I'm close

[EmilyB]

I don't think I've ever been this close to calling it quits after eight years in the hobby.

My FOWLR is a $*&$^%_) mess, we've been without any real circulation for so long, and the battle with the cyano and seeing the amount of detritus in there is giving me nightmares.

My 67g is finally my good growing SPS tank, and now I have flatworms, and aiptasia going nuts.

I'm tired. I'd like a holiday.

We don't have the tech knowledge we need to, and it doesn't seem there is anyone out there reliable enough to hire to solve our equipment maintenance problems. We buy things, like the mixing station from medican, but then we have no idea how to hook it up.

I'm frustrated, sick and tired.

[Delphinus]

I'm not sure what to say. To be honest I feel your pain so I'm the worst person to give a pep talk. I plod on some days because it's easier than taking a stand. 9 years in the hobby for me now too. Moving my tanks when I moved was the worst thing I could ever have done because I took one of the nicest tanks I ever saw and made it one of the worst tanks I ever saw. Three years later I still don't have the problems licked. I don't know what to fix when I don't know what the problem is. It's like a tank gets to an age and it just can't sustain itself anymore. At least some things do OK but I miss my tank when it looked like this:


It hasn't looked like that in a long time.

I try to remember to focus on the things that are working, but it's hard not to notice the things that aren't. At least there are things that do make it worthwhile still, otherwise the towel would have been thrown in already.

Hang in there for now. Things always seem the worst before they start to get better. If you need help, ask. We're in this together.

[Ken]

Hi Deb, so sorry to hear news like that. I've been in the hobby for over 30 years, my life revolves around aquariums, whether it is mine or my maintenance client's tanks or even friends tank. It is part of my life, every days bring challenges and new things to learn and discovered. Everyone on this board brings excitement and joy as they share their aquariums with us. The good and the bad, we are always constantly battling it. We have support from everyone here. You have invested in 8 years of a great hobby that I can't imagine myself in giving up on. I read many of your posts and I can feel the passion you have in your aquarium and the sucess you have in keeping your fishes. Can you not find a maintenance company to help you when it gets overwhelmed? Many of my clients love their aquarium but leave the maintenance to us. What about downsizing to perhaps a small tank? I wish I was closer to you, so I could help you out, or perhaps someone close to you, like another member that is willing to help you out once in a while. Sometimes the simple system designs are the easier to look after. Your passion of 8 years in this hobby is most respected by me. Here wishing luck in whatever decision you have. Regards Ken

[woodcarver]

Hey EmilyB , I see from the previous post, you are Deb. I have not posted much but have been logging on for quite a while now and getting info for my eventual return to S.W.
I have regarded you as a regular contributor and have greatly appreciated your input , generously shared knowledge and experiences.
Your predicament is understandable and very stressful. I just hope you can hang in there and bring things around.
Good luck .........................Dave

[Beverly]

OMG, I'm totally frustrated with our 120g as well. Not only do we have some unknown type of slimy-type, baby-poop coloured algae that's slowly spreading, but all of a sudden we have 1/4" hair algae on the back glass and on the BB. I've got 50 snails coming that will hopefully clear up the hair algae, but who even knows what the slimy stuff is??!?

We have done two weekly 10% water changes last week instead of the weekly 15%, and may continue to do two per week in the coming weeks.

Also, we've been having various species of valonia show up in small patches. I HATE valonia It can take over a whole tank in no time So, every few weeks, we take down one side of the tank or the other, and chip off a small chunk of rock the valonia's growing on, so the valonia doesn't break and spread even further

And for the past two weeks, our fairy wrasse won't even swim on the left side of the tank. This fish OWNED the tank, but for some reason he's not swimming around like he used to. He eats well, but he's just not his old self. Husband thinks he may have been stung by the two BTAs on the left side, but that just doesn't explain his not revelling in the caves on that side of the tank well below the BTAs

Originally Posted by EmilyB

My FOWLR is a $*&$^%_) mess, we've been without any real circulation for so long, and the battle with the cyano and seeing the amount of detritus in there is giving me nightmares.

Is your FOWLR BB? If so, weekly siphoning will remove the detritus down to manageable levels. Make sure to baste the crud off the rock and from under the rock structures for best removal. If not, have you considered going BB to decrease detritus? I know it's a lot of work going BB, but in the end, you may have helped solved some problems.

