parameters. Taking your time with this would allow you to decide whether to go bigger later.
Good luck!

 

[Nick James]

I was going to suggest that Colby concentrate on his smaller tank for the time being. Great way to get good at keeping good water parameters. Taking your time with this would allow you to decide whether to go bigger later.
Good luck!

My biocube has been going for nearly 2 years and is full of acropora and beautiful corals. It took this long for me to get it there. When you find the sweet spot so to speak it is rewarding. Definitely worth the speed bumps along the way.

 

[ColbytheClown]

Thank you everyone for the words of encouragement. Don't think I'll be leaving the hobby anytime soon! I'll try to make the best of things I know most of you have had heartbreak like this before!
Cheers, Colby

 

[Josh]

Sums it up + Batman so definitely a win