What drives you to keep going?

[Ashish Patel]

I feel all our energy earlier on is wasted in our quest to get an instant reef, resulting in feeling cheated when things don't pan out. I've made every mistake and then some and being stubborn and wanting to succeed keeps me going. IME The tanks biological filter and micro fauna is the most important along with stable ALK, the use of all dry rock and adding corals without this bio-diversity is a cause for many ppls failures.. After the tank is mature I see more growth and color in running higher phosphates so this idea you need low phosphates is subjective to each person tank. After this is established it just takes mastering your tank flow and lighting needs and it can take some trial and error but go lower on the lighting intensity and use your PE as a guide to flow and lighting. Observe and make adjustments only when needed.

If you love this hobby, Get your tank cleaned up, get an icp test and verify if its a unknown metal that is causing issues, do a few large water changes, lower your photoperiod (unless you know your PAR numbers), and start getting good at the things you overlooked before. Learning about the corals you want to keep, Sourcing and acclimating corals, learning about coral eating pest, ensuring you only add trace elements you can confirm your tank needs, Testing ALK religiously and keeping tabs on your feeding and how it effects your nutrient levels, adjusting or turning off your skimmer if needed. Once you can rule out all possible issues identifying an issue is very easy. Keep going!!!:)

 

[CindyKz]

When I read posts about reefers "battling" this or that, and dreams of a perfect tank, I sense that some people feel a less than percext tank isnt worthwhile.

My tank is far from perfect. Some corals look great, some are pale, some even have a little algae on the tips. I enjoy the beautiful aspects while I enjoy the journey to fixing the less than perfect points.

 

[hart24601]

It's when things finally click and you see everything doing great, coral growing and encrusting. That is what keeps me going even if I don't see it for a while! And I like the challenge.


However I now have been doing this a while and set up my systems so they are pretty simple so it’s been a while since I had a long burst of frustration and can sure understand how hopeless it can feel.

 

[Hal3134]

They are cute :) and the other reason I've not drained the tank. I just feel so bad that the waters not perfect.

What keeps me going? Two things. First, seeing the tank of the month and knowing that if I do what they do, my tank will look just like their tank. Ain't no magic to it, just hard work. When I first started in the hobby I used to wonder why my tank looked like crap, and then I compared what I was doing, and what I wasn't doing, to the owners of the tank of the month, and the answer became clear.

Second, even a less than stellar tank is full of interesting things. My tank is a little like a good jazz tune- every time I listen to it I notice something new. Sometimes it's a flute that I never noticed before, or how a piano riff plays off an earlier portion of the melody, etc.. In my tank there's always something new to look at: a snail that is over there instead of here, a new coral branch growing, a fish dancing in the current, etc.

 

[Streetcred]

My tank is just too big to break down ! ... Couldn't be bothered so it is easier to keep it running through my periods of disinterest of which there have been many over the past 23 years or so ;-)

 

[Bruce Burnett]

Don;t know what has kept me in the hobby for 40 years
We all lose interest off and on but it gets easier. it can get so easy that you get bored.
They really do need your info. alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, nitrate, phosphate, what food and how much to help.
There are many ways to have a tank and be successful. If the tank is only a few months old you may not have a mature enough tank.
I redid my tank after almost completely ignoring it for 11 months, lost all my acros but not a single LPS. Because of nutrient spike I am dealing with a bit of algae but I know with time it will go away.
Most of my algae is dealt with having tangs they are my cleanup crew as I don't care for snails and crabs. 40 gallon breeder will not work for tangs so you may need snails. But get the test done and also what brand kits you are using.

 

[LadyMac]

Will get all tests tomorrow. I have the algae kit by red Sea, phosphate and nitrate. I think my magnesium is also red Sea but I also think it's out of date .my ammonia, nitrite, calcium and alkalinity are unfortunately API. Tank has been up for a few years now. It's moved across the room but the water was just toted via buckets and all the rock stayed wet. My light is a current USA orbit marine. I set it how someone told me to, said it was too bright and moved the photoperiod to 6 hours daily. No tangs. I'd love to have some but I would worry even with a large enough tank that they wouldn't thrive .I've thought of even getting some mushrooms or something else to help eat these nutrients. Unfortunately I don't have the resources locally.

 

[Rich Klein]

When after 2 years of a steep learning curve, pushing-through the ugly's, and a battle with dinos; slowly the tank stabilizes, corals grow, anemones spit, and you know how to keep it going. That makes it all worthwhile.

Hang in there!

