About to Quit

[Sump Crab]

There's a time and place for stuff bruh.

You don't go to Fred's funeral and announce down the Reception Line, "Well, it's OK that Fred is gone. He was a horrible driver. I'm surprised he never ran anyone over"

Always know your audience when trying to share less than glowing comments.

Best to praise publicly and criticize privately

.

How did you hear what I said about Fred at his funeral?

 

[Sump Crab]

Anyhow I was not attempting to insult anyone. If you read the entirety of my posts in this thread and take that one sentence into context when compared to my overall message I would suppose almost anyone could see I was not criticizing the OP. I was merely trying to illustrate my point in a strong way.

I always forget, after being away for awhile, how sensitive people are on this site.

OP I am sorry if I derailed your thread in any way and I do truly hope you find success in this hobby. I will step aside now and humbly return to my hermit cave.

 

[Rmckoy]

Anyhow I was not attempting to insult anyone. If you read the entirety of my posts in this thread and take that one sentence into context when compared to my overall message I would suppose almost anyone could see I was not criticizing the OP. I was merely trying to illustrate my point in a strong way.

I always forget, after being away for awhile, how sensitive people are on this site.

OP I am sorry if I derailed your thread in any way and I do truly hope you find success in this hobby. I will step aside now and humbly return to my hermit cave.

I do agree with the tank as mentioned above being “too clean “ too new , but the surprising part is with nps corals not only living but thriving .
Most of us with aged and well established systems can have a hard time keeping them alive .

 

[Apollo7235]

Th

@Apollo7235

I'd start asking at the LFS about a local Club. Joining a club will get you in touch with some great ppl that all have the same goal, a great sustainable tank.

If you are comfortable and the family is comfortable.... go to monthly meetings and get to know another club member and share your skill set.

If you are comfortable after that, have the club member come look over your equipment, how you do things.

Problem will forums is we can't see the billion little things with your setup. It's like teaching someone how to play golf by writing out dos and don't.

We all need a coach or a resource to help us learn this hobby, face to face.

Only a more experienced person can see with their eyes potential issues.

Just in my area alone I probably have around 5 ppl within a 20min drive I can lean very hard on for advice or emergencies.

It's reeeeeeally important to know who's around you into this hobby.

HTH

Thank you! I appreciate the advice.

We will be moving to Georgia here in a few months, so I will probably have to wait to join a club since it would be kind of useless to try and get started in one here at this point. I will definitely look into it, though, that’s a really great idea.

 

[ZoWhat]

Th

Thank you! I appreciate the advice.

We will be moving to Georgia here in a few months, so I will probably have to wait to join a club since it would be kind of useless to try and get started in one here at this point. I will definitely look into it, though, that’s a really great idea.

Yeah... don't do this hobby alone.

You make more progress faster when you get to know 2, 3, 4 experts in your area. Helps tremendously when you get to know them casually enough to where you can call them on the phone for H E L P!

They always have a great outside perspective and usually 99% of the ppl in a Club are super great in helping out ppl who are struggling.

I've got 2, 3 ppl I can call any night of the week saying, " I need saltwater ASAP! Help! I'm out!!".... and they would say, "Get over here, I got you"

Good luck in the GA

 

[Uncle99]

When fish die, one after another, there’s are parasite at work.
You need to remove any other fish and just ghost feed that DT for the next 2 months or so, you need the break anyways and this period will extinguish any parasitical cycles in play.
I doubt your water is killing anything.

 

[Apollo7235]

@Jrain904 no offense taken, I appreciate the time you’ve taken to respond.

I would just like to let you know, I have literally done everything suggested to me including buying and adding live rock, livestock, leaving it alone, minimal water changes, etc. it has been at least a month since I added the live rock, and no, the tank looks much different that the photo I posted originally. It does now have quite a bit of green algae (looks probably to be some kind of thick hair algae and/or turf algae), as well as some very dark red algae that is pretty hard and ‘unscrapeable’. Not sure what it is, but I doubt it’s coralline at this point.

