This is your biggest problem....

[littlebigreef]

Its laughable how many people complain about prices. The barriers to enter and stay in the hobby have never been lower. Since everyone and their mother is now growing stuff its not hard to find common sps, zoas, shrooms, lps etc etc or even barter with your LFS. But, if you want the best then be prepared to pay a little (or a lot) more for it. The fact is, like in all hobbies, there's always going to be someone out there with something better which will only be accessible to the few. Its best not to get a complex about it and, if you really desire "insert name here" then practice patience and work towards it. Everyone seems to want instant gratification. Those that have been doing this long enough appreciate that instant gratification and reef keeping are, for the most part, mutually exclusive.

Personally, my biggest problem is getting my nutrient in/output dialed in, but, I suppose I could complain about how there's no stratosphere zoas available any more lol.

 

[Hemmdog]

Hello,

I think for me is, and currently going through it, is how a fish disease gets into my tank when I haven’t added new fish. Come to find out (now) maybe I was too narrow minded, but anything wet can introduce a fish disease. Which kinda takes the fun out since everything is suppose to be wet.

It’s easy for most to say catch the fish and qt them. It’s not as easy as it sounds when you actually glued your rocks into place and the coral has grown all over them. Yet for some strange reason we have all this amazing technology, but in theory we still can not treat ick or velvet in the display tank.

Not to mention (yes I run two uv steralizers), and from the get go almost 19 months into this tank and no disease. Then suddenly poof I have either ick or marine velvet. Now they both have some similar symptoms, and yes I want to treat them. Except in Boise which half a million by now, no lfs carries or sells a fish trap. Not one store carries any of the actual (in theory reef safe treatment).

Yet this entire time of 18 months give or take, I have not added any fish into my system for this reason alone. Yet it’s amazing how some say you can eradicate ick etc some say you can simply control it etc. I’m curious as to why (other than copper) which isn’t reef safe)) why we still simple do not have an upper hand and or understanding exactly everything there is about ick or marine velvet etc.

What does happens in the ocean? I guess it’s simikar to red tide but it’s amazing how we have not developed something that fish can digest that can repell and heal fish from these types of parasites.

As I have read who knows how many pages now, it’s frustrating when there is no definitive solution. Everyone says well qt! Well all my fish were in a qt and I had zero issues for 18 months, and I haven’t added any new fish at all. (Sorry 8 months ago roughly), I added a golden head goby. What’s even worse is the few fish that I have that are aka super keen to getting diseases are the ones that so far have still no issues where as I have two mainly that show sigsns of ick. Yet speaking with some others I don’t know if it’s ick or velvet. It’s to the point I can still count the dots on the fish and they eat like crazy.

But again (side note those who have helped me here and reached out as made it easier and forever in debt), if fish bans actually take affect world wide, what is one to do if this happens? It’s annoying that for example marine depot sells some reef safe ick treatment. But, they are not scientific proven to actually work. Plus I treat my fish and corals like children (as if I have kids) they mean the world to me. But it doesn’t make much sense to rip the tank down to catch the fish when it’s a 50/50 shot even if caught early. Yes there are success stories but it just kinda is not right that some have to weigh the options. Risk losing fish, try and save fish stress out more when catching, 50/50 shot they survive and if it’s velvet more like 80/20. As to let’s stress the corals also and get the sps to rtn etc or kill them off also some how by trying to save the fish. Wouldn’t life be so much better if a company actually made a reef safe that is proven to work more than 50% medication for ick and velvet and brook? I mean why stop there let’s add flukes and everything else.

It’s frustrating (sorry for the vent) when yes I paid extra for my lfs to keep my fish in qt with copper. (They are reliable, I can’t blame them almost 2 years later). I added them in sections within weeks of each other and yes I use uv steralizers, I use garlic guard. I do what it takes to feed them daily and make sure they are healthy. Then suddenly there is an ick break out or worse it’s marine velvet, and the only changes is I added coral from my lfs. Which all of them have fish and corals separate, there are no fish in any of the tanks you can buy coral out of. Which makes really stumble how there was an outbreak. Since all I have done is add a few very small corals, and everything else has stayed the same.

