Best success and worst failures with your reef fish

[GWHouston]

Post your success stories and why or how you helped them. If you have a bad experience and want to share, that’s good too. My success record is limited to fresh water. My failures cover both salt and fresh. My salty ones were too many aggressive and big fish in a single tank. It was my first salt tank, a 55 gal, and I thought I was ready to put anything I wanted in there. One large spotted grouper, a large lion fish, and many other smaller ones were sadly my casualties.

In fresh water, I had a large Oscar that I grew from a pup. He got to about 12” in length and we could feed him by hand (my father got the biggest enjoyment from that). I failed with my one and only attempt at a Discus fish. Anyway share if you have a story.

 

[ccbobafett]

Well my worst failure was adding a un treated fish that ended up spreading ich to all my fish and killing them besides my eel. I don’t really have a best success really.

 

[GWHouston]

Well my worst failure was adding a un treated fish that ended up spreading ich to all my fish and killing them besides my eel. I don’t really have a best success really.

You're not the only one. We want our success now. Patience is so over rated. Have you been watching the thread of the guy from IL building a 1600 gal wood tank? Now that dude has more patience than Moses.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Ridding my corals of flatworms during a tank upgrade
Killing my black torch coral trying to remove its frag plug .

 

[GWHouston]

Ridding my corals of flatworms during a tank upgrade
Killing my black torch coral trying to remove its frag plug .

That stinks. Was the black torch a new plug? Haven't started my corals yet...so much to learn before starting down that road.

 

[Zack K]

Biggest Success so far, getting my Pink Skunk Clowns to spawn. Failure, well, chasing numbers. My Nitrates and Phosphates both measure high off the charts, but I get excellent growth and color.
-Zack

 

[GWHouston]

Biggest Success so far, getting my Pink Skunk Clowns to spawn. Failure, well, chasing numbers. My Nitrates and Phosphates both measure high off the charts, but I get excellent growth and color.
-Zack

Definitely on my wish list is a mating pair. Isn't chasing numbers just inevitable with a reef? I knew about much of this with my 55 back in the 90's but I've forgotten most of what I learned then. I hope to learn about all of this next Saturday at our club meeting.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

That stinks. Was the black torch a new plug? Haven't started my corals yet...so much to learn before starting down that road.

What happened is I had the torch in a tank for a month or two and then when I went to take him off the frag plug to place in the new tank I pushed on its skeletal base. hoping the glue would be easy and release instead I pushed too hard and it blew out. All of it all the way up to where the flesh starts and the flesh even split in some places. It was a massacre of a beautiful animal and I had no idea of its structural integrity. A great lesson but I learned the hard way for sure

 

[GWHouston]

What happened is I had the torch in a tank for a month or two and then when I went to take him off the frag plug to place in the new tank I pushed on its skeletal base. hoping the glue would be easy and release instead I pushed too hard and it blew out. All of it all the way up to where the flesh starts and the flesh even split in some places. It was a massacre of a beautiful animal and I had no idea of its structural integrity. A great lesson but I learned the hard way for sure

I know inevitably I will do something one day like that. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Grey Guy]

You're not the only one. We want our success now. Patience is so over rated. Have you been watching the thread of the guy from IL building a 1600 gal wood tank? Now that dude has more patience than Moses.

I would have said, Noah. Lol

 

[ccbobafett]

You're not the only one. We want our success now. Patience is so over rated. Have you been watching the thread of the guy from IL building a 1600 gal wood tank? Now that dude has more patience than Moses.

No I have not seen thread but will have to check it out now.

 

[GWHouston]

I would have said, Noah. Lol

Ha. Better one.

 

[GWHouston]

No I have not seen thread but will have to check it out now.

Long...23 pages but worth it. Pace yourself

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/alexgs-basement-plywood-build-2-displays-one-system.209737/

 

[ThunderGoose]

To date my biggest success is probably having a mantis shrimp in my tank for 6 months without it killing any of my fish.

Just kidding. That's all luck. She's coming out something this week (whenever I can catch her).

I've only been in this hobby for 13 months so I don't have much to document success wise. Failure wise, similar story, all NooB stuff - I haven't tried anything expensive or challenging yet! I did see my tuxedo urchin spawning the other day - that was cool!

 

[ccbobafett]

Long...23 pages but worth it. Pace yourself

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/alexgs-basement-plywood-build-2-displays-one-system.209737/

Thanks will check it out now

 

[GWHouston]

To date my biggest success is probably having a mantis shrimp in my tank for 6 months without it killing any of my fish.

Just kidding. That's all luck. She's coming out something this week (whenever I can catch her).

I've only been in this hobby for 13 months so I don't have much to document success wise. Failure wise, similar story, all NooB stuff - I haven't tried anything expensive or challenging yet! I did see my tuxedo urchin spawning the other day - that was cool!

For us nubies, this is good stuff. Learning from others successes and failures gives us hope to be successful. I've been into tanks for a long time but never reefing. My local club will be invaluable and the connections to this forum as much so too. Thanks for sharing. BTW success can be getting a clear tank with good chems.

 

[blebs]

best success - orange spotted filefish pair
worst success - orange spotted filefish pair

Went through 4 filefish to get the 2 in the pair. The 2 that died were so emaciated they could not be saved.

Finally got the filefish pair on pellet diet. It was awesome while it lasted for a few months.

The tank was small, the male chased the female around, and she must have broken her jaw because I found some this irregular appearance of it later, and she could no longer feed, and eventually starved.

The male went on to live another 6 years and died recently to old age. RIP he was my favorite, but I could only keep so many corals that he wouldnt eat.

Now i have a lot of sps which I missed keeping

 

[GWHouston]

best success - orange spotted filefish pair
worst success - orange spotted filefish pair

Went through 4 filefish to get the 2 in the pair. The 2 that died were so emaciated they could not be saved.

Finally got the filefish pair on pellet diet. It was awesome while it lasted for a few months.

The tank was small, the male chased the female around, and she must have broken her jaw because I found some this irregular appearance of it later, and she could no longer feed, and eventually starved.

The male went on to live another 6 years and died recently to old age. RIP he was my favorite, but I could only keep so many corals that he wouldnt eat.

Now i have a lot of sps which I missed keeping

Thanks for sharing your experience. I guess our plans hardly ever go as planned.

 

[paulcwilson]

hey everyone i just got a sohal tang i would like to know what are other tank mates that i can add with him. I ihave 2 clowns now with him and dont bother them. I was thinking a juv emperor angel would appreciate some advice. sohal is inches long.

 

[GWHouston]

hey everyone i just got a sohal tang i would like to know what are other tank mates that i can add with him. I ihave 2 clowns now with him and dont bother them. I was thinking a juv emperor angel would appreciate some advice. sohal is inches long.

Personally, I can't offer any advice on this since my reefing experience is short. Might I suggest leaving this post but also post this topic as a new thread on the fish forum page...more reefers will see it there and give you the best information.