caffeine thought of the day… perhaps the reason for the slow demise of the hobby, is because it requires patience???

[Magnum Man68 182]

it’s just not a plug and play hobby, yes there are ways to cheat the speed up of being able to add fish, but a tank is so much more enriching when it’s mature, and that just takes time

an old saying I heard is “patience is a virtue, and humans by nature are not virtuous”

sometimes it may seem like watching paint dry, but the rewards are so great when we get there… it seems hard for me particularly, as I’m not very patient, and I sit and drink my morning caffeine watching my main tank group, every morning…the caffeine energizes the body and brain, but the baby fish are only one day older, the slow growing aquatic plants look the same as yesterday, yet in my energized mind, I can picture these little fish I’m trying to grow out, as at least mid sized, and those small aquatic plants as lush… in the digital world, I could have that in a couple clicks of the mouse, but in the real world it takes 30 water changes, and many days to actually see, what I could in a few minutes of mouse clicking…

I’m still waiting for a good algae covering of my stone pile, before add the micros, which is taking longer than I envisioned with all the fish grazing on the new bio film daily…

so what are you so ( not ) patiently waiting to see in your tanks???

 

[Magnum Man68 182]

those little fish are growing, just at normal rates of growth over time…

this is one of the bigger Crossocheilus reticulatus ( I have 7 I’m growing out )

it’s munching on a piece of hair algae waving in the current like a flag at the top of a spire…

the Leporinus, granti, are harder to photograph, in a more shaded tank and are also highly active… so the slower shutter speed needed for the darker tank, complicates clear pictures on active fish…

both species growing well… of course too slowly for my lack of patience…

 

[Magnum Man68 182]

these fish patiently waiting for the algae to grow, on the new stone pile…

 

[TwoTankAmin57]

"Patience is a virtue,
Possess it if you can.
'Tis seldom found in woman,
And never in a man."
― Jonathan Morris

The more "modern" version I have always known is:

Patience is a virtue,
Try it if you can.
It's seldom in a woman,
And never in a man.

 

[GaryE28 26]

If patience were the issue, gardening would have fallen away. Around here, in Spring, garden centres are pure mayhem.

I find people fearful and shaky about each other. I think that's part of our issue. We don't want to be social beyond the limited contact we have online. When I first started our local aquarium society, turnout was low. Later, I was told "We didn't know you so we weren't going to meet with you."
That's an internet way of thinking - if you don't know people, how do you get to know them? I'm not sure how and where North American people got so scared of each other, but it's real.
Take away aquarium clubs and fishkeeper friendships, and a huge knowledge and enthusiasm base is gone.
Add semi-monopolies - shareholder driven pet stores. Add the same fish available in every store, limited chances for experimentation and learning if you can't afford shipping. An inexpensive hobby became expensive. I've visited European aquarium stores, including UK ones, and if they have any size, they tend to have far more selection than North American ones. The big chains reduced diversity on offer. Make my hamburgers the same in every restaurant and it's predictable, boring and safe. Make the fish in every store the same and I'm about as interested as I am in Big Macs.

Then jack housing costs through the roof. Aquariums take space and as our standards of living fall, people who would have enjoyed fishrooms 30 years ago and having to ask a landlord if they're allowed an aquarium today.

I don't think it's patience. Yeah, a video game gives quicker results, but a garden doesn't. A lot of great aquarists are gamers too.