So my frustration is that we have all this technology and science to Grow coral and keep fish. Yet we still haven’t come up with something to eradicate these two parasites and or at least be able to treat them with great success in the display tank.

Your LFS may keep fish separate from corals but I guarantee at some point there has been cross contamination in one of these bad boys.

 

[Sarah24!]

Your LFS may keep fish separate from corals but I guarantee at some point there has been cross contamination in one of these bad boys.

Hello,

Oh I’m certain of that now as I try and figure this out. But for example if we buy corals, how does one dip and prevent ick etc from still spreading? Another aspect is warming them up and acclimation. We obviously mix water in the bags etc however (how many of us place those bags in our tank?) how many of them like my fish think they are food and nip at them and they spring a leak. Definitely taking even more extreme care if I survive this.

 

[Deezill]

Aptasia. They spread like wild fire

 

[sfin52]

I built a very nice stand out of old piano wood. Made of oak and ash with mortise and tenon joints. Strong, stable and it looks nice. Unfortunately it has a wood-boring beetle infestation! My whole house needs tenting but I don't know how to accomplish that without killing the tank and the bug company was no help. I've also got 3 cats, 2 dogs and another fw/planted tank to complicate things.

Of all the options I've considered selling all livestock, probably the rock and sand and starting over is the most cost effective and merciful to the livestock method. Even that would cost a grand or two and a couple years time.

If they are using vikane gas is not something you want you fish to be exposed to. Yes break down the tank. Sorry. Thats a bummer but its better than loosing all or most of the live stock.

 

[TinCanHero]

The learning curve and all the small problems being new to SW, id just like someone to tell me im doing alright, or not, that's fine too current small problem is Some sort of cyno or something similar.

--Money is a issue for everyone, i just had a few grand to burn ^^. I have to say thou, there's no chance i would have even thought of doing this 10-15 years ago, the hobby has come forward along way!

 

[KorD]

somehow my water is too clean.. no nitrates are detected ever in any of my tanks. I had a shop owner come over and looked my tank over.. he said he wished he could keep the tank that clean. He then asked me to come look at their setup and see if I can make corrections.. I asked him if he wants to have all dead corals. ;Woot

 

[uhgster1]

A wife who gives 0 to -0 support. Only person I’ve ever met who hates aquariums‍

 

[EastCoastScaping]

My biggest problem was never keeping something alive or equipment but people at lfs or Petco/petsmart. I see alot of things that are old, poor practices that were put to myth years ago... makes me wanna say something when peole do things they shouldnt do/ are wrong but i dont wanna be "that" person

 

[Dolelo96]

I LOVE THIS!!!

 

[Dolelo96]

I have a big problem. I'm too darn short! At 4'10" it's really hard to reach the bottom of the tank to adjust coral or rocks, I have to shove my whole arm in up to the shoulder and my tank is only 28g! Even worse, I haven't been able to find any gloves that fit and I try to avoid sticking my bare arm in there. If anyone knows where I can find a pair of full coverage gloves in toddler sizes please let me know!

+1 on the gloves. Even if I find them short enough for my arm, the hand is two size too big[emoji12]

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Having someone competent look after the tank while I'm on vacation :/

 

[Dolelo96]

Disease. Velvet wiped out my whole tank last September. Just picked up my first 3 fish since losing everything and terrified it will happen again[emoji15]

 

[Makers Marc]

I hear that lol

What? That creaking? Jk

 

[Mattman1977]

@mcarroll and his sticky saved most of my tank. Lost all lps but softies survived. So my tank is softies now. Am happy with that.

Hey @sfin52 thanks for the response, just found one of your threads and made the connection it was you who pointed me to mcarroll sticky that I was reading since.

