Feels like this hobby is dying, so many important things out of stock all the time.

[2Wheelsonly]

So today I have a bit of a panic, reborn seems to be out of stock at most go to places and has not been back in stock for a long time. Parts for my equipment, same issue, bulbs for my UV, no stock in sight. Even fish seem hard to come by these days...

I am honestly thinking about shuttering this 600G tank and moving on, too much stress and I feel like less and less new stuff/products are hitting the market.

 

[Dan_P]

So today I have a bit of a panic, reborn seems to be out of stock at most go to places and has not been back in stock for a long time. Parts for my equipment, same issue, bulbs for my UV, no stock in sight. Even fish seem hard to come by these days...

I am honestly thinking about shuttering this 600G tank and moving on, too much stress and I feel like less and less new stuff/products are hitting the market.

I wonder if the economy is behind this rather than a loss of interest in the hobby, though to us it might look and feel the same.

 

[VintageReefer]

So today I have a bit of a panic, reborn seems to be out of stock at most go to places and has not been back in stock for a long time. Parts for my equipment, same issue, bulbs for my UV, no stock in sight. Even fish seem hard to come by these days...

I am honestly thinking about shuttering this 600G tank and moving on, too much stress and I feel like less and less new stuff/products are hitting the market.

What new stuff are you looking for? Personally I don’t need or want any stuff. I want the tank as minimal and independent as possible. I’ve never used uv. Reborn is in stock at melevs reef if needed.

Do we really need more expensive automation to become dependent on then fail, or gimmicky false claim products to stay interested?

Fish also are seasonal, some times of year certain ones are more available than others. Some times of year have better shipping survival rates.

I’d rather spend money on corals and fish than equipment and additives.

What is it that stresses you the most with the tank? Maybe we can help point you in a different direction

 

[Viking_Reefing]

Huh, I must say that as a reefer based in Europe I haven’t experienced this what so ever.

 

[fishywishy]

I haven’t had this problem, but i mostly buy from big retailers and amazon so maybe that’s why.

 

[Kmst80]

What new stuff are you looking for? Personally I don’t need or want any stuff. I want the tank as minimal and independent as possible. I’ve never used uv. Reborn is in stock at melevs reef if needed.

Do we really need more expensive automation to become dependent on then fail, or gimmicky false claim products to stay interested?

Fish also are seasonal, some times of year certain ones are more available than others. Some times of year have better shipping survival rates.

I’d rather spend money on corals and fish than equipment and additives.

What is it that stresses you the most with the tank? Maybe we can help point you in a different direction

Absolutely agree.
I am on the minimalist route as well, let nature do it's thing wherever possible.
Here in Australia it seems the other way around, plenty of reefers and shops.
And yes over here you'll get certain fish only at certain times, just another case of impatience?...seems to be the norm these days.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

If you need more Reborn, just reach out to Julian @ Two little fishes. He will either sell it to you direct or let you know who has it in stock.
But yes, Covid is over. The Hey Day for reef retailers is over. some have to cut back on stock.

 

[taricha]

My sense is that as a general trend there's some amount of consolidation, and various different things being bought up by fewer entities - and then they inevitably narrow their product lines and and their selection to less variety and more profitability. So if you have certain special things you like, you may not in the future always be able to get them through big hobby retailers. You might have to get them independently. Or find plan B's

 

[ieatbugman]

I haven’t had this problem, but i mostly buy from big retailers and amazon so maybe that’s why.

Same here

 

[cobraz]

I believe the same as other have said. Consolidation is to blame here and online retailers vs box stores. Let's face it we shop places like Amazon for convenience vs walking into a box store in many cases. Thus the little guys can not compete with the pricing.

Also as an example, I went to Home Depot and Lowes looking for a bathroom mirror as we are remodeling a bathroom... the choices at both stores were less than 10 and 50% were duplicates..and we did could not find a simple standard oval framed mirror with wood framing. Ordered online.

That being said..I think prices of reproducing corals have sky rocketed to ridiculous prices these past few years...including from hobbyist.
But there's another thread on that one.

 

[unclejed]

So today I have a bit of a panic, reborn seems to be out of stock at most go to places and has not been back in stock for a long time. Parts for my equipment, same issue, bulbs for my UV, no stock in sight. Even fish seem hard to come by these days...

I am honestly thinking about shuttering this 600G tank and moving on, too much stress and I feel like less and less new stuff/products are hitting the market.

Everything is on Amazon.