zotl
Member
Let me start this by saying I am gratefulful for the minimal damage my house sustained and the safety of my family. I almost feel guilty talking about the loss of a fishtank compaired to what so many people have suffered.
I started on this board around January when I purchased a beautiful 125 gallon fully loaded reef tank from a friend. I remember reading some of the posts about dead fish and dead corals that read like a eulogy. I remember thinking that "It's just a fish, get over it." All that has changed.
I'm a cop so I pretty much spent the 72 hours after the storm on duty with no chance to get home. I had no way to get home and get my aerators going. I had no generator. Needless to say, when I finally got home half the fish were dead from lack of oxygen. About half the corals were already melting. With estimates running 3-5 weeks for a return for electiricty and knowing I'd be gone for another 72 hours, there was no hope for saving my tank.
I proceeded to dig a pit in my backyard and bury all my live rock and coral. The fish that were left I promised my kids (4&8 yoa) I'd release them into the ocean so they'd have a chance like Finding Nemo. I knew they'd die, but it worked on the kids. When I poured the bucket over the bridge it wasn't a a manderin, it was "Crayons", it wasn't a flame hawk, it was "Warrior", It wasn't a big hermit crab, it was "Bob". It wasn't like a pet dog dying, it was like several dozen pet dogs dying.
Reefkeeping is more than having a pet dog or cat. You are taking these beautiful creatures and animals out of a very specific environment and assuming responsibility. You are making a statement that you can create a miniature ecosystem and maintain the parameters to sustain that life. I failed at that. That's what hurts the most.
I would encourage all of you to conisder a generator and chiller an automatic purchase when you buy a tank. It should be considered as important as the stand and pumps. Why didn't I buy those? Because they were too expensive. Because of that poor choice, I lost over $4000 worth of livestock. Not only was it a poor economic decision, it was an unethical decision.
Will I rebuild? As of this minute, no way. It was too emotional of an incident. I'm not selling off yet though. I'm leaving everything in the garage for six months to see if I feel the same way then. I can't see me starting all over.
So why am I posting this? First, to get it off my chest. Secondly and most importantly to relay this message. Be prepared to care for the creatures that you chose to remove from their natural habitat under all circumstances.
All for Responsible Reefkeeping,
Eric
Pic of My former tank:
I started on this board around January when I purchased a beautiful 125 gallon fully loaded reef tank from a friend. I remember reading some of the posts about dead fish and dead corals that read like a eulogy. I remember thinking that "It's just a fish, get over it." All that has changed.
I'm a cop so I pretty much spent the 72 hours after the storm on duty with no chance to get home. I had no way to get home and get my aerators going. I had no generator. Needless to say, when I finally got home half the fish were dead from lack of oxygen. About half the corals were already melting. With estimates running 3-5 weeks for a return for electiricty and knowing I'd be gone for another 72 hours, there was no hope for saving my tank.
I proceeded to dig a pit in my backyard and bury all my live rock and coral. The fish that were left I promised my kids (4&8 yoa) I'd release them into the ocean so they'd have a chance like Finding Nemo. I knew they'd die, but it worked on the kids. When I poured the bucket over the bridge it wasn't a a manderin, it was "Crayons", it wasn't a flame hawk, it was "Warrior", It wasn't a big hermit crab, it was "Bob". It wasn't like a pet dog dying, it was like several dozen pet dogs dying.
Reefkeeping is more than having a pet dog or cat. You are taking these beautiful creatures and animals out of a very specific environment and assuming responsibility. You are making a statement that you can create a miniature ecosystem and maintain the parameters to sustain that life. I failed at that. That's what hurts the most.
I would encourage all of you to conisder a generator and chiller an automatic purchase when you buy a tank. It should be considered as important as the stand and pumps. Why didn't I buy those? Because they were too expensive. Because of that poor choice, I lost over $4000 worth of livestock. Not only was it a poor economic decision, it was an unethical decision.
Will I rebuild? As of this minute, no way. It was too emotional of an incident. I'm not selling off yet though. I'm leaving everything in the garage for six months to see if I feel the same way then. I can't see me starting all over.
So why am I posting this? First, to get it off my chest. Secondly and most importantly to relay this message. Be prepared to care for the creatures that you chose to remove from their natural habitat under all circumstances.
All for Responsible Reefkeeping,
Eric
Pic of My former tank:
)
