I Have A Black Thumb, Reefing Not For Me?

[dimik]

Well I gave reefing a shot and it's been 1 & 1/2 years but I think I will finally give up on this one.

After a long road and constant coral/fish death, I think saltwater tanks are not for me. I can't manage to keep anything alive even with proper husbandry / constant parameter testing, so the way I see it is I have 3 options.

1. Go fallow to kill off any disease in the tank and try one more time.
2. Switch to freshwater and keep the tank set up as a plant tank.
3. Quit the hobby all together.

I don't have the space required to continuously QT fish & invertebrates and have visited every saltwater shop in a 20-mile radius near me, none of them can be trusted with healthy livestock.

What are your thoughts?

Are freshwater tanks easier to maintain?

At this point so much money has been wasted on livestock, considering I can't get it right after a year and a half should I even attempt another go?

 

[landlubber]

i don't think you aren't cut out for reef keeping but maybe succumb to the common pitfalls and while it isn't always conveyed, the first 18 months of keeping a reef is by-far the most volatile.
to make things more manageable it can help if you limit yourself to just keeping a fish only and invert system for while. coral can be very finnicky in an unstable system and even when things are going perfectly it takes nothing to sway it in a young tank.
doing this you get to keep all your equipment and aren't gushing money losing coral.

 

[dimik]

i don't think you aren't cut out for reef keeping but maybe succumb to the common pitfalls and while it isn't always conveyed, the first 18 months of keeping a reef is by-far the most volatile.
to make things more manageable it can help if you limit yourself to just keeping a fish only and invert system for while. coral can be very finnicky in an unstable system and even when things are going perfectly it takes nothing to sway it in a young tank.
doing this you get to keep all your equipment and aren't gushing money losing coral.

I've kept a fish & invert-only tank for the last 3 months, I gave up on coral a while ago. But all my fish started dying off from Ich and as I said, I don't have the space to maintain QT procedures.

Either way, my DT tank needs to go fallow if I continue in reefing. The problem lies afterward, If I can't maintain proper QT for new fish, new coral, new inverts I will end up with a diseased tank all over again.

 

[landlubber]

I've kept a fish & invert-only tank for the last 3 months, I gave up on coral a while ago. But all my fish started dying off from Ich and as I said, I don't have the space to maintain QT procedures.

Either way, my DT tank needs to go fallow if I continue in reefing. The problem lies afterward, If I can't maintain proper QT for new fish, new coral, new inverts I will end up with a diseased tank all over again.

no doubt quarantine is helpful. i also think people complicate it and it makes it seem unattainable. if you have an extra 5 gallon bucket, a cheap hang-on the back filter and a small heater you have quarantine system. you just need to periodically be able to see the fish for signs of disease
if you were to go fish-only and buy one fish a month you'd have a great little tank again in no time

 

[Jekyl]

I've never quarantined and have been lucky in doing so. Only 1 fish lost in almost 4 years of having a tank due to suicide. If QT isn't in your cards and local stores can't be trusted I'd recommend checking out drreefsquarantinedfish.com

 

[CookieRdReef]

Tsm aquatics QTs their fish for 6 wks and are guaranteed completely disease free and eating. They are more expensive but fool proof. If you go fallow then order QT fish then you will have a healthy tank.

 

[CookieRdReef]

I ordered 9 fish from TSM a few mths ago and they came in great shape and healthy.

 

[Tamberav]

Well I gave reefing a shot and it's been 1 & 1/2 years but I think I will finally give up on this one.

After a long road and constant coral/fish death, I think saltwater tanks are not for me. I can't manage to keep anything alive even with proper husbandry / constant parameter testing, so the way I see it is I have 3 options.

1. Go fallow to kill off any disease in the tank and try one more time.
2. Switch to freshwater and keep the tank set up as a plant tank.
3. Quit the hobby all together.

I don't have the space required to continuously QT fish & invertebrates and have visited every saltwater shop in a 20-mile radius near me, none of them can be trusted with healthy livestock.

What are your thoughts?

Are freshwater tanks easier to maintain?

At this point so much money has been wasted on livestock, considering I can't get it right after a year and a half should I even attempt another go?

You can buy from QT venders online like TSM and Dr Reef for fish.

Or you can order all captive bred stock directly from the breeders... Live Aquaria directly ships from ORA and you can get Biota stock off biota's website or algaebarn. This way you are getting fish that are not mixed with wild fish like the LFS. It will be safer.

For corals you can stick to safer venders that offer Aquacultured stuff. NOT cut up wild stuff. Cultivated reef, Boom Corals, Battle corals, Marine Farmers, etc. This will be safer vs venders who constantly have wild corals coming in with pests and potential disease.

Dr Reef sells QT snails, otherwise captive snails from algae barn are safer. Reef Cleaners lowers the risk too since he doesn't keep fish. This doesn't completely eliminate risk but brings is very low so chances are it will be ok. You can even add the CUC when you START the fallow and they can fallow with it.

For the most part you can limit what is coming in to infect your system. Obviously you have learned you can't use your LFS at this point.

As far as corals go... if you don't want the stress and $$ of constant testing, just stick to easier soft corals and easier LPS that are not demanding.

I always link Mike C's softy tank as an example that soft coral tanks do not mean boring tanks. It can just mean less stress and more enjoyment for some.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

nothing wrong with switching to freshwater for a while to learn more about the hobby.