I truly believe that I have some heavy metal, specifically aluminum from my swollen, mushy Marine Pure blocks, that is poisoning my system.

I guess we’ll see what the ICP results show. Hopefully they will
Be back this coming week!

I got the ATI test, so it will also show my RODI water results. I will post them as soon as I have them.

 

[Apollo7235]

When fish die, one after another, there’s are parasite at work.
You need to remove any other fish and just ghost feed that DT for the next 2 months or so, you need the break anyways and this period will extinguish any parasitical cycles in play.
I doubt your water is killing anything.

No, no, the fish died separately.

The goby died of what I am assuming was an infection resulting from a nasty head wound in my display. The clowns and the wrasse died while in QT from what I am assuming was probably internal parasites or some other fast killing disease as Jay suggested.

 

[Frizzy reefnewb]

TLDR for the comments:
It has been established and agreed upon that my tank is way too clean for a 3-month old tank. Water change schedule has been modified to a max of 10-20% only on the weekends.

The cause of my corals dying in my DT despite thriving in my QT has still yet to be determined.

Points to consider:

- I added 6lbs of live rock to the tank before I made this post

- There is now a variety of algae sprinkled across the rocks since adding the live rock.

- ALL of my corals thrive in my QT and die in my DT even though my QT is less than half the age of my DT.

- Water parameters have checked out fine VIA Hanna and Salifert testing.

-There are two fish, one pistol shrimp, and ~7 snails doing great in my DT.

Well guys, I am sorry to say, I’m really considering quitting this hobby. I am so far beyond frustrated with this stupid tank that I literally don’t even know what to say. I have 7 corals that are all slowly dying in my DT while they were thriving in my QT, for now the second time. I don’t get it. I don’t know what to do. My tank is a 38-gallon that is a few months old. Tests show nothing wrong with the water, both pistol shrimp and my gobies are doing great, I use the same RODI water in both tanks with the same salt mix and keep them at the same temperature and salinity.

I added 6 pounds of cured live rock to my display to try and help things along and I’ve added bottled bacteria more times than I can count. I turned down my lights to 15% when I added the corals and they are still dying.

It just makes no sense. I have done water change after water change and it makes no difference. I’m at the end of my rope. If I pull all of my corals out again and put them back in quarantine, what the heck is even the point of having a display?

I don’t know. Somebody please pull me off the edge before I jump and tear it all down.

Slow down on the water changes IMO they are very overrated in the beginning I did a water change every month because I’m lazy ...give it time and the live rock will do the rest ...maybe the lighting won’t let the corals grow ??

 

[Uncle99]

No, no, the fish died separately.

The goby died of what I am assuming was an infection resulting from a nasty head wound in my display. The clowns and the wrasse died while in QT from what I am assuming was probably internal parasites or some other fast killing disease as Jay suggested.

Apollo7235, the fish die at various times which is dependent on the species and the health, ick doesn’t really want to kill its host, the host just weakens too much and poof.

I worked with DTs which ran months, sometimes 1 fish, then another, then 2, then everything looks good and bam, one morning another. The parasite does not stop till it kills everything in time except possibly, some super healthy may be much more resilient.

I may be wrong but your posts accurately describe dead by ick.

You don’t always see the parasite.

We feel for your losses.

 

[Apollo7235]

Apollo7235, the fish die at various times which is dependent on the species and the health, ick doesn’t really want to kill its host, the host just weakens too much and poof.

I worked with DTs which ran months, sometimes 1 fish, then another, then 2, then everything looks good and bam, one morning another. The parasite does not stop till it kills everything in time except possibly, some super healthy may be much more resilient.

I may be wrong but your posts accurately describe dead by ick.

You don’t always see the parasite.

We feel for your losses.

I would totally agree with you, but there were no symptoms of ich and the goby died from injury in my display while the other 3 fish died in a quarantine tank undergoing copper treatment (had not yet reached therapeutic levels) in another room.

 

[Uncle99]

What where you using copper for then?
As a pre treatment?
We only use copper when we know what we are treating.
Copper can be hard on fish.

