In a slump, need some ideas to perk up hobby..

I saw a tank recently and really liked it. All they had done was gotten some stones ( from home depot or somewhere) and stacked them in an arrangement in the middle of the tank. It looked nice. They were the type of stone that is broken into pieces. It made a cool little "ruins" area in the tank.

I went throught the very same thing a couple years ago.And lets behonest, it is bound to happen if you spend a long time in the hobby. One of my tanks got old tank syndrom and was on the verge of a pH crash. What has worked for me was getting my head in some books. For some reason, I hate most reading but even when in a slump I still enjoy reading about my aquatic hobby.

Spend some time touring LFS in your area, try going to one that you have never been to before and see their fish, tanks, and ask questions. The kind of questions that you have always wanted to know but never knew the answers. Sure some stores might not be able to answer you nine times out of ten, but this way you are starting the thought proccess that will lead you to investigation.

Also another thing that you can try is to do something that you have never done before with your tank. For example, if you have never tried live plnats get a couple of those. Never had co2? Put in a DIY co2 system. Try making your tank look like a certain biotope, or a location in the world. Always wanted to feed more live food? Start your own brime Shrimp hatchery and feed them to your fish. All of these things are pretty affordable(although, some more than others) and can rejuvenate your passion fot the hobby.

If all these things seem to fail, take a year or two away from the hobby. Sell your fish (but keep your tank!) and let it sit for a year or two. Once you "discover" your tank in the basement one day, you may find that your passion for fish keeping instantaniously jumps back.

I’m about the same way. I got a 75 gallon tank on 4/1/04 and went the whole 9 yards setting it up as a planted tank but, I skimped on the lighting and the filter. I have some cheap steam plants and have tried a lot of different plants but I’m still playing with a fairly low lit tank. I did this just because I knew I would want to upgrade stuff and it would be like a new tank to play with.

All I can say to help is you need to try something different. Try breading some fish. But I’m thinking you have a 35? gallon tank. The angles would be fun but you might need a bit more room and you would need a second tank for the fry.

In my opinion, the best thing to do to spice up the aquarium hobby, is to buy some livebearers. There's nothing cooler to me then to see the babies grow up and turn into beautiful adults.

Expecially fancy guppies, because you never know what kind of colors your gonna get from the breedings.

I don't use those nasty little plastic contraptions that they put the mother in to separate them from the babies. I've found that if you feed the fish at least three times a day, maybe more, she will avoid eating her babies. And, from personal experience, guppy babies are smarter then say mollie babies. The guppy babies actually hide, while the mollie babies will swim right up to mom or dad to say hello. Not smart.

Anyways, I hope I helped you rekindle your enthusiasm for the hobby, because its fun, and I hope you take my advice and breed the guppies or something. I guarentee it will make it more fun for you.

Hang in there
Lakota

yeah try breeding some easy stuff or try joining an aquarium club.

I have swordtails, and I constantly find babies inside my hob filter.

Just redecorate(sp?) until you're happy, that's what happened with me. I hated my tank cuz it looked so bad, but then i decided what i wanted and went for it.

~ MyShrimpDied

Always try to get fish who match your own personality. Just because they are pretty, doesn't mean they are the right fish for you.

I love to look at angels and think they are great fish but after a little while they just bore me to tears.

Just to make a point I am going to stereotype so don't jump me.

Rebbecca of Sunny Brook Farm Where the Blue Birds Sing may love a calm and lovely tank where peaceful little tetras play among an action sunken ship ornament.

That may not work for "The Mad Man Ice Pick" Jones who takes great care of his Red Devil / Pike Cichlid tank with the sunken skulls. (Some of them might be real!)