My rant because no one else gets it

[Sierra_Bravo]

static void PostMessage()
{
string comfortMessage = "I feel you man. My first tank I used tap water, changed water once every few months (if that), fed pellet food with a heavy hand and never removed any of the excess food. I had a single fish and freshwater gravel as a substrate. Not a lick of algae. I've had nothing but failure my last two tanks. RO/DI, weekly water changes, GFO, moderate feeding and removing excess food immediately, organic carbon dosing, and only moderate success after tons of hard work. I'm doing everything I \"should\" do, but still no joy. Fortunately, I have found a foolproof method to having a thriving, beautiful reef tank. The secret is as follows: ";

comfortMessage = comfortMessage + SecretToReefing();

Console.WriteLine(comfortMessage);
}

static string SecretToReefing()
{
//Todo: implement
return "";
}

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Best post of 2017.

LOL. Thanks, there's a lot of 2017 left. Let's hope I don't lose the title

This entire post made my day! Hahahahah! Much appreciated

Glad to help in all seriousness though, I'm right there with you. I've tried every trick in the "proper reefing" book, and have had very little success. My first tank was where I had the most success, and I broke basically every rule in the book. Tap water, as good as no water changes, a HOB filter for flow, never vacuumed the gravel, never ran GFO or dosed carbon, no fuge, no sump, no chaeto, no nothing. I never had a speck of algae. I think the reason for this is the live rock was beautiful uncured nano rock from Live Aquaria. Either way, I had so much more success than my current tanks with maybe a hundredth of the effort.

I think I might be narrowing in on the problem though. The first issue is the rock. It's dry rock from a LFS who has been known to have lots of phosphates in the rock tanks. To add to those issues, the rock was dry before I put it in my tank, and it sat outdoors for a number of months, absorbing who knows what from the surrounding environment. The second issue is the source water. I moved between my first and second tanks, so it's possible my source water now is much worse than the tap water I used for my first tank. Additionally, when I started the tank, I knew nothing about DI resin and I re-used the old stuff from my last tank, which had sat and dried out for years. So it was basically useless, and I could have potentially been putting relatively filthy DI water into my tank.

If I had to offer one recommendation, it's focus on your source water. Learn a bit about your RO/DI filter and learn when the filters need to be replaced. Run at least dual DI canisters, and consider a multi-stage single bed setup to purify the water more completely. Get a sensitive TDS meter (like the HM-COM 100) to really monitor how pure your RO/DI water is, and be very aggressive about changing DI resin when the quality slips. Enough water changes with sufficiently pure water should right the ship (or at least I'm hoping... I'll report back on my progress haha).

Best of luck!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

LOL. Thanks, there's a lot of 2017 left. Let's hope I don't lose the title



Glad to help in all seriousness though, I'm right there with you. I've tried every trick in the "proper reefing" book, and have had very little success. My first tank was where I had the most success, and I broke basically every rule in the book. Tap water, as good as no water changes, a HOB filter for flow, never vacuumed the gravel, never ran GFO or dosed carbon, no fuge, no sump, no chaeto, no nothing. I never had a speck of algae. I think the reason for this is the live rock was beautiful uncured nano rock from Live Aquaria. Either way, I had so much more success than my current tanks with maybe a hundredth of the effort.

I think I might be narrowing in on the problem though. The first issue is the rock. It's dry rock from a LFS who has been known to have lots of phosphates in the rock tanks. To add to those issues, the rock was dry before I put it in my tank, and it sat outdoors for a number of months, absorbing who knows what from the surrounding environment. The second issue is the source water. I moved between my first and second tanks, so it's possible my source water now is much worse than the tap water I used for my first tank. Additionally, when I started the tank, I knew nothing about DI resin and I re-used the old stuff from my last tank, which had sat and dried out for years. So it was basically useless, and I could have potentially been putting relatively filthy DI water into my tank.