And why not add a powerhead or two to increase circulation? That sounds like a pretty easy fix

Originally Posted by EmilyB

My 67g is finally my good growing SPS tank, and now I have flatworms, and aiptasia going nuts.

Ack! Flatworms are horrible. Have you tried Flatworm Exit?

We have some teeny aiptasia on one of our rocks. They're not big enough yet, but soon I will be injecting them with calcium chloride to get rid of them.

Taken all together, all the problems you describe sound overwhelming But taken one at a time, you can probably tackle them all and come out the other end with new problems to solve I think that's the way it is when we're reefing so long.

Good luck

[Skimmer Juice]

Sounds like you are not spending enough time on your tanks. Apatasia is an easy problem to solve, so is cyano. I have a fowlr with 3 puffers and a giant parrot wrasse. No problems, you just need to spend more time caring for your fish. Take some time to clean your tank.

[Delphinus]

I think that's unfairly harsh. We don't know how much time someone spends on their tanks and frankly it's not really anyone else's business anyhow. Besides I don't know anyone who cares more for her fish than Deb.

When problems compound one another it can seem insurmountable. It sounds like you haven't been overwhelmed yet and for that you can consider yourself lucky. You can take all the precautions, spend all the money, and still not avoid it one day, suddenly you're looking at 2-3 (or more) problems at once and you don't know where to start tackling things.

In that case a person might need a little support or encouragement ... not a simple one line answer that says what they're doing wrong.

[danny zubot]

I've seen a few tanks lately that have fallen due to multiple issues, I'd hate to see another one. My best friend's tank was a valonia garden, and lost all of his lovestock due to a tank crash. In his case it was due to a lack of care, so he ripped it down. Three months later we are planning to revamp his entire system with all kinds of technology. It seems that looking at a bare tank in his house was worse than the troubled ecosystem he had before, and now he has a renewed desire to reef.

My point is don't through in the towel yet, you will regret it. Plus, once you do over come these obsticles you will have a wonderful sense of satisfaction.

Danny

[christyf5]

Deb, I know its hard but you can't look at your problems as a whole. You have to pick your battles one at a time. Thats what I've done with my tank and you of all people know what I've gone through as well. This hobby can be the most exciting rewarding hobby and it can also be the most frustrating pain in the arse you've ever had. I wish I could get out there and help you with this.

Ok so who cares about the flatworms, as long as they aren't eating your SPS they're not the worst of your problems. Try to siphon them out during water changes otherwise leave them unless you want to try to treat with FW Exit. The aiptasia you can try nuking with joes juice or kalk. Can you take some of the really affected rocks out and deal with them by more violent means Man I hate aiptasia.

As for the flow in your big tank. Have you thought at all about making a calfo manifold? Its that rectangular shaped PVC pipe that has outlets at different spots along the way to provide flow in various areas of your tank using a powerful pump. It sits on the top of your tank. If you could ouftit it in black PVC it wouldn't be as unsightly and you might even be able to attach it right under the eurobracing somehow. It can be pretty difficult to provide flow in such a long tank esp one that is viewed on 3 sides and has pendant lighting. What about a couple of those really powerful Tunzes, the ones that put out 5000 gph or something? Have one at either end of the tank? (again hard to hide the cord at the one end). Maybe those Vortech pumps?

The detritus is hard to keep up with in some BB tanks. I know its the bane of my existence. I siphon it out and theres more the next day. My fish are like cows, churnin out the poop. I can't keep up with it (stinky you are NOT allowed to comment here ). You just learn to live with it I guess.

Lets face it, we're our own worst critics when it comes to our tanks. Everyone else thinks they're great but all we can see is the bad stuff that we'd like to change or problems with the tank we'd like to solve. Why not have a reef meeting at your house? At least that way people can come over and make you feel better with their praise

[Matt]

It is hard for a lot of us right now it seems. Deb, you have my sympathy. I'm also a bit frustrated at the moment. A year ago, it was all about "so fun" and "so beautiful" and now it is all about "damn algae". We soldier on, and trust the best days are ahead, not behind.

Bev: Sounds like you've got a diatom issue (the brown slime). Good luck! If you're rearranging (removing and replacing) rock that often, is it possible you've given your wrasse a bump or a bruise? It'll probably forgive you soon.