I want to leave reefkeeping

[I wasted money]

Bounces

 

[I wasted money]

You can mame your money back the aam

 

[I wasted money]

Same month and they withstand salinity swings
Have mine in a 20g and haven't done a water change in a month with heavy feeding

 

[LPS Bum]

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.

Sorry to hear that. We've all been there.

Upgrading to a larger tank makes a lot of sense, and should give you more stability in your water parameters. Having said that, I've never thought anyone needed to spend $4K on a fancy AIO system, like a Red Sea. You can grab a 40-75 gallon glass tank and stand for a pretty reasonable price. Pair that with an efficient HOB skimmer, a couple of inexpensive Korean powerheads off of Amazon, a Fluval Marine 3.0 LED light, a decent heater, a 4 stage RODI, and a cheap Duetto ATO and you've got a solid LPS and Softies system for 1/3 of the price.

Realistically, unless you're keeping light-loving SPS or Tridacna clams, you just need to heat the water, move the water, provide some decent full spectrum lighting and perform weekly 10% water changes, and you should be pretty much good to go. Best of luck!

 

[landlubber]

reef-keeping should include the caveat that to do it successfully considerable amounts of research is imperative. some take right to it and want the info but unfortunately the draw of colorful corals and fish gets ahead of whether or not it actually are the right corals and fish.

 

[Dan_P]

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.

Going bigger does not sound like the most appropriate direction to take. Keeping a saltwater aquarium is complicated. While the details are relatively simple, there are many of them and nothing in your life has prepared you for this, not even doing research.

Consider lowering your expectations for what you are going to achieve over the next year or two, but don’t be afraid to calling it quits and coming back to it In a couple years.

Good luck!

 

[MaxTremors]

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.

If you want to keep stony corals, stable alkalinity is very important. Water changes alone will keep you within the acceptable range when you have just a couple stony corals, but within the recommended range you can still be having fairly large swings. Also, you need quality Nitrate and Phosphate test kits, API isn’t accurate or specific enough.

Until you can test for and ensure stable parameters, I would stick to soft corals (of which there are hundreds of species, in every color and shape). Stony corals require more attention to detail and a better understanding (and management) of reef chemistry. But also, torches are not really a beginner coral, they can be finicky and sensitive, so I wouldn’t beat yourself up over it dying, sometimes wild caught corals just don’t transition well to tank life.

I think you should stick with the tank you have, invest in quality test kits, get a firm understanding of reef chemistry, and then build up your experience with hardier corals before trying more advanced species. I know losing a fish or coral can be demoralizing, it’s just part of the hobby sometimes, but as you gain more experience and your tank matures, those losses will become less often and the successes will become more frequent. Just take things slow, test your water frequently to get an intimate understanding of how your tank works (keep a log so you can chart changes and trends), and research any planned additions before getting them. It would be a shame to throw in the towel so soon because of a couple failures.

 

[AnnaG]

ah, but 2.9k on a reef tank is insane for someone newer to the hobby like me or him, as a nice comfy size is 20-40 gal. he should at most spend $40 on sand, as 90 is bit too much for a beginner

Well, for one, how do you know if the OP is a guy or not? For two, the OP stated they want to move on from their cheaper setup they've had running for 9 months to the bigger, more expensive one.

she* lol - look im in Australia, and prices are much more expensive here. Livestock and equipment is a lot more, but also our range is much more limited. BRS doesn't exist here for example, if you want a "good waveemaker" your options are AI Nero or EcoTech - and then of course there's a couple small ones that just get the job done.

 

[AnnaG]

If you want to keep stony corals, stable alkalinity is very important. Water changes alone will keep you within the acceptable range when you have just a couple stony corals, but within the recommended range you can still be having fairly large swings. Also, you need quality Nitrate and Phosphate test kits, API isn’t accurate or specific enough.

