Ever feel like giving up?

neoh · #1 01-21-2014, 08:54 AM

Man. I'm just at my wits end.

This hobby, though I do enjoy it, seems to be a never ending headache. When it's good, it's good - when it's bad, it's bad. I'm just worried that some day all the bad is going to catch up and wipe out everything I have, and I really don't think I can stomach it.

Over the past 8 months I've had pump failures, kalk dumps, RODI malfunctions causing floor damage, skimmer overflows and backups, plumbing leaks, overflow leaks, GFCI trips, light malfunctions, timer malfunctions, low pH, salinity swings, velvet outbreak, ich outbreak (saved most of my livestock), RFN, and this never ending hair algae, and now aptasia, no matter how hard I try to fight it, despite my best efforts. And most of my corals have never had full polyp extension. Not to mention the money, and the time invested.

Sometimes do you just need to know when to quit?

JmeJReefer · #2 01-21-2014, 11:45 AM

I've had a brutal battle with caulerpa algae. So I'm starting over. Save Wut I can.
We all know the risks of reefing, and if the hobby becomes a burden, time to take a breather....imo

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Slyguy00 · #3 01-21-2014, 01:30 PM

Giving up is for the weak!

FishyFishy! · #4 01-21-2014, 01:34 PM

I have to say there is probably one of these threads a week! lol.

Yes the hobby is one of the more frustrating ones out there. But keep with it. And eventually you, your equipment and your fishy friends will find some sort of harmony lol.

mrhasan · #5 01-21-2014, 01:36 PM

It's just tough love.......

Reef Pilot · #6 01-21-2014, 01:43 PM

This hobby is all about mistakes and your ability to learn from them. Even better, if you can learn from the mistakes of others. Those that can't or think they know better are doomed...

lockrookie · #7 01-21-2014, 02:23 PM

Every battle has casualties. Just recently threw out a ton of coral due to a massive outbreak of hair algea.

I've flooded my floors made it rain in my basement ruined carpets. It's all part of the process. You haven't lived until you've swallowed saltwater or gotten skimmate all over yourself.

Keep at it get info to help win your battles. You can win

Dearth · #8 01-21-2014, 02:48 PM

In the Salt Water hobby everybody goes through this phase often more than once I've been through it twice myself in the short time I've been in the hobby but persevered through it.

As someone else posted there is regular posts on here about people being frustrated and I have found that this community is great at helping a person through tough times best therapy there is let it out your not alone as I said everybody goes through this at least once in the hobby.

gqlmao · #9 01-21-2014, 03:17 PM

I had battled nuisance hair algae of all types and colors, red, green, blue for over a year... It got to the point where I was going to throw in the towel. I was so frustrated nothing I did made it go away. I kept at it, and over the course of 2-3 painful high maintenance months of hand pruning, GFO changing, heavy water changes I eventually gotten it down to an amount where I can keep under control with a few turbo snails. Nothing feels better than looking at the rock now and seeing it being clean and pristine knowing a year a ago it was a hair algae nest. There's always a source to the problem, but there may not be a single solution, I found that out the hard way.

MitchM · #10 01-21-2014, 03:50 PM

If I have a biological problem (algae, cyano, aiptasia, weak coral growth, ect) I'll try and learn all I can about it, because obviously conditions are favorable for it.

If I have a problem with equipment, it's gives me an incentive to simplify things and focus on buying quality.

Hang in there, you'll figure it out. I'm trying my first hi tech planted tank and having my own learning curve with that.