Is the hobby starting to die?

[davy jones]

I see so many threads start and then stop. So many full setups for sale and people getting out of the hobby. Is it starting to die? I notice the same ~20 people or so active on the forum all the time and they keep theyre threads updated and do the commenting on everyone elses

 

I see LFS's close up shop and never get replaced

 

I understand its a difficult and expensive hobby but it feels like there are less and less people who partake, even though with the new equipment available and the advances with aquaculture and tank bred fish and corals things are becoming easier and cheaper..

 

What are your guys' thoughts? Love the hobby but sad to see that it isnt getting much growth. And also sad to see the veterans on here getting out of the hobby.

[Sharbuckle]

Just got back into reefing after a 5 year hiatus. I see a much smaller community. However, people are more knowledgeable and I've been able to find way more from searching. No need to ask questions anymore. Everything is a quick search away. I just started a 16g and have debating posting a build thread. I think laziness prevailed.

[reefernanoman]

I'm not going anywhere. I don't know about others. I'm in for life.

[charnelhouse]

Reef-a-Palooza in Orange County was well attended a couple of weeks ago.

 

We have new LFS opening in San Diego.

 

I've only been doing this a little over a year.

 

I don't think it's dying, seems like it's growing to me.

[outerorbiter]

I think it does come and go. I had a time away for a while due to work and getting married. But back now to stay! There was 2-3 lfs near me but two are gone and they always complained about online shops before closing. However there are several really nice shops with in a hour from me in and around Atlanta. Maybe the Nemo bubble has busted

[davy jones]

I agree there, there is a lot more knowledge readily available than before. As well as the fact a quick google search pulls results from multiple forums and sources of information. And maybe thats why it seems the hobby is dying, people dont go on forums and post theyre stuff because they can just google an answer and be done with it. Or maybe its the new generation that just doesnt care about stuff like this, im pretty young and most of my friends i went to highschool with are more interested in whos sleeping with what kardashian now than anything else, they could care less about anything else, about keeping a thriving ecosystem in a glass box.

 

Ive learned so many skills from this hobby, Chemistry, Biology, Carpentry, Electrical wiring and such. Not to mention paitence and budgeting and thinking of the whole picture type of thing.

 

I love the hobby and will stay with it so long as i have the means and ability to. But i fear 10-15 years from now the only way to get fish and coral will either be online at one of the giants or from other reefers that are holding out. if you can even find them.

 

Maybe finding Dory will spur some new reefers lol

 

I used to be an avid paintballer, and that hobby barely hanging on now. Just dont want to see another one die

[BluCrab]

IF anything it's building up down here in Houston. We have new LFS popping up all over the place and more folks are using social media to get the work out about their fags.

 

I've seen an increase in the last 3 years. I've gotten at least 5 ppl into the hobby in the last year.

[davy jones]

Im glad to hear its growing in some areas, I live in the upper midwest (minnesota) and I see LFS's close all over the state over the last 2 years. i can think of 6 that have closed without any new ones opening up.

[BluCrab]

 

 

Ive learned so many skills from this hobby, Chemistry, Biology, Carpentry, Electrical wiring and such. Not to mention paitence and budgeting and thinking of the whole picture type of thing.

 

 

 

Maybe finding Dory will spur some new reefers lol

 

 

I'm with you on this. Not to mention it's help my marriage as well. Being married for close to 20 years, you start to take things for granted.

Just like the way I come home to check on my tank to see if everything is alright and stable ,I now remind myself to not be so selfish and spend time with my wife before I go running off doing my own thing.

I know Husbandry is not the same as being married but in a lot of ways it is. Now I'm passing along my knowledge to my new reefer friends. PAy more attention to your Lady ,more than your aquariums, and buy them something nice every time you go dropping some coin on the aquariums too.

[Nano sapiens]

Yes, the reality is that most new aquarists will give it up (at least temporarily) at some point. So many reasons for this, but a big one is the steep learning curve After all, this not like building model planes with a single set of instructions that you follow and, if done correctly, you'll have a proper finished product. It's more like gardening with plants that aren't adapted to your climate and you have to create an envirnoment suitable for their survival.

 

LFS's are having their challenges due to online retailers, so that's a main difficulty for them. You'd probably be surprised at the number of customers that order from these online places.

 

Since the hobby deals with animals that have a relatively narrow adaptive range of conditions, it is perceived as 'challenging'. Sometimes the challenge ends up taking up too much time or the hobbyist isn't able to solve the issue(s) and subsequently bows out.

