Throwing In The Towel...

[Megaloptera]

There’s a good chance it will. You probably have a bunch of detritus locked in the sand and that will constantly leech nitrates and phosphates. I’m betting mainly in the back corners.

I've even been taking my chaeto basketball out, dunking it in a bucket of water. Sorry pods, but that chaeto can hold a bunch of gunk too.

 

[Pridedcloth3]

I was literrally born with a fish tank in my nursery. I've had a salt water tank in my life since the 2nd grade. I've had my own salt water tank since starting college in 86.

After a tank disaster 15 years ago, I turned off the lights and most of the equipment and just ignored the tank for almost 9 months. I didn't contemplate quitting and getting rid of the tank as much as just didn't have the heart to get back into it. But then a Cancer Diagnosis convinced me I needed my tank to keep me calm as I dealt with life.

I had a 400g tank for almost 20 years (which had had the disaster 15 years ago). Last March, almost a year ago, on St Pattys day, we treated for Planaria using Salifert Flatworm Exit, at a 75% dosage. And in 45 minutes over 120 fish fell out of the water column dead on the bottom of the tank.

As if this wasn't heart breaking enough, 30 hours later the seam on a 18 month old 340g glass sump blew a corner seam. The topoff came on to fill the sump, continuned trying to fill the sump while the water was pouring out the corner and eventually turn the system from salt water to kinda bracking and wiped out the corals. Our system was 1350g at the time with not only a packed 560g display tank with SPS, but (2) 180g frag tanks packed with SPS.

The loss of corals was 99.5%. It was another devestating blow.

It was about 2-3 weeks before I could grasp the devestation that occurred. The Loss of life, the loss of time, the loss of energy was just unimaginable. We had one Milka Stylophora colony that we had grown from a frag to a 35lb colony. The financial loss was astronomical, but irrelevant.

I said to my wife, I think this is a sign that it might be time to take a break from the hobby. My wife immediately said "No". She said you go get the new tank you've been talking about, and you build the tank you want.

So 4 months later a new 750g tank got craned over the house. The wife was somewhat shocked, she thought we were going to be getting a new 500-600g tank. She had not idea that we would need a crane for the new tank.

So to answer your simple poll question - Yes due to a Pest and Equipment Failure within 30hrs of each other made me contemplate quitting the hobby.

Dave B

Keep on reefing brother, and tell me you got a picture of the wife's face when the 750 arrived lol.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

For me it was my tank crash several years ago due to the introduction of velvet. I think I would have quit, but I had 2 surviving fish (my clownfish pair) that I didn't want to get rid of. Fast forward several years later, and I'm so glad I stayed in.

Ironically, I think I've seen more people quit because of being unable to beat some form of nuisance algae than anything else, but 2nd to that would be tank crashes. It's just so hard to get back up from that.

 

[Metcho]

I’d pick other! I’ve been in the hobby for 17+ years and loved it all up till the Topic marine Turkey plant BS! I lost so many sps frags and colonies. Like many others have lost maybe even way more than me. Kept doing the w/c and getting worst. Finally came onto R2R and started seeing others having the same experience as me. All in all I almost quit after that. Took some time to get back into the whole wanting a tank after all the losses. But I sucked it back up and not using TM anymore especially after there being nothing that came out of it but a bucket of salt that I couldn’t give away.

 

[Megaloptera]

I’d pick other! I’ve been in the hobby for 17+ years and loved it all up till the Topic marine Turkey plant BS! I lost so many sps frags and colonies. Like many others have lost maybe even way more than me. Kept doing the w/c and getting worst. Finally came onto R2R and started seeing others having the same experience as me. All in all I almost quit after that. Took some time to get back into the whole wanting a tank after all the losses. But I sucked it back up and not using TM anymore especially after there being nothing that came out of it but a bucket of salt that I couldn’t give away.

Thanks for the reply. I'm unaware of the Topic Marine issue can you tell me a little more? Sorry for your losses.

 

[Create New]

Can we have an "all of the above" option haha.

