I’m Leaving The Hobby

[Thespammailaccount]

Revisit it in a few years when you're older, have more money etc. All the people that tell you don't need to have an expensive setup are correct. They are totally right. What they fail to mention is how incredibly more difficult it becomes without the pricey equipment. The hobby will be here when you come back and you're ready for another go, best of luck.
Also, you made a thread that was essentially a glorified "This sucks, I'm out." No need to get angry at people who are just stating their invited opinion.

Edit: After reading a lot of your replies. Your constant comment is "I get nothing back". What exactly are you expecting back? Its the same as any other pet. If a box of water with some fish in it isn't you're reward perhaps you're in the wrong place to begin with. Truth be told, if you weren't successful you did something wrong. Period. People in this hobby make mistakes all the time. It happens its part of it. Accepting that is important. Again, if you get the itch when you're older and your priorities realign with wanting to enjoy the hobby, come back but be prepare. You'll face the same hurdles then.

I feel bad for the kid. I have read some of his posts and he has a passion and awe for the hobby which you can see in his profile picture.

To the initial poster.
I had some issues with my first tank (issues with dry sterile rock and chloramines). My first fish were a pair of clowns. Linda and Charlie. Charlie got sick and passed. This was extremely hard and I questioned if I could do this. I thought I would not be able to figure it out so I sought the guidance of experience.

My second tank is stable well established and diverse it is amazing well at least in my opinion. I fell in love with harlequin shrimp. I like them so much I have two pair. One pair is actively breeding. A film director for National Geographic came across my post and will be coming into my house to film my shrimp we are currently working on the terms of the contract.

I am a new reefer almost a year now. The first tank was stressful. The second tank brings me great joy. I am so glad I stuck with it and found the light at the end of the tunnel

 

[Casket_Case]

Revisit it in a few years when you're older, have more money etc. All the people that tell you don't need to have an expensive setup are correct. They are totally right. What they fail to mention is how incredibly more difficult it becomes without the pricey equipment. The hobby will be here when you come back and you're ready for another go, best of luck.
Also, you made a thread that was essentially a glorified "This sucks, I'm out." No need to get angry at people who are just stating their invited opinion.

Edit: After reading a lot of your replies. Your constant comment is "I get nothing back". What exactly are you expecting back? Its the same as any other pet. If a box of water with some fish in it isn't you're reward perhaps you're in the wrong place to begin with. Truth be told, if you weren't successful you did something wrong. Period. People in this hobby make mistakes all the time. It happens its part of it. Accepting that is important. Again, if you get the itch when you're older and your priorities realign with wanting to enjoy the hobby, come back but be prepare. You'll face the same hurdles then.

It was my reward and it felt great at the beginning. Just now one of my problems is no matter what I’m doing I don’t see a positive outcome. I mean, my coral hasn’t even really started to reproduce yet after having an aquarium for over a year. My mushroom has three or four babies the size of a match head... the Duncan has four small babies the same size as the mushrooms, my first zoa frag has just grown over the plug... I can’t seem to get things right even when I really try, and believe me I’ve really been trying. But I think taking a break and coming back will help, or as some people have been suggesting a reef jar.

 

[Casket_Case]

I feel bad for the kid. I have read some of his posts and he has a passion and awe for the hobby which you can see in his profile picture.

To the initial poster.
I had some issues with my first tank (issues with dry sterile rock and chloramines). My first fish were a pair of clowns. Linda and Charlie. Charlie got sick and passed. This was extremely hard and I questioned if I could do this. I thought I would not be able to figure it out so I sought the guidance of experience.

My second tank is stable well established and diverse it is amazing well at least in my opinion. I fell in love with harlequin shrimp. I like them so much I have two pair. One pair is actively breeding. A film director for National Geographic came across my post and will be coming into my house to film my shrimp we are currently working on the terms of the contract.

I am a new reefer almost a year now. The first tank was stressful. The second tank brings me great joy. I am so glad I stuck with it and found the light at the end of the tunnel

That’s absolutely incredible! Things breeding in the aquarium I think is intriguing... whether it’s clownfish, shrimp, brittle stars, it’s always a good sign. I had kinda the same problem in the beginning when I lost my first clownfish, his name was Jakob and he was my bud. I got him my freshman year of highschool and the plan was to take him on stage with me at graduation because he’s been here through it all. Then one morning he disappeared... and I never found him. I honestly mourned for a few months... and I think that experience plus this has made it a bit difficult to really go on. Some people were talking about doing reef jars... maybe that’s something I’ll think about doing. Or maybe I’ll just hold off on everything for a while, I’m not sure yet. But thank you for the comment, I appreciate jt

 

[snowhite]

I had it put to me this way once...

