Does anyone else feel like they're just dumping money down the drain?

OREGONIC · Oct 12, 2020

Scurvy said:
Not a fair statement. I keep loads of wrasses. 8-10 in tank last time i added Nudi’s. They’re not going make a difference. I saw one or two taste the nudi’s then quickly spit em out.

Interesting, I have never heard that before. In fact I kept away from adding nudis in my last tank because I had wrasses, and the nudis are spendy. My wrasses constantly pick off hermits and snails, have to add new hermits every 2-3 months and snails a few times a year. I have tried 2 fighting conches both were gone within the first 24 hours.

Tamberav · Oct 12, 2020

I tried to add peppermint shrimp to a tank with a cleaner shrimp and he was always trying to fight/kill them. I removed the peps and gave them away.

Green brittles are also fish/invert eaters of given the chance. Wrasse is risky as well.

I would consider purchasing a sea apple for most tanks is indeed throwing away money.

markfmvl · Oct 13, 2020

I believe pistol shrimp will eat other shrimp

Pistol Peet · Oct 13, 2020

Chortanator said:
I haven't had much luck in purchasing fish or inverts lately. 90% of what I buy usually "vanishes" within a week, sometimes overnight. And by "vanish", I mean that I don't even find a body. It's really depressing because all of the LFS here don't have any sort of guarantee, even if my purchase dies within 24 hours. None of them quarantine their fish, but if you wait, everything gets sold and you're left without anything at all.

You are preaching to the choir on this one bud I feel like this every time I lose something I have fish that I'm on my third go around this is exactly why I don't purchase thousand dollar corals. Could you imagine purchasing that and loosing it in under 2 days... talk about sick to your stomach

Back where it all began · Oct 13, 2020

Any possibility of a gorilla crab?

xxkenny90xx · Oct 13, 2020

markfmvl said:
I believe pistol shrimp will eat other shrimp

Maybe certain species do but not the ones typically found in our tanks.

stephen wyard · Oct 14, 2020

I also live in canada and I feel your pain.It is hard to get the right advice up here.My suggestion is do a lot of research and don't listen to the stores all they want up here is your money.I read almost every thing that comes on reef to reef and I also whatch all the videos from BRS.The hobby has changed so much so I reccommend you whatch them.This is solid advice from them.I really enjoy reading the topics on reef to reef they are so imformative and I have learned so much from them.Good luck.

Dom · Oct 14, 2020

Chortanator said:
Tank size 55 gallons
Inhabitants:
pistol shrimp + watchman goby
fire shrimp
green, harlequin, pink brittle star
blue chromis
green wrasse
ocellaris and black ocellaris
sea apple
pink sea cucumber

Green wrasse, green brittle star and black ocellaris are new, acquired with the tank a month ago. I have been having these issues for months

Sounds like a lot for 55 gallons.

Do you hear any noises coming from the tank... perhaps a clicking noise?

MarineREEFpassion · Oct 16, 2020

Chortanator said:
I know the price is ridiculous. I live in Canada and I am envious of the prices elsewhere. I am not able to order from any shop in the US. If you know of one that ships to Canada please let me know and I will purchase from them immediately.

Why are you unable to buy from shops in the US?

mindme · Oct 16, 2020

Chortanator said:
But I bought 2 full size ones 2 days ago after a different shop got them in after not being able to get them in for 3 months. I got first pick but the rest were gone the next day. They were 2 inches long. I acclimated them for an hour and put them in and they looked fine. Next day they were completely gone. So I wasted $120 on peppermint shrimp alone

Wow, I bought 4 peppermint shrimp last week for $10. They ate all the aptasia in my tank in 3 days. It wasn't very much to kill as I didn't let it become a problem, but was pleased they worked and were a good deal.

Sorry you had to pay that much.

Also - are you sure they are gone? One of the things I like about them is they don't really come out during the day, other than feeding time. So they aren't always walking all over my stuff in the day. They come out and eat at night. I never saw one eating an aptasia, I would just wake up the next morning and the aptasia would be gone.

So I would look around in the rocks, especially at night and see if find them.

Fishingandreefing · Oct 16, 2020

Chortanator said:
For context: I purchased 2 peppermint shrimp last week. The owner put them in the bag with my corals and I didn't see them until I got them home. They were about .5 inches long and were eaten as soon as I put them in the tank. My fault.

