*In the "sport" of the fishkeeping hobby, what areas do you think are your strengths and weaknesses?*

I would add that moving long distances and fish deaths from mistakes, injury, or disease might also contribute to burnout. Even mistakes with plants can be very stressful and expensive.

I've kept reef tanks, ponds, you name it, and then I got burned out. It became a money pit for me. I get obsessed with it. It started at age five, and just went on.... Now years later I got a 55 gallon kit tank for $99, so this channel (stocking ideas for a 55 gallon tank) inspired me to keep it simple and have FUN with it. I set goals. I wanted a tank that was pretty to look at, and easy to keep. I chose to only keep the standard hardiest, time tested fish. Platys some black mollies, some zebra danios and a few long finned glo-fish tetras so pop after the moonlights come on at night (yes I upgraded the kit light with a Hygger 957). My goal was to have only easy to keep plants and fish. I only keep my lights on full spectrum for six hours (that ended my hair algae problem) I watched every one of your videos on best beginner aquarium plants, then best beginner fish. I hot-rodded my kit filter with one of your coarse foam inserts, and added your pre-filter sponge. I don't even want bottom fish or algae eaters because I don't want to have to put sinking food in my tank. It's so easy just to feed aggressive eaters who devour the fish food in a minute, with no waste. I EVEN went against all religion and got some realistic looking plastic glo-plants and strategically placed them so they add a whole different fantasy look under the actinic moon lights. It makes me smile when the lights come on at night. It's not stressful anymore. I took Cory's advice and created a tank that I enjoy. I only do water changes when my nitrates are 40... which isn't often. I'm having FUN again! And Everyone thinks it looks awesome! THANK YOU for all you do!

I think what I’ve learned from keeping all kinds of fish over the past 6 years is that your wants will always change. my favorite fish tank used to be my CPD tank with a betta. Now my favorite is a 100% natural tank imitating my favorite stream with all the species of minnows and a crawdad. Sometimes although it may hurt in the moment taking down a tank and redoing it can respark your interests almost immediately.

I watch aquarium videos to learn, but also for my entertainment. My aquarium entertains me and watching my fish is therapeutic for me. Do not overextend on a hobby. Keep it small, simple and enjoy yourself

Another thing to keep in mind, particularly when looking at social media, is... the vast majority of what you see are snapshots of people's successes. Unfortunately, the struggles they faced or solved on the way are rarely documented. When those struggles are documented, the time it took is often a short edit, rather than the reality; weeks of trials under uncertainty.

This is a deep video. This is something I am focusing on myself currently. Going from 30 tanks to 3 tanks has opened up a new chapter of fish keeping for me. All 3 tanks are different and have given me new opportunities. Thank you for taking the time to talk about this, it is always difficult to do the hobby how you want to, shouldn’t be that way but it is.

This is an important video. It is easy to watch videos about neat aspects of the hobby and then get in over your head.

I have learned to readjust the fish I keep based on my water, and to keep more natural tanks, rather than expecting to be able to keep perfectly groomed, algae free, plants growing exactly the way I want them to tanks. Keeping fish and shrimp has taught me to prioritize what's really important to me and healthier for my fish. It's also taught me that I will always be learning, that this is a life long learning hobby. And that no matter how much of an "expert" somebody is...there is always more than one way to do things that work equally well at the end of the day. 👍❤👍

I started keeping fish 55 years ago and I tried to do it all. So I burned out and took several year's off, but I'm back for the fun.

I wish I could like this video a thousand times!!! I agree with this perspective SO much!! I breed guppies, but simply and for health and ease of keeping and color. I've been made to feel less than because I don't breed for shows. But due to chronic illness and disabilities I'm not able to do the intensive management needed for keeping and breeding show fish. I also prefer short tailed and swordtail guppies, rather than Delta tails. I keep my guppies in a way that's manageable and enjoyable for me, but is different from a lot of others. But it's how I enjoy the hobby. I love summer tubbing and I'm in L.A. so I can tub year round. I'm doing the hobby in a way that works for me. We need more of that!! 💖💖💖

