I'm thinking about quitting....

[Xtasia]

Seriously...

My tanks are doing, ok. but I am seriously thinking about quitting because this hobby is seriously addicting and expensive to boot.

I think about all the money I could have to spend on clothes and entertainment if I didn't keep fish... The space in my living room I'd have, if I got rid of the tanks, and how nicely I could decorate my living room...

Instead, I live with a cramped up living room, icky clothes, and yucky food (in an effort to save money.. my fish get filtered water, and special frozen high quality foods, while I eat KD.. something is wrong here).

I don't think I can afford to come back into the hobby if I quit... and also I think about all the wonderful people who have helped me get my tanks where it is today... I never expected the hobby to change for me the way it has in 1 year. I have so many 'Fish friends' now... and I know that if I ever needed help (with my tank) they would be right there with me....

I dunno... I'll keep people posted if I decide to sell my stuff off..

[Xtasia]

And my fish have ick and I'm a loss at how to treat them... I'm not sure the Q tank, garlic, UV sterilizer and hyposalinty is working.. I don't want to use copper :(

[muck]

Instead of "quitting" why not just down-size to one tank.

[Beverly]

Instead of "quitting" why not just down-size to one tank.

Exactly what I was thinking. You could still have a tie to the reef community, but you wouldn't be spending near as much money by keeping one tank. And, you'd have more time, space and money for yourself.

[trilinearmipmap]

Go to one tank, and start propagating frags so you will earn cash or trade so your hobby will be partially self-sustaining.

[AJ_77]

Yup, DOWN-size! heck of a plan... :biggrin:

I know how you feel, and you need to be OK with adjusting some priorities. I mean, they're fish, right?

Go buy yourself some new clothes! :mrgreen:

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Ivy,

Hope you don't quit completely. After all, it was your tank that inspired Irene to want one of her own to set up. I may be a little bit (just a tiny weensy bit) bias but I think if you sold off your fw tanks & just kept your sw tank, it would free up a lot of room & time.

Anthony

[Invigor]

I thought about quitting, but then I realized I would have nothing to do without my fish tank. There is no way I could live without it now. It takes a while to get over the cold feet thing, but it's easy once you accept that nothing will make you want to quit. :)

[Dez]

my reefing community here won't let me quit :eek: I've thought about it too. I sold off all my tanks and now I'm down to one in the basement and I lost a couple of huge colonies of sps during the move and it'd be so easy just to sell the rest off. I don't even look at the tank too much since it's temporarily in the basement...

Hmmmm..

des

[kuatto]

I agree with the rest,just downsize to one tank.I too thought about selling everything off,but realised I'd go crazy without a reef tank :eek: I understand all to well about the finances(bills,child support,loans.... :frown: )but if you think about it you could keep a tank fairly cheaply if kept basic.Don't give up :biggrin:

[Fish]

I thought I was the only one that was going the wrong direction in this hobby.
When our second child was born, I downsized from a 90gal reef to a 23gal/20sump. Now that we are expecting again, I sold that and am now left with my 2gal nano.
A smaller tank costs very little to run and takes up hardly any room. My little nano is still big enough to amaze me with its life; plus, it's my passkey into a club of really great people, can't give that up. :smile:

[Xtasia]

My saltwater is 65g.. .and I've been thinking I'll sell the high maintainence corals... the montipora which takes up too much space, and the pineapple coral that requires feeding.. (gorgeous but takes too much work to feed..)

Well... I kinda have a "small tank" by the standards of most people on this msg board... I can't really afford to downsize as I'll have to get strong lights for the new smaller tanks...

My frog spawn melted today <sighs> everything looks droppy and unhappy, except the clams.. Maybe its my water...

My fish have ick and I feel its all my fault. like i"M a bad mother for not doing something super amazing to cure it. So helpless. Yes its my first time with Ick... It's like if I earned more money I could buy more equipment which would maket he tank run better... I could afford the actinics. I could afford a proper UV sterilizer... etc...

So an option would be to get rid of the 4 FW tanks... right? well they are all a set up for my breeding FW angels.. need to find people who would be willing to take them and take care of them well...

I have a hard time giving away/selling livestock because I feel accountable for their lives...

yeah I sound like I'm complaining. Thanks for your support.. just a difficult time that I have to work through... I know you've all been here.

[Ryan]

If you get out I may be interested in your lighting.

[christyf5]

Nice, Ryan :rolleyes:

Xtasia,

I totally hear you. Practically all the spare money I have goes into my tank, whether it be for normal maintenance (ie. salt, reactor media, food) or big ticket items ( I just got an Euroreef and it was worth every penny :wink:). The inside of a mall?? Haven't seen it in months! My shoe collection has taken a hit over the past few years and I've been buying alot of my clothes at costco, hey if I get that $20 pair of jeans I'll have more money to spend on fish right??