Until you can test for and ensure stable parameters, I would stick to soft corals (of which there are hundreds of species, in every color and shape). Stony corals require more attention to detail and a better understanding (and management) of reef chemistry. But also, torches are not really a beginner coral, they can be finicky and sensitive, so I wouldn’t beat yourself up over it dying, sometimes wild caught corals just don’t transition well to tank life.

I think you should stick with the tank you have, invest in quality test kits, get a firm understanding of reef chemistry, and then build up your experience with hardier corals before trying more advanced species. I know losing a fish or coral can be demoralizing, it’s just part of the hobby sometimes, but as you gain more experience and your tank matures, those losses will become less often and the successes will become more frequent. Just take things slow, test your water frequently to get an intimate understanding of how your tank works (keep a log so you can chart changes and trends), and research any planned additions before getting them. It would be a shame to throw in the towel so soon because of a couple failures.

Yeah what also sucks is that I was told that my torch is hardy- quote from LFS "you can throw it at a
wall, frag it, whatever". So I was under the impression that LPS was okay. With such a basic setup, I wanted to get a sump and all that, and I thought well while im at, ill also upgrade to a larger tank. I was thinking something like 220 litres, where my current one is 80.

 

[AnnaG]

Sorry to hear that. We've all been there.

Upgrading to a larger tank makes a lot of sense, and should give you more stability in your water parameters. Having said that, I've never thought anyone needed to spend $4K on a fancy AIO system, like a Red Sea. You can grab a 40-75 gallon glass tank and stand for a pretty reasonable price. Pair that with an efficient HOB skimmer, a couple of inexpensive Korean powerheads off of Amazon, a Fluval Marine 3.0 LED light, a decent heater, a 4 stage RODI, and a cheap Duetto ATO and you've got a solid LPS and Softies system for 1/3 of the price.

Realistically, unless you're keeping light-loving SPS or Tridacna clams, you just need to heat the water, move the water, provide some decent full spectrum lighting and perform weekly 10% water changes, and you should be pretty much good to go. Best of luck!

I need to be more clear haha - I live in Australia, so firstly its something like $2900 USD, and also, im limited to the range here. Duetto doesn't exist here and you dont have lots of options for your equipment. Also prices are generally higher here from what ive seen off American websites.

 

[Tamberav]

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.

Just like to point out a skimmer, fuge, dosing pump doesn't bring success to this hobby. I would not even say it makes it easier.

You can spend 1000's or 100's - people will succeed and fail with either set up from a tiny 5g to a large 200g.

If you can handle losing some stuff along the way, it is a good hobby but it can certainly burn money.

I think your current set up looks really nice.

 

[Lyss]

Sorry to hear that. We've all been there.

Upgrading to a larger tank makes a lot of sense, and should give you more stability in your water parameters. Having said that, I've never thought anyone needed to spend $4K on a fancy AIO system, like a Red Sea. You can grab a 40-75 gallon glass tank and stand for a pretty reasonable price. Pair that with an efficient HOB skimmer, a couple of inexpensive Korean powerheads off of Amazon, a Fluval Marine 3.0 LED light, a decent heater, a 4 stage RODI, and a cheap Duetto ATO and you've got a solid LPS and Softies system for 1/3 of the price.

Realistically, unless you're keeping light-loving SPS or Tridacna clams, you just need to heat the water, move the water, provide some decent full spectrum lighting and perform weekly 10% water changes, and you should be pretty much good to go. Best of luck!

AUD, not USD. But still, I kinda cringe when ppl say stuff like this, b/c while it's true it can be done for less, some people value design and will pay for that -- if that wasn't the case Apple wouldn't exist. I think it just depends on what an individual wants to get out of it, and each individual is different. I complain about the price of my MacBook every 4-5 yrs when it's time to upgrade, but it is always what I'm gonna purchase.