 

[Anthony Gatch]

I was getting down over nuisance algae. I’m not sure if I would have ever quit but it was very frustrating. I was searching for a fix and I finally found in the form of Kalkwasser. I was listening to Melevsreef on Youtube. His guess was Chris Meckley if ACI Aquaculture. Chris talked about adding Kalkwasser to fight against suppressed pH. After implementing Chris’s method of adding Kalkwasser my nuisance algae problem dwindled away. It was the best thing I ever did for my saltwater aquarium. This is not to say that I don’t monitor Alkalinity, Calcium, or Magnesium. I have a Neptune Trident. But now I do look at my pH daily. I talked to two of the LFS and they also keep their pH on their reef tanks at 8 or above. I know there are many beautiful aquariums that don’t use Kalkwasser. But I would like know what the pH of their aquariums are. My guess is you would find that the pH of those aquariums is 8 or above. I’m not sure why I have suppressed pH but Kalkwasser helps me fight against it. I going to add one more thing and that is if you don’t know how to add Kalkwasser properly please look into a method of how it is done. Please don’t just dump Kalkwasser into your aquarium.

 

[vlangel]

I have never not had a reef tank since the late 1990s. I have had discouraging moments like when online fish arrived DOA or died in QT. I have felt bad when a fish has jumped and died needlessly but never enough to throw in the towel.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I really love the hobby and have never considering throwing in the towel, but if I did, it would be due to cost. I can't buy high end corals or fish. I don't know what I'll do when the affordable livestock and corals succumb to the Yellow Tang and Torch Coral model.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I was getting down over nuisance algae. I’m not sure if I would have ever quit but it was very frustrating. I was searching for a fix and I finally found in the form of Kalkwasser. I was listening to Melevsreef on Youtube. His guess was Chris Meckley if ACI Aquaculture. Chris talked about adding Kalkwasser to fight against suppressed pH. After implementing Chris’s method of adding Kalkwasser my nuisance algae problem dwindled away. It was the best thing I ever did for my saltwater aquarium. This is not to say that I don’t monitor Alkalinity, Calcium, or Magnesium. I have a Neptune Trident. But now I do look at my pH daily. I talked to two of the LFS and they also keep their pH on their reef tanks at 8 or above. I know there are many beautiful aquariums that don’t use Kalkwasser. But I would like know what the pH of their aquariums are. My guess is you would find that the pH of those aquariums is 8 or above. I’m not sure why I have suppressed pH but Kalkwasser helps me fight against it. I going to add one more thing and that is if you don’t know how to add Kalkwasser properly please look into a method of how it is done. Please don’t just dump Kalkwasser into your aquarium.

I never see 8.0 very seldom I'd say,according to alkatronic, I haven't got the motivation to address it yet.

 

[Megaloptera]

I was getting down over nuisance algae. I’m not sure if I would have ever quit but it was very frustrating. I was searching for a fix and I finally found in the form of Kalkwasser. I was listening to Melevsreef on Youtube. His guess was Chris Meckley if ACI Aquaculture. Chris talked about adding Kalkwasser to fight against suppressed pH. After implementing Chris’s method of adding Kalkwasser my nuisance algae problem dwindled away. It was the best thing I ever did for my saltwater aquarium. This is not to say that I don’t monitor Alkalinity, Calcium, or Magnesium. I have a Neptune Trident. But now I do look at my pH daily. I talked to two of the LFS and they also keep their pH on their reef tanks at 8 or above. I know there are many beautiful aquariums that don’t use Kalkwasser. But I would like know what the pH of their aquariums are. My guess is you would find that the pH of those aquariums is 8 or above. I’m not sure why I have suppressed pH but Kalkwasser helps me fight against it. I going to add one more thing and that is if you don’t know how to add Kalkwasser properly please look into a method of how it is done. Please don’t just dump Kalkwasser into your aquarium.

I'm thinking of taking the Kalkwasser approach for my 30 gallon tank (it's currently a QT tank at work) when it comes home this summer.

 

[travisty282]

It seems that most people don't realize that it is an evolving, living ecosystem and that it won't look pristine occasionally. I see a lot of people say they are getting out due to disease that causes total loses, algae that just wont go away, basically any unexpected events that can cause major issues with the system. There are other reasons of course.

 

[Roatan Reef]

It seems that most people don't realize that it is an evolving, living ecosystem and that it won't look pristine occasionally. I see a lot of people say they are getting out due to disease that causes total loses, algae that just wont go away, basically any unexpected events that can cause major issues with the system. There are other reasons of course.

Yep..Yep...

As a Freshwater Tank keeper for over 18 years, I have that mastered.

I decided to do a Saltwater Tank last year in February, I researched for many years before that, and also as I was contemplating doing the tank last year, I must have watched over 100 YT videos and finally thought I was ready!

Wrong! I did all the business set up a 40B with stand, Live Rock, Lights, Caribsea sand, Powerheads, wave makers etc..at 1st it was all good, added 1 fish and he lived and thought I was on top of the world....then started adding Coral...at 3 months in...at 1st it was great....but then corals started dying, lost many fish...etc...I wanted to give up.

