Feeling defeated. Did I get into the wrong hobby???

[jrawk1120]

Purchase fish from a retailer that puts the fish through quarantine prior to shipping. Problem solved!

Dr. Reef's is a good option. Don't let that get you down!

Unfortunately I’m in Canada, so would need a Canadian company, but it is something I’ve looked into

There is a store near Niagara in Canada that QTs all fish before selling. They also ship, just not to the US. I almost spent quite a bit of money when I stopped in.

Couldn’t tell you the name of the store but there weren’t many there, so shouldn’t be too hard to find.

 

[Gnop1950]

Welcome to the hobby. I've had aquariums on and off for many years. I still have 5 Freshwater tanks set up. This is my first venture into saltwater. There is no question in my mind that it is both more expensive (although that can be mitigated a bit) and a bit more intense.

I likely won't be quarantining fish, at least initially, and will be buying my fish from reputable dealers with good quarantine protocols. I am setting up a small 9-gallon tank that I can use for coral and possibly for fish quarantine in the future.

I've watched a number of the BRSTv series. I think one of the first playlists I watched all the way through was the intro "My Way" series. My experience so far is that it can be a bit overwhelming at first, but really, I just chose an approach; there are a few to choose from, and, for the most part, I'm learning as I go.

It is the same approach I followed when I restarted keeping freshwater fish almost a year ago. Only buy from reputable dealers with good quarantine practices, and choose one or a combination of the fishkeeping approaches I read about/watched. So far, knock on wood, with 5 tanks and about 100 fish total, there hasn't been a single death from disease.

It is all about how much risk you are prepared to take. I don't believe there is any risk-free way to approach fishkeeping, either with fresh or saltwater. All you can do is decide how much risk you are willing to take and what steps you can take to mitigate those risks as much as possible if you aren't going to QT everything you put into your tank.

 

[jrawk1120]

Just do your research and make good decisions.

Setup and reef keeping will never go without issues happening. I changed my plumbing to something and it killed half of my fish because the tubing wasn’t rinsed thoroughly enough and had some residue on it. That gutted me. EXTREMELY simple mistake that caused a massive issue.

I’ve had hair algae appear overnight and kill coral.

You have to just take it on the chin sometimes.

I’ve quarantined one fish in my 20 years of fish keeping. I only did because it was a killer deal on a flame angel from Petco.

Seems like you’ve done your homework.

Get going and you’ll enjoy yourself

 

[Brocksamson7]

Definitely dip corals. Look into peroxide dipping for really sketchy ones. Don’t worry about the QT that much. If you’re buying from reputable places it’s not the biggest issue. Keep stress down in the tank and don’t overstock and you should be fine. Obviously QT is the best option but the vast majority of us don’t.

 

[vlangel]

I have been in the hobby a long time, coming on 30 yrs. I had more success not QT than TTM ( a type of quarantine where fish are treated in different tanks for different stuff). Don't get me wrong, some folks can do it successfully but I was not one of them. In 30 yrs I have had 2 incidents of major disease; once early on and once recently. In both cases the tank was 6 mos or less set up and I rushed acclimation. I have bought many many fish that lived out long lives without QT. Is there risk, definitely but if you choose healthy robust fish, you put them in an acclimation box, get them eating well, don't overstock, you lower the risk by a lot. Eventually buying an appropriate size UV sterilizer to help reduce ich in the free swim stage can also help which is what I did recently. None of this is sure proof but it reduces the risk tremendously.
I have learned a lot from BRS tv but you do not have to follow everything they do verbatim. So enjoy the hobby that you set out to enjoy!

 

[RJ83T]

Nope. He asked for an opinion, I gave it.

When you use the words “nonesense and absurd” to describe best practices to keep animals alive and healthy, I’d say you’re in the wrong hobby, regardless of how many posts you have.

Well I certainly could have used better words, I will admit to that. I think my frustration came from the fact that I do want what’s best for the fish……. I just didn’t realize the amount of work that was actually involved with proper QT. That, and the fact that I was finally ready to start the journey, and one video series seemed to derail it. I appreciate your input, nonetheless
Cheers

 

[get-salty]

