I am at a crossroad in the hobby...

[VintageReefer]

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Ignore the racks. I’m growing out a lot for my new build. What you see is really two tanks of coral…in one tank.

Left 1/3

Middle 2/3

Right 3/3

 

[andrew1yang]

So I find myself at a crossroad in the hobby. This isn’t a post to elicit sympathy. I’m trying to make an informed decision: should press on with my efforts in the hobby or convert my tank into a house plant enclosure?

Looking back at my receipts, I purchased my first tank in 2008. Here it is, 17 years later and the issue I face today is the same issue I faced when I was early into the hobby; my tanks survive, but they do not thrive.

I’m certainly not a cheapskate; I don’t skimp on equipment. But frankly, I received better results using (4) Loop ICs in a 12 inch tank than I get with (3) Hydra 32s on a tank whose depth is 21 inches.

I am meticulous in my husbandry, vacuuming substrate, 20% water changes using RODI, glass cleaning and filter media replacement. My OCD won’t allow me to cut corners.

I test different water parameters each day and do a complete test on all parameters weekly. I feed a variety of mixed frozen food with the occasional serving of flake.

In the end, this tank isn’t winning any awards. I would love to have this tank in my living room, but to be honest, I am embarrassed of it, particularly because of the lack of results being in the hobby for so long.

I believe I do things correctly, but don’t understand why my results do not reflect my effort.

So what am I doing wrong? What else is there to look at? What have I missed?

Maybe I should make this tank FOWLER?

If I pull the plug on the hobby I will be giving it all away. But my competitive nature won't allow me to give up yet.

Are your water parameters stable? Sometimes doing less actually is more. I’ve had my 20 gallon for a year and all I do is top off water. My clownfish, Zoas and across have been happy

 

[Dom]

Are your water parameters stable? Sometimes doing less actually is more. I’ve had my 20 gallon for a year and all I do is top off water. My clownfish, Zoas and across have been happy

Yes, valid point. "Less is more" is a valid, and I do tinker with this tank a lot.

 

[Dom]

@Dom sorry, but you haven’t responded to my questions about your parameters and an ICP. A lot of good suggestions have been given, but if the fundamentals aren’t there it’s just ideas in the air.

But I have posted a spreadsheet with my numbers.

 

[Dom]

I will say downsizing like others have mentioned can make a big diiference . You mentioned you want the tank to be overrun and growing like crazy but on what?? Put more fish in there and another couple rock structures. It doesnt even look like rock has made it halfway in height anywhere in your tank. Im sure youve had growth in your tank , maybe not up to your standard, but your tank isnt a mess. Get some confidence up , buy a 5 inch green nepthea and some other leathers that grow quick for a centerpiece .

I did want to create a tank that offered room for swimming due to the fish I anticipated adding. And while the rock structure doesn't look like much, it does offer lots of hiding places for the fish.

 

[Grumpytank]

I have 30+ years of keeping mixed reef tanks. One of the things I’ve learned is not chase parameters and change too many things. I preach patience.

 

[Jedi Shrimp]

But I have posted a spreadsheet with my numbers.

Sorry, I can’t find the spreadsheet, can you link it ? Maybe it’s because I’m on mobile ?

 

[Dom]

Sorry, I can’t find the spreadsheet, can you link it ? Maybe it’s because I’m on mobile ?

 

[tharbin]

Dom,

I like your tank. I'd maybe paint or clad the stand to dress it up a little but the tank is nice. One of the issues we can all suffer from time-to-time is 'social media envy'. Reef2Reef is a great place with very supportive members and most have suffered through tough tank times and awesome tank times. BUT we also see lots of beautiful tanks full of gorgeous corals and fish. It is hard not to compare our tank to those of others. At least R2R also shows and talks about the challenges, many sites on YT and other social media make it look like the tank owner is a genius; they usually aren't.

My tank is fairly stark. I've had multiple people tell me multiple times to add more coral. About the only times I get likes on my tank thread is when I add some corals. I do add corals but only a few at a time and I make sure they are at least surviving before I add more. I also want to have mature grown out corals rather than 500 frags. That said I do want to add a few more corals as there is a bit of a vicious cycle with a reef tank. You need enough coral to compete with all the 'bad stuff' for nutrients but if you want mature corals you also can't have too many frags unless you also have a way to rehome some of them later.

What I try to remember is that this is my tank, I'm doing the best I can with it and many of the tanks I envy actually spend more in one coral shipment than my entire tank costs.

It does sound like you may have an issue with your lighting so you may want to play around with your settings to see if things improve but try to do less in the tank. They really do better with less intervention than more.

Hang in there.

Forgot to add I would also suggest starting a tank thread. It is a great place to get advice and ideas and to track your own progress.

 

[Joe.D]

I agree with the posters that said maybe a redo of the scape is the way to go.