If I had to offer one recommendation, it's focus on your source water. Learn a bit about your RO/DI filter and learn when the filters need to be replaced. Run at least dual DI canisters, and consider a multi-stage single bed setup to purify the water more completely. Get a sensitive TDS meter (like the HM-COM 100) to really monitor how pure your RO/DI water is, and be very aggressive about changing DI resin when the quality slips. Enough water changes with sufficiently pure water should right the ship (or at least I'm hoping... I'll report back on my progress haha).

Best of luck!

After my bryopis , red fuzzy hair Alge took over. (Insert hulk wanna smash here), so I did nothing. :mad:Nothing. Just walked away.
:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:!

It's all gone now.

 

[ThunderGoose]

I'm right there with you right now. I'm 10.5 months into my first reef tank and feeling the frustration, too. Some things are limping along, others seem OK for a while, then die, no corals really thriving or growing fast. My fish are fine, my BTA is massive and I've had mixed results with invertebrates but they seem to be stable now.

I'm taking a step back and have decided not to change anything for a while; just test, test, test and do water changes. No new corals or invertebrates till January.

No, really. No new corals or invertebrates till January.

I can refrain, really, I can.... [quickly closes tabs of coral venders]

 

[rockstarta78]

Well, you did ask for it.

Enjoy.

I know I do. How boring would it be if the tank just sat there with fish and corals. Really. I'd rather learn something every single day.

You know you brought up a good point. I was just thinking about this the other day. What if my tank didn't require me to do all the extra work and I just sat there and watched everything grow. I think I'd get bored. it could be a mental issue, because I think these frustrations and agony that we go through, is why I enjoy this hobby.........I know that's a ridiculous statement, so ignore me.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

No, really. No new corals or invertebrates till Januar

Uh huh. I've made that exact same mistake too!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

You know you brought up a good point. I was just thinking about this the other day. What if my tank didn't require me to do all the extra work and I just sat there and watched everything grow. I think I'd get bored. it could be a mental issue, because I think these frustrations and agony that we go through, is why I enjoy this hobby.........I know that's a ridiculous statement, so ignore me.

Oh, I still do the work. And bust off frags from the colony, spill stuff, over research , mess with stuf and put it back the way I found it.

I just let myself enjoy the long , slow , painful , horrible awful and exquisite torture of the most awful thing there is in Reefing.

Patience.

 

[seastar]

We had a male betta fish named Ceviche, and a rabbit named Hasenpfeffer

I have a shrimp named cocktail. I like to think that keeps him in line.

What irony?

I'd go with Kalwasser to make the ph change or a buffer (alk)
For a short term increase.

Good call, will do thanks.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Oh, I still do the work. And bust off frags from the colony, spill stuff, over research , mess with stuf and put it back the way I found it.

I just let myself enjoy the long , slow , painful , horrible awful and exquisite torture of the most awful thing there is in Reefing.

Patience.

It seems that with reefkeeping, the only winning move is not to play!

 

[seastar]

“However baby man may brag of his science and skill, and however much, in a flattering future, that science and skill may augment; yet for ever and ever, to the crack of doom, the sea will insult and murder him, and pulverize the stateliest, stiffest frigate he can make; nevertheless, by the continual repetition of these very impressions, man has lost that sense of the full awfulness of the sea which aboriginally belongs to it.” - Herman Melville

One of my favorite books is Moby Dick and I always think of this quote when I'm having tank issues. I know it doesn't offer any help or advice but even when you put the ocean (I know its but microcosm of one) in a glass box there are times it will get the better of you but the good news is we can cultivate its wonders and mitigate the horrors with perseverance, tenacity, and dedication.

I know this doesn't help anyone in any way but it sounds good.

I've been looking for an inspiring quote to put on the wall over my tank. You just helped me figure it out!

 

[seastar]

I'm right there with you right now. I'm 10.5 months into my first reef tank and feeling the frustration, too. Some things are limping along, others seem OK for a while, then die, no corals really thriving or growing fast. My fish are fine, my BTA is massive and I've had mixed results with invertebrates but they seem to be stable now.

I'm taking a step back and have decided not to change anything for a while; just test, test, test and do water changes. No new corals or invertebrates till January.

