Testing the waters, possibly getting out of the hobby

[DamnPepShrimp]

Ok, I am unsure if I want to get out of the hobby or just somewhat for now. I have a lot of stuff I could sell and need money badly. I don't want to get rid of it but I have other needs and some wants that I would like to address. So this is just a test, I am not selling anything as of yet. I don't even know what prices to put up for this stuff.

Livestock

Queen Angel 3"
Emperor Angel 4"
Gray Angel 5"
Snowflake eel 6"
2 damsels yellowtail and yellowbelly

Corals

Crocea clam 2"
Pink tipped hammer coral
Green tipped hammer coral
Frogspawn coral pink tipped
2 green star polyp frags
1 fully covered polyp rock
Zoo frag
Leather toadstool small
2 acro frags
Mushroom rock
multiple poly rock
cabbage coral rock
colt coral frags
Green leather frag
Kenya tree frag
Orange polyp frag

Approx. 80-100lbs live rock
Approx 80-100lbs live sand

Tanks

125g non drilled with glass lids
55g with only one glass lid, the other cracked
30g
20L with glass lid
10g

Lights

3' T5 light dual 21w bulb
3' 96w PC retro fit with remote ballast
175w metal halide retro fit with remote ballast
2 20" PC 28w light
20" flourscent light
Ballast to run 4 40w flourscent bulbs

Filters

2 emperor 280
penguin 200
Seaclone 150 skimmer
Seaclone 100 skimmer
Pro Clear Aquatic Systems skimmer

Pumps etc

Over flow box with 2800L pump
3 rio600s
small powerhead

Heaters
300w
150w
50w

Misc.
UV sterilizer
Eclipse 6g system plastic bow front
3 digital thermometers
Misc additives, food, vitamins etc etc etc
Misc tubing, bulbs, nets, algae magnet etc


I know I have more, and I don't want to put up prices because I haven't figure out what exactly they should be. If there is an interest in something, I can come up with a price. So please be lenient with me, I'd love to stay in the hobby but right now doesn't look good. I am just testing the waters, again, nothing is set in stone. Thanks for your interest.

Jeff

 

[Gordonious]

Hey, I tried to PM you, but your box is full. I really hope you don't get out of the hobby. Perhaps consider just slimming back and selling off some of your corals. Maybe just go with the easier to keep ones. I hope you stick with it. Forget about any expansions you were planning for right now and just take care of what you have. Sell off any equipment you don't need.

Jon

 

[a1amap]

I agree you seem to have a lot of extra equiptment. Post here along with the RC selling forum.
You got your angel and you have him up for sale? He would be fine with good water movement and a decent filter. I agree with Jon but just in case I sent a PM

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

well my corals seem to be doing fine. It is my angels that have ick that is killing me! I hate ick! That is why they are in a QT tank. Out of no where the ick attacked them pretty badly. I have copper in the tank, but I guess not enough. I don't have a refractometer to do hyposalinity. I need to get a better bulb for my UV sterilizer as well to help kill off the ick. If I can get rid of the ick, then I will keep everything. But I really want a new motorcycle, or atleast a cheap stunt bike beater, something to practice my stunts and wheelies on, I miss my old gixxer. But I do love my fish, corals, everything. I jsut want everything to be healthy.

 

[a1amap]

What are you testing your salinity with now.

 

[logans_daddy]

thats pretty ironic....i just sold my '05 busa this week to support my reef addiction....well that and the 19pts on my license.....but im looking forward to having the extra cash to spend on my tanks.

shawn:bum:

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

AL, I only have a plastic floating needle hydrometer, the typical one found in all stores.

Shawn, We could have traded! Haha, actually I am not really into busas, nice bike though. They are a bit too much for me, I am not into speed, unless it's with my car (01' WS6 Trans Am). I am more into the stunting scene of bikes, I had a gsxr600 that I stunted but was streetable. I have 6 points now and that hiked up my insurance. But I probably wouldn't even insure the bike. Just tow it around to parking lots and practice stunting until my insurance dropped and I could ride on the street again.

Just an update for everyone, my PM box was full, now cleared. I am trying to work out my problems, mainly with my angels being sick. If I can't, I will part most if not everything out. If I can cure everything, I most likely will keep most if not everything. Sorry for the confusion, I am sure most have been in my shoes before with the hobby. I love it and everything I have, just frustrated and being a only 21, going to college and living paycheck to paycheck, it gets on you. Thanks for understanding. I will keep everyone updated, sorry for any inconvenience, everything is still up in there air.

 

[Gordonious]

Where are you getting your info as far as how you are deciding to treat ick? Have you tried posting in the Fish Disease Treatment? What type of UV sterilizer and what type of bulb? I have one that I have hardly ever used.

 

[a1amap]

I have a refractometer. Lend me your swing arm and I will lend you the recractometer to do hyposalinity. Actually hyposalinity does not cure Ick it is just easier on the fish to exchange salt out of there system. Less work which lets them kick Ick on there own.
Any slow reduction of the salinity would be better, with a goal of getting down(xlowly) to 1.009. Let me know if you want to borrow it

 

[cdangel0]

Not sure what type of UV sterilizer you have but PetSmart sells 9w replacement bulbs. Take the screen print in from their website and they'll match the price.

Difference is $11 online and $32 in store. Heck if you're dtrapped for cash I have a UV sterilizer and month old bulb I'm not using at the moment I'll lend you.

 

[firecrackerbob]

DPS-- really sorry to hear about your ick issues... I know how you feel. I was pulling my hair out on Sunday trying to deal with my tank... I spent the better part of this weekend working on my fishtanks and I still lost my clowns... sounds like the mystery ick from TPP is striking you as well... hope everything works out for you!
Eric

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

Thanks for all the support everyone. I really appreciate it. I have put a post up on the disease treatment forum, I have been doing research all weekend on this site. Atleast 8 hours in the past two days. I really want to cure my fish for good, I hate to see them infested with ich.