 

[Yvonne Wong]

Keep it simple: lots of water flow, dose 2 parts daily to maintain alk at 9 dKH, 8 hour photo period, and weekly 10-15% water change. Always test what you are dosing and adjust accordingly. I find this method help keep my reefs from algae or cyano outbreak. Been in the hobby for 40 years and still love it!

 

[Lousybreed]

I hope you can take this at face value. I would ask you to challenge yourself on how compliant your tank is to proven techniques? There are no shortcuts in this hobby. You can save money but you cannot do it super cheap. Maybe just put a cheato fuge in your sump and run it as a FOWLR for now. Once you get more funds, go back in it, but go back in full bore. My first 29gallon was a disaster but looking back I didn’t follow any of the time tested methods. I now have a 500 gallon system that is thriving. No corners cut, read tons, watch YouTube videos, do your homework. Then go for it. I have less than 24 months in the hobby and I now have some “designer” acros that are thriving. If you are interested, send me a message with information on your system. I can help you get on the toad to recovery. Hell, if you live near me I will GIVE you some starter coral.

 

[norfolkgarden]

Tank has been up for about three years now. 40 breeder with a 15 gallon sump. My stand isn't set up properly so it's hard to get to the back of the sump.

I've got two 660 power heads from current USA .I also had another 600 gph power head and today during cleaning the ceramic shaft broke. I can't find the spare power head. So now I have an oddesea surface skimmer to help give more flow. I've got about 70lbs of live rock in there and 50lbs of live sand. Return pump is rated for 1200 gph and my overflow is a HOB .

I have a hydor slim skim as my skimmer because the sump wouldn't fit larger and originally I didn't have a sump so it was in tank .

Stock is minimal. Pair of clowngish. There's a pistol shrimp too. About five hermit crabs because my local store rarely gets them. Three snails, one bumblebee, an astrea and nacarissus (sp). That's it. I can't get to a fish store, I don't drive. I can't ship because it's so expensive. Top that off with the fact my brother in law was in the hospital for two months .I was his caregiver and because of the length his case was closed .I've been unemployed for three months and we have no idea the length of time it'll be before his case will be opened back.

Husband's job has been iffy too. They haven't been giving him but 20 to 30 hours a week. Now he's off all week for Thanksgiving.

I'll have to check the parameters but phosphate is through the roof. It registered 4 earlier .I don't even really want to check anything else .Just crawl in the corner and cry.

I never had success with blackouts.
[emoji53]

Minimal snails is the first problem to easily fix.
The bumblebee is nothing but a cool looking predator. Zero effect on your (and our) tank.
One nassarius is good at cleaning up overfeeding (within reason) and should be plenty for your 2 fish.
Only the astrea actually eats algae.
I would recommend 1 small turbo snail *or* 1 trochus snail be added.
Both are larger and really efficient.
Adding too many snails up front just means they die when you finally have things under control. (Which adds more unnecessary phosphate to the tank. )

You have a great amount of live rock.
Was it dry rock when you started?

You have decent equipment and your tank is basically empty of everything. (That's a *great* thing!) Should be easy to adjust. [emoji846]

Guessing the main problem is overfeeding and possibly too few water changes. Or water changes with "bad" water.

If you're Clowns beg for food as much as our clowns do, it is effortless to overfeed them.
[emoji6]
Twice A-day feeding is good, it's just the amount.

What you really need is to export the phosphate from your tank.
The snails just hide the problem by mowing it down and then pooping the phosphate back into the tank.
I use GFO in a bag to do that.
Aluminum beads are another option.

Some cheato (will need to add a light to the sump or just grow it in the main tank like I do) will absorb the phosphate but it also works slow.
You don't have any LPS or stonies so you don't need to worry about dosing chemicals yet.
Simple water changes should help maintain your parameters besides nitrates and phosphates.

Do you have access to RODI water?
If you are using regular tap water with dechlorinator then you should check it for phosphates. They will often be through the roof.

Do you have hard water?
Do you use softening salts on it?
If you are using tap water, do you get it before or after the softener?

If your incoming water is really rough, a 6 stage RODI will be much more efficient in the long run. It is money well spent. The 2 extra canisters will greatly reduce the total number of cartridges you go through over time.

Just grasping at straws here because I don't know your entire situation other than you said he don't have a local LFS for things like water, etc.
[emoji846]

About the sand. If you have been overfeeding and have not been siphoning the sand to clean it when you doing water changes, or haven't been doing water changes at least every other week with 'good' water, then your sand bed is probably a (full) toilet.

