How long can you be in the hobby and getting started?

[San Raphael Catfish]

Just curious, I am coming up on two years, but wondering if that is still getting started or if I have moved into whatever we consider the next phase. There is still so much to learn and try, but there is a certain level of maturity and stability to the tank now.

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[Autumnsky]

Always a noob in something

There are so many facets of keeping aquatic critters at home, from guppies out of the ditch to FW moss and inverts, planted tanks, Cichlids and all their varieties and specialties to huge intricate SW Reef systems,( and there is seemingly no end to what you can learn in the area of SW.)

There are a vast number areas to become an expert on, water, equipment, lighting, plants all the fish varieties, or even accomplished in. So I feel like I am always a newbie with something. But when you understand and learn about some basics, you can keep building upon the foundations and become better equipped to do well at more and more things. Learning is exciting.

 

[treemanone2003]

There are so many facets of keeping aquatic critters at home, from guppies out of the ditch to FW moss and inverts, planted tanks, Cichlids and all their varieties and specialties to huge intricate SW Reef systems,( and there is seemingly no end to what you can learn in the area of SW.)

There are a vast number areas to become an expert on, water, equipment, lighting, plants all the fish varieties, or even accomplished in. So I feel like I am always a newbie with something. But when you understand and learn about some basics, you can keep building upon the foundations and become better equipped to do well at more and more things. Learning is exciting.

IMO, Autumn nailed it 100%. Except for some time in the military, I've been (on and off) keeping FW fish alive for over 30 years. And that's it. Just fish. I'm horrible when it comes to plants, and my girl and I just took the dive into SW this past February. Learning boat loads and loving it at the same time. I would presume others would possibly feel the same way if the roles were reversed. And in today's day and age with the constant introductions of a new "this" or "that" I wouldn't be surprised to hear some of the most experienced of keepers, be it FW or SW, would feel the same.

Just my thought on the subject.


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[Brookster123]

I've been at it just around a year, while I've managed to waist thousands of dollars on useless crap and broken tanks I am pleasantly surprised at the array of tanks I've running at the moment, no way on Planted earth could I have done it without this forum, like seriously bro, not a chance... I'm still a total hack with my high tech tanks, it's all love though, I'm at work and most of the time all I can think about is which plants need trimming and what I'm giving the fish for dinner.. don't tell my gf though

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[Mebbid]

Ive been at this about a year and a half now and I would hope nobody here could say im still "getting started". Its honestly all about how much time you spend learning about the hobby. I spent an obscene amount of time researching, discussing, and trying out diffrrent things. Someone thats been in the hobby for 20 years keeping guppies but hasnt spent any effort in learning about things could presably be considered to be a relative newbie.

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[gleach]

The more thousands you spend the more experiance you have lol.

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[Fresh2o]

The more thousands you spend the more experiance you have lol.

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True. But learning by reading other's experiences and product reviews and doing lots of research can help spare the wallet. Been at this for a while (90% of the time doing it wrong) but there is always something new to learn. This forum with its cast of characters (whom my wife still thinks are make believe) coupled with other similar forums and Google has been an invaluable resource. I actually found this site via Google.


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[PB_Smith]

I've been at it for over forty years and still learn new things all the time and there are still areas of the hobby I have yet to explore.

The more thousands you spend the more experiance you have lol.

and then you hit that level of experience where you realize it's all obscenely overpriced and DIY solutions can be made much better and for much, much, much less $$$.


IMHO the most important thing is to get a good understanding of the basic, underlying biological actions/principles involved in maintaining an enclosed biome, because they apply to each and every possible facet of the hobby whether it be a 1/2 gallon betta bowl, a 250 gallon reef or a 20,000 gallon pond, the same basic principles are at work.

It all gets easy once you understand that and see how to apply/implement those principles and strategies across the board.

 

[Camescu]

This is possibly the politest forum I have encountered.

My personal experience... A year in FW and a few weeks in SW. I think it's about finding your niche. I'm almost there in FW, for me it's S.American low tech. SW is a whole new world and my research has only scratched the surface.

But then it is all about the journey and not the destination &#55357;&#56842;


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[Andy Sager]

IMHO the most important thing is to get a good understanding of the basic, underlying biological actions/principles involved in maintaining an enclosed biome, because they apply to each and every possible facet of the hobby whether it be a 1/2 gallon betta bowl, a 250 gallon reef or a 20,000 gallon pond, the same basic principles are at work.

It all gets easy once you understand that and see how to apply/implement those principles and strategies across the board.

I have to agree 1000% with PB. If you understand the basic underlying principles, it all makes sense and makes aquarium keeping a whole lot easier and successful. Those principles don;t change.
There is always new things to learn no matter how long you've been at it because new things come on the market all the time however, what they do isn't new, only how they do it is. This year marks my 50th year of keeping fish, both FW(50 yrs.) & SW (46 yrs). (My first saltwater tank had a metal frame and a slate bottom because all glass aquariums hadn't been made yet. ) I've kept tanks and systems as small as 1/2 gal and as large as 2500 gals. The only difference is the size of the machinery used. They all work the same.

A little more than 3 years ago, after about a 2 year hiatus from the hobby, I started looking at getting back to fish keeping. After doing much online research and trips to the pet stores around my area, I noticed that only the machines have changed over the time I was out of it, not the science. That's the same as with all the other "latest and greatest" inventions I have seen in the hobby over the years. So once again, if you understand WHY you need it, it's much easier to know the HOW to do it. I've seen some great filtering systems at some commercial fish houses that were made out of milk crates and garbage cans. Did they look pretty? No! Did they function? As good if not better than the best systems found in a home aquarium. How do I know? We tested the water and looked at the fish and inverts. Those told the story.

So when are you no longer a "newbie"? To me, when you keep a system that is healthy, long term and the fish you keep in it live out a "normal" lifespan. THEN you are no longer a newbie and you are on to the "next phase". ( BTW: the next phase just means that you do this to a number of tanks at the same time. )

Hope this helps