"Aquariums don't kill fish... people screwing with the aquariums kill fish"

 

[Casket_Case]

I had it put to me this way once...

"Aquariums don't kill fish... people screwing with the aquariums kill fish"

Ah, yes. It’s all my fault, I forced the fish to swim near the intake of the powerhead and get sucked up... leading to a slow painful death.
I’m really getting tired of ignorant people on here.

 

[Snoopdog]

Most of the things I have aren’t that expensive it’s definitely a budget tank. I’m honestly considering using the money from it all for a car... so I might sell all of it.

I recently got back into the hobby after leaving for 10 years. Money helps a lot. I saved up for years and now have enough funds to do it right. This hobby is a money dump but I think it is good for me mentally. You cannot put a price on mental health.

That being said it probably is a good idea for you to get out of it, in my opinion. I would not keep the equipment. When I got back in it, nothing I used before would had been worth keeping around. Everything had changed. No sense in storing a bunch of gear for that many years just to store it.

And just think that later you can get back into the hobby, I really missed it and had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. When you do come back you will have more money and time to do it right.

 

[snowhite]

Ah, yes. It’s all my fault, I forced the fish to swim near the intake of the powerhead and get sucked up... leading to a slow painful death.
I’m really getting tired of ignorant people on here.

You don't see "death by powerhead sucking" every day in posts here.
You do see thread after thread of humans who have (either inadvertently or due to missunderstanding have) done things to their aquariums that have screwed up their tanks, or created environment for greater algae growth, etc.
It's how we learn unfortunately. Every single user here has gone through mistakes and fish or coral deaths is the punishment for it. If it was "easy" this forum would not exist and every home would have saltwater aquariums stocked to the brim with fish and corals with no problems.

Personally... i'd most likely predict that the fish got sucked onto the powerhead after it already died or was so weak on the verge of death that it couldnt get away from it. Or... entirely the possibility that something "just happened".

My comment was meant to show that most often all of us humans tend to do "to much" or "not enough" and end up hurting our aquariums in the process.

Best of luck in however you choose to proceed or not proceed in the hobby.

My wife lost 2 wrasses this week... She had been busy and had not been home to feed that 75 gallon tank before the wrasses buried themselves in the substrate for the evening. THen when she got home she was overfeeding it trying to compensate. Wrasses didn't get to eat. Other fish got overfed. Wrasses died from a combination of no food or the Nitrate spike that came with the excess. Why did I not intervene? Because that is "her" tank and she's hell bent on "learning" and if I maintain and fix issues she doesn't learn. So when something bad happens fast, I decipher what happened and explain it to her and she learns. She didn't think she was having problems so didn't assign me to specifically babysit the tank for her. She thought she had it taken care of.

Much like people try to do here when people posts questions or problems.

 

[snorklr]

i think if you continue in this hobby you'll need to stop blaming yourself for the loss of fish...fish die...people die...and in many cases its impossible to tell when its going to happen and what caused it....you have no idea what that fish went through before it came into your possession...collected with cyanide? infested with parasites and disease? poisoned by over medication? shipped in a bag full of waste with insufficient oxygen and too high or too low temperatures? even something tank raised can have birth defects that will kill it later...our tanks are scientific experiments and experiments will fail...you certainly havent been around long enough yet to lose everything from power outages, pump failures, heater failures (too hot and too cold) leaks, accidental poisonings(when i was in college my filter motor was squeeking so mom decided to oil it), predators and stuff that just goes wrong and you have no idea why....there are no guarantees in this hobby other than you'll spend more than you have

 

[Eric1493]

I love this hobby but it sucks. For the last few weeks I’ve really been debating selling it all. I lost a tang today and that’s it.

Whatever you decide, best of luck to you. Don't feel pressured to stay. We'll be here no matter what. Make the decision that makes you happier. Good luck!

 

[Eric1493]

You don't see "death by powerhead sucking" every day in posts here.

You do see thread after thread of humans who have (either inadvertently or due to missunderstanding have) done things to their aquariums that have screwed up their tanks, or created environment for greater algae growth, etc.

It's how we learn unfortunately. Every single user here has gone through mistakes and fish or coral deaths is the punishment for it. If it was "easy" this forum would not exist and every home would have saltwater aquariums stocked to the brim with fish and corals with no problems.



Personally... i'd most likely predict that the fish got sucked onto the powerhead after it already died or was so weak on the verge of death that it couldnt get away from it. Or... entirely the possibility that something "just happened".



My comment was meant to show that most often all of us humans tend to do "to much" or "not enough" and end up hurting our aquariums in the process.



Best of luck in however you choose to proceed or not proceed in the hobby.



