Will THIS Keep Me from Getting Rid of My Fish Room?

[@TazawaTanks]

I hope that you enjoyed the video and my candor. Let me know in the comments below what you think about what I covered. Thank you INTO THE AM for the All Day Pants and for sponsoring this video! Get yours now and get 10% off site-wide when you click the link below: intotheam.com/tazawa

[@nehapawarmamidi730]

❤

[@TW_Chizm]

I’ve always found what helped me from total burnout on the aquarium hobby is to go back to what FIRST got me into it when I was a kid. I think Dustin from Dustin’s Fish Tanks said it first, that one thing that gave you that feeling of wonder and got you into the hobby in the beginning when most of us were like say 12-14 or maybe younger. Downsizing and going back to maybe those tanks or especially those species of fish or inverts that really spark joy in your soul can be such a refreshing thing!

[@LeilaSoleil]

that is fantastic advice. I'm going through burn out now myself.

[@TW_Chizm]

@@LeilaSoleil I’ve done it so many times, and I think with it being my favorite hobby I put alot into it and therefore can potentially burn out faster. It really works to think back to what really got you into the hobby, at that age where you first started getting interested and feel that joy that you first felt. Whatever fish, plant, invert or setup gave you that feeling you need to pursue again 🙏

[@LeilaSoleil]

Zenzo, thank you so much for your candor and transparency. I have been struggling for a while now with burnout. I gave away half my fish and tanks, and bought one larger tank (a 75 g) to put the remaining fish in, just to try to invigorate this hobby for me. But honestly, it is really hard. You have so many real life demands and stresses, and you have to carefully curate how you spend your free time. It's a struggle. So its' refreshing to see a professional, someone I greatly admire, struggling just like me.

[@madcountryrunner]

I am new to the hobby. I have one 20 gallon high which I just got cycled and have been adding fish slowly. I'm planning on my final addition to the tank next week some time, a clown pleco. The down side is that I see all these beautiful fish at my lfs and on youtube but I am at my limit. I live in a small apartment so for now this is it. Maybe a little 5 gallon on my desk down the line. I was just thinking the other day while I was doing a water change that this is really easy to take care of and only takes me about 20 minutes or so. With everything else going on I think it's perfect. Very enjoyable without being over whelming.

[@stefan00123]

Hi Zenzo, Just released after some surgery. And than its a great surprise that your question gets an in depth video! This makes my day thank you for this💚💚

[@james-a04]

I’ve felt the same way . I’d suggest to just downgrade to a few of your absolute favorite tanks, even if it’s temporary . Getting rid of set ups that just aren’t adding the same joy anymore can be such a relief on your mental. Less maintenance, less worry and more time enjoying your favorite fish. 👍

[@ShannonSerena-p9n]

Whatever you do just know your fans support you and your decisions. I love my fish but that because I only have 2 tanks to keep with maybe a 3rd on the way. At any cost it’s much easier to handle than your massive display. Good luck in your journey.

[@metalhead9849]

I'm in my 70's now , and in the 70's I had two 29 g. cichlid tanks. Never knew squat about water parameters. Having to move several times because of bad neighbors I had to give it up after a few moves...now, going on 2 years I've had a 15 gallon. (can't have anything bigger because of rules) Recently had a months worth of cloudy water just because I had to relocate the tank. Gets frustrating. I could never see myself with that many fish or tanks. I have too many other hobbies and interests. When something takes over your life it may be time to re-evaluate. However, I do totally enjoy the nano fish and shrimp I have, and now being totally educated in fish/ shrimp keeping thanks to guys like you, I'll keep this going because there's very little maintenance required. ...I'm even running CO2 and have massive plants going. Never even have nitrates.

[@matthewmay5885]

I have my lights on a similar schedule to the first one you mentioned. Coming on around mid-day and going off around bedtime. We have our tanks in our family room so we can enjoy them while we watch a movie and spend some time together. Love your channel and love your fish room! Keep the content coming!

[@lawrencefisher865]

Love the honest attitude. Stick at it, for the mental wellness and the times spent enjoying your room, they offer far more value. Even in times when you struggle to care for the fish room, there is always one or two tanks that will captivate your interest. Fab fish care! Lovely to see.

[@muskratgg]

I've been using KASA strips since the start, and it's served me super well powering all of my lights and automation with a mobile app.

