Does anyone else love their tank but struggle

[Bladezz]

Man I struggle every day. Love it one moment and the next can’t figure out what the heck is happening. Everyone you talk to has a different opinion and non seems to be the answer

I feel the same highs and lows all the time. Try golf for a while and your appreciation for your aquarium will grow greatly. lol

 

[Shunopoli]

I feel the same highs and lows all the time. Try golf for a while and your appreciation for your aquarium will grow greatly. lol

Isn’t that the truth. I love and despise golf

 

[Paul B]

I have been doing this a while and I think many people just need to find a dumpster and throw out all those test kits. I have a 30 year old swing arm hydrometer which I am sure is way off and I never have any problems. If the tank becomes problems, I can find room in that dumpster for that and I will go on to another hobby....Perhaps bungee jumping.

 

[UtahReefer]

Ah... The agony of ownership. I think we all have to remember that this is a hobby of patience. When something goes wrong we tend to panic and make changes right away. I guess over the years the best thing I have discovered that slow and stable is the way to go. Stability is everything with a great reef tank no matter what size. Change only one thing at a time and then have the patience to see the result.

 

[WVNed]

I have always struggled. I keep going though. I have come to the conclusion that 90% of reef tank discussion has little to do with anything important.
Why is that?
I have 4 tanks linked together now. What grows in each one is totally different. In my head that makes all those poignant threads about water parameters go right out the window at least as far as algae and other pests go.

Lighting and flow seem to be way more important than we generally talk about.

Now if I could just get rid of the cyano. It only grows in one of the 4 tanks but it is tenacious and keeps coming back.

 

[BaliReefBox]

I do, i am so close to shutting it down. In the last 2 weeks i have lost over a half dozen torches and cant figure out why. My pho was little high, but i seen it higher and they were fine. So the numbers are good now, but just lost another one. I am so frustrated with it, I think its about 2k worth now......

i have just lost 2 heads on the first torch i put into the tank 6 months ago...no rhyme or reason the omly thing i can attribute it to was some rusted screws on a cheap dc pump thaat i have been using for my gfo... kepp ya head up its only $$$$$$...just remember the christmas carol...i owe, i owe its off to work i go......*** reefing

 

[BaliReefBox]

Isn’t that the truth. I love and despise golf

why is it the you always seen to birdie or par the 18th hole....is it to make you forget about the previous 17...and bring ya back next week

 

[doubleshot00]

Its a love hate relationship. Its something new every week. I'm struggling right now with the "so called" easy corals. All of my Mushrooms are dying.

They say the perfect gif doesn't exist for a reef tank. Please

 

[flashsmith]

Until reefers accept the fact that no matter how perfect your water is things are going to die it's always going to be difficult for them. Let's face it. This hobby is a real money pit and if you can't accept the losses and struggles then it isn't for you. If that doesn't work for you follow Charlie's advice.

 

[Mortgaged Reefs]

I’ve been at this hobby for 20 years and it has a way of luring you back in even when you shut it down and swear it off lol

 

[-XENOMORPH-]

Dinos suck.

 

[nothing_fancy]

Definitely been there. Having a simple maintenance routine that you can get into a few times a week is critical otherwise like anything else the work piles up into a major project. Being able to monitor parameters with an apex or something similar is not friendly for everyones budget however lately there are budget devices and budget dosers as many of us are aware. So, having some automation in dosing, having a steady routine, these things should make it struggle free once a hobbyist creates good habits. I don't have a big water change system or any space to keep large reservoirs etc so for me, simple things like keeping some premixed saltwater in a bucket heated and moving makes your life easier when you're ready to swap out some water or if there is an emergency (which if you're prepared for it there is no emergency), having a good pump for that so it can be quick also helps. Again, having some decent working tools and a routine should make the hobby fun and easy once you get past the growing pains. Speaking of which, I believe a lot of the struggle comes from rushing things during the first few months to a year of having a system. Thats another topic though...