My wife lost 2 wrasses this week... She had been busy and had not been home to feed that 75 gallon tank before the wrasses buried themselves in the substrate for the evening. THen when she got home she was overfeeding it trying to compensate. Wrasses didn't get to eat. Other fish got overfed. Wrasses died from a combination of no food or the Nitrate spike that came with the excess. Why did I not intervene? Because that is "her" tank and she's hell bent on "learning" and if I maintain and fix issues she doesn't learn. So when something bad happens fast, I decipher what happened and explain it to her and she learns. She didn't think she was having problems so didn't assign me to specifically babysit the tank for her. She thought she had it taken care of.



Much like people try to do here when people posts questions or problems.

Wait... a fish can die by not getting food for one day? I thought nitrates weren't toxic to fish, especially in extremely small concentrations? I'm sorry if I sound sarcastic, I'm new and genuinely have no idea.

 

[Thespammailaccount]

You don't see "death by powerhead sucking" every day in posts here.
You do see thread after thread of humans who have (either inadvertently or due to missunderstanding have) done things to their aquariums that have screwed up their tanks, or created environment for greater algae growth, etc.
It's how we learn unfortunately. Every single user here has gone through mistakes and fish or coral deaths is the punishment for it. If it was "easy" this forum would not exist and every home would have saltwater aquariums stocked to the brim with fish and corals with no problems.

Personally... i'd most likely predict that the fish got sucked onto the powerhead after it already died or was so weak on the verge of death that it couldnt get away from it. Or... entirely the possibility that something "just happened".

My comment was meant to show that most often all of us humans tend to do "to much" or "not enough" and end up hurting our aquariums in the process.

Best of luck in however you choose to proceed or not proceed in the hobby.

My wife lost 2 wrasses this week... She had been busy and had not been home to feed that 75 gallon tank before the wrasses buried themselves in the substrate for the evening. THen when she got home she was overfeeding it trying to compensate. Wrasses didn't get to eat. Other fish got overfed. Wrasses died from a combination of no food or the Nitrate spike that came with the excess. Why did I not intervene? Because that is "her" tank and she's hell bent on "learning" and if I maintain and fix issues she doesn't learn. So when something bad happens fast, I decipher what happened and explain it to her and she learns. She didn't think she was having problems so didn't assign me to specifically babysit the tank for her. She thought she had it taken care of.

Much like people try to do here when people posts questions or problems.

your diagnosis of the problem does not make sense. The fishes did not die due to nitrates or lack of food. If a fish is not eating it is sick

 

[sas226]

Ah, yes. It’s all my fault, I forced the fish to swim near the intake of the powerhead and get sucked up... leading to a slow painful death.
I’m really getting tired of ignorant people on here.

Yeah, calling people ignorant will get you the response you want. It's very apparent you need to mature greatly before hopping into this gain, best of luck. You're going to need it.

 

[Sump Crab]

Ah, yes. It’s all my fault, I forced the fish to swim near the intake of the powerhead and get sucked up... leading to a slow painful death.
I’m really getting tired of ignorant people on here.

Healthy fish don't get caught in powerheads, just saying.

I started saltwater in high school too but only FOWLR. I had my first reef in college.

As an observation about the hobby in general it seems that a lot of people are so used to instant gratification these days with video games, high speed internet, and amazon prime delivery that they simply do not have the patience it takes to stay in this hobby long term. Patience is a virtue that seems to be rapidly disappearing. Not saying that the OP feels this way as I did not read too much into this thread but I did see OP complaining about slow growth from his duncans and mushrooms so perhaps patience has played a role.

Regarding expensive costs...

The reefing industry has done a great job convincing people that they need to spend a fortune to have a nice reef tank, this simply is not true. Grab a cheap tank from petco, a heater, salt, some dry sand, koralia, couple pieces of live rock and a simple PC or T5 light and you can be successful. Just keep up on your water changes! Purchase some corals from hobbyists and save a bunch. Sure your tank will not look like those at WWC but it will still be a little slice of the ocean in your home.

I do hope the OP can jump back in one day and learn from his experiences. Good luck!

 

[NashobaTek]

I have a 125 started it with dead rock, dead coral skeletons and live sand, hob filters and the cheapo light that came with the tank,a heater, and 2 power heads. cycled using tap water that was dosed with seachem prime, ammonia. In 21 days it was ready to go. The very first fish in the tank was a " exert only" pinnatus batfish.
I have a stable tank with fish and corals, and I still use tap water.
So it can be done cheap and successful without dropping a ton of $$$$$.
You have to make a decision and stick with it. But, calling people who are trying to help you with advise ignorant is not the way to go

 

[Crustaceon]

First tang and I’ve had her for a few months and she’s really been a great fish and she was stuck to the powerhead intake. I’m sixteen and in highschool and it’s just getting to be too much stress. I’ve had five power outages in two years since moving here and getting an aquarium and that’s enough of a bet on its own. Plus equipment is so much money I’ve barely scraped by with equipment this far. I can’t get an RODI system. I have insane amounts of hair algae and everything I do to fix it fails!!! I’m ticked and I’m probably gonna try n sell everything.