I don't know how long you've been in the hobby but having the best equipment etc isn't necessarily the answer. Its just having equipment that does its job well. I didn't *need* a Euroreef skimmer, but the skimmer I had previously just wasn't cutting it. My tank is faring much better since I made the switch. Eventually you will come to a point where you'll have all the equipment and then you won't *need* to buy it (well unless you're like me and buy it anyway :razz:). I know I've been at the point you are for the better part of a year, waffling on whether to just sell everything and go to Mexico. I've had horrible algae problems and huge livestock losses (corals) but I stuck it out. And, well into my third hour of pulling caulerpa out of my tank, I'm still shaking my head and wondering why I didn't get out while I had the chance :wink:


Ok as for your ick situation. I don't know what kind of fish you have but if you aren't already feeding garlic (kent garlic extreme stinks up the place but it works). You may want to get yourself down to J&L and buy a couple of those neon gobies they have on sale there (I think they're $14.95 each). They're darn cute and they do a pretty good job of picking all the ick off your fish. I had a couple and they were simply amazing! For the longest time I couldn't figure out why they were the only ones that had ick until I saw them eating it off all of the other fish. So make sure you keep feeding the garlic. This is just an idea I had off the top of my head, you may not want to introduce any more fish to your tank, especially in an ick situation

Remember, hobbies are supposed to be fun, at least thats what it says in the books so it must be true right? :wink:

Christy :)

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Yeah Ivy. Hang in there. Some of us locals can give you a hand getting things back under control so you can enjoy this addiction again. BTW, I know what you mean about all your $$ going into the tanks. And I sympathize with the space issue, but that's why its called an addiction.

Ryan, your "oh so thoughtful" words of encouragement are beyond belief. :rolleyes:

Anthony

[Xtasia]

Thanks for the encouragement..

The tank took a dive today... but SeahorseFanatic, Tigger and Griffin were over at my place lickety split to help me fix the problem... Lost the green pinkFrogspawn I FELL IN LOVE WITH that I bought from Pocilopora (first coral to die by my hands) and am feeling pretty down... Still have the ick problem to deal with once I get my water levels fixed up... But I have to admit.. it's pretty nice to have friends to count on... 4 hours of help from people who have little to nothing to gain from helping me... now that's pretty incredible....

[Majestic_Aquariums]

Would be a shame to see another member quit. That ick thing is so frustrating, eh? Seems like you try so hard to provide a healthy environment, and it can still happen. Not sure if anyone does this much here, but have you ever tried the freshwater bath? It has helped in the past with our ick situations. none the less, it sucks to treat safely.
I always kinda thought that the bath was maybe "inhumane" for the fish, but they all felt better afterwards. Just a thought.

We were in the same boat. Debating getting rid of the marine system. Sold it all for a good price, and now regret it. So, we are going to buy again! Don't quit all together, you will most-likely regret it! Maybe a 25 gal or 33 gal?

I am quite surprised though that so many others have thought of quitting in the past-but it can be frustrating to say the least!

Hang in there, and good luck with the ick!

[danny zubot]

Ryan said, If you get out I may be interested in your lighting.


Anthony said, Ryan, your "oh so thoughtful" words of encouragement are beyond belief.

Reminds me of another member from the Taber area from a while back. :confused: Anyone guess who?

[Xtasia]

Casualties... so far...

4 inch Blue Maxima Clam
7 inch Purple Monti cap
1 yellow sun coral, baseball sized.
1 orange sun coral, baseball sized.
3 hairy mushrooms
1 sinulara
2 small colonies of Zooanthids.
1 Greenish Ricordia
2 Frags Kenya Tree
4 x 6 patch of GSP
4 head (10 branches) Frogspawn
Green Caulerpa
Potters Angel.. (probably mort tonight.. he was laying flat panting on the sand this morning)

(sighs)

[christyf5]

Whats going on?? That ain't right. We gotta fix this. Is it algae? water?

Can you post a rundown of your tank specs?

Are you using RODI?

Additives??


Christy :)

[Willow]

ivy if you need me to babysit some coral until you figure out whats going on send me a pm.

[Xtasia]

Salinity was too low... fixed now but dmg is done.. stuff is dying off now...

Hoping that some things survive..

[christyf5]

How low was it and how quickly did you fix it??

[Xtasia]

ugh dont' ask....

I'm too ashamed.

[Troy F]

Speaking from experience; don't quit. If you have the bug it won't go away and you'll end up buying a bunch of equipment to start up again. It's freakin' expensive.

[christyf5]

Aww that sucks :neutral: Ok Vancouver people!! Get in there with some frag donations!! :mrgreen:

Christy :)

[snailbuddy]

I agree with the rest, I know it's expensive, but downsize . . . maybe you need to get one of your buddies into the hobby - hee hee - it can really get you motivated when you see an absolute newbie in awe and watch them spend alllllll their money on their tank! You could even offer to sell off some of your own stuff, just to help them out - this works for me! Also, I try to "McQuiver" equipment . . . I loved the Getto Tank thing, must be my brother from another mother! Believe me, I quit for years - didn't even sell everything, just GAVE it away, swore I'd never get into it again . . . now I'm back with a vengence, bought and scrounged stuff, and trying to figure out how to get this new thingy for my tank while Revenue Canada is trying to figure out how to get huge money from me! Ouch! Stick with it, it'll never end anyway!

