How do you deal with disappointment in your reef?

[pirate2876]

Well, lately I have been having nothing but trouble with my tank.

So far this year I have had a skimmer pump, return pump, C02 regulator and a fixture go out. My tank has had perpetual problems with algae since the beginning of this year, and I am barely getting control of it(I think it was excess C02).

Bubble algae and aptasia are winning the war, not the battles. And I have lost quite a few nice SPS pieces in since all of this started. I'm getting disappointed and I wanted to know how you guys deal with the tank blues.

 

[mmarro22]

Hang in there... it's rewarding when you eventually conquer.

 

[bboyvital]

beer!

 

[All Delight]

Ray dude I hear you man.

Equipment failures are easier to cope with as long as you catch it early and there isn't some kinda of destruction done. I broke my skimmer cup cleaning it this year. Then the fans on my ati fixture went out and over heated the unit and put that out of commission for a few days.

I hate bubble algae and aptasia. Hang in there. It's all worth it.

 

[barbazoid]

yea ive been struggling with my reef too. algae is a pia, but im making corrective measures.

also it help respark the passion by going to club meetings when im feeling the reefin blues

 

[Bouncingsoul393]

How did I deal with it? Broke that **** down and went with a Fresh water planted low-tech (no Co2) setup. So much cheaper, easier to maintain, and low stress. =)

 

[805reef]

Being in this hobby you have to understand that, in most cases, any money you put into it is gone, equipment will break and fish/corals will die.

Friends/family look at my tank and say how cool it is and I'm standing there thinking it looks like ish. Caked on coralline from when I was to busy to keep up maintenance, very little corals,. but all they see are fat fishes swimming and a few corals swaying around. I try to look at it that way more often now. just enjoy what it is.

I have also went through a lot of equipment changes over the years and now with my new build my #1 goal is to make it easier on myself. Auto water changes, pumping ato/calc/alk from the garage so no more carrying heavy containers of rodi.

all you can do is learn from any mistakes you make and try to enjoy the good parts, while battling the bad. I was close to getting out a couple times now but when I see my kids smiling while watching the "snake" eat the sand (orange spotted goby) and my daughter call the little cardinalfish her babies I know that it's worth it to keep it going.

Just a bump in the road my friend...

 

[mr_bigl]

If stuff didnt happen you would lose interest. Its like life just roll with the punches.

 

[Azasb]

I had a major aptasia problem and tried multiple things before one actually worked. It got so bad, I no longer enjoyed looking at my tank. Everything I did not like to do, at that time I hated doing like WC. I think part of my frustration was that I did not want to make any changes to my habits and I know I needed to do them. First thing is understanding what caused the problem, finding the root cause. For me it was not dipping coral before I put them in my tank. Then you have to deal with the problem. For the aptasia problem I tried peppermint shrimp twice, 3x file fish, berdhi nudybranch ( not the way you spell it), then I got a CBB and that took care of the aptasia. So after failing half a dozen times something worked. So, I dealt with the problem through trial and error.

 

[rayray]

http://www.socalireefs.com/forums/showthread.php?27323-What-are-you-drinking-tonight

 

[ivan]

Beer and carne asada tacos

 

[Confuse]

I just buy expensive fish to look at. They're a lot harder than sps. After all my sps died, I kinda focused more on livestock for a while.

 

[lurking]

the same way I do with the rest of my disappointing life...mind numbing alcohol

 

[Speaker73]

How did I deal with it? Broke that **** down and went with a Fresh water planted low-tech (no Co2) setup. So much cheaper, easier to maintain, and low stress. =)

Wait for the black staghorn algae, green spot algae and FW GHA! Then the stress begins....albeit less expensive! Lol

 

[LAreefguy]

It's tough for sure but the beuty to reef keeping is the difficulty as well as the sweet science of getting things right. Also there is a cause and affect for everything your experiencing for the most part. Means once you figure out the cause of these things you'll be better for it and in the clear!


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[pciscott]

I learn from my mistakes and have been taking a much simpler approach. Water changes every week, and realizing finding the balance of my aquarium has helped. I do test my alk at least twice a week and the CA and P04 once a week, and I test nitrate, mag, and salinity twice a month. Keeping them within a range instead of shooting for a specific number Has helped me. I feed heavy and have a great skimmer to export. I found the relationship of phosphates and nitrates and that when they are too low my coral suffers and a clean up crew and fish can help win the algae battles. I live with a copper band knowing I cannot have Acans or Scollys, and a Magnificent Foxface that eats bubble algae yet has a taste for meaty LPS too. I come back to the balance even between fish, algae, and coral and I choose the ones I care for most. The corals that do not do well get moved out for ones that do and I hope to someday have a tank that will make any of you go wow. I do this knowing that a crash is always on the horizon, and when I have time and money I do try to prepare for any problem that could arise. I have spare pumps, generators, holding bins, and a little of everything I may need in a emergencies. I have made many great friends in the hobby and I enjoy my tank every day even the bad ones. I try to be generous and have found that it gets paid back when I need help. Anyway I have a fishroom, and 400 gallons of heaven and hell sitting in my living room. I am in way to deep in the Reef to get out now and my run on paragraph that is way to long winded is coming to a end. Time to feed my fish and have a beer or three

Water changes weekly at 10 to 15% is where I would start, things go to the dark side when I get lazy!

 

[LAreefguy]

Cheers bud!


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[trunglippo]

stop what I am doing and give it sometime to work on its own. Mostly everything turns out good.

 

[gumbii]

just have patience... a watched pot never boils...


take scott's advice... try the simpler route...


i have no crazy dosers or reactors... drip kalk, water changes, top off, and that's it...

 

[Greaser9999]

Currently on my 4th build, trying to make a close to bullet proof build this time around but it takes a lot of work & costs money!! Not an easy hobby to be in, but do the best u can and have a beer if ur feeling bummed about your tank