What Is The Future Of The Hobby?

[cyberloach]

I'm involved in other hobbies (orchids and dart frogs) and they are all losing members and not really growing. The orchid hobby in the 80s was huge and our society had hundreds of active members now we have just over a hundred. My personal belief is that the Internet is killing them, previously I would have had to buy book or join a society or go to my LFS to learn about saltwater now I join a forum.
Globalization seem to be having a huge effect I don't know about saltwater but now you can by an orchid for 10 bucks. 15 years ago that same orchid would of been 30-40 dollars

 

[LIttle Reef Keeper]

I guess i started by saying Aquarium by Design went out of business. But in reality I have pondered the aquarium hobby and the direction it's been heading for a while. There is so many different things people can spend their time and money on and the aquarium hobby is not very large compared to most other hobbies.

People want entertainment, immediate gratification and lets face it this hobby isn't any of those things. It's also messy and can smell and the interaction with the pet is almost no existent. I can't remember how many times I have heard people say fish? why they are boring and you can't pet them and they are not smart...

also there are so many alternatives to different pets, dogs,cats, rats, ferrets, reptiles

I have been to fresh water clubs and most are dying out because there is very limited new blood. Few get into this hobby under 20 and the majority are over 30 probably older.

parents maybe buy a goldfish or a tetra for their kids but its more of an after thought (like a plant for there room) I took my Betta to my office and one lady said don't put the lid on the tank how will it breath? others asked what kind of fish? The most knowledgeable one said well you'll have to dump all the water out every week and fill it up with new stuff right? another wondered how it would survive without food for the weekend.

I think it's pretty entertaining [emoji14]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tiredguy]

Ive been In and out of this hobby for almost 20 years now... and I feel its the inconsistencies that are hurting it. Reef Keeping has been labeled an expensive hobby, When it doesn't need to be, 15 years ago I was part of an old forum, I forget what it was called, Everyone helped everyone, frags were not sold, they were traded or given to other members with a hand shake and a smile, The more people in the hobby we help out the better Off the hobby will be down the road and of course our oceans reefs. It also Really Kills me when I see stores/people trying to sell Weed corals like Kenya Tree, GSP, Or Pulsing Xenia for $50... If I sold Every kenya tree I have pulled out of my tank for Store Prices I'd be Rich bitch! BTW Free kenya Tree for who every wants to turn their tank in to a forest! There is a large market of Salt water equipment at affordable prices in this world, that for some reason or another Doesn't seem to make it to north america, I almost feel like the north american Companies are keeping them at bay because they know they are gouging us..... That's my Hippie Rant for the day,

 

[Pipes]

whos up for a joint venture "TFT Reef Shop"... any takers

I can do the plumbing

 

[scubasteve]

@Tiredguy i second that hippie rant..... lets just blame facebook, minecraft and call of duty. thats why hobbies are dying because parents these days let video games and internet babysit instead of being parents.

if i woulda sat infront of a tv all day as a child my old man woulda kicked my @$$ dragged me to the barn and make me throw some hay or shovel the you know what lol