Well last few days I’ve ordered stuff to start dosing phosphates and nitrates, also ordered Hanna checkers for both along with some 10 micron filter socks for my qt tank.

My dino issue started after dosing vibrant for a bubble algae issue I picked up from a lfs. Not sure if I dosed to often. to long or what. Tank was a softie with no sump or skimmer with a year old 1.5” sand bed so it should of had high levels perfect for a softie tank. Little different situation then yours for sure. I wasn’t running anything to lower phosphate or nitrates and only thing that was added to the tank was vibrant other then fish food. Only logical reason for the levels to get so low that dino would bloom hey but it cured the bubble algae.

The dino wasn’t the cause of the tank getting taken. House is for sale so the realtor suggested pulling it down and since I have a fish room/man cave right now it was no issue.

Matt

 

[Mattman1977]

somehow my water is too clean.. no nitrates are detected ever in any of my tanks. I had a shop owner come over and looked my tank over.. he said he wished he could keep the tank that clean. He then asked me to come look at their setup and see if I can make corrections.. I asked him if he wants to have all dead corals. ;Woot

Haha better dirty it up some or you’ll end up over on the dino thread with me

Matt

 

[ScottB]

**** Dinoflagellates!!!! Been fighting it for over a year. Took that tank down and moved the coral to my qt tank after a dip in coral rx and a week later dino started in my qt tank. I just received my bottle of dinox guess I’ll try that and if that doesn’t help i don’t know what I’ll do. I’ve read the thread on here about dino. Didn’t lots of different things but kept coming back

Matt

Sorry Matt. I feel your pain. If it helps, know that you are far from alone in this. Perhaps you did not read ALL 368 pages of this thread?

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/d...-tired-of-battling-altogether.293318/page-368

I am finally turning the corner (I think, hope,pray...) on this.

The short story is:
a) get microscope (cheapy Amazon recommends will do)
b) Post a video at 100X to the above thread for an ID.
c) Look up the proper treatment method for your dino variety in the same thread.
d) In most cases, you will be dosing nitrates & phosphates, and running UV sterilizer.

 

[KorD]

Haha better dirty it up some or you’ll end up over on the dino thread with me

Matt

I can't grow Dino's.. way too clean, but I got some small GHA started my urchin keeps avoiding..lol
I'm thinking about dosing spectracide to get some nitrates going..
I kind of want to kick off my skimmer to dirty it up, but I know that's not a good way to do it.

 

[Mattman1977]

Sorry Matt. I feel your pain. If it helps, know that you are far from alone in this. Perhaps you did not read ALL 368 pages of this thread?

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dinoflagellates-–-are-you-tired-of-battling-altogether.293318/page-368

I am finally turning the corner (I think, hope,pray...) on this.

The short story is:
a) get microscope (cheapy Amazon recommends will do)
b) Post a video at 100X to the above thread for an ID.
c) Look up the proper treatment method for your dino variety in the same thread.
d) In most cases, you will be dosing nitrates & phosphates, and running UV sterilizer.

Haha no I have not read all 368 pages yet. Only on page 16 haha.

Yeah I have been dealing with this for the most part of a year on and off but the big bloom of it started around Christmas and hasn’t let up. So when I took the tank down all rocks got dried out, fish were transferred from one bucket to the next several times, rinse them if you like that term better, fish went into my grow out tank and coral were all cut off there rocks, fragged up and mounted on plugs and disc and dipped in coral rx, just FYI it appears coral rx doesn’t kill dino haha. I guess since it’s in the coral cells that would be hard to do. Then into the coral qt tank, 20long with 29 gal sump. I had been running a skimmer on so I guess it was border line low nutrients and that’s why the dino was able to start growing again. Guess a curve 7 was a bit much but had it laying around lol

Guess I need to order a microscope

Matt

 

[Dirty_Birdy]

My tank keeps getting smaller!!