I think the sport analogy is good, and even talking about the different positions and what you're good at. I also think what can make fishkeeping so tricky is that each tank is unique and the skills and maintenance involved in each tank is unique. At the moment, I have 3 tanks. One is hi-tech planted with geos and other SA cichlids and it's a constant fight against algae and keeping tds low, and balancing nutrients, another is an iwagumi with shrimp, tetra and ottos and that's just topping it up and feeding a little, then the other is an office tank that has lights on an opposite cycle that has a really inquisitive betta. That's topped up less and fed less, and I stuff cotton in the filter to slow the flow, I use rooibos for tannins and they're all different, and have different requirements and different aspects to learn. That's the beauty and the curse of fishkeeping - you have to be constantly learning and adapting with every tank

That was a great video cory. I sometimes lose myself in what I’ve done wrong in the hobby and less on what I’ve done right.

As someone still pretty new to this hobby (just over 6 months since I set up my first tank) it has been a lot of fun trying things and seeing what works and what doesn't. Interestingly, seeing many KZfaqrs with crazy fish rooms makes me realize that's not what I want. I want to start slow, see what works, what doesn't, that I enjoy, what I don't, etc. I watch tons of videos but until you try for yourself you won't know how it'll work out for you. Excellent video.

The best advice I’ve heard from Cory is saying that every aquarium is like an experiment. No two tanks will be the same and that’s what draws me into the hobby. I’ve only been keeping aquariums for almost 2 years and have had 4 tanks going at the same time. Down to 2 now. I suck at planting plants on the substrate. I use the aquascape tools but I still suck. So I try to use anubias, Java fern, bulb plants and mosses and my tanks still get lots of compliments and I’m super happy with the way they grow and look. Great advice. Thanks for everything co op and Cory.

"Spending time in nature and learning." Man, that really struck a chord with me! I really felt this video. I had a few fish a few years ago, and it didn't really work out in the long run. They were given to me and I was completely unprepared to care for them (thankfully I found a good home for them). I'm reapproaching this hobby now with a new excitement and your videos have been so incredibly informative and interesting!

This was my first video that wasn't information I was specifically trying to look up or a cool one I just stumbled upon (Peru/China trips & In-Store videos). It is newly released and honestly since most of my informational stuff was YEARS and YEARS worth of old content I really got to see the growth of you, your business, and the community and the fact that you have always stayed true and just want to help people and fish is amazing. You're actually making a difference. Got all my stuff from aquarium coop (plants & equip) and with you and girl talks fish help I have a flourishing planted fish tank with beautiful thriving fish and haven't had one loss. THANK U CORY!! (also willing to answer any noob questions)

You are so dead on right! Four or five years ago I had enjoyed keeping some fish that suited me. Mostly fish native to North and South America. I then became convinced that I had to change fish to make some money. Basically sold or gave away most everything to get the right filters, right heaters, ordered expensive fish from overseas, etc. I had never truly factored in the time I would now have to devote to this venture. Between work and the fish, I had no time for anything else, especially my family. Sadly, but thankfully, we lost all our power for a few days and I lost every fish that I had been working on. Bummed me out really bad, but it also taught me a valuable lesson. Now I watch for deals, place an order with Aquarium Coop when I get the extra spending money that I’m not spending on my grand babies and just enjoying the process. I have a few tanks that I am allowing to ‘season’ and once again buying what I want instead of what I think I can make a buck or two on. Excellent analogy Cory and thank you for summing it up. A lot of wisdom in your words.

I think a lot of these problems are driven by the social media fish keepers. Not anyone in particular but overall. There are the basic rules that we all must understand. But some of the so-called professionals on social media and people that follow them have set certain arbitrary rules and standards that are not necessary to enjoy the hobby. Newcomers think they need to set up aquariums that compete or look like the people they watch. The reality is a lot of these social media personalities don't maintain their aquariums to the standards they present. They are showing them only at their best for clicks and to make money. Don't get me wrong I appreciate a lot of the videos people make. My advice is don't overcomplicate things and dive into something you don't have time to maintain.

