eat some crow, ask for some advice, say thanks

[groucheux]

Howdy, I've been a member of the board here for over four years now, and during that time I've been a strong advocate of the "working man's reef tank". That is, the idea that you can maintain a nice reef tank on a very strict time and money budget. While I don't want to discourage anyone from trying their hand at this wonderful hobby, I 'm here to say that I can no longer afford the time, money, and energy demanded from reef keeping. Perhaps its the addition of our second child (a good trade any day!), maybe it's the economy, whatever...but I'd like to tip my hat at the experts here who warn newbies to be realistic about the demands of the hobby.
To that end, I'm looking into trading in the reef tank for a more managable freshwater setup. I've posted an ad here in the classified section if anyone in the DFW area is interested.
While I'm sure the support and information of this board is hard to match, if anyone knows of a good, supportive board on the freshwater side of things, I'd greatly appreciate a link.
Lastly, I'd like to say thanks for four years of excellent support. I've greatly enjoyed my little reef experiment and much of the credit goes to the always helpful members of this forum. When i started, I didn't know a protein skimmer from a cleaner shrimp, but with your help I can sound halfway intelligent at my LFS.
Thanks again and may your nitrates remain low...dean

 

[nm reef]

Hate to see a experienced hobbyist give it up...but I know where you are coming from. Establishing and maintaining a marine system can involve a decent chunk of cash annually and daily maintenance can be a little time consuming. Patience is vital in this hobby...and even a "working mans reef" can be expensive so having the finances to afford keeping a marine system is vital too.Plus there is always research to do that takes additional time.....its not a hobby for the faint of heart thats for sure.
Best of luck to you and your family with your freshwater conversion....

 

[groucheux]

Thanks...yeah I agree most definately with the research time. I don't think that's stressed enough. Also, constantly trying to combat the pretty impulse buy (that's a pretty mandarin!) can honestly be a psychological stress. It can be so frustrating to see so many beautiful specimens that you really shouldn't try to keep for one reason or another (lights, compatability, experience level).
dean