Pandora
Premium Member
I just wanted to tell people starting out not to get too bummed out after a tank crash! 6 months ago, I had a power outtage that pretty literally wiped out EVERYTHING except my damsel. 3 days and it was all gone, my backup air supply failed and I had no generator at the time. Everything, clams, corals, snails, dusters, 4 other beautiful fish, and the tank was a rotting stinking soup of decay for weeks afterwards (I had some graphic images of all the stuff then but no more). It was horrible, it was heartbreaking, the whole 9 yards, I swore I couldn't do this hobby anymore, and this was not the first time I had an outtage disaster, I lost thousands of dollars worth of stuff during Hurricane Isabelle as well (I have since bitten the bullet and gotten a generator).
A lot of the RC people here were really supportive. I had always meant to join my local reef group, which over in the DC area is called WAMAS, but I had procrastinated for years. They were really good to me, and helped me rebuild my tank. Almost everything (corals) you see below came from donated frags; granted no expensive SPS, but I like the color and movement of softies and LPS, and it's a low maintenance tank. It's been half a year and things are coming up great again. Just wanted to say some words of encouragement if you are having problems, that time sometimes is the best solution!
And also put in a plug for joining a local club... really a good way to get started, RC has a bunch of their forums if you look in the blue section at the bottom of the main forums page. If they are anything like mine, you will not only get advice, but also a lot of assistance & generosity. People are always buying chaeto and bugs to start their fuge, but in a club, members hand out handfuls for free, and some give small frags of inexpensive corals to newbies to get them started. They'll point you in the right direction with good LFS's, tips of propagating corals, and where to get more educated on the hobby. I even had members offering to house my corals until my tank got back on its feet.
A lot of the RC people here were really supportive. I had always meant to join my local reef group, which over in the DC area is called WAMAS, but I had procrastinated for years. They were really good to me, and helped me rebuild my tank. Almost everything (corals) you see below came from donated frags; granted no expensive SPS, but I like the color and movement of softies and LPS, and it's a low maintenance tank. It's been half a year and things are coming up great again. Just wanted to say some words of encouragement if you are having problems, that time sometimes is the best solution!
And also put in a plug for joining a local club... really a good way to get started, RC has a bunch of their forums if you look in the blue section at the bottom of the main forums page. If they are anything like mine, you will not only get advice, but also a lot of assistance & generosity. People are always buying chaeto and bugs to start their fuge, but in a club, members hand out handfuls for free, and some give small frags of inexpensive corals to newbies to get them started. They'll point you in the right direction with good LFS's, tips of propagating corals, and where to get more educated on the hobby. I even had members offering to house my corals until my tank got back on its feet.