I’ve come to liken this hobby to photography. As you mentioned, “we’ve read about it, we “practice” it, but we start to realize there is so much more to it.” We also need to understand that there are always those that are going to be better at it than we are. I’ve invested 40 plus years into photography, and I’m good. But there are many others that eclipse me, and my capabilities. Thank you for enlightening me, and others in this hobby!

These videos and others keep me going in the hobby. I really enjoy doing maintenance while watching livestreams or videos. Thank you.

I'm 57 years old and just got my first tank for Christmas. I have watched sooooo many videos and my favorite fish people are the ones that say "have fun with it. Experiment and see what works for you". I had a rough start with my first aquarium but I learned a lot. Now I have two tanks and am taking my time with the new one. 😁✌️

I am on my third go around with aquariums. This time I have an idea of what I want to do, and what type of fish I want to keep and breed. Channels like this one have helped keep me in it this time. Seeing other people have success and failures helped me see the true joys and heart ache of keeping fish. I even got into caridina shrimp. Love all the videos, helps show all the different types of fish there are. Thanks for sharing. ✌️

I was thinking about the words you were saying in the introduction about how this hobby seems to be unique in the way people have their struggles. I love the analogy you gave. I would like to add two more points if I may. 1. A kid gets a puppy and they are very excited and very happy. After a few months they don't want to get up and have to feed it, brush it, go for a long walk, go outside and dedicate play time, and they just generally lose interest. It's very common with pets and even fish to see something unique and amazing as "normal" when it's been around for a while. The focus has to be on the connection and the enjoyment that relationship brings to both sides. 2. I think one of the most critical issues with the mentality you've described is the need for everyone to be "correct" when talking to new or other hobbyists. Even myself, I try very hard to offer good advice. I might be wrong. I try to approach the topics as stating my opinions or sharing a video that has the necessary information from someone I trust. I try to always offer help when I can and to encourage someone. Far too often I think, and I've experienced it, when someone a heck of a lot smarter than me or has knowledge that I don't, it comes off like they can't have a conversation without putting me down. A technique I would encourage everyone to try is to say at the beginning of their tips and tricks and advice is to just specify "I hope other people will add their input" or "This is my experience with this topic, I would encourage everyone to share their own". There is absolutely many ways to do something, and like Cory mentioned there is a lot of variables and conditions that fish tolerate to someone's setup. I would encourage discussion instead of certainty. That's the best way to explain it. There might be one very true statement that should be the guideline (like temperature or flow for some species) but there absolutely should be a conversation about the topic. If the conversation is just one person or one source saying "this is what you have to do" or the "well actually this" statements, then when things don't work out that hobbyist will lose faith in everyone and likely give up.

Love all things Discus..Ive wanted them from the first moment i seen them 16+ years ago. Ive had all kinds of fish and the last 3 years ive kept discus and i dont ever wanna change that. I could never have enough

I love this! I have hit burn out from “failure” several times and in the end it’s always wound up being a learning experience

well said Cory.... I stopped chasing numbers years back and just tried to be consistent with everything I could control... Hitting a round ball with a round bat is definitely NOT for everybody, fish keeping is sooooo much simpler! lol

Passing 3 years this year on fishkeeping. Started with a 5 gallon, then 29 gallon, 10 gallon, have a 20 on ice until I can give it the proper time and attention to set it up. Dream is to have a 70 all rainbow tank. First of all , you've been a major factor not just in helping me achieve my moderate success ...but I really appreciate your honesty and the vulnerability you've displayed with regards to your own life, business, and relationship with the hobby. It means alot to many of us. As for me, I'm trying to avoid the "must have all fish now" that seems to burnout alot of fishkeepers I've seen on here and met IRL. I decided to stick to a few goals and everything else can be icing . Goal : keep fish to best of my ability so that they are healthy and "happy" and yes, I realize there is no way for me to totally know for sure they're happy. But I compare the stressed out fish in shops, (not entirely their fault) and mine seem pretty chill and enjoying life. Goal: keep tanks I know I can care for without it feeling like a 2nd JOB. When I see fishkeepers on here talking about the massive amount of water changes , work they do , it just sounds exhausting and I would not be able to keep that up. I would have given up the hobby by now. So, I'm doing the deeper beds, as many plants as can logically be stuffed in to the tank get it balanced and then leave it the hell alone!! LOL Also, we call it a "hobby" , but it's still petkeeping and at the end of the day...after you've spent time/energy/brain cells caring for a living creature, when something bad happens to it...well...it's going to hurt. Unlike a dog owners, we can't drive to a vets office late at night , hand over our fish and cry" please save him!" We're not just owners, we're also practicing medicine without a license. Imagine if half the dogs/cats you've ever owned in your lifetime died young due to mistakes/ignorance by you. Our silent, colorful little friends work their way into our hearts in their own way and it's okay to feel bad when something happens to them.