I had a bad bubble algae outbreak 2 years ago (tank was about a rear old then) and pulled all of my rock and used peroxide to kill the bubble algae. That worked great. Then, when I tried putting it all back together, it looked like I dropped in a bunch of rock.

I used to think about doing things myself around the house instead of hiring someone to save $. Well, I now hire people cuz if I do it myself, it looks like I did it myself. So, with my aquascape, I hired my LFS to come out. The LFS also sets up snd maintains tanks. I have like zero creative/design ability - in this case they redid the rock and repositioned corals taking into acct both aesthetics and the coral's needs. I also gave them a coral budget to add more.

I'm so glad I did that - it looks better and the growth has taken off.

 

[Dom]

I agree with the posters that said maybe a redo of the scape is the way to go.

I had a bad bubble algae outbreak 2 years ago (tank was about a rear old then) and pulled all of my rock and used peroxide to kill the bubble algae. That worked great. Then, when I tried putting it all back together, it looked like I dropped in a bunch of rock.

I used to think about doing things myself around the house instead of hiring someone to save $. Well, I now hire people cuz if I do it myself, it looks like I did it myself. So, with my aquascape, I hired my LFS to come out. The LFS also sets up snd maintains tanks. I have like zero creative/design ability - in this case they redid the rock and repositioned corals taking into acct both aesthetics and the coral's needs. I also gave them a coral budget to add more.

I'm so glad I did that - it looks better and the growth has taken off.

My discouragement isn't in the layout of the tank. It comes from the lack of performance by the system; the tank doesn't function as it should.

 

[ShawnSaucier]

I’ve kinda skimmed through this post and some of the questions I’m going to ask may have been answered already, so I apologize for the repetitiveness.

You mentioned you moved the tank in the last couple of months, what did that entail?

Your RODI source?

Have you replaced your filters and membrane if you are making your own RODI?

Have you tried an ICP test?

A helpful way to breakdown elements that are present in your water. You could have rusting magnets, or heavy metals without knowing as it’s not something we test for normally.

Have you used a Par meter?

Dosing?

What test kits are you using and how old are your kits?

The room the tank is in? Use of aerosols? Scented Candles? The tank is a giant air sponge. Fumes from chemicals can poison a tank. So air fresheners, candles, gasoline ( in a garage for example) can have an impact.

When you are working on the tank, are you wearing gloves? If not, how are you cleaning your hands? How often are your hands in the tank??
We can believe our hands are clean after a quick wash in the sink, but could carry contaminants.

If you have been in the hobby this long, I can understand the frustration. And I hope you don’t mind all of the questions. There are ways to help whether it’s biological, environmental or situational. Would just need to ask the right question to help pinpoint the issue.

 

[tripdad]

It seems to me your not happy with how it looks/makes you feel. Try looking up " the rule of thirds" , " the golden rule" in respect to design estetics. And get a color wheel from the net. You would be amazed how having the right color next to each other can affect human perception. Most TOM type tanks do this well. Also try mixing growth forms, say an acro next to an lps with a fatter, fluffier polyp. For me the rule of thirds just helps my eye find a place to settle, draws me in. You seem to have the hard part down, now you get to make it fit your idea of what it needs to look like.

 

[tripdad]

My discouragement isn't in the layout of the tank. It comes from the lack of performance by the system; the tank doesn't function as it should.

I think we were typing about the same time, sorry bout that.

 

[Mschmidt]

@Dom what are your thoughts now? We could type all day till our fingers bleed but it's your tank and your joy. Plus we're enablers who tend to want to keep people in our little cult.

 

[Dom]

@Dom what are your thoughts now? We could type all day till our fingers bleed but it's your tank and your joy. Plus we're enablers who tend to want to keep people in our little cult.

There is a lot of truth in that.

I've decided to give it until the end of the year to see if a change I've made will yield the results I want.

 

[Mschmidt]

That could be a good plan. You and your knowledge are an asset to the forum. And I wish you the best.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

You know what the only thing that bothers me about that setup? The stand. Your aquascape looks good and from what I can tell you aren't being invaded by horrible algaes.

Find some fast growing zoas that will pop. I am in NJ and can get you a frag of playboy bunnies. They really pop in my tank.

I like clean finished stands with doors in the front. Much like a piece of furniture. Hides all the stuff below.

 

[Dom]

You know what the only thing that bothers me about that setup? The stand. Your aquascape looks good and from what I can tell you aren't being invaded by horrible algaes.

Find some fast growing zoas that will pop. I am in NJ and can get you a frag of playboy bunnies. They really pop in my tank.

I like clean finished stands with doors in the front. Much like a piece of furniture. Hides all the stuff below.

For me it is more about the function and performance of the tank. I just want to get the corals growing so that they fill out the tank. Then I would be happy.

 

[civber]

Many people in this hobby have probably had the same doubts. Hang in there! As someone mentioned here, try adding something new to your tank—it'll give you more motivation to stick with the hobby.