To the OP: You can definitely accomplish something like LPS Bum stated above if you truly want to upgrade but go cheap and are motivated to make that happen. I'm sure you can find stuff on Amazon. I went cheap w/my wave maker to start instead of getting the Nero I really wanted and regretted it -- ended up spending more b/c I couldn't take it and got the Nero. You can find programmable wave makers for less, like I think Jebao makes a knockoff, so I would say just make sure you know what features you want and purchase what you want the first time around.

 

[Unitylover]

she* lol - look im in Australia, and prices are much more expensive here. Livestock and equipment is a lot more, but also our range is much more limited. BRS doesn't exist here for example, if you want a "good waveemaker" your options are AI Nero or EcoTech - and then of course there's a couple small ones that just get the job done.

Oh sorry, i didnt know it was more expensive there

 

[Lyss]

Oh sorry, i didnt know it was more expensive there

LOL I expected this to be an apology for assuming she was a guy, and then got to the end of the sentence like, huh.

 

[Calvin]

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.

Don't let this get you down! At the end of the day it's just a pair of clown fish and an urchin is just an urchin. They are a dime a dozen! And this is not me saying I don't care about my fish because trust me, I do.

I've been doing saltwater tanks off and on for 12 years and in my 220 gallon I have now I've lost every clown fish I've put in there except the original $15 orange ocellaris. And one was a pair of frostbite clowns and the other a pair of mocha storms. And that was over 4 months ago and still to the day I go in my fish room and sit there and watch my tank for probably about 2 hours total and don't dwell on it.

I know it might stink to here, but the truth is you just have to move past it and keep moving forward. And keep trying.

You got this! Don't stop, keep moving forward.

 

[Damage12]

Stick with it, it will be worth the effort. Keep reading As much as you can and stick with what works for you.

 

[LPS Bum]

I need to be more clear haha - I live in Australia, so firstly its something like $2900 USD, and also, im limited to the range here. Duetto doesn't exist here and you dont have lots of options for your equipment. Also prices are generally higher here from what ive seen off American websites.

Understood.

I'm sure you'll figure something out.

 

[LPS Bum]

AUD, not USD. But still, I kinda cringe when ppl say stuff like this, b/c while it's true it can be done for less, some people value design and will pay for that -- if that wasn't the case Apple wouldn't exist. I think it just depends on what an individual wants to get out of it, and each individual is different. I complain about the price of my MacBook every 4-5 yrs when it's time to upgrade, but it is always what I'm gonna purchase.

To the OP: You can definitely accomplish something like LPS Bum stated above if you truly want to upgrade but go cheap and are motivated to make that happen. I'm sure you can find stuff on Amazon. I went cheap w/my wave maker to start instead of getting the Nero I really wanted and regretted it -- ended up spending more b/c I couldn't take it and got the Nero. You can find programmable wave makers for less, like I think Jebao makes a knockoff, so I would say just make sure you know what features you want and purchase what you want the first time around.

Cringe all you want. Not everyone has the money to spend on a Red Sea AIO (or wants to spend that much, for that matter). Besides, if you get one, you're limited in the gear you can use on it.

Personally, I prefer having options, but to each his own.

 

[Lyss]

Cringe all you want. Not everyone has the money to spend on a Red Sea AIO (or wants to spend that much, for that matter). Besides, if you get one, you're limited in the gear you can use on it.

Personally, I prefer having options, but to each his own.

It’s cringey b/c the way you put it sounds like judging ppl for their choices. Individuals will make individual choices, and as long as they’re informed there’s no right or wrong/one size fits all. Also, I do have a Red Sea and absolutely love it, and I’m not limited in what equipment I can use, not sure what makes you say that.

 

[Miami Reef]

You definitely don’t need a larger tank to be successful in this hobby.

I am keeping acros and a huge Tridacna clam in a 20 gallon QT. It’s a super simple and a cheap setup and easier than the 300 gallon tank I’ve have.

I don’t even have a fancy apex or ATO. I do have a dosing pump though.

Money helps, but it is not needed to be successful. It’s all in the reefer. I’m not saying having money isn’t helpful, it certainly is, but experience is what’s truly needed.