 

[Apollo7235]

What where you using copper for then?
As a pre treatment?
We only use copper when we know what we are treating.
Copper can be hard on fish.

I was following Jay’s 2021 quarantine protocols; I started the clowns and the 6-line wrasse with CopperSafe after I had got them eating and comfortable, but they died shortly after showing no symptoms.

 

[Uncle99]

Ok, can’t argue with the expert.
This fish below is in QT now.
Since he acts and eats normal, we take no action whatsoever until such a time that we can diagnos there’s a problem.
Then, and only then, do we leverage meds.

If in the next 30 days, he continues to breath, act, look and eat healthy, he goes straight to the DT.

It would be like going to the doctor when nothing is wrong and he prescribed meds “just in case”….

I can’t count the number of fish I have seen die with errors in copper.

Don’t get me wrong, copper is a great tool, but even small errors in dosage can kill.

 

[FishyFishFish]

I have been prescribed tablets many times by my doctor 'just in case' (e.g. antimalarials) and I've had numerous vaccines.

Prophylactic treatment in QT is not for everyone but it can be a valid method to minimise the transfer of diseases/parasites to the DT.

I had a green clown goby that died on its first night in QT (before any meds had been added). My sharknose goby has been through Copper Power and the first dose of PraziPro with no issues so far; hopefully if it gets through the second PraziPro treatment then it will finally be ready for my display.

Sometimes newly acquired fish are just too ill or stressed to make it no matter what you do.

I have had a fairly smooth run with my new tank so far (set up in Feb) but I've been battling Cyano for the past few weeks. I've also had some successes and failures with corals, but I'm going to keep battling with it all until I win!!

 

[Uncle99]

I have been prescribed tablets many times by my doctor 'just in case' (e.g. antimalarials) and I've had numerous vaccines.

Prophylactic treatment in QT is not for everyone but it can be a valid method to minimise the transfer of diseases/parasites to the DT.

I had a green clown goby that died on its first night in QT (before any meds had been added). My sharknose goby has been through Copper Power and the first dose of PraziPro with no issues so far; hopefully if it gets through the second PraziPro treatment then it will finally be ready for my display.

Sometimes newly acquired fish are just too ill or stressed to make it no matter what you do.

I have had a fairly smooth run with my new tank so far (set up in Feb) but I've been battling Cyano for the past few weeks. I've also had some successes and failures with corals, but I'm going to keep battling with it all until I win!!

If a fish remains in QT for 30 days with absolutely no signs of any disease whatsoever, I feel quite safe that no parasite is entering the DT via this new addition. Then again, maybe that’s just luck…IDK.
In the hands of an knowledgeable user, copper is quite effective on many species, this I certainly agree with and your absolutely right…..vaccines are preventative meds.

Great point.

 

[Bronx19]

I just read the first page and know nothing else. I look at your pics and I see a brand spanking tank that is too clean to sustain life. I don't know how else to describe it, but there is a look and a smell a tank has when its ready to roll and I bet yours doesn't have it. Give it time with fish only for 3 more months.

 

[Weasel1960]

Have been following but for whatever reason haven’t been notified of updates to thread. Sorry to here about your fish losses.

Have you gotten test results yet?

 

[Apollo7235]

No

Have been following but for whatever reason haven’t been notified of updates to thread. Sorry to here about your fish losses.

Have you gotten test results ye

Not yet, unfortunately. I am hoping they should be here this coming week, though.

I’m dying to see what they say. I’m sure the nutrients will probably be a bit high because it was 2 or 3 days before I found my goby’s body, but that’s not something I’m worried about. I just need to see what else is in this water!

 

[BostonReefer300]

Huh, I was following this thread too, but just noticed that I haven't gotten any notices in quite a while. Same thing is happening on a couple other threads I'm on. May be some bug on R2R?
Anyway, very sorry for the continued woes and frustration. Perhaps you stated it before and I missed it, but what are you using to check your copper levels in QT?