[@OTTERvonSOCOM]

Does anyone know what webcam Zenzo uses? It looks to be very good quality

[@mattgray9297]

He uses a Canon R6 mark II.

[@jacobmetzner]

Thanks for the honesty Zenzo, I feel the same from time to time in my fish room. Plants get over grown and duckweed takes over. When I work up the courage to push through and roll up my sleeves, I find that I am always rewarded with the enjoyment we all know and love that got us started in this amazing hobby. Not perfect all the time, but that’s ok. With all those empty tanks, looks like you’re ready to shop Dan’s Fish! 😜

[@nabokovfan87]

I lost all of my moss due to the heat too! I have a kasa timer with a room fan which definitely helps to "exhaust" and cool things off a little bit. I only use it when I really need to and not every day of the year. We had snow, now it's a heat spike, so definitely that time of year.

[@legionaquatics]

If I was to build a fish room I would set it up like deans fish room so I could just turn a valve and water change a rack. otherwise It would probably be too much for me.

[@nabokovfan87]

The main thing I have had to do is to "play the pauses".... which just is an obtuse way of saying that it's important to force yourself to find the moments of enjoyment and cherish them. Have them as much as you can so it makes sense to have the tank in front of you. I get that when I wake up and I've been having one or two days a weeks where I will feed the fish as slowly as possible. I mean very, very, very slowly just so I can see their behavior and how they eat. I get to interact with them much longer and enjoy all the different ways that the same species of fish eat. It's like studying their little community each time.

[@Noovi.]

I've been binge watching you recently and I'm so glad that you made another video! I get it though, sometimes after working hours upon hours it's tough to have the motivation to get water changes done. Not to mention, feeling the passion towards the tanks.

[@sam382]

I love your fish room. I appreciate your content. Thanks for your candor. Things to consider as I am getting ready to add a second and third tank after keeping my first one for over a year now.

[@filthygaijin6566]

You're an inspiration to other lifting bros that like to keep fish. Keep it up, King.

[@charlesschneider1891]

I have been feeling that way without my job. But am trying to keep going for something I want to do .

[@jimmyhfishes]

Whats up bro... fish room still looks great but maybe down size a bit to a more manageable amount of tanks....thats what I did...good luck bro...❤

[@CSR462]

Hey brother. You're a good man. Another great video. Thank you for the honesty. Motivation may be something that we all struggle with. I'll sometimes look inside and realize that my passion is not there. But if I look around, I will notice that there is less passion for a lot of things that once brought me joy. So maybe it isn't the thing that no longer brings me passion, but that the energy isn't being produced from within. For anything. As much as it sucks, and as real as it is, it's only a temporary state and not who you truly are. Stay strong and don't forget about the things that brought you once joy. Because those moments were just as real and you can reach those states of happiness again and more. The world is beautiful, always has been and always will be. It's beauty will be there waiting for you to be ready to take it in again. And when you feel the universe flow through you again, it's a rush. - cesar

[@robertjohnston25]

Definitely something you’ve been struggling with for I believe over a year now. I think you might just need to dial it down to your favorites so that it doesn’t feel so overwhelming when it comes to maintenance day. The idea that you have to force yourself into the room is a red flag, my favorite place to be is my fish room, no force needed. Anyways, no flame intended, we all get it, just do what’s best for you! Try not to tear it all down at once, just dial it back and see how it feels :) Cheers!!!

[@cyclin_sean.3713]

Hi from England,love the fish room,glad I found you're channel.

[@markfranklin8831]

Very nice and great advice

[@reggie2803]

I feel your pain. I have 10 tanks and it hard to keep up with maintenance. I often think of downsizing but find it difficult to get rid of my loved pets.

[@AndreusNarain]

My fish room is my office which is both good and bad, but I love being able to look left or right and see one of my tanks.

[@andrewgoldfish]

Wow your fish room is amazing. I have a question: how can I get the remains of nerite snail eggs off my glass? After nine years of having them in my goldfish tank normal scraping still leaves a residue behind.

[@TazawaTanks]

I just use an algae scraper. A melamine pad works well for the last bits.

[@nabokovfan87]

Good to see you Zenzo! Beautiful shirt. I wanted to ask if you could take us to visit a koi pond / koi park? We don't have them here and I know you enjoy them. That's what the shirt reminds me of!!! I think it's a beautiful exercise in cinematography and might be a fun vid for you to make without too much of a serious topic. Just beautiful, enjoyment, nature, and someone doing something they love.