[Chad]

When your back up and running I can donate some corals for you. Like frogspawn and some leathers, ricordia etc..

Hope it all works out for you

[LostMind]

I only have sps... When your tank recovers, message me and I'll find some frags for you.

whats your tank specs? I'm sure with the collective knowledge on this board, we can solve your tank probs and get you rolling back in top form...

[megatron_55]

Dang . . . :eek: Hang in there . . . !! Nice that other people helped u out with ur situation . . . Ur tank was awesome! and the clams!!

But anyhow . . . hope u get things back in order and when u do . . . Give me a shout and you can have a bunch of my zoo frags . . .

Don't give up . . . if anything . . . maybe downgrade. . . and thats a BiG MaYbE . . .

Need any other help Im available weekends . . . just pm me aights . . .

ChEeRs-

eMJay

[vanreefer]

I'm Good for some frags as well PM when your good to go
Dano

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Ivy,

When your tank is ready & you feel like having more corals again, I'll have some gift bags ready for you. Hopefully the TurboTwist UV will help you at least get rid of the ick.

It's the least Irene & I can do for your efforts in organizing the Aquarium tour.

Your Reefing neighbour,

Anthony

[Zerandise]

I can kick in some frags as well. I dont have much but what i have will be a good starting spot :)

[Xtasia]

No sympathy post, this is just an update for the concerned parties who were wondering what is up with the tank..

Pineapple Coral, Toadstool, and Potters Angel are dead...

Starting to hate coming into my living room coz I'll find something else dead in the tank..

Everything else is looking to be perking up... except the Brazilian Gramma.. Still has ALOT of Ick, and I don't know how to help it... shoudl I catch it and FW dip it? Isn't that more trauma after all this stress? Suggestions? (also catching it would require me to move around 80lbs of live rock.. thus restarting my cycle and stressing out my other fish...)

I think my Cleaner shrimp died in the salinity adjustment. I haven't seen them in a while...

[Ryan]

IF the brazilian gramma allowed the cleaner to clean him i would definatly pick another up. Or go with a neon goby. THey are hardy and will take care of ich. If you dont want it eventualy it wouldnt be hard to get rid of. :biggrin:

[shadowboy]

I would definatley give the gramma a FW dip. I did this with mine and it responded really well to it. make sure to balance the PH and the temp. Mine gramma is one of the easiest fish to catch, dont know about yours. hope the tank pulls through and none of it is your fault.

tb

[Veng68]

If you are going to be doing the freshwater dip......... I have some buffer powder (sodium carbonate) that you can have to increase the pH of the freshwater you are going to use for the dip. Just let me know & I will bring it on Sunday.

Cheers,
Vic [veng68]

[Xtasia]

no worries.. Gramma died today... trying to save clowns and tang now... <sighs>

[Willow]

/me hugs ivy

[Chad]

no worries.. Gramma died today... trying to save clowns and tang now... <sighs>

Are they dieing from Ick? or just dieing for no reason?

[Veng68]

no worries.. Gramma died today... trying to save clowns and tang now... <sighs>

How many fish do you have left? Is it possible to set up a hospital tank and treat the fish for ich and leave the main display empty of fish for 4+ weeks so that the ich can run it's cycle?

Cheers,
Vic[veng68]

[EmilyB]

Ivy, is there no one around you that can take these fish to a healthier place until you figure this out??

[Xtasia]

Fish are in a Hyposalinty Hospital tank right now...

Lemon Clown Goby (no copper coz of this little guy)
2 Clowns
1 Tang
1 Carpenter's wrasse
1 Green Wrasse
1 Firefish.

UV is on the hypo tank, and I'm feeding garlic and selcon soaked mysis. Planning on keeping up regular water changes in the main tank to remove some of the tormonts. Is there anything else I can do?

[Veng68]

Fish are in a Hyposalinty Hospital tank right now...

Lemon Clown Goby (no copper coz of this little guy)
2 Clowns
1 Tang
1 Carpenter's wrasse
1 Green Wrasse
1 Firefish.

UV is on the hypo tank, and I'm feeding garlic and selcon soaked mysis. Planning on keeping up regular water changes in the main tank to remove some of the tormonts. Is there anything else I can do?

Sounds like you are doing a good job of it......... just remember not to reintroduce your fish back to the main tank for 4+ weeks so that the ich has had time to clear up.

Are you doing freshwater dips?

Cheers,
Vic[veng68]

[muck]

Sounds like you are doing a good job of it......... just remember not to reintroduce your fish back to the main tank for 4+ weeks so that the ich has had time to clear up.
make that 6+ weeks!!

[LostMind]

Yah, let that tank lie fallow until the ick is all dead.