There are ways around these problems. First off, the size of your tank is going to impact how much it’s going to cost to set up and run. I’ve seen amazing 10g sps tanks. I don’t see why it would cost more than a $100 to set up initially and $100 or less a year to maintain. Secondly, I live in California and we have power outages like crazy. All I do is have a battery-powered air pump with a bubble stone ready to go. Heat is the main issue and if tank temperature gets above 84 degrees, I just take one of the frozen water bottles I keep in my freezer and float it in the tank every so often. Outages typically only last a few hours to a day at most. Just remember, oxygen & temperature. Lastly, hair algae can only be fixed ONE way. You have a physically remove it. That means grabbing chunks with forceps/tweezers and using an old toothbrush on rocks. Do this and do even a 5% water change immediately afterwards and with time and effort that algae won’t come back. I’ve been there man. There are ways to make this hobby really cheap & easy. If you want a full plan, let me know.

 

[Casket_Case]

I don’t mean to be rude, but I think you just proved @sas226 ‘s point with this comment.

I’m annoyed that most people are automatically assuming I’m doing things wrong, and have a bit of an attitude/matter of fact tone out of nowhere. Yeah I need to mature... I’m sixteen most people are saucy when they’re sixteen lol

 

[Casket_Case]

There are ways around these problems. First off, the size of your tank is going to impact how much it’s going to cost to set up and run. I’ve seen amazing 10g sps tanks. I don’t see why it would cost more than a $100 to set up initially and $100 or less a year to maintain. Secondly, I live in California and we have power outages like crazy. All I do is have a battery-powered air pump with a bubble stone ready to go. Heat is the main issue and if tank temperature gets above 84 degrees, I just take one of the frozen water bottles I keep in my freezer and float it in the tank every so often. Outages typically only last a few hours to a day at most. Just remember, oxygen & temperature. Lastly, hair algae can only be fixed ONE way. You have a physically remove it. That means grabbing chunks with forceps/tweezers and using an old toothbrush on rocks. Do this and do even a 5% water change immediately afterwards and with time and effort that algae won’t come back. I’ve been there man. There are ways to make this hobby really cheap & easy. If you want a full plan, let me know.

Woah it took me a lot more money, I don’t know what I did as I tried to get necessities lol. Mostly I fear the tank getting too cold since I’m in Georgia and I know temperature is a big need with coral. I get so much algae out of nowhere, I just wish I could isolate it because it starts to overgrow all my corals and then its hard to pick off. Maybe i could find a way around this with a reef jar and using 24/7 lighting under rockwork or something

 

[Crustaceon]

This hobby used to be a way for me to relieve stress, to feel at peace. But now it makes me mad and everytime I look at the tank I roll my eyes.

I went through the same phase years ago. I “rebooted” and went ultra simple in my approach to reefing and now I don’t see a tank that frustrates me. I see a tank that I barely have to touch on a daily basis and this is with almost no automation. I think many of us (me included) started off looking at the equipment as they key to success when in reality, it’s just the rock, sand and proper feeding that does the grunt work. My best advice is to not give up because you’ll carry that failure with you, talk to other reefers about their setups and routines and most importantly, NEVER look at a “master” reef tank and try to duplicate it. Each tank really is that unique but the knowledge and techniques used to achieve at least some degree of success is pretty much the same or is very close.

 

[Casket_Case]

I went through the same phase years ago. I “rebooted” and went ultra simple in my approach to reefing and now I don’t see a tank that frustrates me. I see a tank that I barely have to touch on a daily basis and this is with almost no automation. I think many of us (me included) started off looking at the equipment as they key to success when in reality, it’s just the rock, sand and proper feeding that does the grunt work. My best advice is to not give up because you’ll carry that failure with you, talk to other reefers about their setups and routines and most importantly, NEVER look at a “master” reef tank and try to duplicate it. Each tank really is that unique but the knowledge and techniques used to achieve at least some degree of success is pretty much the same or are very close.

Thank you, I really appreciate it

 

[Crustaceon]

I’m annoyed that most people are automatically assuming I’m doing things wrong, and have a bit of an attitude/matter of fact tone out of nowhere. Yeah I need to mature... I’m sixteen most people are saucy when they’re sixteen lol

It’s totally possible to do things right but frustrate yourself to the point of not wanting to do them anymore.