Fishkeeping is wonderful, joyful, and exciting.
But sometimes it's exhausting and unexpected.
Have you ever gotten a fish you weren't prepared for? An aquarium? Gotten in over your head (so to speak?)
I was always overly conscientious, researched extensively, and talked a lot with people who knew more than me before getting an aquarium, cycling, and eventually getting fish. I loved all my fishy friends, I knew what to do, had all the supplies I needed, and was ready for almost every problem.
And now my new classroom has an "established" aquarium that was lacking correct filtration or water testing, a guppy missing part of its fin, 28 platy fry in an uncycled aquarium requiring daily 100% water changes and regular removal of debris, two dead mama platies, and on top of all of that I have a new full-time job.
I'm exhauted, and though I feel responsible, this didn't begin with me. They're not even my fish! I have to keep reminding myself that it will all work out eventually, that the babies will grow and be able to be in the main aquarium. Until then I need to balance work, home, and fish care, and I need to also balance what I spend and what the school spends.
Does anyone else have a story of when fishkeeping became a burden? What helped? How did you cope? And if you stepped away, did something bring you back? I loved reading the stories about what got people into fishkeeping in the first place, and I wondered if there were any others who dealt with fishkeeping burn-out.
But sometimes it's exhausting and unexpected.
Have you ever gotten a fish you weren't prepared for? An aquarium? Gotten in over your head (so to speak?)
I was always overly conscientious, researched extensively, and talked a lot with people who knew more than me before getting an aquarium, cycling, and eventually getting fish. I loved all my fishy friends, I knew what to do, had all the supplies I needed, and was ready for almost every problem.
And now my new classroom has an "established" aquarium that was lacking correct filtration or water testing, a guppy missing part of its fin, 28 platy fry in an uncycled aquarium requiring daily 100% water changes and regular removal of debris, two dead mama platies, and on top of all of that I have a new full-time job.
I'm exhauted, and though I feel responsible, this didn't begin with me. They're not even my fish! I have to keep reminding myself that it will all work out eventually, that the babies will grow and be able to be in the main aquarium. Until then I need to balance work, home, and fish care, and I need to also balance what I spend and what the school spends.
Does anyone else have a story of when fishkeeping became a burden? What helped? How did you cope? And if you stepped away, did something bring you back? I loved reading the stories about what got people into fishkeeping in the first place, and I wondered if there were any others who dealt with fishkeeping burn-out.