[@g64460]

I actually liked this video alot it was real. And I've been watching for a long time so I know you work alot and fly alot. So it can't be easy to juggle the hobby the channel work as well as just the other things you do.

[@rhondafitzpatrick1646]

lovin the honesty! 😊

[@elc2468]

Burnout happens to us all. If certain fish or tanks are no longer bringing you joy, rehome the fish or change the scape. Try a new species and breed them. Create new challenges for yourself. The blahs will pass, hang in there, Zenzo.

[@pattykake7195]

I started to feel overwhelmed with the fish…cut back to two tanks…feel much happier and enjoying them again…👍🏽

[@mryes413]

There were days when I just wanted to take down all of my tanks and sell my fish and either start a new hobby, start over, or just take a break from raising animals altogether.

[@Ichthys_Aquatics]

Where did you get that desk with monitor holder in your fish room from? T

[@TazawaTanks]

Amazon for the standing desk. The monitor arm was separate...also Amazon.

[@feralon9570]

I feel this..

[@naegwut]

Guppy tank is still my fave

[@Vincent-kx9ze]

Enjoyed the video and really liked the shirt. I received 20% off ; bought the pants and several shirts. The site asked me how I heard about them and of course I named names 🤣 Wondering why they don’t know that when I used your like to get there 🧐

[@Levhshiver616]

have you got any ideas on different exotic/rare fish you may want or and in general?

[@TazawaTanks]

Nothing that comes to mind. I am picking up some rare Tanganyikans in a couple of weeks though.

[@DjPosey3]

Aye Zenzo where you been at bro? Miss your videos

[@TazawaTanks]

Life has been crazy busy! I did recently make this video with Cory though: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHu4XoOngZqbZq8si=PaWJv2V5kGYtXQon

[@mikejejenich-pb5zx]

I have 3 tanks. 🐠. With my work schedule. And all the other stuff. Thts my limit. If i were to get more tanks. I would get overwhelmed and that wouldn’t be fair to the fish

[@Texasbiologyhelp]

You are just suffering burnout, This has happened to me and many others. Sometimes you just get rid of all your fish and spend 6 months or a year not keeping anything. My fishroom and reptiles are now much more geared to natural systems that do not take nearly as much maintenance. Also as a Biologist, algae doesn't bother me, I know it's benefits, but my planted tanks keep the nutrients down so I don't get a lot of algae. I have found that well planted tanks don't require the same amount of maintenance and few water changes. I also use duckweed to filter and remove certain compounds from the water and incorporate them into their mass, then net and discard some, which is a removal of organic compounds from a fish tank (similar to a water change) I have left behind my large fish/cichlid interest and now am more interested in just breeding species in natural systems, I don't sell a lot of fish, and I do not need to sell a lot. My tanks have lower bio loads and fewer fish. I do produce more than enough fish to pay the food bill, the electric bill and replace worn out equipment. I don't have a fish room channel which I am sure is very time consuming based upon my educational channel. Take a break if you need to, keep the fish room empty for a while. There are so many fish that are challenging and need work I am sure you will return to the hobby with a modified less time consuming approach and again find the joy and challenge. Sorry know this was long.

[@Wizardsfishbox]

Great day! Are there any colorful female African cichlids? Please let me know which ones are out there?

[@TazawaTanks]

Most mbuna have colorful females.

[@TheSalient1]

I can tell for awhile now you have been slowly getting bored and sick of the hobby, happens when u live and breathe it even at the job, however, ur energy and and enthusiasm decline, has been seeping out more and more in to your videos, you are a grown man so I am not one to say “ you should do” etc, you know what ur gonna do, but may as well just enjoy the tanks at co op when ur there, keep one or two ur favorite tanks , sell the rest, put a hot tub in the Fishroom 😂

[@fishlove1854]

Send me them five stars I'll pay you for them been looking everywhere for some.

[@TazawaTanks]

I really don't want to ship fish, but if you live in the SF Bay Area, you can have them.

[@fishlove1854]

I live in Bakersfield ca. 93306 Rite down the way please this is a dream fish for me.

[@fishlove1854]

Making fello hobbiest dreams come true.