Thinking about getting back into reefing...?

[danenelsen]

Hey everyone,

Recently I've started to want to get back into reefing, but I still am having some doubts and would just love to talk to a few people about the issue.

A bit of backstory...I first got into reefing in 2022. I had been keeping freshwater aquariums for around 10 years, so I was very familiar with fish in general...I felt prepared and wanted to challenge myself by hopping into salt water. After a few months researching I found a good deal on a tank on Facebook Marketplace and purchased. It was 55 gallons with a sump and everything I needed to get started.

After that, it was pretty much all downhill. After I got the tank reset up and cycled I started with a pair of clowns. Easy enough. I had good luck with them (mostly) and after a few weeks I added a Royal Gramma. It did okay for a while before it eventually disappeared and was never seen again. I tried Firefish, blennies, cardinalfish, wrasee, a small foxface, and more. Nothing would survive besides the clowns. I constantly had fish disappearing or jumping into the sump and dying that way.

Yes, I made mistakes along the way, but I really did learn a lot. I changed foods, I tried to block the chute to the sump, I tested more regularly, but nothing ever fixed the problem(s).

After around 2 years of trying and failing over and over again, I finally called it quits. I re-homed the clowns and took down the setup.

So...that brings us to today, two years later. I tried selling the tank and equipment but no one was ever interested, so I still have everything just sitting in my garage. For some reason, I have started to get the itch of trying again, but I just don't know. The first time around I sank so much money and time into a hobby that never really resulted in anything. I wanted to eventually get coral, but if I couldn't even keep fish alive, how was I supposed to support coral and truly have a "reef"?

So...yeah. That's my story and kinda where I'm at right now. If anyone has any advice or similar experiences or anything like that and would like to share, please do so! Thanks for reading if you made it this far!

@

 

[Terry Le]

2 cd time should be better. Take it slow, get a lid and good luck

 

[edsbeaker]

I don’t see any reason to not try it again. Maybe you just missed something important with the basic set up of a saltwater tank. Have you ever gone through these guides? Maybe they can help you to figure out what may have gone wrong.

And of course, continue to ask questions here on Reef 2 Reef whenever you need help or support!

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/beginners-guide-to-acclimation-and-quarantine.304980/

This last one is from Bulk Reef Supply. It contains 52 videos (1 per week) in the first year of a tank they started.

 

[Aqua Ultraviolet]

Hey everyone,

Recently I've started to want to get back into reefing, but I still am having some doubts and would just love to talk to a few people about the issue.

A bit of backstory...I first got into reefing in 2022. I had been keeping freshwater aquariums for around 10 years, so I was very familiar with fish in general...I felt prepared and wanted to challenge myself by hopping into salt water. After a few months researching I found a good deal on a tank on Facebook Marketplace and purchased. It was 55 gallons with a sump and everything I needed to get started.

After that, it was pretty much all downhill. After I got the tank reset up and cycled I started with a pair of clowns. Easy enough. I had good luck with them (mostly) and after a few weeks I added a Royal Gramma. It did okay for a while before it eventually disappeared and was never seen again. I tried Firefish, blennies, cardinalfish, wrasee, a small foxface, and more. Nothing would survive besides the clowns. I constantly had fish disappearing or jumping into the sump and dying that way.

Yes, I made mistakes along the way, but I really did learn a lot. I changed foods, I tried to block the chute to the sump, I tested more regularly, but nothing ever fixed the problem(s).

After around 2 years of trying and failing over and over again, I finally called it quits. I re-homed the clowns and took down the setup.

So...that brings us to today, two years later. I tried selling the tank and equipment but no one was ever interested, so I still have everything just sitting in my garage. For some reason, I have started to get the itch of trying again, but I just don't know. The first time around I sank so much money and time into a hobby that never really resulted in anything. I wanted to eventually get coral, but if I couldn't even keep fish alive, how was I supposed to support coral and truly have a "reef"?

So...yeah. That's my story and kinda where I'm at right now. If anyone has any advice or similar experiences or anything like that and would like to share, please do so! Thanks for reading if you made it this far!

@

If you are thinking about getting back into reefing, I would take a slower and more methodical approach this time. Since you already have freshwater experience, focus on finding the root cause of the previous fish losses rather than changing several things at once.

Before adding livestock, verify the tank is fully cycled, test ammonia and nitrite regularly, check salinity and temperature, and make sure every overflow and sump opening is properly protected. A UV sterilizer can also be a useful addition for water clarity and reducing certain free floating pathogens, but it should support good husbandry rather than replace it.

Start with a simple, stable setup and add livestock gradually. You clearly learned a lot from your first attempt, so a second try could be very different.

 

[kevgib67]

I think that itch is going to need to be scratched. I believe you’ll approach this build more methodically. There’s no reason you can’t find success this go around, good luck.

 

[Evil1]

We are here to help! The only stupid question is the one that isn’t asked.

 

[hatfielj]

Hey everyone,

Recently I've started to want to get back into reefing, but I still am having some doubts and would just love to talk to a few people about the issue.

