I want to leave reefkeeping

[AnnaG]

Hi guys,

I’ve had a marine aquarium for about 9 months now. I bought a pair of clowns in July, a torch coral around the same time. Also bought a cleanup crew, then a soft coral and cleaner shrimp in November. Lastly i bought a collector urchin in January. In September i lost the pair of clownfish to ammonia poisoning in a hospital tank. Very sad that day and haven’t had fish since. This week my urchin lost a bunch of his spines and realised he was starving- he’s making a good recovery thankfully. Now my torch coral that i’ve had for so long is dying. i was thinking recently to upgrade the aquarium to a larger one, with a skimmer, refugium and dosing pump. But that’s a whole $4k . Even then it seems reefers with these great setups still have issues or corals dying or fish dying, then what is the point? i don’t want to shut my tank down but i’m tempted to. i did so much research but still have these problems.

 

[Hoodstream]

I hear stories of people nuking year old tanks, or people struggling to keep certain corals, outbreaks of ich/velvet, hitchhikers ruining the tank. At the end of the day a hobby is a hobby and they all have problems. Yes this one is costly and can have days of peace followed by days of disaster, but in my opinion it’s worth it. Maybe just let your tank fallow and let the inverts do their thing, and spend this time researching and learning. I started with a 10 gallon and now have a 20, 37 and working on a 60. It comes and goes for people but if it’s not fun anymore make sure the animals go to a good home. I converted my 10 to the 37 gallon and I sat in front of it for an hour last night just distressing and relaxing. This hobby should bring simple pleasures like that. We all make mistakes and it’s true most people don’t make it, and I’m still working on it, but don’t give up if you can help it. I’m sure a year from now if you stay with it it’ll be rewarding forsure.

 

[AnnaG]

I hear stories of people nuking year old tanks, or people struggling to keep certain corals, outbreaks of ich/velvet, hitchhikers ruining the tank. At the end of the day a hobby is a hobby and they all have problems. Yes this one is costly and can have days of peace followed by days of disaster, but in my opinion it’s worth it. Maybe just let your tank fallow and let the inverts do their thing, and spend this time researching and learning. I started with a 10 gallon and now have a 20, 37 and working on a 60. It comes and goes for people but if it’s not fun anymore make sure the animals go to a good home. I converted my 10 to the 37 gallon and I sat in front of it for an hour last night just distressing and relaxing. This hobby should bring simple pleasures like that. We all make mistakes and it’s true most people don’t make it, and I’m still working on it, but don’t give up if you can help it. I’m sure a year from now if you stay with it it’ll be rewarding forsure.

i really do enjoy the hobby, but yeah with it costing you more money and effort it can be hard to stay motivated- hence why i posted this thread. i agree that if i can just be patient, it will be rewarding. i guess a common habit of reefers is to see problems in your tank and just panic and start changing things and getting stressed, only making your problems worse.

 

[Jedi1199]

I feel your pain.. This hobby is very rewarding, but also has its downsides. What does your tank mean to you? Is it a showpiece for your home? Is it a project you always thought you wanted?

We all have different reasons for starting this journey. For myself, I have always loved aquariums and have had one for most of the last 35 years or so. I have had FW and SW both, and last year started with an actual reef. Yes, it is expensive, yes, losses hurt. I just last week had a brand new coral die within a week of getting it, and another one I have had for several months die for no real apparent reason. This is how it goes sometimes.

In the end, My tanks are a dream I have had for decades. I have always wanted a reef tank and now I have 2. One of them is a SERIOUS pain the the bum... but even though they are a lot of work, the peace they bring me when I just sit and watch them makes it worthwhile. My slice of the ocean, in my living room.

 

[AnnaG]

I feel your pain.. This hobby is very rewarding, but also has its downsides. What does your tank mean to you? Is it a showpiece for your home? Is it a project you always thought you wanted?

We all have different reasons for starting this journey. For myself, I have always loved aquariums and have had one for most of the last 35 years or so. I have had FW and SW both, and last year started with an actual reef. Yes, it is expensive, yes, losses hurt. I just last week had a brand new coral die within a week of getting it, and another one I have had for several months die for no real apparent reason. This is how it goes sometimes.

In the end, My tanks are a dream I have had for decades. I have always wanted a reef tank and now I have 2. One of them is a SERIOUS pain the the bum... but even though they are a lot of work, the peace they bring me when I just sit and watch them makes it worthwhile. My slice of the ocean, in my living room.