Hey all!!
I’m new to reef tanks and have been gathering equipment for the last few months to start my first tank. I’ve been interested in the hobby since I went over to a friend of a friends house and laid eyes on my first reef tank. At the time, I worked out of town quite a bit and having a tank of my own was not a possibility. Fast forward 11 years and I was finally in a position where I thought now is the time. I started researching everything about the process and have spent a few thousand dollars on equipment over the last few months. This coming weekend was what I’ve been waiting for…… finally I was ready to add my water and aquascape and begin the cycling process….. until last night when I regrettably started watching BRStv’s series on fish disease and quarantine tanks. What a mistake. What I’ve gathered from the series is that without a proper quarantine my tank is one major event away from disaster. The quarantine process they outline seems like a ton of work. Quarantine my CUC for 72 days? Same with corals?? How many more tanks and equipment do I have to buy at this point? I was so excited and ready to put in the work on this tank, but now I just feel defeated. I don’t have the room or time to be managing multiple QT tanks, as well as my DT, and my wife sure as hell isn’t gonna buy into this nonsense. It was hard enough to convince her on the one tank in my office. I feel like I’ve wasted thousands of dollars and feel absolutely defeated. Please tell me what these guys are doing is not the norm and way above and beyond. It seems absolutely absurd. It sounds like a full time job. I have no problem going the “maintain” route they outline where you maintain the diseases properly, but even then they make it seem like one power outage and I can kiss my fish goodbye. I guess I’m just venting a bit because I put so much work in at this point and it feels like it’s destined to fail. Anyways, thanks for listening, if you made it this far.
Cheers

Bud, you've started a great thread !

plot twist, OP is a pro all along !

 

[christinna77]

Unfortunately I’m in Canada, so would need a Canadian company, but it is something I’ve looked into

Hey fellow Canadian! Check out Ethical Aquatics. It's the only reliable shop in Canada I found that sells prequarantined fish.

There's also Reef Paradise and they do quarantine their fish too. IMO, their process isn't as thorough, but it's still better than nothing.

I've personally had both flukes and ich show up in my tank after buying from Canadian stores. One of my Canadian friends also ended up with ich after bringing home some corals, so take that however you want - I strongly recommend setting up a small 10g quarantine tank. You can explain to your wife it's just temporary while you're stocking up your DT, although this hobby has a funny habit turning temporary tanks into permanent ones, lol.

 

[Ziggy17]

Well I certainly could have used better words, I will admit to that. I think my frustration came from the fact that I do want what’s best for the fish……. I just didn’t realize the amount of work that was actually involved with proper QT. That, and the fact that I was finally ready to start the journey, and one video series seemed to derail it. I appreciate your input, nonetheless
Cheers

I feel your pain, I do. It’s just those words stuck out in the first post. So I based my comment on that, nothing more. And it was specifically directed at reefkeeping, not fishkeeping. I probably could have elaborated better.

I came from freshwater, so I wasn’t expecting the amount of extra effort required either. And almost 50% of the time, I give myself a pep talk to keep going with a reef. It’s a tonne of work, but can be fun. And…. If you’re willing to have the tank take over a portion of your life, the end result can be super fulfilling. But if you just want nice fish to look at and shred 90% of the day to day, go with a fish only tank. It’s twice the sex with half the foreplay. And, if you happen to get a disease arise that requires meds, rather than having to pop up a suitable hospital tank, you can just treat the whole tank without a second thought.

I can also relate the the WAF. My wife loved my tank, but then she saw how much time it takes, and the QT tank, or hospital tank that has to also get set up, now she hates it. Which is ok, as it’s my hobby, not hers, but not ideal. Her initial buy in diminished with QT and hospital tanks, no doubt about it.

So maybe a reef is in your future, or maybe start FOWLER, then if you decide to try a reef, you can. Point A doesn’t have to be a reef, it could be point Z.

Either way, I wish you all the success regardless of the direction you choose.

 

[-XENOMORPH-]

6 years in? 5 yrs in new tank. Haven't QT'd. Most of my My fish are 5 years old. To each his own.
Sometimes i soak food in selcon and vitachem, when I have it.
Im neither for .nor against QT.
There are many paths young jedi

 

[breathing underwater]

I would suggest looking to captive bred fish to start. ORA fish are available often at a discount from a variety of large online retailers but typically are drop shipped from ORA direct and that makes them a very low risk to add directly.
These ORA captive bred fish are typically species that are very robust to begin with and affordable as well, great way to get some success early and have some fun.
Later if (when!) you get the itch for something more exotic, you can decide between setting up QT, buying from a vendor that offers it, etc, or risking a disease management approach.

TBH the same could be applied to coral, where going with tried and true captive frags from a good vendor is a good launching point. Maybe skip the sketchy frag swaps though. And definitely dip all corals, it only requires a dip, a small bucket and 15 minutes!

 

[Uncle99]

Unfortunately I’m in Canada, so would need a Canadian company, but it is something I’ve looked into

Me too in the North.
I get from Candy Corals in Mississauga (they ship Canada wide) and have got all my fish from them over years. I visit regularly and this shop is very clean and the livestock, well well looked after.
So, never a problem, their fish went in very easy and I have not had any disease occurrence.
I’m in the same boat as you so I take the risk.

