Is the hobby starting to die?

[reefernanoman]

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.

True! My wallet is less fat thanks to Stevie!

[Wretched]

Reefapalooza in OC was great, lots attending... About the same if not more than MAX 2013. Nano reefs isn't as active as some other forums, but it's my home

[charnelhouse]

N-R may not have as much traffic as some other sites, but I find it far more personable than most. Just an opinion.

 

And to the OP, no offense given or taken. Totally legit question and asked in the correct place .

[metrokat]

Nano -reef addresses a niche in this hobby that other forums do not. You almost exclusively see large reefs on the other forums. It is harder to maintain a smaller reef, just as it is easier to make changes in a smaller reef. Our niche is requires the best of both worlds, the knowledge you need to maintain any size tank, and the hard work a smaller system needs to stay optimal for its inhabitants.

 

I think our hobby, like many businesses today, is moving online. I try to support my LFS as much as I can especially with livestock purchases but online prices for dry goods are hard to beat, it is money from your pocket at the end of the day.

 

I have noticed many more women in the hobby, and that is quite fantastic.

[gus6464]

Yes

[reefdreamer2011]

I think that if you are really in this hobby you are sold for life. I mean sure tanks can crash, things can get expensive and life somehow gets in the way. I know that me for instance I started this hobby along time ago. I raised fish and turtles as a young 7yr old boy for years I played around with freshwater fish, oscars, piranha,s etc. I always thought that saltwater was way more colorful and much more interesting but as a kid I just couldn't afford it. Till I set up my first tank with clownfish and anemones at 16 than I was hooked I just couldn't get back into freshwater anymore. I've had big 125 gallon reef tanks and such but with kids and moving I decided to go with a nano tank. Easier to move from place to place. lol! I also personally know a local pet store owner who has been in business for over 25 years and he has told me that the internet business has killed him a lot. He can't compete with the big company's wholesale prices. Also he can't really afford to carry a lot of the high end equipment because people are just not spending money on saltwater stuff in my area like they used too. Sorry I wrote a book. lol!

[Benny314]

I'm just lazy and haven't updated my thread in 10 months lol.

[Tamberav]

I'm still here... just too busy to update my tanks... they still around though!

[StevieT]

more women in the hobby is quite fantastic.

[tetraodon]

i dont think the hobby is dying, but merely purging those who lack the dedication to do it long term. i worked in a few pet stores and was the aquatic guy and saw many many people enter and leave the hobby. many seam to think it doesnt take work to do right and this is were they go wrong. a fish tank, especially reef tanks take constant work and effort, much like children. those who stay active on this site are also stubborn and stick with it. but we are also one out of many many reef forums that also only represent a small portion of reefers. the rest dont go on forums or at least on large ones. but even still this hobby isnt dying but growing.

[masterbuilder]

Old guy here thats been reefing or had fresh water for a long long time. I remember having a cutting edge reef when a reverse flow undergravel filter was so high tech.

 

So..in all that time I the reefing stuff I have seen has grown from basement/garage coral vendors to something like this: http://reefbuilders.com/2015/10/21/san-diego-lfs-demonstrate-city-ready-macna/ Not long ago where could you find a skimmer, sump or custom aquarium. Now there are countless vendors. Lighting, had to go to the hardware store and find some grow lights, now look at all the lighting manufacturers. Is it shrinking? Doesn't seem like it.

 

Mark

 

p.s. Remember 99% of aquarium owners want Nemo or a Siamese Fightin Fish. Thats the way is.

[joshky]

Locally, for me, it doesn't seem as active as it once was. Hopefully things will pick up this fall/winter, I said the same thing around this time last year and it never did. Even though we've had a frag swap the last two years, that's pretty much the extent of how active our area has been.

[BluCrab]

It took me over 30 yrs to take a chance and do a REEF aquarium. Due to fear of failing, cost and lack of mentors. MY older brother spent $$ like crazy on the hobby and he made it seem like more of a bother than a hobby. So I've taken what I've learned and passed it on to noobs, helped promote events held by our local reef club and local fish stores.