That’s what i’ve always said!! a slice of the ocean in my bedroom!! i love watching everything that happens in that tank so when something goes dies or goes wrong, it does hurt . but i do really love reefkeeping, and i’ve received so much support on this forum so i definitely will be continuing. Thanks for your support

 

[Tamberav]

If you are in the hobby long enough, you will have some losses and wasted money. Perhaps more so when starting as you have to learn.

The unlucky ones will lose their entire tank to something like a doser or ATO fail or velvet.

We do what we can to midigate risks. We are caring for sensitive animals.

Quarantine, dip, stick to more hardy animals in the beginning, go slow.

 

[Jedi1199]

If you are in the hobby long enough, you will have some losses and wasted money. Perhaps more so when starting as you have to learn.

The unlucky ones will lose their entire tank to something like a doser or ATO fail or velvet.

We do what we can to midigate risks. We are caring for sensitive animals.

Quarantine, dip, stick to more hardy animals in the beginning, go slow.

This is true. I think the passion is what truly matters though. It's not about what others think, it's about how it makes YOU feel. This is what drives me. What others think is a bonus, but really, I could care less...

 

[BanjoBandito]

I'm just here so I can brag about how much money I lose. Ultimate flex.

 

[Hoodstream]

i really do enjoy the hobby, but yeah with it costing you more money and effort it can be hard to stay motivated- hence why i posted this thread. i agree that if i can just be patient, it will be rewarding. i guess a common habit of reefers is to see problems in your tank and just panic and start changing things and getting stressed, only making your problems worse.

There is an old guy who owns an amazing fish store by me he’s had saltwater since before I was born, and he gave me the best advice and that was to stop sweating everything and only sweat what matters, I was explaining to him I had a hydroid outbreak and he told me to relax and stop trying to interfere and let it take its course, I fed a little less and now they’re more than manageable I can’t actually account for the last time I’ve seen one. My corals are thriving my fish and inverts are happy, so don’t sweat it panic if you accident break the cap off a supplement bottle and pour the whole thing into your tank, or if your power goes out and your tank drops 15 degrees drastically, you don’t have to go for the most costly options there is areas to cut corners without actually cutting corners. Don’t let other people freak you out or make you feel like it you don’t spend $4000 your tank will be unsuccessful. My current tank and stand is probably $250 total from just using coupons and waiting for sales, and I’m more than thrilled with it. I’ve learned to relax and stop panicking and I think my tank is actually better for it. My tank looks better now that I’ve distanced myself a little than when I was pampering it like a new born.

 

[Coralsdaily]

Hi guys,

I’ve had a marine aquarium for about 9 months now. I bought a pair of clowns in July, a torch coral around the same time. Also bought a cleanup crew, then a soft coral and cleaner shrimp in November. Lastly i bought a collector urchin in January. In September i lost the pair of clownfish to ammonia poisoning in a hospital tank. Very sad that day and haven’t had fish since. This week my urchin lost a bunch of his spines and realised he was starving- he’s making a good recovery thankfully. Now my torch coral that i’ve had for so long is dying. i was thinking recently to upgrade the aquarium to a larger one, with a skimmer, refugium and dosing pump. But that’s a whole $4k . Even then it seems reefers with these great setups still have issues or corals dying or fish dying, then what is the point? i don’t want to shut my tank down but i’m tempted to. i did so much research but still have these problems.

I am sorry for your loss and frustration. I am confident I can speak on behalf of many seasoned hobbyists here that if we tell you the amount of money we’ve invested in equipments and in livestock losses over the years, we’d break some marriages.
I too have paid my dues in learning lessons. I hope you don’t give up the dream of owning your own piece of ocean, but come to the forum to seek others opinions to help drive towards success.
while it isn’t necessary to spend 4k of upgrading to achieve tank equilibrium, my general advise is don’t go cheap when it comes to equipment, because you will then pay with what you soend in livestock. Also, there is a balance between equipmen and effort. The more you spend on eqipment generally mean the less you will need to tend to the tank, and if you choose to go the frugal route, you will generally need to put more time into teating and water changing and such

 

[Lyss]

If you share more about your specific aquarium and situation folks might be able to help pinpoint some mistakes and work toward solutions so you can be sure to avoid them again. What size is it? Was there a specific reason for the clowns being in a hospital tank? Etc.

