# How to manage



## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

How on earth do you guys with full time jobs manage to stay in the hobby? I seem to be falling more and more behind every week. I hardly ever get two days off in a row anymore with the new job, and im so tired all the time I barely get a chance to relax! much less read the forum and stay invovled like i used to :-(


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

SB,

Welcome to the club Notice I am not around as much as I used to be from my experience yoou just learn to deal with it after a while, also, after you are in the hobby for a bit you learn more and things get a litle easier, for me atleast. On thing I find is that I can afford cooler plants and fish now THats always a plus. I, fortunately am a night owl so I get alot of my netting and research stuff in at night. I am pretty busy actually, between work and a girlfriend that lives 30 minutes away I don't get a lot of free time. I find myself saying, "Oh, I have 15 minutes to spare, I should change my water" Thats what I just did in fact, I had a half hour to kill after work so now I changed my water and am on APC. 

I find that i tend to have one high maintence tank and the rest a little easier, lower light, no CO2, wc's every 2-3 weeks. Stuff like that. Funny thing is I am starting to like my anubias/crypt tank better. Never any algae, fert balancing, CO2 checking....

I would not give up the high tech one though though. I like to be challenge, I like the fast paced "lifestyle" of it. I might set up another one soon as an expiramental tank. Sort of a tank to have tons of different species and learn alot about all of them(collectoritis) one thing that comes wiht a better job, better toys

Hang in there Sir-black. You will learn to manage it all. Heck, many of us go through periods where we are to busy, it sucks but thats life. Don't feel guilty if you can't always be around here, we'll all understand

I figure there will be even more time to enjoy it when I retire in 50 years


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## tsunami (Jan 24, 2004)

I do it by sleeping 5-6 hours a day.  

Carlos


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## MiamiAG (Jan 13, 2004)

Same here. 8)


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## Daemonfly (Mar 21, 2004)

I read forums at work, then work on tanks here & there.


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

I need my 7-8 hours! Hopefully everything will settle down and I'll find my rythm again! I might switch to graveyards soon....7 on 4 off. That might give me more time. We'll see..... in the mean time i guess i'll just have to keep truckin!


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

You do adjust (as I sit here with droopy eyes). Once you get a routine down it doesn't seem bad at all. I use Sundays (my one day with no interuptions) for all of the water changes, and do smaller jobs during the week. If only I didn't have so darn many hobbies like gardening, a massive houseplant collection, flower gardening, parrots, wild critters, horses, other pets.... etc..... But once it's in a routine order it's easy to fit in (and I work full time). Well, maybe easy is a little strong, but you never get bored. 

Summers are nice with the long days, but they are also bad with the long days... Yawn.... :wink:


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