 

While not a particularly cheap hobby, people tend to make it more complicated/expensive than it needs to be. This is especially true with new reefers who are often persuaded to buy everything under the sun.

 

Yes, even 'old timers' can leave the hobby due to financial, health, family issues, etc. Life sometimes gets in the way, but many do return again

[Camarokid518]

Reef-a-Palooza in Orange County was well attended a couple of weeks ago.

We have new LFS opening in San Diego.

I've only been doing this a little over a year.

I don't think it's dying, seems like it's growing to me.

yes i cant figure out for life of me why people would want to get out of this

[davy jones]

Yes, the reality is that most new aquarists will give it up (at least temporarily) at some point. So many reasons for this, but a big one is the steep learning curve After all, this not like building model planes with a single set of instructions that you follow and, if done correctly, you'll have a proper finished product. It's more like gardening with plants that aren't adapted to your climate and you have to create an envirnoment suitable for their survival.

 

LFS's are having their challenges due to online retailers, so that's a main difficulty for them. You'd probably be surprised at the number of customers that order from these online places.

 

Since the hobby deals with animals that have a relatively narrow adaptive range of conditions, it is perceived as 'challenging'. Sometimes the challenge ends up taking up too much time or the hobbyist isn't able to solve the issue(s) and subsequently bows out.

 

While not a particularly cheap hobby, people tend to make it more complicated/expensive than it needs to be. This is especially true with new reefers who are often persuaded to buy everything under the sun.

 

Yes, even 'old timers' can leave the hobby due to financial, health, family issues, etc. Life sometimes gets in the way, but many do return again

I understand 100% where life gets in the way and people need to take a break! i was on a 4 year break due to the military, college and moving 5 times in 4 years.

 

And i understand a LFS is hard to keep profitable when places like Liveaquaria exists, but what the real issue is when you have an LFS that isnt knowledgable or trys to sell you stuff you dont need. The greed and bad image is whats killing them IMO

[smeagol108]

So many lfs just send people down the wrong path and they have bad experiences. People jump into this hobby without proper research and have bad experiences. Anyone can setup a tank and have it live amazingly for the first 6 months even a year. The problems seem to come around the 18 month mark and it is very difficult for people to have the drive to start over. This hobby is a constant balance of learning, maintaining and trying to replicate nature in a box which is difficult even for the most experienced hobbyists. I think it has always been common to see people come and go in this hobby due the factors above and many more.

It is difficult for true fish stores to exist and make money but the ones that do are normally the good ones. It's a very focused market and I honestly think a ton of the people that come and go all do so due to frustration, lack of knowledge, and bad advice given. It takes years to know to check this and that and this and that every time. Even simple things like I just used this ro water last week, it should still be fine, so u don't check. Well regardless of should be shouldn't be things get contaminated and things change. Diligence is an important trait for someone in this hobby to have.

 

Personally I also think the marketing of AIOs and easy to maintain tanks has pushed the myth that anyone can do this hobby and it's easy. It's more difficult than these companies make it out to be, and unfortunately just do to it being nature that we can't control all aspects of, most new entries into the hobby will result in failure. The difference between true hobbyists and someone who just wants a tank for whatever reason is being able to recover, learn and start over from a failure. You have to truly love this hobby to do that again and there is nothing wrong with taking a break once in a while. I took a 9 year break while moving here and there and just didn't want it to be something I always thought about. There is no denying that this is an addiction for true hobbyists just like any other drug or alcohol.

 

LFS that give bad advice, stock bad fish and inverts, combined with lack of experience and knowledge are the reason 80 percent of people who join this hobby are gone within 15 months. there is a lot to learn in this hobby in order to be successful and many times simpler is better. It is rare that someone who is new to the hobby is successful on their first tank.

[Hammerstone]

The city I moved to has no LFS at all :-(

I have to drive to the next city for supplies but they don't take good care of their tanks so I quot buying from that mom and pop store. It's a shame. How long does it take to clean your glass in the front I mean come on. and they've downsized saltwater because not many people buy livestock from them and they wonder why. I saw a nem that had sold on it that looked like it was melting. I don't have experience with them or corals yet but it was all stringy and I couldn't believe they were selling it. Also one time I was there and they were selling a nem and pulled it off a rock, isn't that not okay? I have to go to the next city for a nice and beautiful store. So that's two cities away.