I've been pretty lucky on my journey, but I did lose almost all of my first group of corals (all but the softies) to a stupid mistake -- I wasn't checking my refractometer calibration, which was off, and allowed the salinity to drop significantly. Once I realized what had happened I slowly corrected it, and now make sure to check calibration more regularly, especially if a reading one days seems off. Learning from mistakes is not a bad way to move forward and grow.

 

[AnnaG]

If you share more about your specific aquarium and situation folks might be able to help pinpoint some mistakes and work toward solutions so you can be sure to avoid them again. What size is it? Was there a specific reason for the clowns being in a hospital tank? Etc.

Well I have a basic setup at the moment, 20 gallons running on a canister filter. You can see all the stuff I had on my build thread. For the clowns, they got ich, I panicked, bought copper, bought the hospital tank, didn't cycle the hospital tank and didn't test for ammonia (I know its really bad) and that's how they ended up dying

Recently, my urchin started to bald and lose his spines. Realised he was starving and have been obsessively feeding nori since. He is recovering thankfully.

Now the most puzzling- my torch coral, Raymond. You can also see him on my build thread. Ive had him since about august I think, and he was always puffy and fat and lovely. While I have been a bit lax on water changes going from weekly to fortnightly, I cant pinpoint why he is dying. My urchin recently was like sitting on half of him, but surely he would bounce back from that? Ever since I bought my soft coral, I dont think Raymond has been thriving. I did also take some mussels from the ocean a few weeks ago and put them in for biodiversity- any reason that would annoy a torch?? I think there was a parameter that had a swing- I don't have a lot of testing equipment, just the basic ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, salinity,

I guess since not having fish, I became less involved with my aquarium. That's why im thinking of upgrading to a waterbox, getting the refugium, the skimmer, dosing pump, so I can better support this ecosystem. My soft coral, and lovely cleaner shrimp, Jacques, have been very lovely and forgiving towards me at least and I haven't had any issues with them.

 

[adsf430]

Have you been feeding the torch since your fish came out? In that small a tank the soft coral could be poisoning it, what kind is it? A leather?

 

[|Frank|]

I caught covid august 2020 and it was a disaster for me and my tank. I was already battling with hair algae and was to weak to take care of my tank. When I finally worked up strength to do at least a water change everything was covered in hair algae. My fish weren’t doing well nor not corals. I was so upset I didn’t even take a picture. And even stopped going on R2R lol. So I broke down my tank and went freshwater with it because I couldn’t deal with another heartbreak. Then I was sitting next to my tank recently and realized that the fresh wasn’t cuttin it for me. Needless to say I’m back and it’s worth it. We learn from our mistakes and that’s why I love this hobby. There is, for the most part always a challenge. Stick to it.

 

[Lyss]

Well I have a basic setup at the moment, 20 gallons running on a canister filter. You can see all the stuff I had on my build thread. For the clowns, they got ich, I panicked, bought copper, bought the hospital tank, didn't cycle the hospital tank and didn't test for ammonia (I know its really bad) and that's how they ended up dying

Recently, my urchin started to bald and lose his spines. Realised he was starving and have been obsessively feeding nori since. He is recovering thankfully.

Now the most puzzling- my torch coral, Raymond. You can also see him on my build thread. Ive had him since about august I think, and he was always puffy and fat and lovely. While I have been a bit lax on water changes going from weekly to fortnightly, I cant pinpoint why he is dying. My urchin recently was like sitting on half of him, but surely he would bounce back from that? Ever since I bought my soft coral, I dont think Raymond has been thriving. I did also take some mussels from the ocean a few weeks ago and put them in for biodiversity- any reason that would annoy a torch?? I think there was a parameter that had a swing- I don't have a lot of testing equipment, just the basic ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, salinity,

I guess since not having fish, I became less involved with my aquarium. That's why im thinking of upgrading to a waterbox, getting the refugium, the skimmer, dosing pump, so I can better support this ecosystem. My soft coral, and lovely cleaner shrimp, Jacques, have been very lovely and forgiving towards me at least and I haven't had any issues with them.

One thing I would say is necessary right away is getting test kits for Alk, Cal and mag so you can check these three elements that are important for the health of stony corals, like Raymond.

While I don't think it's necessary to panic at first signs of ich, I don't think you had the wrong idea by setting up a hospital tank. Going forward I would make sure to set that tank up and have it ready to quarantine new fish before putting them into your display.

