[Blackheart]

Hello all. I find myself in this predicament from time to time. I have had my 33 long setup for almost a year and a half now. It's currently setup pretty heavily planted along with 25 White Cloud Mountain Minnows. I do really love this setup and it's been very enjoyable. But I do find myself being kind of bored with it from time to time. Not really bored enough to go out and upgrade my setup though.

What do you guys do when you are bored with your current setup or multiple tanks? I have found sometimes buying a new piece of equipment, or plants, or just even rescaping a bit and cleaning up rejuvenates me.

 

[minorhero]

I rescape. I did this more with my old fluval spec v, (about every month to 2 months) then my current shallow tank (every 4 or so months). Never be afraid to rescape, to use completely new plants, or use existing plants in new locations, to get new hardscape, and try it out. I have even taken fish back to the fish store so I can try completely different species. Lots of fun options.

 

[Plinkploop]

Lol I used to go buy a new tank or set up a new pond (not necessarily my own). Now I take a few clippings and a mason jar and a couple pond snails and carry it around with me like a little kid 😂 or if it's summer I go to camp and admire the native flora/ fauna.

 

[Savetheplants]

I have too many problems with the tank to be bored with it. I've been fighting a couple of fires lately. The filter stopped working and I had to cycle. Then a fish got sick. Structurally the tank's stand is unsound because it doesn't have interior lines of support. The overhead filter on the tank has to be constantly checked to make sure it's still working and not dripping. My whole system needs reimagining.

 

[Plinkploop]

I have too many problems with the tank to be bored with it. I've been fighting a couple of fires lately. The filter stopped working and I had to cycle. Then a fish got sick. Structurally the tank's stand is unsound because it doesn't have interior lines of support. The overhead filter on the tank has to be constantly checked to make sure it's still working and not dripping. My whole system needs reimagining.

Ouch. Hope things get away less chaotic soon!!

 

[Deanna]

I've been through the hot/cold cycles through many decades. Most recently (about 10 years ago), I joined MTS anonymous and went down to one 29-gal. It provides all the interest that I want and still allows for experimentation, when I'm in the mood.

Maintenance is the issue, for me, that can make it tedious at times and this isn't just the cleaning. Water change's now take about 15 minutes and I do them every other week. I have a Python-type system, where I only need to be involved in the process to connect the hoses (about 1 minute). Weekly (not bi-weekly) trimming is necessary and that takes the most time (~15 min). I run some tests just before a w/c and then do a partial front-end loading of nutrients after each w/c and supplemental daily dosing with an auto-doser. I have multiple types of fish food so, once a week, I load them into the daily plastic pill dispensers and then only need to open each days' flap to dump it in (don't like the slow dribbling of food that auto-feeders do). Algae is only a rare issue when an experiment doesn't work out or something fails and is then easily corrected. Basically, I'm 15 minutes a week and then cruise control, so I can just look at it, now and then and can go a long time without doing anything more.

Most of my hobby time now goes to this forum and that comes and goes.

 

[evil8]

I have no issues with rescaping a tank.

 

[AZGuppyGuy]

I rescape my tank like once every 6 months because of how indecisive I am 😂

 

[ElleDee]

Right now I'm taking my time I'm planning my next build. Pretty much every system of the tank is going to be new to me, particularly running a sump and CO2, so I'm doing as much research as possible and spacing out my purchases. Even once I have everything up and running in the new tank it's going to take a long time to stock because I quarantine everything and will have to take the time to get to know the new species I have in mind. I'm probably going to make a bad decision somewhere in here and have to retool once my error is revealed. It'll keep me busy for a while.

Unfortunately this leaves my current display tank is in a holding pattern until I can move over most of the flora and fauna, but everything is pretty stable and I couldn't get much of anything new without getting rid of something anyway. My shrimp tank is right where I want it currently, so I'll probably switch things up when I finish stocking the new build in a year or two.

 

[Discusluv]

I have had 1- 9 ( 7 currently) tanks running continuously for the last 33 years. I have had my moments of obsessed engagement and, at the other end of the spectrum, just going through the motions of taking care of my livestock ( like cleaning my house) Not engaged, but as a necessary routine. COVID put me in the later category and I took down 2 of my tanks. It has only been in the last month that my interest is returning. Most of my plants suffered-- so Im now looking to add some back.
So, in other words, with this being a lifetime hobby for me, I scale back when interest wanes; but, I never stop keeping fish aquariums. Never will.

 

[Stan510]

I could post again,the NY Times article on fish depression-lol. But for their good,you should every now and then move something,add something. That does wonders for people too..to their aquariums or life.
I have had basically the same set up for three years. I add roots,I subtract roots,I move rocks and ..then make a pointy boulder in there,or two even. Plants are great to change because nobody feels guilt on that. You can get store credit as a bonus. Set new goals- how red can you get that plant? Put in some dwarf frogs with the White clouds.
Etc,etc,etc,...

 

[#DizzyIzzy1]

Turn off the computer, stop looking through aquarium forums. Grab a beverage of choice, plant your ass in a chair directly in front of your tank and appreciate your work.

 

[ichthyogeek]

Good question! I get bored easily, so what I did was design my tank around boredom.

What will be a species that challenges me? Are there any species that are hard to breed, or belong to a type of spawners (ex. pit spawners, livebearers, etc.) that I haven't worked with yet? Is there anything that I want to do with the tank that I've been neglecting? Are there things I'm noticing that cause questions, and if so, what are the answers?

 

[DennisSingh]

I stop looking at the tanks until I miss them again..

 

[NoahLikesFish]

Hello all. I find myself in this predicament from time to time. I have had my 33 long setup for almost a year and a half now. It's currently setup pretty heavily planted along with 25 White Cloud Mountain Minnows. I do really love this setup and it's been very enjoyable. But I do find myself being kind of bored with it from time to time. Not really bored enough to go out and upgrade my setup though.

What do you guys do when you are bored with your current setup or multiple tanks? I have found sometimes buying a new piece of equipment, or plants, or just even rescaping a bit and cleaning up rejuvenates me.

Give it a new identity, mabye add some trash and grow cool hair algae and make it look like a biotope design tank and add some stiphodons and loaches

 

[Ewest]

I usually change up the fish, rescape to something totally different, or jump to saltwater (gasp I know) but I used to do fresh 7-8 years ago, got bored after two years, jumped to salt for a while and got bored, now im back to fresh!

 

[Blackheart]

Give it a new identity, mabye add some trash and grow cool hair algae and make it look like a biotope design tank and add some stiphodons and loaches

I'm not really sure if your joking or serious? Lol

 

[NoahLikesFish]

I'm not really sure if your joking or serious? Lol

I’m serious, look at this tank Banks of Yangmei river in the dry season, Mount Zaomu, Foshan, China, 90 L • Biotope Aquarium if you put like pots or water bottles or soda bottles and other types of trash encrusted in algae it would be really realistic. People do it with reef tanks

 

[Ewest]

I’m serious, look at this tank Banks of Yangmei river in the dry season, Mount Zaomu, Foshan, China, 90 L • Biotope Aquarium if you put like pots or water bottles or soda bottles and other types of trash encrusted in algae it would be really realistic. People do it with reef tanks

That would be in some ways a really woke play on a biotope aquarium....call it something like "The Human Impact" and make it show these beautiful environments with the trash we have polluted them with. Submit it to IAPLC lol

 

[NoahLikesFish]

My friend had a trash tank but he somehow got something bad in it and it killed his fish but it was really cool