I started my first salt water tank January 1, 2012.
I had a 6" deep sand bed when I first started. It provides amazing buffering capabilities.
I was able to grow stoney's and LPS for the first few years.
I had no idea what I was doing but the deep sand bed made everything possible. (For a while!)
It was sugar sand. I didn't realize the amount of filth that would fit between those minuscule grains of sand.
After about 3 years the sand bed was fully saturated and everything started to die.

I didn't realize that the sandbed had been doing all the work for me and that was the reason I was able to grow anything I wanted!

Send beds are like a kitchen sponge. Once they are fully saturated, they can't do any more, except drip out the mess inside.

When you do your water changes, locate the nassarius so you don't hurt it, then siphon the sand just like you would the gravel in a fresh water aquarium. You might be amazed at what come out.

I know you said there are no local LFS. What part of the country do you live in?

Top photo is before I could do no wrong. (I was the $5 frag king [emoji6])
Middle is mid disaster.
Lower is current photo.

BTW, I went bare bottom after emptying and redoing the aquarium. Without the buffering ability of the 6" sand bed I can no longer grow sps well.
Tank is now strictly softies and easy LPS because that is what I have time for.
[emoji846]

 

[Ulee]

The little bit of success in midst of turmoil kept me going. Algae can, and will be prolific in a new system...for example , 1 year old tank, (new tank syndrome) .

Don't get too caught up in numbers and use your eyes, simple is good, don't take on more than u can handle.

 

[LadyMac]

Thank you all for the encouragement and advice. I wanted to post my numbers the other day, but with the holiday things were stressful .my fridge went out ruining our food and my frozen food. My numbers as of this morning are:

Temp is 72. My house is heated via kerosene so it's a bit chillier than I like. I may move the heater to the display .
Ammonia is zero. API
Nitrite is zero. API
Nitrate is still 4 . Red Sea
pH is 8.4 API
Phosphate is 0.01 Red Sea
Calcium is 360 API
Kh is 8. API
SG is 1.016. swing arm hydrometer. Was tested beside a refractometer and was accurate but idk now. I had ordered a refractometer twice, from two different companies and neither showed. No money refunded on either also. Sigh. My mg test is out of date so I'm not even bothering with it. The titer syringe is also bet at the tip now, unsure how that happened but I wouldn't trust it anyhow as I'm sure it would give false readings.

So that's my numbers as of this morning. I cleaned the sump sock, skimmer cup, pad in the surface skimmer and the pad in the hob overflow this morning.

When I feed, it's minimal. The food has a spoon and I'll attach a photo of the amount I feed the fish. Also pics of the tank and the sump. And one of the palythoas :)

 

[Ashish Patel]

Hair algae is not a problem because its free food and the same thing that fuels it will fuel your corals growth and health, after all they half algae half amazing. Get 4 medium to large size turbo snails you won't see algae in your tank again. A problem would be having coral eating pest and algaes/bacterias nothing eats such as dinos, cyano, etc. Getting rid of hair algae by lowering nutrients will lead to other issues so always try to find something that eats the nuisances so it can cycle the nutrients back in to the system, feed the corals, and end up in your skimmer cup later.

 

[Ashish Patel]

Hair algae is not a problem because its free food and the same thing that fuels it will fuel your corals growth and health, after all they half algae half amazing. Get 4 medium to large size turbo snails you won't see algae in your tank again. Having coral eating pest and algaes that nothing eats (dinos, cyano, etc), now those would require some evaluation to your husbandry and setup but Hair algae is a good thing.

 

[Webslinger]

+1

 

[Heart of Dixie]

What keeps me going? I like having a project and with a reef tank there are always projects in one state or another. I enjoy the research when things go out of whack or reading about the new "method of the month club". My challenge to myself is how to keep it simple and as natural as possible without dumping a bunch of snake oil in and hoping for the best. There will always be challenges but that is what makes us better reefers. My tank will never be perfect, far from it. The pleasure comes when the grandchildren stand there and watch the unique mix of fish, inverts, corals and the relationships they have. It is much better than being a couch potato.

 

[Bj’s Reef]

I like the challenge. When I see all the amazing tanks some people have. I think to myself if one person can do it another one can to. I know if I keep at it, I will accomplish what I set out to do with time. Besides I have had fish since the 9th grade. No reason to stop now I’m to old and stubborn.

 

[Ashish Patel]

Heart of dixie - you made a interesting point. I thought once my son was born I may not have time, but seeing him at 4 month staring at the tank with amazement has increased my love for the hobby more than I thought was possible. Added benefit is with a new born only essential things are done to the tank. Avoiding unnecessary adjustments and tinkering has resulting in increase growth I thought was not possible. :)