[uwdanno]

Hobby has absolutely evolved and I think that attracts different types of people. There was a time when people actually swapped and traded corals frequently. Online has made aquiring corals much easier to the individual and rendered hobbyist less dependent on the community- ergo less perspective for how many people are active. It's all very commercialized now- including the forums

 

I think some of the major coral vendors are hurting the hobby with ridiculous marketing aimed at ill informed people. I see a ton of early reefers buying Insane Arco xxxx, Epic Ultra Rare Welso yyy without knowing husbandry. There are several active here lately.

 

My local club has much less of that

[piano15]

I know here the hobby has died. Any Canadian forums and most of our stores have shut down.

The hobby is beyond expensive and during these times you choose either to eat and pay your bills or have an aquarium.

 

The difficulty maintaining SW causes a lot of ppl to give up, it also limits ppls lives unless you can afford every gadget to make it easier.

 

Most of the ppl I know have freshwater or cichlids, you can have a nice tank with a lot less work, less money, and the limitations are less.

 

I know someone who has a store, the amount of used systems sold to him grows weekly.

[davy jones]

Its interesting to hear that in some parts of the US its growing and in others it doesnt seem like it. Many of the places listed are on the coast which im sure has at least a little to do with the interest in reefing and saltwater orginisms in general.

 

Sad to hear in canada its not doing well, I wonder how it is over in europe and asia as i know the hobby basically started there if im not mistaken

[Nano sapiens]

I know here the hobby has died. Any Canadian forums and most of our stores have shut down.

The hobby is beyond expensive and during these times you choose either to eat and pay your bills or have an aquarium.

 

The difficulty maintaining SW causes a lot of ppl to give up, it also limits ppls lives unless you can afford every gadget to make it easier.

 

Most of the ppl I know have freshwater or cichlids, you can have a nice tank with a lot less work, less money, and the limitations are less.

 

I know someone who has a store, the amount of used systems sold to him grows weekly.

 

That bad in Canada?

 

1. The reef hobby cost can be quite reasonable...or astronomical. Mostly depends on the individual aquarist.

 

2.. Limitations and equipment expense typically start when SPS are added due to Alk/Ca needing to be kept stable. A nice softies/mushie or even LPS tank is much more forgiving when one goes away for a while.

 

2. Typically, a reef tank does require a bit more maintenance than a fresh water aquarium, but it need not be excessive. Depends a lot on the how the aquarist has set up the system, depth of understanding, etc.

[vlangel]

That bad in Canada?

 

1. The reef hobby cost can be quite reasonable...or astronomical. Mostly depends on the individual aquarist.

 

2.. Limitations and equipment expense typically start when SPS are added due to Alk/Ca needing to be kept stable. A nice softies/mushie or even LPS tank is much more forgiving when one goes away for a while.

 

2. Typically, a reef tank does require a bit more maintenance than a fresh water aquarium, but it need not be excessive. Depends a lot on the how the aquarist has set up the system, depth of understanding, etc.

I agree. I maintenance aquariums for the lfs I worked for and many of them just had LR and filter pads for filtration. Most of those were fowlr systems though. I came in and usually once a month did a 25% WC, changed filter pads, wiped down glass and checked PH to make sure organics were not building up and pulling the PH down. Short of power outages, not a one of them crashed in the 5 years I was doing that and I had 23 tanks I took care of. Only the 2 had partial crashes due to lack of oxygen due to lack of power. I tell you this merely to prove that tanks can have longevity with minimal equipment and consistent maintenance. A hobbyist must honestly consider their time constraints, their resources and their commitment, and then decide what sort of tank and animals to keep. To not give this thoughtful consideration does a disservice to the creatures that must abide in the home that the hobbyist provides. Remember, it's our hobby but it's their life!

[holy carp]

Well, I'm a newbie and just started my first tank this summer. I'm very excited about it, and so far it's been a great engineering/construction/chemistry/biology adventure. It's a mind-consuming hobby.