I have had lots of hobbies, but this channel changed my fishkeeping game completely. I am so much better and my tank looks Amazing because I'm learning so much here. My strength is probably more luck, but the water quality is almost bang on and maintains its self. My weakness is not sitting down and watching and enjoying my tank enough. I need to do that more.

As you were speaking, I thought maybe another reason would be that beginners or new in the hobby people see everyone on these videos (who have the experience or have been in the hobby a long) are at their next levels & are getting bigger & bigger tanks, or perfecting their aquascaping skills & newbies just need to start with a 10 gallon tank what we all probably began with, & have things explained from step one. Now I know there are videos but many of them are 2-5 years old & many things have changed since then. If beginners are encouraged on their level & get their questions answered, they will progress at a more stable pace & stay in it longer as they continue to learn.

👻 from begginer I spend a year learning and researching collecting all I need and from scratch I set up my 55 gallon reef tank according with my realistic economic and my ability possibilities and been 3 years successfully very happy as a relaxing hobby,this is what it does giving me please and relax time.mistake some people do is taken on more than they can handle becoming a stressful failed struggle hard work

After 21 years of keeping fish I am struggling with my latest project and it was getting me down. I needed this pep talk. Thanks for being a great team captain.

That is the journey you undertake when we start this hobby. Sometimes you are frustrated, angry, upset and then filled with joy and happiness all in one day. The only thing that remains constant is that the fish will always be the cheapest part of the hobby.

What an inspirational video! This will be one of those videos that I will rewatch whenever I have that feeling of being totally useless at fishkeeping and ready to give it all up. Whenever I feel like what was I thinking of getting into this hobby? This will be the video which will inspire me to get back on track and don't give up. I going to keep on learning and someday I will find my strength.

This hit me. I’m a newb and have even had bouts of rage-quitting. Thanks, Cory. This helps me zoom out, get out of my head, and remember that regardless of everything else, I’m enjoying nature, learning, and finding my way in fish keeping. Phenomenal and poignant editing, by the way. Kudos! ❤️

My weaknesses are definitely plant related. I wanted to try alll the plants and different scapes. That led to too many tanks and I didn’t understand how much effort it took to keep a scape beautiful. My strengths would be observation and self education. I want the best for my aquariums and inhabitants, so I monitor the aquarium overall like a hawk and educate myself. Research and learn all I can from awesome sources like this one! Thanks for making my hobby better and teaching me to make it sustainable.

Very timely. I got back in a few years back after a few years out and I’m burned out again. Going back to basics with trying a dirted tank and only your sponge filter in a 55. Getting new plants and going to keep it so simple. I’m not going to sweat water changes, won’t need to vacuum, won’t keep testing to only be anxious of the results, not worrying about scaling. I will have plants and fish and light. I will watch and I will feed lightly and less frequently the way I did in the 70’s. No more Fluval canister with a HOB and a wave maker. I was making myself nuts and broke and losing fish.

Than-k you Cory and Co-op for supporting the average fish hobbyist. Great short talk.

