should I just pack it in???

[Snappy]

Originally Posted by Johnny Reefer

What about downsizing to, say, a 70g?
I've heard of this as being a positive solution that has worked for others.

And also, along the lines of what Willito suggests, downsizing the livestock per gallon ratio would be a plus too.

Cheers,

Can't bring myself to do a downsizing. I know it is a viable suggestion but I know I would pack it too tight as well. I was thinking more along the line of a 230 gal with a 120 gal sump and 30 gal fuge. My problem is being able to take the time to actually do it.
Thanks,

[Johnny Reefer]

Well, whatever you do, good luck.
I feel your pain. I've been fighting with a similar decision myself lately, for various reasons. Money. Work. Expensive upgrades needed to do the hobby right (repetitive Cyano lately). Plus this increasing desire to get my butt in some airplane seats and go travelling. It's hard to walk away from it, but for me it's the right decision and I'll be keeping all my tanks in storage and will get back into it in a few years.

Anyway, sorry to hijack your thread, just that I've been thinkin' similar thoughts and I couldn't resist expressing them here.

Cheers,

[TheReefGeek]

If you already have 12K in, go buy an RODI unit, and setup an auto-top off system too.

Do you have a refugium?

What skimmer are you using, and what is your gallons?

[Delphinus]

I feel your pain. Once the setup starts a downward trend it can be a very tough task to turn things around. This last year, possibly year and a bit, has been one of the toughest on me in the hobby so far and I've been in the game closing in on ten years.

Going to a bigger system is my plan as well, I think the idea has merit, the question is what to do in the meantime. You could consider selling off some stock, it will help in the finances department to get the next system going, but the real benefit is if it buys you some time to limp along in the interim.

I've been battling the same questions myself, and have come incredible close to saying "this is enough" on several occasions. I still haven't ruled it out to be honest, I have a 280g sitting on my basement floor that I was going to develop my basement around, and I'm having the hardest time motivating myself to get on with it.

Hearing that Enmax utilities are going up 21 per cent in July ($21 for every $100 .. not good ... that means my bill is going to go up at least $60) is going to hurt. A lot.

You have managed to make yourself a nice system, hang in there. Sometimes you just need to shake things up a bit. If you're anything like me, you'll miss it if you quit outright. Good luck with whatever you decide.

The other thing to keep in mind is that it's summer right now, and it's easy to think about stopping when it's summer. But for the 18 months of the year that it's not summer, it's nice to have a slice of the tropics in your house to keep your sanity..

[TheReefGeek]

You could sell off all your livestock and live rock, and try keeping a nano for now. That in turn might spike your interest for a larger tank again.

I have found with a bigger tank it is much more difficult to "recover" after things slip away. When my tank crashed from the bad batch of instant ocean salt, and I lost all my fish but one, and 90% of my corals, I almost packed it in. But finally, now, after almost 8 months, my tank is healthy again, and I am glad I kept at it. It was so tough watching a tank covered in hair algae for months and months though. Now if I could just kill off the aiptasia buggers that got a foothold, I would be even better!

Anyhow you could try a nano for a while, just an idea.

[Joe Reefer]

I feel your pain Snappy.

[muck]

Anything I can help with Greg?

[Snappy]

Thanks for your input and ideas everyone. I think the RODI unit is in the cards p.d.q. and I'll see if that helps. I am still leaning towards the upgrade but am not sure what to do with my stuff while the new system is under construction. Seems crazy to sell it off only to have to go buy new stuff when it's done, especially considering I can fill the new tank with what I have. I need to figure out how to store my corals while I setup and aquascape the new tank. Oh yeah then there is the cycling time to consider. Since I have at least 400 lbs of LR, I likely won't be adding much new rock, so I am hoping that the cycle period will be fairly breif. However much of the surface rock is encrusted so that will have to wait.
Any ideas?