Seriously debating getting out of SPS!

[ReeferMac]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7750641#post7750641 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by G-money
Problem being you'd have to be sure where you got them - there would be trust involved, which is often hard with strangers.

Ah, and therein lies the answer.
I'm happy to ship a box of monti's out to anyone who pays, and will come as close as I can to saying they're free of nudi's. I have 1 Acro in my system right now (as a result of the AEFW's), and I got that from a trusted source. I'll QT all the new one's I get in, and only trade from a handful of people from RC (or the local club), that I know (and for many of the RC people, it's nothing more than "Hey, I've seen your screen name here as long as mine.")
I think the big 'thing' you're grappling w/ is the fact that it's all changed now. Much like casual sex, the rough-riding days of yore are over. You have to protect yourself nowadays. Nothing else is an option. YOU HAVE TO QT.
So grab some of your extra equipment, and set yourself up a QT tank. i got a box of Monti's ready to head your way, that I can guarantee are clean (but you better soak 'em in a QT tank for a week).

IIRC (if I Remember Correctly), you've been here 'bout as long as me.

- Mac

 

[dkh0331]

Follow your heart LB.

If that leads you to LPS and/or fish dominated tank, go for it.

HTH

David

 

[arconom]

Sometime I wonder what drives me foward and not quit. Remember, I didn't have a tank setup for 12-13 months when I was moving and cooking my LR. I still pressed forward. I think it was RC that made me stick to it. It's a hobby you can't slack on.

I think it's summer getting to you man. It's got me to. I lost a little interest in my tank I won't lie.

Also don't forget Summer time is the slowest sales times for all coral vendors. That should tell you something.

If you do downgrade... Get T-5s my friend runs a sick SPS tank with T-5s so Softies will be no problem for you.

 

[menard]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7750334#post7750334 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jdieck
Lunchbucket, some of the interest is lost after looking at the same aquascape for a long time.
Trim as needed, rearrange the rock for a totally different look and you will see what I mean.

Lunch, this is true man,reaquascape your tank and U will feel better. I used to this everytime I got tired of looking at it, them after, U have all this wild ideas which frag goes where. .....PEACE

 

[DaddyJax]

I would love to say keep it going and all of that stuff but if you are bored with the sps and want to try something else then do it. You will come back to eventually. I know guys that have been in the aquatics for over 30 years and the most awesome colonies don't do a thing for them. Try your hand at other things and decide for yourself what you want. This is a hobby of love and not a job. If you don't enjoy it then it is not worth it.

 

[Ewan]

Lunch, I'm glad to hear you're human. I was beginning to wonder about you.

This is normal. We've all been there, and it happens to me every couple of years. In the past, it has helped me to write down the progression of the system, and see where I went wrong. Here's what I've found the last 3 times I've been on the edge of the bridge:

Questionable trades.

Each and every time that things have been completely out of my control, it's because I traded or purchased frags from folks site unseen. The worst of which is when I decided to dedicate my tank to montis, all of which were growing very well. Then a couple of additions from a frag swap (without quarentine...my fault) and everythign went down the crapper in a matter of weeks. This was shortly after investing almost $700 in to my current calcium reactor setup.

My system currently houses SPS from ONE dedicated hobbyist that cares enough about the hobby to make the huge effort to provide hitchhiker-free corals. He's also very well known and respected in the hobby, and tells me EXACTLY what every piece likes. He offers new pieces all the time, but the difference is that he carefully quarentines all of them, and offers his confidence that they are pest free. It's made a huge difference for me.

If SPS is driving you nuts, back off for awhile and keep some corals that will not cause you to lose sleep at night. For me, I started loading my system up with clams and an anemone (not recommended... the thing splits like crazy). After things settled down, I put a couple frags back in from a trusted source, and things are growing very well once again.

Take a breather if you need it. There's plenty of interesting animals you can care for that aren't as prone to disaster as SPS. If you're anything like me though, you'll be back.

jm$.02

-Rob

 

[easttn]

Lunch,

I massively downsized, I have just a frag system in the basement. 300+ total volume is too much (at least for me). Its nice not having to continually worry about every thunderstorm and random power outage. I'm no longer putting in $150+/month average just for supplies. Salt, lights..... My power bill reduced by 22%, the humidity in the house is now acceptable, and there is a lot more homeowner type work being done than in previous years. Best thing is I'm not stressing out over coral; it really is a relief.

I hated selling all my stuff, but now that its over I am relieved. With the money from all my gear I paid off the HD card (70% was tank related anyway), and I bought a beautiful 53" Sony HD. I have video of my tank, so when I jones I plug it in. Lots easier on the stress factor.

When my kids have flown the coop, I will return. I do love it so.
Just take a break, maybe some wonderful soul will figure out the AEFW dilemma during your time off.

just another $.02

-Charles

 

[mrkrispy]

i am in the same boat, I doubt I will be picking up new acros anymore.

 

[cward]

I agree with Jose, just change your aquascaping around a bit so it's like a new tank. I haven't bought a frag for my display tank in over a year because I really don't have the real estate for new corals, and I don't want to take a chance getting AEFW's. I'm still in the stage of having fun watching everything grow.