I think those are two big things to do right now that will help to put you back on track.

Edit: Per the leather comment above... Do you run carbon?

 

[AnnaG]

Have you been feeding the torch since your fish came out? In that small a tank the soft coral could be poisoning it, what kind is it? A leather?

Yes I feed LPS pellets. I cant tell you - I was never told the species at LFS lol - I will attach some pictures. And yes I also run carbon. Looking back actually looks like softie was bleached. Softie has become massive now, and actually fragged herself this
week - I got a lil baby polyp in the sand now too

 

[jfoahs04]

Hi guys,

I’ve had a marine aquarium for about 9 months now. I bought a pair of clowns in July, a torch coral around the same time. Also bought a cleanup crew, then a soft coral and cleaner shrimp in November. Lastly i bought a collector urchin in January. In September i lost the pair of clownfish to ammonia poisoning in a hospital tank. Very sad that day and haven’t had fish since. This week my urchin lost a bunch of his spines and realised he was starving- he’s making a good recovery thankfully. Now my torch coral that i’ve had for so long is dying. i was thinking recently to upgrade the aquarium to a larger one, with a skimmer, refugium and dosing pump. But that’s a whole $4k . Even then it seems reefers with these great setups still have issues or corals dying or fish dying, then what is the point? i don’t want to shut my tank down but i’m tempted to. i did so much research but still have these problems.

This hobby is a slow burn and 9 months isn't a long time relatively speaking. In fact, I'd argue that you're still in the new(ish) tank period where swings, spikes, random algae blooms, etc. are still pretty much par for the course. It's not as volatile a time as the "uglies," but your tank is still very much becoming established. Sure, bad things can/do happen even to tanks that have been up and running for years. But as time goes on and your tank stabilizes, you learn more (especially from your mistakes), and your investments start paying dividends (particularly in the form of coral growth, your fish host/pair up/spawn, etc.), it gets better.

That said, if you're not feeling passionate about it, certainly don't invest more money (especially thousands of dollars) in a "better" setup. If you're on the fence, keep working to stabilize and improve your current setup. As much as a PITA as this hobby can be, it's pretty rewarding when you see things start to turn the corner. And worst case, if you never find the spark again, you can get out without having to dump $4k of equipment for a 50%+ markdown. No shame in leaving the hobby - people do it all the time.

 

[New&no clue]

Hi,

I am new too. I have had lots of issues, and sadly losses as well. I am not sure if your LFS is a good resource, but here certainly is. ASK QUESTIONS. Hundreds of them, people here want to help. Sometimes this hobby is so frustrating, but this community can make it better. I noticed your build thread is not very updated. Post... and post regularly. Post the good and the bad, post when things are going well, and when things start to go downhill. People will follow, and they will help.

P.S. I am jealous of how clean your sand is.

 

[AnnaG]

Hi,

I am new too. I have had lots of issues, and sadly losses as well. I am not sure if your LFS is a good resource, but here certainly is. ASK QUESTIONS. Hundreds of them, people here want to help. Sometimes this hobby is so frustrating, but this community can make it better. I noticed your build thread is not very updated. Post... and post regularly. Post the good and the bad, post when things are going well, and when things start to go downhill. People will follow, and they will help.

P.S. I am jealous of how clean your sand is.

Welcome! Yeah I do post a lot, I love asking questions haha

PS. A conch snail is my best friend for clean sand

 

[FishOkay]

Hi guys,

I’ve had a marine aquarium for about 9 months now. I bought a pair of clowns in July, a torch coral around the same time. Also bought a cleanup crew, then a soft coral and cleaner shrimp in November. Lastly i bought a collector urchin in January. In September i lost the pair of clownfish to ammonia poisoning in a hospital tank. Very sad that day and haven’t had fish since. This week my urchin lost a bunch of his spines and realised he was starving- he’s making a good recovery thankfully. Now my torch coral that i’ve had for so long is dying. i was thinking recently to upgrade the aquarium to a larger one, with a skimmer, refugium and dosing pump. But that’s a whole $4k . Even then it seems reefers with these great setups still have issues or corals dying or fish dying, then what is the point? i don’t want to shut my tank down but i’m tempted to. i did so much research but still have these problems.

Where are you getting 4k from that's nonsense! Don't let companies like red sea and water box with their overpriced tanks fool you it doesn't have to be that expensive!