We were already at $2500 and my wife said she would kick my **** if we gave up......long story short TLDR...at about 7 months, the tank took off...never did chemical treatment, just stayed on top of water changes, manual removal of GHA, Aiptasia, etc..corals and fish are doing awesome, growing bigger, even added a few SPS, Goniopora etc...all flourishing...at about the 1 year mark.


It takes time, patience and dedication...but if you work it right and stay on top of it...you will be rewarded!

 

[travisty282]

Yep..Yep...

As a Freshwater Tank keeper for over 18 years, I have that mastered.

I decided to do a Saltwater Tank last year in February, I researched for many years before that, and also as I was contemplating doing the tank last year, I must have watched over 100 YT videos and finally thought I was ready!

Wrong! I did all the business set up a 40B with stand, Live Rock, Lights, Caribsea sand, Powerheads, wave makers etc..at 1st it was all good, added 1 fish and he lived and thought I was on top of the world....then started adding Coral...at 3 months in...at 1st it was great....but then corals started dying, lost many fish...etc...I wanted to give up.

We were already at $2500 and my wife said she would kick my **** if we gave up......long story short TLDR...at about 7 months, the tank took off...never did chemical treatment, just stayed on top of water changes, manual removal of GHA, Aiptasia, etc..corals and fish are doing awesome, growing bigger, even added a few SPS, Goniopora etc...all flourishing...at about the 1 year mark.


It takes time, patience and dedication...but if you work it right and stay on top of it...you will be rewarded!

It is definitely not instant gratification for sure. Payience is the key to Saltwater at least in my experience. Glad your system finally took off for you.

 

[cmor1701d]

In my case it was Super Storm Sandy 11 years ago. I had a 125 reef tank for 10 years and 5 days with no power killed everything.
I was devastated and quit till this past September.
So I would never have seen your poll because I quit the hobby entirely. I was an admin on another forum back then too.
Now that I'm back in the hobby I saw your poll and answered equipment failure though non of my equipment actually failed.

Fortunately we've had a very mild winter in the northeast and my new reef tank is only 6 months old. We've only lost power for a few minutes to an hour a couple of times (accident took out a pole), but I've got enough in there now that I'm getting a generator as my insurance policy for the future.

 

[travisty282]

In my case it was Super Storm Sandy 11 years ago. I had a 125 reef tank for 10 years and 5 days with no power killed everything.
I was devastated and quit till this past September.
So I would never have seen your poll because I quit the hobby entirely. I was an admin on another forum back then too.
Now that I'm back in the hobby I saw your poll and answered equipment failure though non of my equipment actually failed.

Fortunately we've had a very mild winter in the northeast and my new reef tank is only 6 months old. We've only lost power for a few minutes to an hour a couple of times (accident took out a pole), but I've got enough in there now that I'm getting a generator as my insurance policy for the future.

That generator will give you so much peace if mind.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Before:

After:

 

[-XENOMORPH-]

Fishtanks....A 5 year journey...1st tank.. corner pentagram..50 gallon...hob Skimmer and cannister. 2nd tank.. 60 gallon cube ..had a .seam blow out at 3am..... explode is more like it. That sucked . then went to nano fluval evo 13.5. Now...Waterbox X90... battling DiNOS . 3 months now... ugh.. hobby has ups and downs.. can't quit tho. Keep on...keeping on!

 

[Megaloptera]

Fishtanks....A 5 year journey...1st tank.. corner pentagram..50 gallon...hob Skimmer and cannister. 2nd tank.. 60 gallon cube ..had a .seam blow out at 3am..... explode is more like it. That sucked . then went to nano fluval evo 13.5. Now...Waterbox X90... battling DiNOS . 3 months now... ugh.. hobby has ups and downs.. can't quit tho. Keep on...keeping on!

I was 10. I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of a waterfall in my room. I jumped out of bed and my feet splashed in water on my carpeted bedroom floor. I yelled for my Dad at the top of my lungs. My 29 gallon had sprung a leak. He grabbed the shop vac and said "you better scoop quickly with that net if you want to save any of them." It was a 2 story house and the water seeped through to the ceiling of the kitchen causing much drywall damage. My amazing Dad resealed my tank and remodeled the kitchen. However, my tank was now condemned to the basement. From college onward I've only had acrylic tanks.

 

[Megaloptera]

UPDATE: Thank you for all of those that participated in the poll and for the conversations that followed. Your support added to the success of my assignment. As promised, here is the final product for my Algae Biology & Ecology class.