 

[DitchPlains2]

Lunch

Lunch

Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast Bucket, whatever you go by, lol j/k. Hey man let me ask you a simple question? Not trying to start a debate but are you BB? I know AEFW have nothing to do with BB, but if your BB your life will be much easier. I nearly gave up on this hobby til I got my tank bb. I had a huge dsb, byrposis like a mutha! I used urchins, rowaphos, phosban, siphoning, snails, crabs, rabbit fish, sea hares, everything and was going bonkers, luckily I found Sean T.'s thread and it saved my interest in this hobby. I was sick of the work, the maintence the constant struggle battling what I felt was mother nature. I finally got to a point to be able to keep sps, and their thriving, yea if they all died tommorow I'd be ****ed and dissapointed, but I tell ya if they did I would rebuild, start over. I love this hobby, absolutely love it. It has taught me so much about life, ecology, and mysefl (scuba) etc... I refuse to give up, I want to be IWAN one day or JB NY or even Steave Weast. I want to progress, not stagnate. Yea someone mentioned changing your rock work around. definately do that, new rock scapes can inspire or remind you of any scuba or snorkeling trips you have taken. My next project is pillars, two or three big pillars, loaded with sps. I think you can move past this downward spiral and grab your bootstraps and get back to being happy. Hey if lps is the way to go then go for it. I still think sps is the epitome of reef keeping, as in the wild sps make up some 90% of the coral formations. Hang in there dood! BTW NOT ALL FLAME ANGELS EAT SPS, thats bs. I have had 2 none of them even nipped, yea its a crap shot, but you got atleast 50% chance of a sweet fish. Good luck. I agree with your wife though, I'm not into staring blankly at corals or plants growing, I love the fishes too, thats why I have six fish in a 55g.

stay in the game Lunch Bucket:lol:

David

 

[murphreef]

yeah tell me about it.... ive only been dabbling in sps for the last year and its come to me at times that i feel like im just wasting my money and time in something that is so fragile and can go upside down any minute

ive got a mixed 180 with sps, softies, lps, and clams and anemone

sps has been the most humbling coral ive tried the only coral thats given me a problem when i dont think i can make my system any better.... yeah at times i wanna throw in the towel and got back to the good ol days of just softies and lps .... but then i think whats the fun in that!...

all i know is that getting burnt out is a common thing in this hobby... im sure in another few years ill be way burnt out and take a break but im sure ill always want to keep reefing as a part of my life and hobby

 

[poknsnok]

take a break from the sps. learn from this and use the experience down the road when you get the bug again. there are gorgeous zoa and softie tanks out ther. look at MUCHOREEF's tank for example. as colorful as any sps tank and a former TOTM. Im goingthru monti eating nudis now and red bugs but Im not ready to give up. Im nowhere close to that frustrated.

 

[Flatlander]

:wavehand:

Sorry to hear you're thinking of giving up on sps corals. Nothing was more beautiful than the 20g. However, like others, I can relate. I had so much trouble after moving the last time, after many years of beautiful mixed tanks. It all came down to a related well/ro/saltmix water problem, that fluxuated the alkalinity and crapped many sps. I also fought a long battle with flatworms, from not being careful.

After our latest move, I only have a 65g now. But that will have to do. Going to be all sps, one more time.

Nothing wrong with mixed, soft or lps tanks though. They can be very beautiful. The fleshy lps you mentioned however, will be like popsicles to your flame angel, more so than sps I would say. I guess one just has to make choices.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

[Fliger]

I hear ya man. Fortunately I don't have AEFW, I feel like I dodged a bullet since I didn't really check. I am considering my SPS "closed" - and any new incoming will be frags from known reefkeepers and CAREFULLY inspected/treated. If I had AEFW, I would get out and still to LPS and other things for sure.

 

[Casie]

Its your garden. Plant what makes you happy.

 

[64Ivy]

Outta da game?!? Come on,man. What, you gonna stop posting on RC too? No. You just not gonna come to the SPS forum? No. So you KNOW what's gonna happen when you do, right? Someone will have started a 50 page "Show Me Your So-and-So" thread that'll make you (A) cry, then (B) say, "If THAT %#@@^%# can do it, so can I." And you'll have go buy all your stuff again.

Stay in the game, Lunch. Just accept the fact that it's a diiferent game now. So either QT or only trade with those you can can trust. But you've GOTTA stay in the game.

 

[cward]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7754114#post7754114 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Casie
Its your garden. Plant what makes you happy.

Very well said.

