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

[vetteguy53081]

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.

Having owned an LFS, there is a lot of disruption in the industry with opposition to collection, bans and storms and weather which plays a huge role. Additionally wholesale pricing has increased and I can also add that as many resort to mail order and amazon, the smaller stores are losing revenue and monies needed to accomplish minimum dollar amount orders. The Ocean is not a supermarket and collectors themselves have times where its difficult to find certain fish especially those that go into deeper water where there is less light

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

BRS has gone downhill. I went to a frag fest the other day and it was a feeding frenzy for corals. Packed.

I’m not impressed with the selection of lightning, specifically in a brand like ATI that makes the best t5’s on the market without offering hybrid versions of the light. People have this obsession with LED’s and forget just how unbelievable t5 and metal halides grow high light demanding coral

 

[TunaC]

Hey OP yea the hobby is toast I’ll take all your gear off you just lmk when I can pick it up!

 

[droblack]

Locally it seems things have chilled a lot, less stores than 10+ years ago for one thing. I've also been focused on other things, so my awareness of what's going on in the reefing world is not what it used to be.

Hear ya Chris! I miss the glimmer of mhs and natural sunlight coming in through the window in the morning; blades of light dancing through the reef. LEDs are nice for crazy colors, but I liked the old lighting better for daytime. LEDs are great night lights.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

Locally it seems things have chilled a lot, less stores than 10+ years ago for one thing. I've also been focused on other things, so my awareness of what's going on in the reefing world is not what it used to be.

Hear ya Chris! I miss the glimmer of mhs and natural sunlight coming in through the window in the morning; blades of light dancing through the reef. LEDs are nice for crazy colors, but I liked the old lighting better for daytime. LEDs are great night lights.

i have gotten some good color pop from mixes of t5 bulbs that make coral pop. Plus the blanket of light is unmatched. No dead spots on your sps.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

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

It's not really new stuff I am looking for it's the fact that no new products means I feel companies that do have products I want and need are either seriously cutting back on stock (reactors, replacement UV bulbs, reagents, etc). I was reading that Reborn is still having issues keeping up supply, I keep seeing BRS discontinue products.

Yes, lots of snake oil out there but I still need pumps, controllers, probes and support for my very expensive lights (have you tried to get replacement parts from ecotech lately?)

 

[2Wheelsonly]

Or you could just simplify your tank.

That's actually my issue, I have simplified so much I find myself replacing stuff once/twice a year. I probably put my hands in my tank maybe 5 times in the past 600 days. It's thriving but I want to keep it that way...

I have found the stuff I need but I have been getting responses from those folks that "hey I have several but it's now discontinued so find a replacement soon". I didn't see this issue 2-3 years ago and my favorite LFS are all out of business, getting fish has been much more difficult too. Luckily my tangs have been alive and well for 12+ years but I really dread any replacements in the future.

Am I saying the hobby is dead now? Nope, but being in analytics for a living I am seeing trends that don't look "great".

 

[2Wheelsonly]

BRS has gone downhill. I went to a frag fest the other day and it was a feeding frenzy for corals. Packed.

I’m not impressed with the selection of lightning, specifically in a brand like ATI that makes the best t5’s on the market without offering hybrid versions of the light. People have this obsession with LED’s and forget just how unbelievable t5 and metal halides grow high light demanding coral

I think this may be part of my issue and false perception due the the fact that BRS isn't what it was. They have always been a go to source but nowadays I see many products I am comfortable with discontinued now...

When I called and asked for replacement bulbs for my UV sterilizer setup (not cheap due to tank size) I was told they discontinued them and mistook that for the company discontinued them. Yes I had to buy off Amazon for twice the price but at least I got one.

 

[BeanAnimal]

It's not really new stuff I am looking for it's the fact that no new products means I feel companies that do have products I want and need are either seriously cutting back on stock (reactors, replacement UV bulbs, reagents, etc). I was reading that Reborn is still having issues keeping up supply, I keep seeing BRS discontinue products.

Yes, lots of snake oil out there but I still need pumps, controllers, probes and support for my very expensive lights (have you tried to get replacement parts from ecotech lately?)

