Originally Posted by
anthropo
http:///forum/post/2546332
I am thinking of getting rid of my 180 and just keeping my 29 reef. not because i don't enjoy it anymore but because i need to save every penny i have for bills. i'm just getting by right now with the money i make but i'm hopefully going to be getting a job with the police this summer if i make it through the training academy. i've had the fish in my tank for close to 5 years except a few so i've become attached to some of the fish in the tank. i have a 180 with a vlamingi tang, mimic tang, blue hippo, a mated pair of maroon clowns that are huge, a valentini puffer and a copperbanded butterfly. what would you do? would you wait and see or sell the setup with the fish?
Unfortunately, with a recession looming and the cost of everything going up -- gas, food, and virtually everything else, it's understandable why you feel this way. It's sad you have to decide either to cut back on a hobby you love, or keep the electricity going and food on the table. But that's what a lot of Americans are going through at this time. I haven't bought anything for my tank in months. Have you calculated exactly what it's costing to keep the 180 running? What do you see as the most expensive part of this tank -- food, running the lights, running the various pumps and filters? Do you have many corals in the 180? If it's the electric bill, what kind of lights do you have on the 180? If you have MH or a big PC setup, move as many corals that you can fit into the 28, and sell the rest. Turn the energy-burning lights off, and get a cheap flourescent. Fish don't need light to thrive in a tank. Same thing with powerheads. Cut back to just a HOF and a protein skimmer. The tank may look a little nasty for a while, but you can get it back up to par when you get the job with the police force.
