Michael113 Posted May 13, 2023 Share Posted May 13, 2023 Hello everyone I'm fairly new to this and was wondering, what is the biggest obstacle you face, when keeping your fish? 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted May 13, 2023 Share Posted May 13, 2023 Time. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOtrees Posted May 13, 2023 Share Posted May 13, 2023 Agree it’s time. Not having enough of it to do the things I know need doing to get the results/outcomes I want. Also the overall price of everything. Ie capitalism/consumerism/whatever you want to call it. High prices for things that shouldn’t be priced high. You can bake delivery charges into this. 10-20 years ago, the local availability of a lot of niche items declined when Amazon hit its heyday. Consumers willing to shop online weren’t really affected, because they could buy what they needed from just about anywhere and the cost of shipping was baked into the price. Now, however, those items are still not available locally, but the cost of getting them delivered is no longer insignificant, sometimes even exceeding the cost of the item itself. Especially outside of the US. It is what it is, and I’m not really complaining, but you’re asking what are the obstacles… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninjoma Posted May 13, 2023 Share Posted May 13, 2023 Lack of information and availability on the types of animals I like to keep (crayfish, crabs). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galabar Posted May 13, 2023 Share Posted May 13, 2023 Impatience. 🙂 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milliardo Peacecraft Posted May 13, 2023 Share Posted May 13, 2023 Time is totally the limiting factor I run into. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted May 13, 2023 Share Posted May 13, 2023 the learning curve! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desktop Aquatics Posted May 13, 2023 Share Posted May 13, 2023 LACK OF SPACE FOR NEW TANKS! without a house living in apartments makes it really hard to have lots of fish and tanks..... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galabar Posted May 13, 2023 Share Posted May 13, 2023 I try to set up my tanks for absolute minimum maintenance. So, time is not that much of an issue for me. However, given that my wife didn't like the latest tank I added, I think the limiting factor is matrimony (I'll taking being married over any more tanks)... 🙂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patricia Posted May 13, 2023 Share Posted May 13, 2023 Time and finding fry when doing a water change 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quikv6 Posted May 14, 2023 Share Posted May 14, 2023 Sometimes the biggest obstacle is oneself. It can get very easy to get caught up overthinking things. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted May 14, 2023 Share Posted May 14, 2023 1) Space. I have a small house and no space to dedicate to large tanks and not much for lots of smaller ones. 2) Cures for diseases. I have two tanks now that are basically hospice situations because some of the fish have contagious illnesses there is no cure for. It’s heartbreaking. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted May 14, 2023 Share Posted May 14, 2023 (edited) In a roundabout way I want to point to two main things that have been obstacles for me followed by the one I think is more of a limiting factor. One of the biggest recurring themes in my experience has been standing there with two wet hands trying to do multiple things at once and trying to be at two places at once. Have to watch the input so it doesn't suck up a fish, but then I also have to go adjust the temp on the nozzle. Then you pop on youtube and see all of the auto top offs, drain lines, timers to fill tanks, racks of tanks, etc. I would greatly benefit for a trashcan on wheels for maintenance to move water and fill tanks. I could just as easily benefit from a delivery of a few boxes of plants, rocks, or just a certain stand/filter to help me out with that enjoyment. In the above scenario the main concern there is cost and spending wisely to make the funds I have work well for me. Another recurring theme in my experience has been not knowing how badly I was messing things up in a variety of ways. Tank wasn't scaped right resulting in some aggression issues. The tank wasn't nearly big enough resulting in aggression issues. The plants were in the wrong spot, resulting in algae. The tank was too tall and the light wasn't setup to compensate for that. The light was on too long and algae went off. The filter slowed down and I didn't catch it in time. Not enough air. CO2 wasn't circulating in the tank fully causing algae. Temperature issues. Thermometer failures. Feeding the wrong foods causing bloat. Buying all the meds you're supposed to have, but not having the one you might need to cover a specific disease. ......and most recently...... not having multiple testing items to ensure results are correct. In the above, the main concern there is understanding that you are constantly learning and the goal is to push for learning more. The goal is to understand the fine details. In total, the hobby can best be described as an eternal conversation. You'll learn along the way, every chance you get, and you have to be receptive to that. There is a lot of white noise, tribal knowledge, and trivial advice, but filtering through what works best for you is such a difficult thing. ..................so. My most limited thing for me personally is going to be cost. There is a lot of ways to make things easier for yourself by spending a bit more. This is true in a lot of ways for a lot of things, but when it comes to the aquarium hobby itself there is a lot of trying to improve things buy purchasing the "next best thing" or just something that might work a little better for your needs. Cost is definitely an issue because you can only extend yourself so much. Knowing what to purchase that will do well for you is the other side of the coin that leads to so many issues. Let me give you a quick for instance. You're new to the hobby and so you go and get a 5G nano style tank and a betta fish. You should have pretty much a good experience with all things considered. However, the fish you got happened to be sick due to what happened to the fish along the way to get to you. Your tank didn't come with plants or hardscape and when you decided to go that route you no longer have space for the aquascape you wanted. Now you're looking for a 20 long aquarium, lid, light, hardscape, more plants, and you're trying to find a stand for it. Add on a filter, some botanicals, that special food and meds to help with the bloat on the betta. It's sort of a vicious cycle and you might not learn all of that (to set yourself up for success) based on whatever happened prior to that tank being setup. There's so many easy ways for things to tumble down that slippery slope and it's very easy for a new hobbyist to feel dejected as a result. My hope is that it's a bit easier to set up new hobbyists with the knowledge they need to get them on the right foot. That when something happens, they have a place to ask for advice, get good advice, and to be able to have someone help them through those trials and tribulations along the way to that rewarding part of the hobby. I wish you the best of luck and I'm happy to help in any way possible as are so many people here on the forums. Welcome! Hopefully we get to see your setups soon! Edited May 14, 2023 by nabokovfan87 Weird wording on things. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted May 14, 2023 Share Posted May 14, 2023 Excitement is my biggest obstacle. There are so many fascinating critters and so many ways to set tanks and I want to experience all of them. Throughout my hobby I have repeatedly ended up with more tanks than is reasonable for me to give each tank all the time and attention they deserve. Through the years I have learned patience and now have a someday list. It helps me when deciding what fish next I no longer feel that it’s an either or choice. It becomes a now or later and which is most easily accessible and doable at this time. If I have a tank I don’t get to spend much time each week just watching I know that is a tank to many. I have also missed the full experience of certain fish and being able to witness and learn about different aspects of their behavior by having to many at once. I have revisited certain fish to correct that. Nothing is set in stone and I am now very comfortable with the understanding if I choose a fish I do not enjoy as much as anticipated I can find others who will and move on. As well as some fish I really enjoy at first but over time I stop paying the detailed attention to so find a home with someone who will give them the attention. Then some I get attached to and never fail to be mesmerized by and they are permanent. Good luck on your new adventures. I’m looking forward to hearing about them. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted May 14, 2023 Share Posted May 14, 2023 The learning curve is #1 for me, followed by time. I rarely have time to hangout with my fish during the day. That is why my setups require minimal maintenance. That is also one reason why I have a fish cam. The learning curve is a different story. I learned way too late that omnivore could also mean plant eater! I learned to grow some plants in a near zero maintenance set up with a DIY light. I have not learned why the same plants won't grow in the well maintained planted tank with real plant lights. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20 Plecos Posted May 14, 2023 Share Posted May 14, 2023 For myself, I would have to say time as well. I'm just now set up in my new place. Based on everything going on its been crazy 🤪 I look forward to having things in place and setting up my fish room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted May 14, 2023 Share Posted May 14, 2023 Varying opinions and experiences. And no opinion or experience reflecting a fact. Everyone's experiences and beliefs differ a lot from one to another. This makes searching and learning phase very hard in general in my opinion. You can easily find an information that directly conflicts with each other on basically every topic in fishkeeping. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted May 14, 2023 Share Posted May 14, 2023 Not enough electrical outlets 🙂 3 3 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLFishChik Posted May 14, 2023 Share Posted May 14, 2023 Water changes. On my 5g and 10g this isn’t an issue (apart from having to do it more frequently), because a cup and a pitcher do the job. BUT, the 29g is a bit more difficult 1) my faucets are such that I can’t use a python to do water changes and 2) I can’t lift a heavy bucket of water so it’s gallon pitcher from the kitchen to the tank, 1 gallon at a time so, 8-10 trips to fill it back up after a water change 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted May 14, 2023 Share Posted May 14, 2023 On 5/14/2023 at 2:27 PM, FLFishChik said: Water changes. On my 5g and 10g this isn’t an issue (apart from having to do it more frequently), because a cup and a pitcher do the job. BUT, the 29g is a bit more difficult 1) my faucets are such that I can’t use a python to do water changes and 2) I can’t lift a heavy bucket of water so it’s gallon pitcher from the kitchen to the tank, 1 gallon at a time so, 8-10 trips to fill it back up after a water change 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLFishChik Posted May 15, 2023 Share Posted May 15, 2023 On 5/14/2023 at 5:40 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said: Wait….. You can do that?!?!? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted May 15, 2023 Share Posted May 15, 2023 On 5/14/2023 at 11:27 AM, FLFishChik said: Water changes. On my 5g and 10g this isn’t an issue (apart from having to do it more frequently), because a cup and a pitcher do the job. BUT, the 29g is a bit more difficult 1) my faucets are such that I can’t use a python to do water changes and 2) I can’t lift a heavy bucket of water so it’s gallon pitcher from the kitchen to the tank, 1 gallon at a time so, 8-10 trips to fill it back up after a water change 75G is real fun on water change day. 12 trips with 5G buckets and trying to be efficient with how I do it! I won't even do the math if I had to use the 1G jar. 😞 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLFishChik Posted May 15, 2023 Share Posted May 15, 2023 On 5/14/2023 at 9:55 PM, nabokovfan87 said: 75G is real fun on water change day. 12 trips with 5G buckets and trying to be efficient with how I do it! I won't even do the math if I had to use the 1G jar. 😞 I can’t lift a 5g bucket of water… you must have back muscles of steel! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Expectorating_Aubergine Posted May 15, 2023 Share Posted May 15, 2023 Time Space Money 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick-In-Of-TheSea Posted May 15, 2023 Share Posted May 15, 2023 On 5/14/2023 at 9:52 PM, FLFishChik said: Wait….. You can do that?!?!? Every week 🙂 I will PM you the video to help you select pump size. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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