 

[Tim'sReef]

I feel you. I have been reefing for only 2 years now. Last year I set up a bigger reef an now handling 2 tanks is sometimes too much. Every month there is a moment where I think, maybe I should shut down my max nano so I have only one tank to worry about. But than I look at them and can't bring myself to shut one down. This ocean life is just too good to give up on.

 

[TLO45]

I have been in the hobby some 20+ years.
I have spent more time and money than I Care to admit. That being said I have wanted to quit more times than I count but something always makes me stay in it. I don’t know if it’s the feeling when you finally get everything rocking and the creatures pay you back in full with beautiful colors and shapes or the realization that you can keep an ecosystem alive with your hands.
my friends have had hundreds of texts, emails and phone calls that I am done and getting out. They always keep me calm and tell me to hang tough. Nothing worth anything is easy! Reefkeepers know that first hand!
I say cool down and reassess. If you hate it…get out. If you are having trouble but love the hobby, research and contact successful reefers who have the knowledge to help.

 

[TopClamSkoo]

I have been doing this for awhile. I had and 90 gallon almost 20 years ago, I never did a water change, filled with tap water that I just dechlorinated, not automation just barely took care of it and I could grow everything in that tank. My new tank I have everything automated, all latest gear and just cant' get it right. The more I learn and study the more I try to correct things. Slow and steady in this hobby

That is sooo weird.
So true that not all tanks are the same.
Same experience.. most of my tanks were fine but my biggest struggle was when I had a 25 lagoon.. massive algae problems and torches would always die... But... But! Nems and sps we're fine.. what the heck!

 

[ReefDreamz]

I have been doing this a while and I think many people just need to find a dumpster and throw out all those test kits. I have a 30 year old swing arm hydrometer which I am sure is way off and I never have any problems. If the tank becomes problems, I can find room in that dumpster for that and I will go on to another hobby....Perhaps bungee jumping.

I have watched some of your interviews in the past and I respect your knowledge and approach to the hobby. Especially your thoughts on boosting fishes immunity vs QT. With that said, I don't think this is a fair comment. You use NSW from the ocean so of course you have no reason to test, you already know your waters fine. It's kind of like cheating. Try starting with a sterile dry rock/dry sand tank using artificial saltwater and turn it into a healthy thriving reef aquarium without using any test kits besides your hydrometer.

 

[TopClamSkoo]

I’ve been at this hobby for 20 years and it has a way of luring you back in even when you shut it down and swear it off lol

Hahahahhahah. Preach on.
That is the gospel of reefing. Once chosen. The reef will never leave you!.
Hmm.. mirrors my beliefs.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I feel like reefing is a lot of hobbies, ups and downs for sure but the reward or satisfaction of having something work right is priceless.

 

[ninjamyst]

Water + Light + Flow. Keep it simple and your tank will reward you.

 

[Paul B]

With that said, I don't think this is a fair comment. You use NSW from the ocean so of course you have no reason to test, you already know your waters fine. It's kind of like cheating.

LOL, it would seem so but it's not. (I actually do test 3 or 4 times a year)
I have been using NSW now for almost 5 years because I live near the sea but for the first 45 years, I used mostly ASW like everyone else. I also collected all my rock SCUBA diving but I had to bleach it before I carried it home on my lap on the plane, so it was dead. I also change very little water, only 20% about 4 times a year so the parameters are not close to anything.

NSW from New York is severely lacking in almost everything including salt as it is usually very weak and I have to add ASW to it.

I helped start I think 4 LFSs here in the 70s using ASW and dry rock so I do have experience doing that.
Besides that, it is experience that allows you to go for a long period of not testing because I can tell by the corals and fish what needs to be done, if anything.

I believe the tanks that are tested and tweeked the most are the ones with the most problems. There is no parameter that has to be exactly "anything". Close is good enough as the parameters fluctuate throughout the day so if we add or remove something we screw it up and drive ourselves crazy.

The corals we keep don't hardly use all the calcium, alk, iodine, magnesium and other stuff we add so often.

Just my opinion of course but thank you for keeping me on my toes. At my age, it ain't easy.