If you start out with too much going on it makes it feel like a lot of work to keep your fish happy. The more experience you obtain the easier it gets to manage the tanks and fish you want. It all starts with a good foundation

This video is legendary. Cory you are so talented at explaining things. This goes deep. People that aren't that into the hobby will see this video and have an eye opening experience. This hobby is all about enjoying nature and learning just like Cory says. I try to tell friends to get into the hobby and I always say its a really fun hobby because you can never know it all. Like cory says, good players strike out a lot because they take the most swings. Its all about trying new things and experiences. Thank you for the awesome editing Jimmy and thank you for the amazing wisdom on our beautiful hobby Cory! #fluvaltrippin

Canadian here and I love baseball! Great video as always been following you since 2018 when I first got into the hobby.

This is so true. There is so much competitive nature in any kind of animal hobby over who has the rarest, or the most, or the prettiest and we forget the root of our interest in the hobby...to keep fish and enjoy ourselves

I think I must have intuitively known this after my first few YT fish videos - and now am kind of bummed that it's really not about just learning 'how to' on videos and jump right in, to success. I've been looking at my brand new empty tank in the living room for several months (realizing I'll probably need at least another one, with the type of fish I am interested in). I have watched 'weeks' worth of 'how to's', but haven't purchased any of the accessories to actually start. I think I was hoping, after hours of research, I would feel ready to jump in, not 'break the bank'. It seems so much more expensive and time consuming than it was when I was a kid in the 60's - when all we did was add water, a filter, a light, a heater and some fish (which probably cost less than $50). Never knew about cycling (except the two wheeled version), never had any serious algae problems that a little scrubbing every once in awhile didn't take of, rarely had dead fish (that only cost a couple of dollars back then), no criteria that I needed to learn about - that some fish don't get along, some fish need different ph (like what was ph??). It truly was a fun hobby for kids. Now, as a senior, I'm not so sure I want all the stress. If I watch one more 'failure' video, I think it will be time to take up knitting.

Very nice and gentle reminder to remind myself not to get carried away and ahead of myself with large ideas that result in disappointment because they were far too large of an idea for my level

This video should be the channel trailer.

Thank you, this was very enlightening! I think you may have confirmed what I already knew about the “sport”, but did not have words for. I fell, hard, for fish keeping over a decade ago. Got overwhelmed and quit because things were just not turning out as I had envisioned. When I picked it up again two years ago it has been quite different. Not necessarily easier. It’s like you said, there is always always ALWAYS room to learn and adapt to ways of doing things. But I was more open minded to all of this going in this time. I was less expectant of what was going to happen and concentrated on enjoying; not just interacting with and observing the fish, but also letting go of what I think needs to happen.

I have three large tanks presently but over the last 30 yrs have learned to keep it simple and keep fish, plants that just work where I live instead of attempting to maintain living organisms in a situation that doesn't benefit them.

I heard on the radio this week, baseball is a game of failure. And well I have had a lot of failures in the fish hobby, as a less experienced guy but sometimes the failure makes me try something new and gets me reinterested

I think a huge factor is that people set themselves up so they are stuck doing hours of maintenance. This is why my tanks are designed to be low-maintenance. Lighter stocking, algae refugiums, pothos. So if there is ever a week that I don't feel like it, it's okay! I still have have to feed them once a day, and change the lighting twice a day, but those are easy. I should never struggle to manage my tanks. If I do, that means I took it too far.

I am still very new in this hobby. June will be one year. It has been a wild ride, I have learned some hard lessons and I had some amazing accomplishments. So much to learn and I’m looking forward to the journey.

I'm one year in the hobby now. 12 tanks in total 2 is quarantine tanks. I love it. . Not going to lie... It has been hard some times. Some weeks everything is going beyond great and the all of a sudden a second hand aquarium start leaking or ich breaks out. But still enjoy learning and growing. Thinking of getting another tank for some Oscars... Trying my best with aqua scaping but still not as good as the pro's. For me it is like a little window into underwater nature that we don't often get to see. Thank you very much for your channel in helping me in this journey.

Wife brought home 4 fish for my kids last weekend and a tank that’s too small. In an effort to save them from that error…I have accidentally fallen in love with fish & aquariums. This video was an amazing thing to see right out of the gate, and I’ve watched probably 4 hours of your content in the past 2 days and subscribed after this one. Thank you for what you do!