There are numerous companies that are struggling. Too much competition, much of it illegal from China and too much red tape for legitimate vendors (taxes, permits, wages, utilities, etc.). Prices in general are too high and margins too low. Something has to give — this hobby and everywhere else. Try to find parts for your landrover, lawnmower or major appliances, same issue.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

I’d ask around about supplies instead of assuming the worst. Is there something else going on that is making you want to quit?

Just little things, I think moving my tank to extreme "simplified mode" has kind of ruined me in terms of "I don't want to deal with BS". I only really test my water 1-2 times a month because everything is thriving, I have a very large calcium reactor that I replace media on once a year and I replace my co2 once every 6 months. My lights were expensive, around $10,000 and wanted to replace some light pucks only to find out there isn't any replacement due to company demand meaning I may have to invest in some replacements.

My WAVs broke, no biggy stuff happens but now those are no longer made so I go back to my MP40s only to find out my wifi chip is now broken on 1 mp40 and 2 mp60, they are old but those small parts also can't be replaced (according to ecotech). All not major problems but just tired of hunting for stuff.

UV sterilizer has been a dream for my tank, I am trying to be proactive and order replacement bulbs 60 days out and over-reacted a bit due to BRS telling me they discontinued (only to find out that means they stopped carrying them).

Comparing industry trends and excitement from 3-5 years ago to today just seems drastically different. Just means I have to be extremely pro-active looking for replacements. My LFS has even struggled getting salt in stock and I don't even want to talk about how every online fish retailer seems to always have low or no stock. Luckily corals have not really been an issue but definitely a step back from 5 years ago where if I wanted any "named" coral on the planet it was a simple google search to find the best pictures/price. I very well could be over-reacting, as this hobby has been my longest in my lifetime and maybe I feel less confident in it's future.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

When things are out of stock I take it the other way— that the hobby is popular and others have bought up the stuff I want, not that the hobby is is dying.

I truly want to believe this but every vendor I speak to seems to kind of resort to doom and gloom..."people just can't afford this hobby anymore" "too many regulations" "not enough interest" "too many manufacturers reducing footprint".

 

[Jasonak]

I truly want to believe this but every vendor I speak to seems to kind of resort to doom and gloom..."people just can't afford this hobby anymore" "too many regulations" "not enough interest" "too many manufacturers reducing footprint".

Cheer up its not so bad, Its funny how people see things differently. I see it as the opposite to me its seems crazyier than ever. Never before in my life were this many coral vendors and not only can you get fish you can get QT fish. Automatic testing for your tank ? Auto this auto that, The Mavis is coming out soon,,,, maybe LOL To me seems like new stuff is coming out all the time. I remember when we got are first tv and me my brother said wow imagine how cool it will be when we get electricity All jokes aside to me it seems to be thriving more than ever. It sounds like youve been doing this for awhile like me. Think back 15 years ago. How many online vendors for fish ? or coral ? or supplies for that matter. I dont think its a bad as you think, this time of year is always bad for getting anything from anybody its seems like. Just my thoughts

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

Melev had it in stock, I just got some from him. I used it where my sand gets blown away.

Can you melt reborn if coralline has grown on it? Just curious that if there is a reborn famine again, can I grab it off my substrate and put it in my CARX?

 

[2Wheelsonly]

Cheer up its not so bad, Its funny how people see things differently. I see it as the opposite to me its seems crazyier than ever. Never before in my life were this many coral vendors and not only can you get fish you can get QT fish. Automatic testing for your tank ? Auto this auto that, The Mavis is coming out soon,,,, maybe LOL To me seems like new stuff is coming out all the time. I remember when we got are first tv and me my brother said wow imagine how cool it will be when we get electricity All jokes aside to me it seems to be thriving more than ever. It sounds like youve been doing this for awhile like me. Think back 15 years ago. How many online vendors for fish ? or coral ? or supplies for that matter. I dont think its a bad as you think, this time of year is always bad for getting anything from anybody its seems like. Just my thoughts

Makes sense, always good seeing others perspectives. Maybe I have just been looking at the hobby unfairly through my own lens and just need to relax lol.

 

[Savage Henry]

I’m located in Australia and have a sought of minamalistic tank. But even I have found many items out of stock. For example, I was considering new Tunze equipment and did search of various stores and found items out of stock. I also find these days that when it comes to livestock, the aquarium stores tell me they can place orders, but they pretty much take what they get from the supplies, but that it seems some of the stores with higher output get the better choice.