 

But in this short time in NYC, the pet store chain where I got my first clownfish in June, Petland Discounts, discontinued everything saltwater related at all their locations. They said not enough people were buying (chain-wide) even though the UWS location got new fish in every Tuesday and they were almost all gone by Saturday. (They never carried much coral, but enough that it inspired me to get a tank of my own)

 

Around the same time, the higher end store called Fauna decided to discontinue saltwater as well. They told me they were just losing money on it between the maintenance, floor space, etc. They used to have a nice collection of fish and corals, though their other supplies were limited. Now they'll just be doing reptiles, birds, and fresh water aquaria. I stopped back there when they had clearance on their saltwater stuff, and many of the bottles of additives were past their expiration dates, so clearly they weren't getting the churn they needed

 

So somehow the LFS economics aren't that strong right now, and Manhattan, with its through-the-roof retail rental prices bears that out quickly. It surprises me a bit for livestock, when you have to add $40 or $50 in overnight shipping to every online order to buy something that hardly looks like the photos. I don't want to buy 10 corals at a time for my 12 gallon tank to make the math work, I'd much rather buy 1 or 2 things at a time locally, but that option isn't readily available. But I guess a local retailer can't live on livestock alone without the margins they make on all the dry goods. And that's the stuff that really tends to get bought online.

 

Local economics aren't necessarily indicative of popularity of the hobby, but it is surprising to go to a LFS and hear the representative answer your questions starting with, "Well, back before I got out of the hobby I used to..."

[Cove]

This hobby is booming in Canada! Specifically here in Toronto, ever since Ripley's opened a new aquarium. Its growing rapidly.

[ninjamyst]

Well, I'm a newbie and just started my first tank this summer. I'm very excited about it, and so far it's been a great engineering/construction/chemistry/biology adventure. It's a mind-consuming hobby.

 

But in this short time in NYC, the pet store chain where I got my first clownfish in June, Petland Discounts, discontinued everything saltwater related at all their locations. They said not enough people were buying (chain-wide) even though the UWS location got new fish in every Tuesday and they were almost all gone by Saturday. (They never carried much coral, but enough that it inspired me to get a tank of my own)

 

Around the same time, the higher end store called Fauna decided to discontinue saltwater as well. They told me they were just losing money on it between the maintenance, floor space, etc. They used to have a nice collection of fish and corals, though their other supplies were limited. Now they'll just be doing reptiles, birds, and fresh water aquaria. I stopped back there when they had clearance on their saltwater stuff, and many of the bottles of additives were past their expiration dates, so clearly they weren't getting the churn they needed

 

So somehow the LFS economics aren't that strong right now, and Manhattan, with its through-the-roof retail rental prices bears that out quickly. It surprises me a bit for livestock, when you have to add $40 or $50 in overnight shipping to every online order to buy something that hardly looks like the photos. I don't want to buy 10 corals at a time for my 12 gallon tank to make the math work, I'd much rather buy 1 or 2 things at a time locally, but that option isn't readily available. But I guess a local retailer can't live on livestock alone without the margins they make on all the dry goods. And that's the stuff that really tends to get bought online.

 

Local economics aren't necessarily indicative of popularity of the hobby, but it is surprising to go to a LFS and hear the representative answer your questions starting with, "Well, back before I got out of the hobby I used to..."

 

Both stores you listed are not what I would normally refer to as "LFS". They are pet stores that carries small selection of saltwater fish / corals. IMO, I am glad those types of stores do not carry saltwater because they will not devote the time to care for their livestock. I prefer stores that only carry aquatic supplies / livestock and run by knowledgeable people. Usually those are the stores that attract enough business from hobbyists to stay afloat.

[Nightstar]

I fear this hobby is alive and well. Oh that it were dying. Livestock would be affordable once more, like back in the '80s.

[k4ndyk1ng]

In the UK this hobby is exploding since i began like 4 years ago. But we dont use forums we use fb groups there are like 15k+ people in the biggest one.

[CrazyEyes]

Appears to be booming down here in Florida, Tampa area to be specific. We just got a new LFS not too long ago which is seeing quite a bit of growth. I don't think the hobby is dying, I don't think it will ever completely die off to be honest.

[frootbat]

With all the money I'm spending, I don't see how it can be dying