hobbyorobsession said:
what draws you to this hobby, or keeps you interested for a prolonged period of time?
First...the beauty of this hobby is unparalleled I think. The ability to grow an indoor underwater garden...takes my breath away really. Also, the variety of projects that are available through fishkeeping, aquascaping, and aquatic gardening. This hobby is so diverse and has so many options and choices of projects that you can become involved in it is sometimes overwhelming which project or task to start on next. There are so many innovators in this hobby who are always trying new things. If you are creative...there is the DIY aspect also. I have more wanna do projects on my plate than I have room to try them.
Limited tank space ... do nano tanks. You can do shrimp, small planted like the wabu-sabi tanks, small tropicals both rare and common
Moderate space for tanks...grow a little...have a couple of tanks, try different things. Run one type of tank for a while then change things up. I have noticed that a lot of successful hobbyests will have one type of tank (say a species tank) for a while then they will sell off the stock in that tank, rescape and try a new species. How fun to be able to do that.
Lots of space...go big. I had to give up my biggest tank ... a beautiful 155G bowfront and only keep the largest size I could keep in the house...the 125's...but maybe some day I can go back to that big size again and if not at some point I'll change up my stock in the 125G tanks and try some new venture. CA/SA cichlids probably.
The long periods of time thing...I think you have to be patient with fishkeeping. First you have to be patient with yourself. There is a big learning curve with many aspects of this hobby. Give yourself time to learn what it is you are trying to do. Experiement...allow yourself to make mistakes...that is how you will learn. Some species take years to fully develop and mature. Many people want flash in a pan and instant color and size. The nice thing about fishkeeping is that you can find "both" of those options. And if you start with the wrong option, remember you can always place or rehome the fish you have and try something different.
Joining a aquatic club as well as following and participating (when I can) in fish forums also has helped my hobby. I have learned so much from other fishkeepers. Sharing spawns and trading fish and just learning what another fishkeeper is keeping and how things work for them inspires me to do things with my tanks. Hearing great speakers talk about particular types of fish or aspects of the hobby inspires me.
This is not a static hobby as I see it...it is a diverse and ever changing hobby...always growing, always changing, always catching my interest in some way or another. It kinda reminds me of riding a train...sometimes you go slow, sometimes you fast, sometimes you are the passenger, sometimes you are the conductor or the engineer, and sometimes you are the hobo jumping on board to ride the train to who knows where but doing it with a glint in your eye and a smile on your face as you look forward to the next adventure. I love it.