What issue would you/have you torn down a tank over?

[TeresaRN]

Alright! Let's have a new question of the day!Thanks to @Latte for this one!

It seems that the reef hobby has advanced to the point that most issues can generally be dealt with or at least managed. However, we still see threads regularly where some of the pests and problems we face can ultimately lead to a tank tear down (or worse, someone completely calling it quits). Dealing with some of the things we face can be a long and arduous road. What has been your story?

1. What issue have you torn down a tank over?
2. What did you decide to do, and how has that worked for you since?

OR

3. Alternatively, if you haven't had to tear a tank down, what issue do you think would put you there?

@Bacon505's beautiful reef! His reef was featured as our Reef of the Month in November 2021!

Alright! Let's have a new question of the day! Thanks to @Latte for this one!

It seems that the reef hobby has advanced to the point that most issues can generally be dealt with or at least managed. However, we still see threads regularly where some of the pests and problems we face can ultimately lead to a tank tear down (or worse, someone completely calling it quits). Dealing with some of the things we face can be a long and arduous road. What has been your story?

1. What issue have you torn down a tank over?
2. What did you decide to do, and how has that worked for you since?

OR

3. Alternatively, if you haven't had to tear a tank down, what issue do you think would put you there?

@Bacon505's beautiful reef! His reef was featured as our Reef of the Month in November 2021!

Tank Scratches! I have a 125 acrylic about 4 years old. Purchased used. I have buffed out the scratches many times. I’ve done it while the tank is full. I would go through the grit sizes and it would improve. But ultimately the scratches keep coming back with a vengeance. I’m afraid I’m going to buff a hole through the tank.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

Never torn a tank down for a reefing problem. Only to move or buy bigger.
So I voted other

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

I had a 90 gallon that I couldn’t keep any Inverts in. No Crabs, Shrimp would last more than a month. Even my Copepods and Amphipods disappeared. This did not effect Sponges, Urchins, Anemone, Tunicates and Simple Sponges and Corals. I pulled all the Substrate out of the tank, and replaced it. The problem went away. I blamed it on the Iron in my well wate.

 

[shakacuz]

Did you try flucanzole? Worked for me like a charm.

personally, trying to go the natural route. but i am inching towards using it. i got an order for reef flux just waiting to be used.

 

[1fishkeeper]

I am almost to the point of it due to red turf algae. It’s growing faster then I can kill it off and it’s been over growing my corals and killing them. Nothing I have done seems to work.

 

[AZL]

I think the only issue that would bring me to that point would be one that killed off all my fish, I think there's a good chance I'd be so upset I'd chuck it it. I've gotten through pretty bad cyano and the worst aiptasia invasion you can imagine - not phased by that stuff, I just identify what needs adjusting and keep chipping away at it until sorted.

 

[a;lksdjf]

Broke down my 45 gallon because of a parasite that I heavily suspect was uronema that came in from a baby scopas tang from LiveAquaria (put down your torches and pitchforks I was setting up my 150 gallon at the time, which is now up and running). Killed the tang, both of my wrasses, and my purple firefish, but I successfully treated my royal gramma and hawkfish with Seachem Metroplex and Focus as both a water treatment and medicated food. Now I run a uv sterilizer on the 150 and the gramma was one of the first fish in, along with a magnificent foxface which is quickly becoming one of my favorite fish I've ever kept.

 

[Sleepingtiger]

Outbreak of velvet killed almost all my fish. Including my asfur angel, flame angel, emperor angel, purple tang and many other fish.
while tank went fallow, a magnet on a tunze pump bursted and slowly poisoned my reef. Slowly killed all my coral. I had enough and sold the tank

 

[Rocketfish]

I have a tiny purple clove polyp that came in on a frag that I am considering tearing down the tank to redo everything. I have gotten through cyano, dinos, bubble algae, grape caleurpa, aptaisia, GHA, and likely a few other issues, but I just can't seem to kick this little clove polyp! I wish a file fish would eat it but he just eats zoa fringes!

Fortunately it's not in my main tank, but I can't even use this smaller tank as an effective coral quarantine tank because of this. I don't dare put anything from that tank in my display tank for fear of a contaminated frag plug etc.