FW tanks can be as simple as fish in a glass, and if you want more challenge, planted tanks are a great prelude to reefing .

To me, reefing is the top end of the aquarium hobby, I'm always surprised when people start a reef tank without any prior experience, its like jumping in the ocean to learn how to swim.

 

[Idech]

Are freshwater tanks easier to maintain?

Yes, freshwater fish keeping is easier and takes less work. A lot less work, and also it only takes a fraction of the money it takes to keep a reef tank.

But even with freshwater, there are challenges. You need to take your time, study the fish you want, buy the right equipment, feed the right amount, etc. And people have to deal with different types of algae and diatoms as well.

BUT…. nobody quarantines in freshwater. At least I’ve never heard of it in many decades in the hobby. Some fish are more prone to disease, and if you research, you can avoid them or at least know what you’re getting into. And if one fish is ill in the tank, you just isolate it and treat it; it’s not going to kill all your other fish. At least it’s not very common.

There is also no going fallow in freshwater. Even ich is easier to treat. Everything is pretty much easier to treat it seems.

If you’re fed up with reefing, then maybe going for freshwater for a while will be a good learning curve. A lot of the principles are the same. And then you can come back to reefing more experienced.

 

[snorklr]

just for a dumb question...how large is your tank, what are you you using for filtration/nutrient export ? and if i still lived in NY i would drive to TSM to pick up my fish and avoid the shipping...where i am now all my LFS's are an hour away...and yes freshwater (unless you are trying for a high tech planted tank) is infinitely easier....water right out of the tap with some stress coat and you're done...think i was 12 when i got my first freshwater tank...

 

[Lyss]

You can buy from QT venders online like TSM and Dr Reef for fish.

Or you can order all captive bred stock directly from the breeders... Live Aquaria directly ships from ORA and you can get Biota stock off biota's website or algaebarn. This way you are getting fish that are not mixed with wild fish like the LFS. It will be safer.

For corals you can stick to safer venders that offer Aquacultured stuff. NOT cut up wild stuff. Cultivated reef, Boom Corals, Battle corals, Marine Farmers, etc. This will be safer vs venders who constantly have wild corals coming in with pests and potential disease.

Dr Reef sells QT snails, otherwise captive snails from algae barn are safer. Reef Cleaners lowers the risk too since he doesn't keep fish. This doesn't completely eliminate risk but brings is very low so chances are it will be ok. You can even add the CUC when you START the fallow and they can fallow with it.

For the most part you can limit what is coming in to infect your system. Obviously you have learned you can't use your LFS at this point.

As far as corals go... if you don't want the stress and $$ of constant testing, just stick to easier soft corals and easier LPS that are not demanding.

I always link Mike C's softy tank as an example that soft coral tanks do not mean boring tanks. It can just mean less stress and more enjoyment for some.

That softy tank is gorgeous and inspiring! Personally, I am only having luck with a select few stony corals so far (my tank is still young) but my soft corals thrive. I've been hesitant to lean too heavily to softies but this is really inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Lyss]

Well I gave reefing a shot and it's been 1 & 1/2 years but I think I will finally give up on this one.

After a long road and constant coral/fish death, I think saltwater tanks are not for me. I can't manage to keep anything alive even with proper husbandry / constant parameter testing, so the way I see it is I have 3 options.

1. Go fallow to kill off any disease in the tank and try one more time.
2. Switch to freshwater and keep the tank set up as a plant tank.
3. Quit the hobby all together.

I don't have the space required to continuously QT fish & invertebrates and have visited every saltwater shop in a 20-mile radius near me, none of them can be trusted with healthy livestock.

What are your thoughts?

Are freshwater tanks easier to maintain?

At this point so much money has been wasted on livestock, considering I can't get it right after a year and a half should I even attempt another go?

Well, you might still find freshwater planted a headache if you consider yourself to have a black thumb. For the most part freshwater is easier, but not always -- it is definitely always less complicated.

I can't say what exactly I would do in your shoes -- probably give it one more try with fish only and go very slowly b/c I'm stubborn like that

Edit: I have a ton of houseplants and when ppl find out or see them for the first time, the most common thing they say is that they can't keep houseplants b/c they have a black thumb. Honestly, I don't think a black thumb is a real thing -- I think most folks who say that just haven't gotten to the point of fully understanding how plants work. I know I killed my fair share of houseplants before I got to the thriving collection I have today.

 

[dedragon]

Sorry to hear this, lets start off simple though, How are you running your current tank? What is your filtrations setup like? How often do you change out mechanical media and carbon etc? What are your parameters and how are you measuring them? Do you run a UV sterilizer? Are you using rodi water? Just some basic stuff to help us better understand your situation, my tank definitely has had ich in it but it naturally has been handled or went away and i havent seen any in 2 years

 

[Tamberav]

That softy tank is gorgeous and inspiring! Personally, I am only having luck with a select few stony corals so far (my tank is still young) but my soft corals thrive. I've been hesitant to lean too heavily to softies but this is really inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

Np, collecting softies can be fun and rewarding. They are actually a lot more rare to find and get these days although some venders have started to answer the call of those wanting softies. SPS are everywhere as they have been aquacultured heavily where softies kind of got lost when wild collection sites closed.