Jon,
My UV sterilizer is made by LIFEGARD Model QL-8 it's an 8w bulb.

Al,
Lend you my swing arm? So hypo just slows ich down, what will actually kill them? When I hypo, should I run the UV to kill the floating ich?

Craig, I have an 8w bulb. Don't know if it will work? I could swing $11 bucks for a bulb! I found a few on ebay, but they were more then $1 then adding in shipping.

Eric, sorry about your problems. I know how you feel, I've lost a few fish in the past, my clown and old emperor. I don't know what is up with TPP anymore, I am going to start looking for better places to go. Good luck with your set up, don't give up yet either, thanks for the support!

If I can't find a bulb, borrowing a sterilizer would be a great help! I could pay a rent fee if needed, but I am strapped for cash! Would a UV even help that much? Would hypo be the only thing I would need? I'll do anything to get rid of ich, I just don't know what is the best. People say hypo is the best, but if it doesn't kill all ich, then whats the point? Thanks for everyone's help and support, I am trying to stick with everything!

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

I looked online at petsmart.com and found a lifegard 8w bulb, but it was 43 bucks! So looks like I can't afford a new bulb. Right now I am going to do a water change again, get the poop off the bottom of the tank and give them some garlic soaked food. I have misplaced my hydrometer though, gotta find it or get a refractometer!

Found my hydrometer, that plastic POS! It is reading 1.013, but it reads my tap water at 1.010? I think it's busted, it does have a crack in it but doesn't leak out. I need to get a refractometer.

 

[a1amap]

"Hypo" Lets the fish have an easier time removing salt from the water it intakes. By having to do less work the fish is less stressed and able to fight off a case of Ick. Fish like a lower salinity while the corals we love like it higher. We kind of balance it to make everything tolerate the water conditions at about 1.025. The 1.009 that they list for hyposalinity is about as low as you can safely go without doing more damage then good. If you reduce your salinity in the neighborhood of between 1.009 and 1.019(most fish stores seem to be a 1.017) it will help them.

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

So then the fish fight off ich. So I am not actually killing ich. The fish fight it off, then the ich can't host on anything, thus killing it. The only problem I have with that is it's risky. The ich could still survive, it seems it only takes one to infest an aquarium. So how do you completely get rid of ich? Hypo at 1.009 for a few weeks and then wait to see if any ich pops up the next few weeks? I have a feeling the ich will be back. Also my SG is 1.013 right now, fairly low and ich is everywhere! Guess I will need to get a refractometer and monitor my SG a lot closer. Running a UV sterilizer will help right?
So who has a refractometer I could borrow and a 8w UV bulb? It would be much appreciated and I could give some cash for renting it? Thanks.

 

[a1amap]

Sent a Pm

 

[dynagirl]

I am no expert, so I will just tell you my experience. I had seen ick in my tank on and off since I started it up. I had purchased my live rock at a not so good LFS that stored it in the tanks with the fish so I'm sure that is where it started (since all their fish usually had ick!) Of course, this is before I knew any better. I would see it occasionally on my chromis, clown and especially my angel. It would sort of come and go but none of the fish got seriously ill. Then I added a Scotts Fairy Wrasse who came down with it bad and died from it. Then my clown got it terribly and I saw it on most of my fish. I really struggled with the idea of starting a quarintine tank but the cost and the work and the thought of after all that trouble it could come back made me want to exhaust all other options.
I searched some message boards and read that some people had success with STOP parasite. I tried it IN MY DISPLAY REEF TANK and I have not seen one bit of ick since....and that was about 6 months ago. You have to be sure to check alk and pH before and after adding and buffer accordingly, but it was way cheaper and easier than the whole QT thing. I have corals and inverts as well and nothing else seemed harmed by it.
During this time, I also fed my fish 2 or 3 times daily with food soaked in FRESH garlic. I did
not lose any other fish nor have I seen a speck of ick since.

Just my experience,
Angela

 

[dynagirl]

One more thing...

I think stress is a factor...My fish were pretty successful in fighting it off until I upset the pecking order by adding another fish (who was super stressed from shipping). Look things over and see if fish are constantly fighting, overcrowded, etc....

 

[cdangel0]

DPS - I'll be in Newark tonight for a hockey game. If you want to swing by UD I'll bring my UV Sterilizer and my Refractometer for you to borrow. No rent fee necessary.

I'll be at the rink after about 8:15 then at TGIFriday's after about 10:30ish.

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

Thanks for your experience dynagirl. Although I already have my fish in a QT tank. My reef tank is seperate, I have two, a FOWLR and a reef. I have tried many additives, never stop parasite though. Since my fish are in a tank that I can treat, I will do hypo mostlikely.

I think what I am going to do is hypo with a UV sterilizer. My SQ is already at 1.013 according to a cheap hydrometer. I am going to put carbon in the tank to remove copper, hopefully help out the water conditions. Do another 10g water change, get everything off the bottom the best I can, hopefully the ich that is on there. I'm going to check up on the water quality, I know my nitrate and nitrite were a little high, but I did two 10g water changes since and less feedings. With running a UV sterilizer, how much should I run it in a QT tank? I know you only use it maybe one day a week in the display tank, but in a sick ich infested QT tank I thought maybe more?

Craig, I will be in Newark tonight as well, timothys has deals on wings thuesday night. I will be there from 9:30-11ish. I will PM you. Thanks!

Thanks everyone for the help, I will keep everyone updated.
Jeff