Throwing In The Towel...

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[Goaway]

I put other. I don't want to quit reefing. If I did it would be because of moving too far away to make tranfer successful, lack of funds, health issues. Aquariums have been in my life for as long as I can remember. I'd like to keep it that way.

 

[Megaloptera]

Currently thinking about throwing in the towel or at least taking a break. I have a 34 gallon AIO that is dealing with a bad phosphate problem. No matter how many water changes I do, it still creeps to 0.6-0.7. I have tried lanthanum chloride but it irritated my LPS. I feed mysis to my 4 fish and blood worms to my mandarin. I recently just got a macroalgae reactor from Tunze dialed in this week and hopefully it works soon. My tank was looking pretty good until last December, I have yet to see any growth since then. Even having some zoas close up and retract.

Sorry to hear about your phosphate problem. Once I added Chaeto to my sump/fuges I no longer read any phosphates. I don't have the most accurate low range kits either but I'm hopeful that the macroalgae will take care of it. How are your nuisance algae levels with that amount of phosphates?

 

[Reckless]

Currently thinking about throwing in the towel or at least taking a break. I have a 34 gallon AIO that is dealing with a bad phosphate problem. No matter how many water changes I do, it still creeps to 0.6-0.7. I have tried lanthanum chloride but it irritated my LPS. I feed mysis to my 4 fish and blood worms to my mandarin. I recently just got a macroalgae reactor from Tunze dialed in this week and hopefully it works soon. My tank was looking pretty good until last December, I have yet to see any growth since then. Even having some zoas close up and retract.

Try dosing nitrates to your tank. I refused to do it in the beginning because I was battling bubble algae but sure enough it dropped me from an average of 0.2 phosphate to 0.04. The coralline in my tank exploded and most of my sps had huge growth spurts. I now shot for a 100 to 1 ration which is easier to do dosing nitrates and phosphates. If PO4 is 0.04 then I dose to get my NO3 to 4-5 or if PO4 is 0.2 then dose until my NO3 is 20, it’s easier for my to dose nitrates to balance whatever my phosphates are

 

[Reefing102]

For me it was a combination of cost and bored/lost interest. Due to the cost of some of the equipment, resulted in not being able to do what I wanted with the tank, resulting in boredom/loss of interest as it stopped being fun

 

[pepper89]

I can't really say what would make me throw in the towel, as I haven't specifically started reef keeping. Personally, I could see how pests, diseases, and mortality events would be my major reasoning. I know it's why I got out of freshwater back in college. I lost a few, and it just hurt my heart, I felt like such a bad fish mom that I eventually just threw in the towel. Since I am starting reefing again, I got it through my thick skull that sometimes things are going to die, some won't get to you until they are on their last leg of life, and there is a learning curve in treating those fish. So I'm hoping that doesn't make me quit reefing.

As for an actual reason someone quit reefing, the only friend I have that is also interested in this hobby, quit a few years ago because of costs. He seemed to have eyes for very expensive corals and fish, and just didn't have the skills yet to keep those expensive corals and fish actually alive. So he ended up wasting tons of money rebuying a lot of things, and his wife just said enough, it costs too much. Eventually had kids and sold all his stuff, and just says he can't afford to really get back into the hobby, especially not doing the corals and fish he would prefer.

 

[Megaloptera]

Try dosing nitrates to your tank. I refused to do it in the beginning because I was battling bubble algae but sure enough it dropped me from an average of 0.2 phosphate to 0.04. The coralline in my tank exploded and most of my sps had huge growth spurts. I now shot for a 100 to 1 ration which is easier to do dosing nitrates and phosphates. If PO4 is 0.04 then I dose to get my NO3 to 4-5 or if PO4 is 0.2 then dose until my NO3 is 20, it’s easier for my to dose nitrates to balance whatever my phosphates are

I hear you. How strange does it seem to add Nitrates to a tank! Why would I dose something that soooo many are trying to rid their tank of? I am finding that stable numbers are where its at. Everything in moderation. The challenge is that we need to find where the line for moderation is for each nutrient.

 

[Megaloptera]

For me it was a combination of cost and bored/lost interest. Due to the cost of some of the equipment, resulted in not being able to do what I wanted with the tank, resulting in boredom/loss of interest as it stopped being fun

What was your initial end goal for your tank that wasn't easily achievable for you? and if you have a tank now, how have you changed things so that it is fun for you?

 

[Crustaceon]

It is me. I didn't turn on the light for the first 5 months when I start my reef tank. I may be lucky but I think my waiting has something to do with the ugly stages. I never experience the ugly stage. I am now a happy reef keeper. Patient is everything in this hobby. No SPS until the tank past 1 year old birthday. All my SPS, soft coral and my wallet are so happy because of the waiting game.

It absolutely would help because you made it nearly impossible for photosynthetic pests to compete against establishing bacteria in your new system.