[ReefWeeds]

I don't know about people getting out of the hobby, but I do see LFSs moving near me and/or ones that were open are no longer there. I think that has much more to do with the ability to purchase livestock, dry goods and such online rather than people getting out of the hobby IMO. I can buy salt on amazon with free shipping for cheaper than what my LFS sells it for. I can get better corals online and can also get fish online.

[HarryPotter]

I think it's actually increasing in popularity... The AIO aquariums are making the hobby easier for the masses

[Hammerstone]

Yeah we ordered some fish from live aquaria and they were stellar and packed with care. I'd buy from them again but the shipping charges are rediculous.

[Muraki]

Just got back into reefing after a 5 year hiatus. I see a much smaller community. However, people are more knowledgeable and I've been able to find way more from searching. No need to ask questions anymore. Everything is a quick search away. I just started a 16g and have debating posting a build thread. I think laziness prevailed.

Agreed^

Yea. Searching and just reading responses to other threads has built my knowledge base without asking to many questions. And as far as my build thread, I update it as needed. Normally every couple weeks as of right now since I take things so slow.

[StevieT]

It's growing. No way for you to conclude that after only being here a few months during the slooooooow season

 

Typing online is zero indication of the size or economy of a hobby. Remember these forums are free to anyone, you don't have to post to learn or search. A better indication would be the sponsor level. Less sponsors = your forum sucks or there is no money. N-R has increased sponsors.

 

The outlets of typing online grow every day. It's much more diluted than when I first showed up here.

[Hammerstone]

I like to be here to make friends, you know, the camaraderie and information from real live people's experiences.

[davy jones]

It's growing. No way for you to conclude that after only being here a few months during the slooooooow season

 

Typing online is zero indication of the size or economy of a hobby. Remember these forums are free to anyone, you don't have to post to learn or search. A better indication would be the sponsor level. Less sponsors = your forum sucks or there is no money. N-R has increased sponsors.

 

The outlets of typing online grow every day. It's much more diluted than when I first showed up here.

Ive been lurking for 3 years, just never created an account. Too lazy and didnt have a tank at the time.

 

Glad to hear that its growing from your perspective, you obviously have a better sense of how the hobby is doing as a whole being your a retailer/manufacturer

[vlangel]

I am an 'old salt' and so have a perspective from being in the hobby 20 years. That is long enough to see aspects of the hobby come and go. For example, when I first got into marine tanks, by and large most hobbyists were folks somewhat established in life. It was just too costly for a college student to consider, (and the college student back then did not have as much spendable cash on hand). Also in the 90s the lfs was the go to place for information, livestock and equipment. I was fortunate to work at a premier one with an excellant reputation. My boss was friends with Micheal Paletta. However the Internet has definitely changed the role of lfs. Definitely some of the personal attention and comraderie with the lfs has been lost as a result of online avenues. I am not saying it's a bad thing completely, just different. The lfs I worked at for 12 years and that was in buisness for 40 years just closed this past summer. That part is sad, very sad to me but I have found this forum and others to keep me up with information and new trends in the hobby. I have definitely found comraderie here. In fact when I was in a caregiver role and could not get out to my lfs, NR and other forums were there to help me enjoy my hobby with like minded folks. What I see are more folks of all ages, and demographics trying the hobby. You are bound to see more turn over with more people venturing into it. But like other previous posters, some get out temporarily and then return. Life can be demanding and not all seasons of life have enough margin to include marine aquarium keeping.

So in my opinion the hobby is not dying, it is just always changing and that is ok.

[davy jones]

Glad to see people think its doing well! As i disclaimer i did not mean to offend anyone with this post and hope i havent, It was more so just for an information gathering topic.

 

I appreciate all the replies (and appreciate they have all been constructive and on topic lol)

 

Thanks guys! (and gals) ((and anything else you want to identify as))

[ninjamyst]

IMO, it's growing a lot, especially in Chicago area. A new LFS just opened 20 mins from me. There are over 10 LFS that sells corals / fish within an hour of downtown Chicago. We even have our annual aquatic tradeshow show now called Aquatic Experience. Last year was their first year and it was a great turnout. This year looks bigger and better.

 

10 years ago, it was so hard to enter this hobby. Now with AIOs and nanos, it's so much easier for someone new to start a tank. So many new product and innovation released every year. I will say this is a great time for the hobby. The only uncertainty is health of the natural reefs due to climate changes and human influences.

[Nano sapiens]

 

 

Thanks guys! (and gals) ((and anything else you want to identify as))

 

'Guys and Gals' works for me (...don't think biology has changed recently)