 

[Lunchbucket]

i understand that SPS are a delicate thing and even harder since the last couple years from the discovery of RB's and AEFW's. i pushed through the RB delema and had my tank crash due to po4 in a certain salt....so i have been through some delemas (more then i posted).

i don't know if it is just summer like arconom said or working 12hr days...not sure but i have lost a lot of interest. i truely think it is the bryopsis and the thought of getting AEFW's. i do not have AEFW's that i know of!! i have not spotted them but there is one piece receeding from the base up

ReeferMac - sorry to hear you have the dreaded AEFW's i have NEVER given up on anything in my life ever. i don't consider this giving up. i consider it a change of pace or focusing in a different area that might spark my interest more.

turtlespd - :lol:

Kip - i'm glad the pioneers pushed through and found a cure for some of the pests. it seems like levamisol is not a 100% cure from what some have seen on the AEFW's. am i wrong?

i would love to QT everything i get but i dont' have the space or electricity capacity in my panel! i live in a small apt and my tank maxes out my electricity (where i feel comfy) and i don't have space for a 4wk levamisole treatment or the equipment to do it.

reaquascape??? oh man that is stress to me all my corals are so encrusted breaking them off or cutting them off would be a PITA. also my rock doesn't stack that well IMO...i guess i could get all new rock to replace the stuff i have now?? once a tank is set up i do ALL i can not to rearange it or to mess w/ stuff a lot. i believe that has led to some of my success IMO.

i can still trade corals but there is still a chance you can get AEFW's IMO. two local people have done the treatments but i don't know if i consider the treatment 100% maybe i'm just paranoid.

kevensquint - yeah the idea has crossed my mind for a while. it isn't just the idea of AEFW's that has me thinking of changing. my hydroids and bryopsis have me frustrated too. i'm battling the bryopsis and winning slowly but not sure when i will ever be done?

jay24k -

You are a fool Lunch!

tell me somethign i didn't know if i stay in i might take you up on the offer of some new corals...IF i have room

melev oh melev what would RC be w/out our beloved melev. always a jokester. i can't get out of SPS huh...well we will see what happens. i know i shouldn't be scared of corals but i have no room fcor a qt which makes matters worse.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7751343#post7751343 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Wiskey
Another vote for a Q tank, and Tropic Marin Pro Coral Cure (kills AEFW)! That will stem your worries and alow you to keep trading.

Whiskey

from what i have hear the TMPCC doesn't kill them 100% guaranteed

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7751468#post7751468 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReeferMac
i think the big 'thing' you're grappling w/ is the fact that it's all changed now. Much like casual sex, the rough-riding days of yore are over. You have to protect yourself nowadays. Nothing else is an option. YOU HAVE TO QT.
So grab some of your extra equipment, and set yourself up a QT tank. i got a box of Monti's ready to head your way, that I can guarantee are clean (but you better soak 'em in a QT tank for a week).
- Mac

yeah i guess i am grappling w/ the fact it ahs all change and gone to heck in a hurry. :lol: nice analogy you ahve there buddy dont' have enough extra equipment or room for a qt and i wouldn't have room for the monti's but thanks for the offer!!!

Ewan - yes i am human. not sure why you wouldn't think of me as such! glad it seems like everyone has gone through this. i know a LOT of people have lost complete tanks to things and kept going. just not sure if that is what i want you know.

easttn - i'm glad you are less stressed. i don't think i could EVER have a really big tank. i would constantly be scared somethign was gonna go wrong. must be my personality. i would have some of the same thoughts you did.

DitchPlains2 - no i'm not BB and i don't like the looks of it. i keep my sandbed clean and do plenty of water changes, limit feeding, have a great skimmer, and use phosphate removers. yeah not all flames eat SPS. i've thought of trying to get one in the tank. not sure if i want to add another fish to my 58gal though. i could get one locally that has been tested in an SPS tank too i bet.

64-Ivy - not i won't stop coming to RC or to the SPS forum. i'm sure i would miss it (IF i leave sps) but i might be happier too i guess. gotta stay...we will see i guess. i will only get corals from trusted people though

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7754114#post7754114 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Casie
Its your garden. Plant what makes you happy.

VERY well said!

we will see what happens. i'll think it over and talk w/ the wife...maybe she wants to try some fish options we couldn't before. need to keep both of us happy. i'll ponder on it for some time before i decide. thank you for all the great advice everyone. keep giving your thoughts if you like...experience and thoughts from others makes us ALL better

Lunchbucket

 

[quiksilver]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7751227#post7751227 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Let me get this straight:

You took the <b>red</b> pill, knowing what you were getting into, and now you suddenly want to take the <b>blue</b> pill? :twitch:

No, you may not change your plans. You may not play the Nancy Boy card. You must buck up, take the bull by the horns and resolve the current tank issues. And quit being scared of other corals.

Be observant, and practice safe husbandry. A Q-tank would be crucial if you are that worried.

And yes, I did vote for Option #3. There was no other choice.

LUNCHBUCKET YOU'RE A GIRL
<3 REEFCAST!!!

 

[SERVO]

Do what makes you happy, but the bottom line is; as hobbiests, we need to practice strict quarantine practices and should be responsible about trading with each other. If you get corals out of a well estabilshed system you will never have a problem. For example, I would take any frags out of Chris' tank and not worry about any parasites. Never the less, anything that comes out of any stores tank should be quarantined. Anyone that you get corals from, should tell you when they purchased a coral.