Over your reefing hobby roughly how much $$$ have you LOST in fish and coral?

[Scott Hawaii]

After lost of some fish and coral due to not quarantining, I have lost nothing. You always develop problems when you keep adding to your ecosystem. Disease always slips in. Water parameters can be automated for the most part. I always owned an oversized UV sterilizer, protein skimmer, and my religious water changes. I use tap water without problems. All of my equipment is top of the line as we have all been ther buying the cheaper stuff and regretting it. Truthfully some of the reliability is not there as manufacturers become more greedy and more obsolescence is built in.

 

[Weikel]

Well I have a reefing problem but it's better than my of hobbie of sports betting

 

[Syed123]

Probably $400 worth of fish and coral. Have had 2 major tank wipeouts and smaller minor fish and coral losses. Luckily my 3rd iteration of fish are going strong for more than 3 years now.

 

[Ghxst]

Wow

 

[Vin's Reef]

$60 bucks just today. Idiot me thought 2 Mandarins would live peacefully in a 200 gal tank with an abundance of pods. I was wrong.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Easy $4000.

Two major tank leaks and near total losses

 

[sundog101]

Why are we doing this to ourselves !?!

 

[jayala12]

Over 1k easy. Not proud but did learn a lot the hard way

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Anyone else get depressed after answering the poll?

 

[c2l2parker]

Some of this obviously depends on how long you have been in the hobby and the amount of livestock you have. So let’s see, 3 years ago I bought a reef safe foxface that really loved to eat acans, torches,etc...-$600 before I got it out. Then there was the time 4 years ago where my salinity calibration fluid was off so my salinity was off..-$500. Then there was the time where some fish I had for 5+ years suddenly died for unknown reasons -$300. Then there was newbie mistakes, bad LFS recommendations, etc. which are countless. You get the picture...easily $5000+.

 

[Robink]

I don't like to think about it!! Since I've been quarantining the fish, no fish losses. Not too many coral losses lately unless one falls off the scape and onto another coral.

 

[lariat8099]

Went out of town a month ago. My wife was in charge. Lol. Ya right. Breaker popped in the fish room she didn’t notice for three days. Fish all suffocated due to no flow. Corals did so so. Lost all zoas all bubbles and a lot of mushrooms. I’d say that’s was a $1000.0 weekend lose. So no have three power supplies that will run30 hours each. Return pump. And two mp40s. So should she brian fart again I’m covered

 

[tgrick]

I've been in and out since late 70s when I was a kid. I wish it was 5k. I do not have numbers and care not to think about it the money but focus on the lives lost and hope not to repeat mistakes of years past. Recent losses in last 6 months since new tank is about $350. Velvet. Tank in a very good place now. Quarantine and treat EVERYTHING.

 

[siggy]

Please don't ask . I don't even want to think about it !

Why are we doing this to ourselves !?!

 

[declanisadog]

I don't want to put any real thought into it, but I am sure it is over $5K...

 

[VR28man]

1 year of reefing.

Losses:
1 small Pocillopora damicornis colony (which was STN'd I think at the bottom so I shouldn't have bought it), so $20.
Probably 1 (of 4) nassarius snails (I've only seen 3 all out at any given time for the past six months or so). $5
3 Astrea snails $6
1 Turbo snail $5
2 hermit crabs. 10
an unknown number of cerinth snails (impossible to keep track of them)
2 nerite snails $6

I think the Astreas and Turbo fell victim to the famous "I've fallen and I can't get up" syndrome. they apparently can't right themselves. Some of the other snails and hermits might have been killed by the surviving hermit, I'm told hermits can kill each other and be predatory


Survivors (things currently alive that have been in for more than 1 month)
2 yellow head jawfish
1 firefish
2, now 12 green implosion palys (Palythoa mutuki)
1 rainbow BTA
1 purple ribbon gorgonian (Pterorgorgia anceps)
1 war coral (Favites pentagona; almost lost it but isolated it then brought it back and it's doing at least OK for the past two weeks)
Lots of other snails (including one other turbo, nerites, nassarius and cerinths)
1 hermit crab
1 peppermint shrimp
1 skunk cleaner shrimp
2 unknown shrimp hitchhikers
1 hitchhiking olive snails

Pair of ocellaris clowns that have been in for around 3 weeks, but look great.

 

[JBKReef]

I've been in the hobby with my tank wet since January 1, its crazy to think that if you were to ask me what all is in my display I would have problems listing them all and remembering but you ask me what I've lost and I can tell you each one. It weighs on me to think something I did wrong cost one of these fish/coral their life.

A firefish who got spooked during a water change and had a spinal injury.
2 Narcissus snails, and 1 emereld crab which did not acclimate well.
A Talbot Damsel which disappeared in QT while I was on vacation, I still blame the roommates.
3 turbo snails that my starry blenny bullied and smashed into the glass till they died
5 blue reef chromis that developed velvet in QT and could not be treated quick enough
An acan colony with about 4 heads that melted away due to low nutrients
An acid rain BTA that managed to work its way under the foam guard of a powerhead
1 blue green chromis that did not eat during QT

Nothing expensive in the list, nothing that couldn't be replaced by just walking into almost any LFS, but enough to remind me the hobby requires daily effort and attention to detail.

 

[CoralCache]

Well over $75k this year. I hate 2018.

 

[Greybeard]

Been reefing, on and off, since the mid 80's... so yeah, that number is going to be high. Anyone who hasn't had a tank wipeout simply hasn't been in the hobby long enough. It's bound to happen, as heartbreaking as that might be. Equipment fails, life intrudes... stuff happens.

I guess I'm not certain what this thread is for. I suppose it could be used to show 'see, look... we need to quit harvesting corals and fish for these people to kill'... That'd be unfortunate. It may well be that this community ends up being the savior of our natural reefs, one of these days.

 

[doughboy]

I've lost > $1000, mostly expensive corals during a crash.
I've been stress free since I now only keep lower priced corals. I can't afford to lose $.