A bit of backstory...I first got into reefing in 2022. I had been keeping freshwater aquariums for around 10 years, so I was very familiar with fish in general...I felt prepared and wanted to challenge myself by hopping into salt water. After a few months researching I found a good deal on a tank on Facebook Marketplace and purchased. It was 55 gallons with a sump and everything I needed to get started.

After that, it was pretty much all downhill. After I got the tank reset up and cycled I started with a pair of clowns. Easy enough. I had good luck with them (mostly) and after a few weeks I added a Royal Gramma. It did okay for a while before it eventually disappeared and was never seen again. I tried Firefish, blennies, cardinalfish, wrasee, a small foxface, and more. Nothing would survive besides the clowns. I constantly had fish disappearing or jumping into the sump and dying that way.

Yes, I made mistakes along the way, but I really did learn a lot. I changed foods, I tried to block the chute to the sump, I tested more regularly, but nothing ever fixed the problem(s).

After around 2 years of trying and failing over and over again, I finally called it quits. I re-homed the clowns and took down the setup.

So...that brings us to today, two years later. I tried selling the tank and equipment but no one was ever interested, so I still have everything just sitting in my garage. For some reason, I have started to get the itch of trying again, but I just don't know. The first time around I sank so much money and time into a hobby that never really resulted in anything. I wanted to eventually get coral, but if I couldn't even keep fish alive, how was I supposed to support coral and truly have a "reef"?

So...yeah. That's my story and kinda where I'm at right now. If anyone has any advice or similar experiences or anything like that and would like to share, please do so! Thanks for reading if you made it this far!

@

Welcome back and YES I definitely think you should get back into it. The key is really patience and persistence. You won't be 100% successful with everything you try to do whether it's fish or corals...but if you stick with it, take your time, read, ask questions, find a mentor, and just be patient, you will eventually find success.
The hobby is overly expensive at the moment, so I highly recommend buying used to save money where possible. Buy fish only from trusted sources and run a high power UV sterilizer to help prevent disease. If possible, buy pre-quarantined fish if you can't set up a QT tank yourself. The extra expense is worth it IMO.

Ask questions here, test your water regularly (like AT LEAST once a week). Get a tropic marin high precision hydrometer to make sure your salinity readings are correct (that's a common beginner mistake).

And most importantly, enjoy it. There's no point in doing any of this if it isn't enjoyable. I try to make sure to just sit back and sip a coffee and enjoy the tank daily.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

I second getting yourself a hydrometer to at least compare a refractometer to it. Also, good test kits (Hanna and Salifert) for Nitrate, Phosphate, KH etc and testing your water 2 or more times a week.

 

[kitti-fish]

This is going to sound crazy but maybe start with a smaller setup? I know everyone says bigger is better to keep up with fluctuations but I found a smaller thank (8-20 gallons) is a perfect start. Gets you used to testing, you aren’t overloaded to fill the tank up, and it takes up less space. Of course, keeping up with water changes is futile and you can’t get away with not doing maintenance for weeks. Selling equipment is hard. I’ve had to price things 50-70% lower than what I bought it. Maybe keep the necessary equipment like lights, pump, wave maker and try to sell the tank and anything else you don’t want at a lower cost? Good luck! My first tank was a trial and error and almost threw in the towel but in the end it was worth it. You also don’t need to spend a buttload of money. I don’t get new corals anymore and just grow what I have and I keep 4 fish maximum in my 45 gallon with a variety of inverts. You got this!

 

[BryanM]

Hey everyone,

Recently I've started to want to get back into reefing, but I still am having some doubts and would just love to talk to a few people about the issue.

A bit of backstory...I first got into reefing in 2022. I had been keeping freshwater aquariums for around 10 years, so I was very familiar with fish in general...I felt prepared and wanted to challenge myself by hopping into salt water. After a few months researching I found a good deal on a tank on Facebook Marketplace and purchased. It was 55 gallons with a sump and everything I needed to get started.

After that, it was pretty much all downhill. After I got the tank reset up and cycled I started with a pair of clowns. Easy enough. I had good luck with them (mostly) and after a few weeks I added a Royal Gramma. It did okay for a while before it eventually disappeared and was never seen again. I tried Firefish, blennies, cardinalfish, wrasee, a small foxface, and more. Nothing would survive besides the clowns. I constantly had fish disappearing or jumping into the sump and dying that way.

Yes, I made mistakes along the way, but I really did learn a lot. I changed foods, I tried to block the chute to the sump, I tested more regularly, but nothing ever fixed the problem(s).

After around 2 years of trying and failing over and over again, I finally called it quits. I re-homed the clowns and took down the setup.

So...that brings us to today, two years later. I tried selling the tank and equipment but no one was ever interested, so I still have everything just sitting in my garage. For some reason, I have started to get the itch of trying again, but I just don't know. The first time around I sank so much money and time into a hobby that never really resulted in anything. I wanted to eventually get coral, but if I couldn't even keep fish alive, how was I supposed to support coral and truly have a "reef"?

So...yeah. That's my story and kinda where I'm at right now. If anyone has any advice or similar experiences or anything like that and would like to share, please do so! Thanks for reading if you made it this far!

@

I would strongly consider using real ocean live rock if you do decide to dive back in.