We need alot more content.. im finding I have to rewatch vids as I've watched most vids over the past few years and I miss the longer videos........ but love all content you put up. Keep up the good work. To cory and everyone at acp....

Cory you are one amazing fella. Thank You for being YOU!!! Much love n respect!!!

I love the challenge of starting a new tank, aquascaping it, watching it work and plan the right fish combo. Also love seeing plants grow and propagate them :D

Exactly very well articulated, a hobby the aquahobby is as personal as can be and so very likely each of our journey would be different

This is a thoughtful perspective to support my interest in the hobby. It summarizes perfectly what the goal was when I spent my time and money investing in it. I just want anything I create to be beautiful and, in this case, to form an ecosystem I can control and balance. I ventured into gardening last year with great success, and I still have plenty to learn and literally grow from, and this has been a similar experience with your channel. These two things are now intertwining as I learn more, and ultimately I feel like I'm developing skills that my children can learn from these experiences. Your approach and ethos on this has been the perfect example of what I want to accomplish. Thank you, and I look forward to more exposure to the details of building an aquatic world.

this is an incredibly beautiful; i think everyone whose getting into fish keepin/aquariums/aquascaping needs to watch this. really helps you find your feet in what you WANT with this. thanks Cory!!

Great insight Cory. The analogy to sport is great. I like it very much. There's an element of stoic philosophy in what we do... it's one thing to be confident, think, plan and dream, but that confidence needs to be coming from a place of competence. It doesn't matter how confident we are, without the competence we get fro exoerience and practice, confidence isnt worth much. I've managed to do the hobby since i was a child in the 70s, with few interruptions since. I was very confident when i built my fishroom and fairly confident, but keeping multiple tanks was such a learning curve. What I do in the hobby now, I couldn't have dreamed in my best day dreams of five years ago. Training. Practice, experience .and plenty of breathers where I dont do anything but basic feeding and water changes.

Dirted tanks with neocaridinas is my position, been going so well, coming from a horticultural background, this is right up my alley. Caring for neocaridina shrimps in my densely planted jungle-of-a-tank feels a lot like caring for big juicy cherry tomatoes. Very similar effort level, and very similar soil at the start. Different ferts, same schedule.

Love this short - The message is spot on. For the last 7 years I have nurtured a tank of large fish. When the last past a couple months back I was convinced that I would tear the aquarium down and put it up for sale. I cleaned it out and cleaned it up prepared to do that and then it dawned on me that maybe I was just tired of the journey that I was on. Kind of been there and done that and wanted to do something different. That’s exactly what I’m doing now. Over the last two months I’ve been watching a lot of your videos and others talking about the planted tank. I’m taking more of an adventure in that avenue and looking into the tiny nano fish. It’s an entirely new adventure. This is a great point and it didn’t dawn on me until you said it that that’s exactly what I was doing. Thanks again for another great video!

I totally agree with not treating the hobby like a textbook. There are so many variables that can lead to either optimal or sub-optimal fish set-ups. Simply put, you can't just follow other methods verbatim. That's not to say research and planning aren't valuable, you just have to be prepared for the unexpected and make proper adjustments to maximize success for your situation.

How very Zen of you! I’ve learned so much, including huge mistakes, the last couple years. Still having fun, and being mindful of a good balance for me!

I have learned so much while keeping fish and that is my favorite part. I like trying new things and having a hobby that is endless in the amount of things you can do. It’s not all fun but it is very rewarding. It’s the only hobby I have kept for years and still enjoy daily. It’s also the only hobby that hasn’t become a job for me and there’s something sacred to that. I love the community you’ve helped us have in the hobby Corey. Thank you for all you do and all you share. I think it is important to sort of be honest with yourself in fish keeping of what you are willing to do. I know for me personally I needed something low tech and relatively low maintenance. I like simple and though I do enjoy a beautiful high tech tank when I see one I know that is just not fun for me overall. I think for new people that would be the best advice I’d give is to be realistic about what you have time and patience for.

