Do you get frustrated when they do as good?

[Gdbyrd]

As I've mentioned before, my dad and I setup tanks at the same time.

Twice a week, I do water changes. I test my water at least once a week. I have a lot of flow, a decent skimmer, and I try really hard to do everything I can with my tank.

My dad taps off with tap water. He has changed his water once in the past 3 months. He has a seaclone skimmer that has been setup for 3 months and has yet to make any skimmate. He has a canister filter he never changes. He only has two mj1200s for flow. Etc. I love my old man, but damn he doesn't take care of his tank no matter how much I talk to him.

Ok. Here is the part that annoys me. His nitrates have always been low. He has never lost a fish. His water honestly looks better than mine.

Sigh. I don't know if I should be frustrated or annoyed or what, lol. Its just weird how I do all this work and go to all these lengths and here is someone who isn't doing anything like you're supposed to and its working great.

I guess more than anything it makes me wonder if all my extra work and worry are even worth it.

 

[dcantucson]

I truly believe there is a lot of luck that plays into this hobby. I would be frustrated too.

 

[Melosu58]

What kind of water are you using?

 

[ltljoker]

I would sabatoge his tank. :frustrat:Not just kidding :bowdown:

 

[Gdbyrd]

Reverse osmosis. Which I have to drive down the street and lug back and forth two to four times a week. that sucks more than anything honestly. If I had a ro system I think thinks would be a lot better.

 

[bobby]

His might look good now, but might also be ready to crash too. Not saying it will, but I bet he'll have a better chance for a crash then you.

 

[wontonflip]

What is his bioload and tank size vs yours?

My brother is like your dad...when he had the tank before giving it to me, he had a yellow tang (in a 45!), a clown, and a couple of other fish. He had bioballs, no skimmer, a sucky return pump (hehe..unfortunately, I'm using that same sucky pump), no powerheads, and used tap. While his tank looked nice and clean and healthy, his tank crashed with ich a year later. Who knows why! If I did the same thing, I know my tank would just DIE within weeks, with my luck.

Don't sweat it, keep doing what you've been doing.

 

[Bifferwine]

I think that it usually takes a while for a poorly maintained tank to start showing signs of "illness". Although you may be frustrated now, I'd be willing to bet that your tank will be in much better shape than a year. Those methods won't be successful in the long run, so hang in there and know that what you are doing is setting yourself up for success in the future.

 

[Gdbyrd]

Sweet sweet depressing victory at last. I spent the weekend with my parents on a little family trip. Apparently his tank is doing really poorly. I had seen it earlier last week and it looked bad but I didn't want to say anything, lol. Algae everywhere, looks like a diatom outbreak from hell...all of his coral are shrinking up, two of the zoa frags he had bought when he first got the tank are now dead and the rest of his coral look like they're on their way out also.

So now he wants to talk...

He ordered an octopus skimmer and is actualy going to start changing his water. I think he was changing it out once every 6 weeks or so.

Never answered, but all I have in my tank is a small CUC and two clown that I feed once or twice a week..that and my coral.. He has a 55g breeder with a lionfish, trigger, two damsels, and an engineering goby. That plus some snails and hermits. I have a little over 2lbs/gallon and he probably has a little under 2lbs a gallon.

 

[dcantucson]

It all catches up eventually. I guess congratulations are in order for all your hard work. It's paying off. :)

 

[daugherty]

see doing it right at the start pays off in the long run and save you money

 

[winyfrog]

yep, new it was only a matter of time. and now it will take him twice as long to fix the bad husbandry that he was doing.... at least he wants to fix it now.

 

[Bifferwine]

That's the thing, tanks seem to go downhill so quickly, and then it takes FOREVER to get them back into shape!

 

[Gdbyrd]

We set up his octo 800s last night and it was pulling out tons of crap from the water.
So now he agrees that his seaclone wasn't doing a good job, lol.

What's worse is he tossed out the bubble coral three hours before I got there so that made my mind up for me. He had a really nice galaxia that's been slowly dying too. He wants to hold onto it now that he has the skimmer. See if he can work it out.

Nitrates are still at 0 to 5 though. Makes me question the tests because he has a high bio load on his tank.

Ah well, time will tell

 

[daugherty]

galaxia's can be very hard to keep alive for experienced people

 

[d2mini]

That's the thing, tanks seem to go downhill so quickly, and then it takes FOREVER to get them back into shape!

Kinda like the human body. :grumble:

 

[dcantucson]

So I guess you'll be passing on the Bubble? :mrgreen: :lol:

 

[Gdbyrd]

I was tempted to see if it was like biffs Kenya weed, lol. Pull it out of the trash, fresh water bath to get the coffee grounds off then it'll be good to go.

I had no idea on the galaxia. Glad be cut in line and got it instead of me.

 

[winyfrog]

galaxia is a high flow loving LPS with fairly strong light.

did you check his phosphates?

 

[Gdbyrd]

galaxia is a high flow loving LPS with fairly strong light.

did you check his phosphates?

In all honesty, I think he's just going to take all his corals for a loss so aside from aggressive water changes and the new skimmer I think that's all we're gonna do. He didn't have much in there..at least now and the corals that are still alive look really healthy.