No, really. No new corals or invertebrates till January.

I can refrain, really, I can.... [quickly closes tabs of coral venders]

Good luck on the refraining... I have a few corals Im looking at right this moment from some of the fine sponsors of this site.

 

[geoff harrison]

check out this post in here from, troylee
Dinoflagellates my experience......h2o2 reefing tool!!!!
i think it might have some info that could ease your pains

 

[BZOFIQ]

Perhaps we've over-complicated this hobby with fancy and expensive equipment, etc.

My last tank was 180 Gallon full of softies, used tap water, changed very rarely, fed as needed, used T5 bulbs for 24+ month, didnt have a spec of algae.

My new setup which I'm overthinking as we speak is probably going to have all the problems described on this forum to date.

My friend called me GPS King - I don't know why

 

[spiraling]

You guys completely made my day. ;Joyful

I'm all in with all the latest equipment.
I've bought my dream tank (redsea 525xl) and frag tank.
I've QT'd all my fish.
I RO/DI like Im supposed to.
I've bought tons of really nice corals...

I should be THRIVING. Really enjoying watching frags grow out. It's my time to share amazing FTS.

Nope.

<rant on>
HTML isn't really coding, is it?
</rant off>

static string SecretToReefing()
{
//Todo: implement
return "";
}

I'm also a coder with a 10 month old RSM 525 dream tank with a ton of lost corals and fish, and a very successful tank I tore down to build this one. Sorry you are having issues. But I am relieved to know its not just me having problems and everyone else's tanks look fantastic. Every day I ponder what I'm doing wrong and how to fix it.

@chipmunkofdoom2 when you get fn SecretToReefing() implemented and checked in can you send me a link to your repository for review?

 

[jda]

For many, they underestimate how important real live rock is and how tough dry/dead rock can be. Some have no problems, but they are no the majority, IMO.

This is the main thing that I see from a decade ago with newer tanks. A few years in, dry/dead rock tanks start to look like live rock tanks, but the time in between can be tough.

 

[spiraling]

For many, they underestimate how important real live rock is and how tough dry/dead rock can be. Some have no problems, but they are no the majority, IMO.

This is the main thing that I see from a decade ago with newer tanks. A few years in, dry/dead rock tanks start to look like live rock tanks, but the time in between can be tough.

I think that is a lot of the issues on my tank. I started dry because I had some bad hitchhikers I couldn't eradicate on my previous tank. But the bio-complexity of a thriving reef tank really isn't understood. And the rock is a big component to that.

 

[jda]

I mean to say that the people without problems with dry rock are in the minority, not the majority. I am sorry.

 

[ThunderGoose]

Perhaps we've over-complicated this hobby with fancy and expensive equipment, etc.

My last tank was 180 Gallon full of softies, used tap water, changed very rarely, fed as needed, used T5 bulbs for 24+ month, didnt have a spec of algae.

My new setup which I'm overthinking as we speak is probably going to have all the problems described on this forum to date.

My friend called me GPS King - I don't know why

WOW! that's a gorgeous tank. I may have to add some... Wait, NO! No new corals till January! Bad TG!

[but it looks good. and easy]

NO!

 

[ash9965]

Its crazy how beginners luck seems so much more valuable than experience.

I too as a beginner had a 30 L overfed -only did top offs no water changes and the only dosing I did was with the awesome PURPLE UP . Ran T5's and what do you think ..BooM 1 head of candy cane had about 20 heads 6 months in - mushroom growing like wildfires staghorns like a jungle - all coral and fishing doing great and never had a test kit ?? After all I didn't know what to test for ??

Fast forward 7 years to my current tank - trying to do everything right with RODI - nice Led's - water changes and have lost coral after coral- fish after fish and algae outbreak after algae outbreak -- finally after up and running for about a year things finally looking up .
But crazy thing as a beginner never had any issues must of been a case of God looking out for the ignorant...

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

@chipmunkofdoom2 when you get fn SecretToReefing() implemented and checked in can you send me a link to your repository for review?

LOL Yep! It'll be on Git