 

[flashsmith]

I made a conscious effort to leave things alone in both of my systems. Stop testing so much and set up auto dosing and trust the system. It worked and both of my tanks have been on cruise control for months. Now I only do water changes once a month and routine cleaning every other day. Much more enjoyable other than that I would say cost drives more people out than anything.

 

[Megaloptera]

I can't really say what would make me throw in the towel, as I haven't specifically started reef keeping. Personally, I could see how pests, diseases, and mortality events would be my major reasoning. I know it's why I got out of freshwater back in college. I lost a few, and it just hurt my heart, I felt like such a bad fish mom that I eventually just threw in the towel. Since I am starting reefing again, I got it through my thick skull that sometimes things are going to die, some won't get to you until they are on their last leg of life, and there is a learning curve in treating those fish. So I'm hoping that doesn't make me quit reefing.

As for an actual reason someone quit reefing, the only friend I have that is also interested in this hobby, quit a few years ago because of costs. He seemed to have eyes for very expensive corals and fish, and just didn't have the skills yet to keep those expensive corals and fish actually alive. So he ended up wasting tons of money rebuying a lot of things, and his wife just said enough, it costs too much. Eventually had kids and sold all his stuff, and just says he can't afford to really get back into the hobby, especially not doing the corals and fish he would prefer.

Yes, getting quality healthy livestock is so important to success. Think about it. Getting wild caught fish/inverts/coral from the Pacific and bringing them to your tank is kind of like.... Taking people off of earth, flying them to the international space station using sub par transportation then attempting to maintain their health by keeping the life support system functioning effectively and efficiently. Not the best analogy, but it helps me to remember to be diligent in my efforts to keep up with levels and maintenance. My wife tells me, "I wish I was a fish in your tank, they've got it made." It is quite possible that if a fish survives the process to make it into your display tank, it may actually live a happier healthier life due to the absence of predation risks back at the reef.

 

[Megaloptera]

I made a conscious effort to leave things alone in both of my systems. Stop testing so much and set up auto dosing and trust the system. It worked and both of my tanks have been on cruise control for months. Now I only do water changes once a month and routine cleaning every other day. Much more enjoyable other than that I would say cost drives more people out than anything.

I've got a dosing pump in the box still. You are convincing me to get that thing out and get things dialed in.

 

[MinnieMouse2]

The one pest that almost made me want to end both of my tanks was dino. Both tanks got it at the same time. I hung in there and day by day it is getting less and less. I still have some dino, but it is going step by step. I hate dinos.

 

[MinnieMouse2]

Dinoflagellates. enough said.

Dino love SPS and plate corals. Every plate coral I had died. I had a hot pink one I really miss. All my SPS died except an unknown one at the back of my tank, I do not remember putting there, and two green slimmers that are battle weary but hanging in. Dino does suck.

 

[pepper89]

Yes, getting quality healthy livestock is so important to success. Think about it. Getting wild caught fish/inverts/coral from the Pacific and bringing them to your tank is kind of like.... Taking people off of earth, flying them to the international space station using sub par transportation then attempting to maintain their health by keeping the life support system functioning effectively and efficiently. Not the best analogy, but it helps me to remember to be diligent in my efforts to keep up with levels and maintenance. My wife tells me, "I wish I was a fish in your tank, they've got it made." It is quite possible that if a fish survives the process to make it into your display tank, it may actually live a happier healthier life due to the absence of predation risks back at the reef.

This! Exactly! This is also why I vowed to quarantine everything, if it makes it into the display, then it's less likely to wipe out all the fish I've gotten attached to. Plus, I am going to try to buy captive-bred as much as possible. I think as a new reefer, it will really help. I think more experienced reefers, and stuff like that, should def get wild colonies and stuff. They know what they are doing, and propagating it in tanks eventually makes "captive-bred" versions available for reefers like me. Whereas me, I'll probably accidentally kill it. Either quickly or slowly, just out of ignorance.

Cause like with your space analogy, it would be like the difference between going to a space station that knows how to take care of a human and what we eat, what medications we take, or what is toxic to us, etc. Sure being there would be an adjustment, but one that would be made easier by having the things we need. Compared to like just being yeeted into a space station that is set up for like... dogs or cats. Like, sure you could live on kibble for a while and probably survive, and some of the medications would be the same or similar, though it would be slowly killing us.

Let alone, captive bred it would be like moving it from one space station to another. It would already be adjusted to living a life outside of its normal world, and not as much of an adjustment into the tank.

 

[Dburr1014]

Dino love SPS and plate corals. Every plate coral I had died. I had a hot pink one I really miss. All my SPS died except an unknown one at the back of my tank, I do not remember putting there, and two green slimmers that are battle weary but hanging in. Dino does suck.

Yes, zooxanthellae is a dino. This is why dinos love sps.