I thought I did everything right - Page 2

wooden_reefer · 12/14/2012, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bnano

I have possibly had the worst luck so far with saltwater tanks and now I need help- my tank is driving me crazy and I absolutely do not not have the money to throw at this hobby constantly like I am.

I have a 28g JBJ Professional that I splurged on a little on with a Tunze skimmer in the extra refugium space that's in the back and an in tank refugium.

Everything was perfect until I came back form a 4 day trip and my tank heater stopped working and the temperature flew down to 57 degrees. It killed an anemone and clown and shocked everything else pretty well. The spikes of the death caused a huge growth of algae which I started taking care of immediately via algae blenny and some snails. A few days later my dartfish that I thought had died randomly popped up in the tank- I had some renewed hope for my saltwater tanking hobby.

The parameters have been perfect ever since and they were nearly perfect even when the tank was 57 degrees.

So here I am today..... I bought a baby tang, 2 clowns, and a brittle star to complete the stock in the tank. Everyone looked great and not really to my surprise the tang had some ich the next day but I had little worries about it since I've heard most of the time it goes away.

The ich went away at least 3 days ago. Yesterday one of the clowns completely disappeared and I hadnt seen the starfish since he was added in the tank. They are quite little so I thought maybe he had neglected to eat enough but then..... a closer look a the tang revealed bubble eye. WHAT THE HECK!? My water is perfect but I prepared water for them and I checked that too before adding it into the tank, totally fine. Today, you ask? OH. Everything is dead including both clowns, a watchman goby, the dartfish, . No ich. No signs of anything. Perfect params.

What on earth just happened?

Everyone who becomes very good at this hobby at some earlier time had one or two very bad experiences. I certainly did.

What you should learn from this are just too key points.
1. Equipment failure happens and learning to cope with it is skill
2. QT is necessary. Some pathogens such as ich definitely requires ERADICATION.

For heater failure, I have two lower rated heaters. Also, sometimes I use a timer instead of relying on the sticky bi-metal thermostat. I estimate the time the heater needs to be on.

Developing the skill to eradicate ich and misc disease control will be necessary.

I had a few ich breakouts until about 25 years ago, since then I have not had a single case of ich. Eradication WORKS very well.

Kyle918 · 12/14/2012, 04:46 PM

Well, I don't want to sound harsh but you are having these issues because you are not doing the reading...there are stickies on this website for a reason...because they were deamed important enough to permanently stick at the top of the "new to this hobby" section...meaning, that is the first thing you should read and become familiar with.

We could all sit here all day long and explain what to do...but that is all in the stickies.

I will though take a moment and explain some quick things to do. First, buy two smaller heaters, because they do fail. Buy a QUALITY one, something like an eheim jager or something.

Second, quarantine EVERYTHING. There is a sticky for quarantining your livestock, which you failed to do and hence failed to read the part about marine ich and how it takes about 6 weeks to progress through its life cycle and that ich is contageous...it will spread to everything in your tank so wherever you got that information about it "just goes away" is completely inaccurate...reading the stickies would have taught you that...

Next, there is no way you can have all that livestock in your tank, let alone a tang of ANY kind...no matter how small. Tangs grow to about a foot...your tank can't hold that. And even when small, tangs love to dart from end to end of the tank. They are swimmers and are aggressive and even more aggressive if not in a large enough home, IE at least 75 gallons. I wouldn't put one in a tank smaller than 120 gallons because fish do grow and they would outgrow a 75 gallon.

I am sorry you are having a hard time with this hobby, but it would have been a lot easier had you had patience and read the stickies...as I see nothing that you did incorrectly that wasn't covered in detail in the stickies...some steps you just can't skip my friend.

Happy reefing.

funkejj · 12/14/2012, 05:38 PM

Ok I am sorry I have to say this I call BS on this. Whos tank gets to 57* with out a heater? My house stays 70 to 72 year round. Because of that we don't have a heater on our seahorse tank. When you leave town how cold do you set your house? Since we have got into this hobby we haven't set our house temp below 70 ever. I just have a hard time believing this.

TellyFish · 12/14/2012, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sponger0

I dont ever rely on luck. It happens. Just like poop in a toilet. It happens. Im sorry you dont beleive in luck and chance.

You must have lots of unlucky things happen to you on a daily basis.

Disaster dont happen in my life. Only opportunities

Just as there is no crying in baseball; there is no luck in science. It's just a simple fact.

Also luck did not, as you so eloquently put it, "poop in a toilet". Unless you know something I don't, physics had a great deal more to do with it that luck ever did.

sponger0 · 12/14/2012, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TellyFish

Just as there is no crying in baseball; there is no luck in science. It's just a simple fact.

Also luck did not, as you so eloquently put it, "poop in a toilet". Unless you know something I don't, physics had a great deal more to do with it that luck ever did.

A simple series of events. Just like it can cause poop and it create a "lucky situation"

TellyFish · 12/14/2012, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sponger0

A simple series of events. Just like it can cause poop and it create a "lucky situation"

Everything about this statement is hilarious.

Sorry to derail this gem of a thread...

sponger0 · 12/14/2012, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TellyFish

This statement is hilarious.

Sorry to derail this gem of a thread...

Im glad you enjoyed it. I think that will be my new catch phrase lol

12/14/2012, 04:46 PM	#27
Kyle918 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 642	Well, I don't want to sound harsh but you are having these issues because you are not doing the reading...there are stickies on this website for a reason...because they were deamed important enough to permanently stick at the top of the "new to this hobby" section...meaning, that is the first thing you should read and become familiar with. We could all sit here all day long and explain what to do...but that is all in the stickies. I will though take a moment and explain some quick things to do. First, buy two smaller heaters, because they do fail. Buy a QUALITY one, something like an eheim jager or something. Second, quarantine EVERYTHING. There is a sticky for quarantining your livestock, which you failed to do and hence failed to read the part about marine ich and how it takes about 6 weeks to progress through its life cycle and that ich is contageous...it will spread to everything in your tank so wherever you got that information about it "just goes away" is completely inaccurate...reading the stickies would have taught you that... Next, there is no way you can have all that livestock in your tank, let alone a tang of ANY kind...no matter how small. Tangs grow to about a foot...your tank can't hold that. And even when small, tangs love to dart from end to end of the tank. They are swimmers and are aggressive and even more aggressive if not in a large enough home, IE at least 75 gallons. I wouldn't put one in a tank smaller than 120 gallons because fish do grow and they would outgrow a 75 gallon. I am sorry you are having a hard time with this hobby, but it would have been a lot easier had you had patience and read the stickies...as I see nothing that you did incorrectly that wasn't covered in detail in the stickies...some steps you just can't skip my friend. Happy reefing. __________________ Work in Progress: 75g Rimless DT \| 20g sump \| Aquamaxx ConeS-1 \| Two Tunze Turbelle 6025 Tank established 02/16/14

12/14/2012, 05:38 PM	#28
funkejj Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 747	Ok I am sorry I have to say this I call BS on this. Whos tank gets to 57* with out a heater? My house stays 70 to 72 year round. Because of that we don't have a heater on our seahorse tank. When you leave town how cold do you set your house? Since we have got into this hobby we haven't set our house temp below 70 ever. I just have a hard time believing this.