 

[Luke Schnabel]

DO NOT GIVE UP! The challanges make it more worth it in the end when everything is thriving!

 

[Idech]

I don’t quarantine but I’m very picky with my LFS. I only buy from 2 specific ones, and only fish that have been in the store for 3 weeks, maybe 2.

I did lose some fish once because of a clown that had brooklynella. That's what made me be more careful of what, when and where I buy my fish. That was the only time in 5 years. I have mild ich in the tank that can very rarely be seen. I manage ich with peroxyde and/or Polyp lab Reef Medic. I haven’t had to in years.

Don’t be discouraged. There are other ways to do it right.

 

[keada714]

Don't give up. New reefer here and I had my tank cycled and decided last min I wanted to set up a QT tank. There is another method you could use that is outlined in serious reef, SRQT. It's very similar to the 80/20 method but does not use formalin. It is pretty dang straight forward but it did set me back another $200.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Hey all!!
I’m new to reef tanks and have been gathering equipment for the last few months to start my first tank. I’ve been interested in the hobby since I went over to a friend of a friends house and laid eyes on my first reef tank. At the time, I worked out of town quite a bit and having a tank of my own was not a possibility. Fast forward 11 years and I was finally in a position where I thought now is the time. I started researching everything about the process and have spent a few thousand dollars on equipment over the last few months. This coming weekend was what I’ve been waiting for…… finally I was ready to add my water and aquascape and begin the cycling process….. until last night when I regrettably started watching BRStv’s series on fish disease and quarantine tanks. What a mistake. What I’ve gathered from the series is that without a proper quarantine my tank is one major event away from disaster. The quarantine process they outline seems like a ton of work. Quarantine my CUC for 72 days? Same with corals?? How many more tanks and equipment do I have to buy at this point? I was so excited and ready to put in the work on this tank, but now I just feel defeated. I don’t have the room or time to be managing multiple QT tanks, as well as my DT, and my wife sure as hell isn’t gonna buy into this nonsense. It was hard enough to convince her on the one tank in my office. I feel like I’ve wasted thousands of dollars and feel absolutely defeated. Please tell me what these guys are doing is not the norm and way above and beyond. It seems absolutely absurd. It sounds like a full time job. I have no problem going the “maintain” route they outline where you maintain the diseases properly, but even then they make it seem like one power outage and I can kiss my fish goodbye. I guess I’m just venting a bit because I put so much work in at this point and it feels like it’s destined to fail. Anyways, thanks for listening, if you made it this far.
Cheers

I too am like @Gumbies R Us ! I do not have a QT set up, and never have. Purchasing from reputable places, and observing goes a long way. I know most here don't agree with this method, and maybe I have just been lucky. But I just acclimate everything then in it goes. With corals, I do dip them at the end of acclimation first, to get rid of any pests. but that's it.

 

[BryanM]

The stakes will get higher every time you add a fish - when you add a second fish you’re risking the first. When you add a tenth fish you’re risking nine and will probably be willing to spend more money on pre-qt’d or time/ energy/ space / less extra money to do it yourself

Agreed. I have one final "push" for fish. A school of 5 anthias from a trusted source, and I'm done for this very reason.

 

[viceversabrd]

I view QT as essential success, I had a tank 15 years ago and the same kept happening, fish kept dying from diseases. This go around Ive been a QT disciple and so far so good. If you don't want multiple tanks I'd buy fish from a QT vendor like others have posted it seems there are QT fish vendors in CA. For inverts I just have one simple 10 gallon tank set up. Any snails or frags or anything gets put in there for 45 days at 81.6 deg F, after 45 days voila they're ready for the display tank. One 10 gallon tank, heater, filter, cheap light and powerhead cost less than $200 . It's pretty simple. QTing all frags has allowed me to keep aptasia, majanos and red flatworms out of my display tank. Once discovered in QT I was able to safely nuke them and not risk the now thousands of dollars of coral in my display tank plus fish Ive grown to know.

 

[Beachbilly]

Water is your friend or enemy you pick. Big battles lil victories is always my experience in this awesome hobby. Start your fish first, no coral, get all the fish your tank can take to build the bioload and add ginsing to build immune health to misis and garlic oil from gel caps. Go natural happy reefsafe fish that get along and consider reefsafe or not keep them stress free, most diseases come from stress more and disease prone fish. Too bad they are the most beautiful desired fish which I don't have. Good luck