Pulled at my heart strings on this one - but in a good way. Well said, Cory. The b roll by Jimmy was phenomenal, and worked perfectly. Loved this one on a different level.

"Anything worth doing is worth doing badly" until you can do it better... books have never done a thing...! Practice makes perfect...! And do what you want...! Love y'all at the coop...! Keep it up...!

Thank you. I definitely experienced a burn out with monster fish keeping. Discontinuing for many years, I came back into this hobby with aqua scraping knowing that this is now definitely a marathon.

Dropping real life advice here. To anyone who has to change water with buckets, we can agree this is a sport.

I like the sports analogy- I may never make Big League, but I get better with practice- thanks Cory💕👍

Thanks so much for saying this! I've been really frustrated because I don't have the success I want at breeding fish. I understand the process, I've studied and learned and tried to do all the "right" things, and it just doesn't happen for me. It's been super discouraging, and this video gave me a new perspective. You're a great coach.😊

Great take on the hobby. This really gets to the heart of fishkeeping. Very well said

I love how you view and promote the hobby. This hobby intrigues me because I can enjoy what other people are good at while thriving in my own way. Please continue to spread this message so we do not lose the beauty and diversity of this hobby.

When Cory said we should treat this like a journey, that hit different. Thanks for the brilliant insight with this one ACfam

Thank you, Cory, for sharing this video. I respect you and appreciate your perspectives that you share. I truly agree with you. I’ve learned in this hobby for 3 yrs now that I can’t compare myself to others. I try things I like and have learned to enjoy my continuing journey.

Sometimes working towards a dream or vision is better than how we feel when we achieve that goal. The vision of that dream fish tank or even dream fish room is maybe better than the feeling after it's done. Great joy can be had with the tiniest setup that we enjoy tinkering with daily. The bigger ideas and projects are sometimes better staying as just ideas and dreams.

I was just thinking over the weekend if I should get out of the hobby altogether. I've decided to try moving my two tanks from the living room to my home office to see if it will help. I work from home and stay in the office most of the time. I thought the entire family would enjoy watching the fish, but they don't care.

I have been keeping fish for more than fifty years. I also am a martial artist. The way I look at it is everyone starts as a white belt. Some will stick with the hobby until they become a black belt, others will get to varying levels of proficiency. A few will stick with it until they become masters. As in martial arts, the greatest satisfaction will come from helping others achieve higher levels of proficiency until they become teachers themselves.

I feel people specially new comers like me come into the hobby with lots of expectations of a beautiful tank with lush rhobust plants, no problem with equipments etc. This hits harder for me as i recently put up some plants in my tank recently and they r rotting

Just wanted to say thanks Cory, for the content that you provide for us and for what you do to explain this hobbies ins and outs. Cory. wish you had a store in Australia... Cheers Peter...

I think when I first started I was wanting to try EVERYTHING. I wanted this and that and this, and this and this and that and this and ohhhh THAT SHINY THING TOO! Part of this was age (5-18 yo) but having now kept fish for 35+ years I've settled into my niche for 20 years or so. I think a lot of people shouldn't be afraid to try things, experiment and fail, to decide to change BUT keep coming back to the bits that you originally fell in love with and were passionate about, even if you get rid of the aspects of it you aren't loving currently. I still would *love* to have a massive tank with a colony of adult Frontosa (fish I've liked for 20+ years now) but I also recognise that realistically I probably never will because it's doesn't work for my life/other commitments. A big bunch of lemon oscars and a nice tank of Rotkeil Severum would be stunning. Your puffers are AMAZING and if I ever won the lotto and could set up an appropriately large tank and reinforce the base of my house to hold the weight just to listen to the popcorn crunching sound of them eating. But I can enjoy them on here without having to *have* them all for myself.

Research will give you the basic knowledge of how a aquarium works and what's involved. Experience is learning how to be successful at it through trial and error. But 2 common issues I've seen is people keeping a few of everything regardless of it being a schooling fish or not and being overly sterile with water changes and cleaning. Also not neutralizing tap water from a city source

A huge thank you to your video editor. This video is awesome!

we have to accept the fact that things will not be perfect at first. With every tank being unique it really is a learning curve. I think as beginners we worry too much and make it difficult for ourselves. I found that over cleaning was not helping. letting my tank do its thing and feeding it clean water regularly with minimal filtration maintenance has been key to keeping happy tanks.