But I bought 2 full size ones 2 days ago after a different shop got them in after not being able to get them in for 3 months. I got first pick but the rest were gone the next day. They were 2 inches long. I acclimated them for an hour and put them in and they looked fine. Next day they were completely gone. So I wasted $120 on peppermint shrimp alone

You meant $12? No way two peppermint would costs $120. Anyway, twice my yellow tang nipped and chased on my cleaner shrimps till they died. Even I got them for half off, still over $30. Now I don’t like my cleaner and it lives forever, with tang smh.

Fishingandreefing · Oct 16, 2020

Chortanator said:
I know the price is ridiculous. I live in Canada and I am envious of the prices elsewhere. I am not able to order from any shop in the US. If you know of one that ships to Canada please let me know and I will purchase from them immediately.

They’re like $3-5 a pop here.

shyeager · Oct 16, 2020

Chortanator said:
I haven't had much luck in purchasing fish or inverts lately. 90% of what I buy usually "vanishes" within a week, sometimes overnight. And by "vanish", I mean that I don't even find a body. It's really depressing because all of the LFS here don't have any sort of guarantee, even if my purchase dies within 24 hours. None of them quarantine their fish, but if you wait, everything gets sold and you're left without anything at all.

I am right there with you! I fish (3) look fine I do water changes weekly but still have problems

AngieRN · Oct 16, 2020

I've been doing this now 2 years and have been through 3 tank crashes. Things were actually starting to look decent for the first time ever. I got excited, spent A LOT of money on torches, high end zoas, etc, etc. A few days later my cheap point of sale Jeboa doser did not shut off and dumped an entire bottle of nopox into my tank. I've lost every coral.

Even the zoas all melted.

I've also lost 4 fish. I'm heartbroken and defeated. I have so much money in this system. (new tank, kessil lighting, 2 canisters, etc). Husband tells me to put dynamite in the tank as he is sick of the money spent and the work involved and I have nothing to show for it. I will never get even close to what I spent back out of it if I sell all my equipment. I love the hobby, but utterly disappointed in myself for not being able to be even remotely successful at it. At this point, if someone could point to me a place where i can get super super cheap corals - I will try again. Otherwise, I sit here in limbo.

Daddy-o · Oct 16, 2020

AngieRN said:
I've been doing this now 2 years and have been through 3 tank crashes. Things were actually starting to look decent for the first time ever. I got excited, spent A LOT of money on torches, high end zoas, etc, etc. A few days later my cheap point of sale Jeboa doser did not shut off and dumped an entire bottle of nopox into my tank. I've lost every coral. Even the zoas all melted. I've also lost 4 fish. I'm heartbroken and defeated. I have so much money in this system. (new tank, kessil lighting, 2 canisters, etc). Husband tells me to put dynamite in the tank as he is sick of the money spent and the work involved and I have nothing to show for it. I will never get even close to what I spent back out of it if I sell all my equipment. I love the hobby, but utterly disappointed in myself for not being able to be even remotely successful at it. At this point, if someone could point to me a place where i can get super super cheap corals - I will try again. Otherwise, I sit here in limbo.

If you are local to me, I would be happy to give you some?
Cheers! Mark

Fishingandreefing · Oct 16, 2020

AngieRN said:
I've been doing this now 2 years and have been through 3 tank crashes. Things were actually starting to look decent for the first time ever. I got excited, spent A LOT of money on torches, high end zoas, etc, etc. A few days later my cheap point of sale Jeboa doser did not shut off and dumped an entire bottle of nopox into my tank. I've lost every coral. Even the zoas all melted. I've also lost 4 fish. I'm heartbroken and defeated. I have so much money in this system. (new tank, kessil lighting, 2 canisters, etc). Husband tells me to put dynamite in the tank as he is sick of the money spent and the work involved and I have nothing to show for it. I will never get even close to what I spent back out of it if I sell all my equipment. I love the hobby, but utterly disappointed in myself for not being able to be even remotely successful at it. At this point, if someone could point to me a place where i can get super super cheap corals - I will try again. Otherwise, I sit here in limbo.

That’s one of the reasons I am still hesitant using a doser.