Troubled reef – 1st birthday of new tank
My latest tank had its 1st birthday some weeks ago and let me tell you there’s little to celebrate. For the first time ever I’ve actually considered quitting the “hobby”.
New tank shortly after move. Everything was good.
It all started 15 months ago when after a long and serious illness I was able to “restart” my old tank. After a lot of work it all started to look good but then something happened that set the tone for the next 15 months: just when I thought the tank was back on right track the center brace broke and I was forced to drain the tank and buy a new one. So began a year during which pretty much nothing has worked (or so it seems to me).
Old tank before and after. It took 5 weeks of hard work.
This tank has caused me more trouble than all my previous tanks combined. Well, actually, it’s not the tank but the owner who has caused so much trouble. Traditionally I’ve been very conservative with my husbandry practices. I’ve always used pretty standard and simple Berlin type setup i.e. combination of sand, live rock, skimmer, GAC, limewater and good lighting. My only departure from the age old Berlin method was DOC dosing which I started about 10 years ago. Sure, I’ve experimented with some additives but all in all, very safe and stable.
That’s boring, right?
So thought I and together with this new tank I started to explore all kinds of “new” and exciting products that would certainly make my new tank that much better than all my previous attempts. Unfortunately I got a bit too enthusiastic about some of the products and as a result managed to almost completely ruin my tank with extremely high nutrients. This year has also been plagued with equipment failures and about 1000 miscellaneous smaller problems. By far the worst year in my reefkeeping history.
Unfortunately as the problems have been piling up so has my motivation to write plummeted, I haven’t even had the energy to be grumpy 
My 240 gallon tank April 2010. Current number one problem: Aiptasia
Let’s hope 2010/2011 season will be more enjoyable!
Glad to see “ready to quit” post gone. I’ve gotten so much excellent up to date info from You via this site and reefcentral posts. Now running ATB cone and NP pellets. Nitrates are finally going down and corals are saying “Thanks, Grumpy”
How about trying Acreichthys tomentosus for the Aiptasia problem? (I think Kimi had them in stock some week ago.)
Cheers Tatu
Good see you back up;)
Hi Grumpy you cannot quit because it gives my partner immeasurable pleasure when she sees me on this site. She says I am the grumpiest person in the world so this is the perfect place for me to be. In a strange way, the fact that you are having problems gives us mere mortals hope that one day we will achieve the reef tanks that we see on the internet all the time! I have a goniopora which I am determined to keep alive for a very long time. Keep posting it is great reading!!
Thank you all for very nice comments
For some reason I didn’t get email notifications for new comments….
Jukka: I already bought one from him
It’s actually a second one, I already had one large female.
Kevin: Always nice to hear from you!
Neil:
Hey Tatu. I hear you my friend. It seems like my “reefing” experience has been a roller coaster journey and if I add it all up, more of a negative than a positive. I too was extremely down on what I was doing and was looking at just getting simple corals and letting it go in whatever direction it decided.
I was able to get rejuvenated when I attended a tradeshow last weekend and being able to be around great new products and bright people, helping bring that love back! A great chat with my pal Scott Fellman also helped turn my mental state around.
While I am still looking at a tank with many, many, many problems that need to be addressed, I feel better about it and feel if I keep on track it will all turn out in the end. I pray to the reef gods that you find that right path again and get back to the LOVE and PASSION that brought us to the hobby in the first place!
Brian