What to do with my hobby...

[LordJoshaeus]

Hi all! I have had a rough month with my freshwater aquariums...first off, the PH of my tap water fell to 6, my tank water followed suite, and the cycle in most of my tanks crashed, triggering a disease outbreak that wiped out many of my fish. When I asked my freshwater forum about minimum KH levels to maintain a stable cycle (I had started adding baking soda to my tank water to keep the PH and KH up) someone on there berated me mercilessly, discouraging me further...and as of Saturday the 22nd my mom and stepdad are divorcing and we are moving out of my house into an apartment, which has forced me to get rid of most of my remaining fish so that I can move successfully (I've already rehomed 150+ endler's livebearers, for example). Yesterday night while cleaning my room I was feeling so discouraged and angry I considered abandoning the hobby completely...I'm no longer feeling that way, but I still feel lost as to what I am going to do with my hobby. Here is what I currently have;
-2 male 1 possible female paradise fish (doing quite well, currently my favorite fish, temporarily sharing a 5 gallon until after the move).
-A bunch of medaka in some outdoor water gardens (I'll rehome at least some of them)
-A dying group of pseudomugil luminatus (I have no clue why they are dying...the QT tank was cycled when they arrived, but they have been dying one by one without any obvious symptoms and I soon won't have any at this rate. Very discouraging)
-Several walter worm colonies (as live food for fry)
-Several vinegar eel colonies (as live food for fry)
This isn't strictly a saltwater question, but I'd like some ideas...once I'm settled into our new apartment, where should I go with my hobby? The 80 gallons of indoor tanks I had before my stepdad decided to divorce my mom was excessive, so I'd like to stick with no more than about 40 gallons of tankage. The paradise fish will need at least a ten long term in my opinion (some would argue they need more), the ricefish are flexible (a five gallon would probably work for a group), and the pseudomugils will probably be dead before too long (their 5 gallon QT tank will lay fallow for at least a month before I add anything else). Thanks :)

 

[Fish Fan]

Hi all! I have had a rough month with my freshwater aquariums...first off, the PH of my tap water fell to 6, my tank water followed suite, and the cycle in most of my tanks crashed, triggering a disease outbreak that wiped out many of my fish. When I asked my freshwater forum about minimum KH levels to maintain a stable cycle (I had started adding baking soda to my tank water to keep the PH and KH up)

I'm sorry you're having some trouble with your tanks; we've all been there

I read your whole post, and I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but I am confident that your cycle did not "crash". That simply can't happen to a running, mature tank either fresh or saltwater.

There's no practical relationship that I can think of between KH and your tank's cycle.

A pH of 6 is not bad, most of the fish you've mentioned prefer lower pH, softer water. You can raise pH by adding a little aragonite sand (like saltwater sand or crushed coral) or some small pieces of aragonite rubble, which will dissolve and raise your pH (if even needed).

It sounds like you're going to have to cut back on tanks when you move. I would first test and see what your tap water is like at the new apartment. One thing that helped me is by cutting my tap water 50%/50% with RODI filtered water. You may not have an RODI filter, but you could use gallons of distilled water you can buy at any grocery store or pharmacy. Check Walmart too.

I have not tried this, but recently I've been wondering if you could use Walmart's Great Value Drinking Water for softer water fish. I need to grab a jug and test it, but I suspect it would be a fine water to use for fish like Betta instead of tap water.

I hope this helps and good luck!

 

[get-salty]

Solid advise from Fish Fan.

Unless you keep fish that comes from high ph environment like cihlids is one, your water should be good enough for most fresh water fish.

if you're asking us for some advise on what you should do after many "failures" ... then i would have to say no, dont.
Keep one or two tanks where you can put more time into them, use what you know, and move forward.

good lucky and happy freshwater.

 

[Michael Hughes]

I'm sorry to hear about all you're having to deal with.

As for the causes, I'm not convinced a drop in pH would cause a cycle crash (bacteria are too resilient) or a disease outbreak. Untreated tap water could cause problems if it contains chlorine or chloramines, though.

Your question seems to be about moving forward. I would find what brings you the most joy and only keep those. I've had times with 20+ tanks, and now with my work schedule and a toddler, I've had to cut back. Now I only keep one freshwater tank and I'm doing it the way that brings me joy (a real blackwater tank). Keeping it simple this way actually has helped me enjoy the freshwater side of the hobby more than I ever have.

So find what you like best and stick with it. Don't be discouraged! Life comes in seasons, right? Do your best to let your hobby bring you joy - not stress - in this season of change.

 

[Baldyreef]

@Michael Hughes couldn't have said it better with his advice on moving forward, I'm a bit late to this thread and don't really have much advice that the others haven't said already, remember the things we love most test us the hardest, your doing a great job and best of luck with the tanks, I'm rooting for you!

 

[ckirby]

At one point in my hobby journey I had 6 tanks freshwater and saltwater. Downsizing to one tank that I can put ALL of my focus and energy into has brought me more joy than dividing my time and attention to all those systems. For me saltwater has more components I can perfect long term but maybe freshwater does that for you. Don’t give up if it’s something you are still passionate about.