Some people think it's pretty until I show them where the colony of utter chaos zoas used to be. It took over and smothered them!

Fireworks clove polyps seem to survive it as does GSP. The only thing that takes away its territory once it is established is a meteor shower cyphastria. It will overgrow the small clove polyps.

 

[pasquale petrovia]

Dinos twice

 

[DE FISH]

No… not yet but this white/clear film I’m getting on my glass and stuck in my wavemakers is pushing me

 

[vinnyvidivici92]

Freshwater- all the time. If ill get an algae problem after some effort to get rid of it I'm always down for a reset especially since i love rescaping frequently and its not that much of an effort

Salt- lucky to say no pests so far besides an absurd amount spiriod worms which i haven't worried about yet

BUT i definitely understand ppl doing resets i cant imagine having to deal with crazy aptasia

Im kinda the same situation except im preping to set up my first reef tank, but in freshwater black beard algae is the bane of my caradina and neocaradina shrimp tanks. Bothing i got would eat it and peroxidevdidnt make a dent

 

[Spicy Reef]

I've torn down my 10-gallon nano a few times in the last 7months for red cyano. it's so small that it seems easier than cleaning the sand haha. Cross my fingers have not had to tear down my 150g to date. have gone through algae bloom, my fault for adding too much macro all at once - powder blue took care of ALL of it, now I have no macro . Also, ongoing aiptasia maybe 2-3 pop up/month. Also, cyano snot that went away on its own? only thing I dose is live rock enhance and bacter 7

 

[Jekyl]

Close to changing out a ton of rock over GSP. Don't ever get it.

 

[Hermie]

if my biggest coral colonies died I'd probably tear down the tank

 

[Hermie]

FW. For some reason its hard. Unless you have co2, high flow, and dose its almost impossible for me to not fo get algae. Thats why I now keep reefs

Put 20 amano shrimp in there and you will not have algae. It's expensive upfront cost (about 60 dollars) for Freshwater which is known to have cheaper animals, but 20 amano shrimp will literally scavenge every nook and cranny and keep the algae at bay.

 

[bnord]

Re-did an office desk peninsula that was doing just fine except for a lush carpet of mossy hair algae that no combination of CUC and hand picking could keep up with - and others who viewed it weren't concerned but all I could see was frustration - and cleaned and peroxided the rocks and started over - but that was easy in a 15.

other challenge that we have is we have a 18 month old 180 and a 9 month old 90 mangrove/lagoon. Both tanks support LPS like weeds, but have spent way too much time and way much stomach acid on SPS to see them stagnant or die in the 180 only to move them to the 90 and see them turn around.
Shared water sources and common supplements etc between the two (with one big exception) and ICP tests that showed one big difference and that is use Marine Pure balls and cubes in the 180 and a sudden rise on ICP to of Al to 570ppb. So while not a breakdown I pulled out all the media, and significant WCs have brought the Al down to 50 ppb, and the SPS are SLOWLY stabilizing.

So I feel and understand the urges we all have to reset and realize I am far from the dire straights that many stories have portrayed, but my drive to have the same enthusiasm for the 180 as I have for 90s ability to grow SPS is giving me an itchy trigger finger.... first world problem....

 

[Eclyps19]

Currently in the process of tearing down my Red Sea Reefer 525XL

Thread here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/g...n-a-teardown-and-rebuild.871089/#post-9556713

I decided to hold off for another couple months, but... I officially decided today that it's time.

 

[Dburr1014]

My issue when I broke down a tank in 2007 that I couldn't seem to beat no matter what I did (and I did everything to try and beat it) was...... Divorce.

 

[Livebait44]

Alright! Let's have a new question of the day! Thanks to @Latte for this one!

It seems that the reef hobby has advanced to the point that most issues can generally be dealt with or at least managed. However, we still see threads regularly where some of the pests and problems we face can ultimately lead to a tank tear down (or worse, someone completely calling it quits). Dealing with some of the things we face can be a long and arduous road. What has been your story?

1. What issue have you torn down a tank over?
2. What did you decide to do, and how has that worked for you since?

OR

3. Alternatively, if you haven't had to tear a tank down, what issue do you think would put you there?

@Bacon505's beautiful reef! His reef was featured as our Reef of the Month in November 2021!

Yes, my ex wife