Fantastic Video. You hit multiple key points and I whole heartily agree.

this is 1 of the best videos on the hobby i have seen, thank you so much guys

Not what I was expecting, but a nice talk nonetheless. To me fish keeping is more a cross of art and science, but I think it is the relentless long-term commitment that leads to burnout. Fish still need to be fed, which makes it real hard to take a few months off from the hobby.

Got into hobby through fish keeping but then moved on to aquascaping being an architect and been there since then.

Every hobby, every pursuit, anything one wants to be successful at, takes experience that is only gained over time through constant iterations of trial and error. Looking things up and reading only gets you started and sends you in the right direction--it's supplemental to experience--but not experience itself.

I appreciate this video. Takes the pressure off of hitting a standard and letting it be a personal journey. Phew! :)

In my journey of fish keeping I've had three aquariums blow out on me almost at the same time. Now I'm way too stressed about it happening again. I've leveled every tank dead on, but still get stressed every water change or noise in my fish room. I've come to realize that I'm in love with fish, but hate their aquariums😂

I'm fairly new to the hobby, 2 years. I'm a livebearer fish kind of person. Only worked with some feeder guppy females and feeder endler males. Breeding them is my fun for the hobby. I'm going to try my hands at some sunburst platies and see what happens. Happy to help my local fish shop with keeping their livebearers stocked. My 20gal adult tank and the 10gal fry tank is about as much as I can do. I can't imagine doing bigger tanks with water changes. I use buckets still lmao I love the science and chemistry of it all. I started with feeder guppies beause I wasn't sure if I could keep them alive and would hate to get exspensive fish and kill them from no exsperiance. After 2 years I think I'm ready to upgrade to higher quality fancy guppies and platies. The feeders were my softball to baseball you could say. Learn how to play, at fairly low risk. I have learned so much and can't wait to see what I learn in next 2 years for this hobby. I hope I don't experiance burnout but with 2 tanks, hopefully I won't.

Thought provoking. Good message!

It's a learning curve. The fun is in learning you how to keep the fish. I if I had time I would love to try to breed some fish. I think your right some people love the idea but not the practice of fish keeping.

This was a good wake up call for me. I’ve been feeling something recently that I couldn’t describe necessarily but this video definitely helped me in identifying what it was. I want to provide good care for my fish. I want to have nice looking tanks. But I have to make sure I sit down and know what each of those tanks needs, not what I read online that I “should” be doing. Sure that was a good baseline but each environment is different and has different wants and needs. So I need to really start writing down notes and giving my tanks all the specialized care they need

Amazing video, makes me rethink the hobby and where I want to see myself in it.

I’m happy in the farm team of fish keeping. I have 4 tanks that I keep well. I can grow plants well. I can’t aquascape like a pro but I don’t really want to. I love my healthy wild looking jungle tanks with healthy fish. I love aquarium keeping because it keeps me learning everyday even after 6 years hardcore and it’s the perfect balance of art and science, my 2 loves.

Good message. Reminded me of that 10,000 hours makes a pro theory. New fish keepers watch a fish keeper with 10,000 hours experience make something look easy. They then proceed to kill off some fish. It can be a school of hard knocks but if you love it you eventually get there.

Ouch. I feel so called out right now. My two primary hobbies are fishkeeping and animal rescue (I specialise in hand raising kittens). I'm working through a rather difficult burnout right now and my tanks are a mess. Some days I wonder whether I should give them up for something like knitting instead. Something where I can put it down on the weeks that get busy or if I'm just not feeling it. I know that would not make me happy and fulfilled like my hobbies so for me now though. I'm not going to give up, just maybe go easy on myself for a while instead. ❤️

Another great video (👌Jimmy👌) and an EXCELLENT message within it! Keep doing what you're doing for this hobby Cory!! Thank you

That was therapeutic; thank you!!