To all newbies
- Thread starter dindi
- Start date
birdy
Active Member
Yes Dindi, what is the problem, I was about to throw in the towel a few months ago due to algae problems (and because I found out I was preg. with twins, yikes!). My tank has been set up for a little over a year and is really starting to look good just now. Sorry I don't have a digital so no pics. Let us know how we can help.
dindi
Member
Well, I'm frustrated because after spending 4000 last year I'm still asking dumb questions..now don't get me wrong I have learned alot here but I'm still doing water changes when they all seem great but my inverts, anenomes to be exact tell me something is wrong. I don't know what is wrong, I have spent and spent the best there is and now I am having problems with my anenomes, I haven't found the answer. I have 3 SWF tanks with different expectations but it all seems to suck...
dindi
Member
BIRDY!! I wish you well..I have 4 grandkids and if my daughter said mom, twins well better her than me! My SWF hobby is just that I love the peace and mostly the interesting things from my LR. But my SWFT are 2 years old, same crappy algea but water parameters are excellent...I'm confused. anyone near the washington dc area interested in buying cheap? I'm done
foxthorn
Member
Dindi
One suggestion I could offer is to just cut back a little. Think about concentrating on the 75 and shut down the other two.
Also perhaps you could sell off some of your problem anemones and corals and thus simplify your setup a little. Focus on the fish and inverts for a while and then start adding more later as your confidence gets back up. You're obviously very passionate about this hobby to have come this far.... don't give up yet.
One suggestion I could offer is to just cut back a little. Think about concentrating on the 75 and shut down the other two.
Also perhaps you could sell off some of your problem anemones and corals and thus simplify your setup a little. Focus on the fish and inverts for a while and then start adding more later as your confidence gets back up.
You're obviously very passionate about this hobby to have come this far.... don't give up yet.
fshhub
Active Member
hate to ask this, but what type of lighting do you have and how and how often do you feed the anemones?
anemones are not easily kept by many hobbyists, they in fact are difficult. So difficult taht I really feel that they should be in the ocean alone. Very few are successful with them at all. Sure, many do keep them, for some time, but most do not even live a year. Many of them in fact die within 3 months. Anyone who can keep them a year, actually is doing well. If you had yours 2 yrs, I think you did pretty good. Now, this is by no means a succes story, b/c they should live much much much longer, but by the norm, you have done better than most with them.
BTw, how is everything else going??
better, I hope
anemones are not easily kept by many hobbyists, they in fact are difficult. So difficult taht I really feel that they should be in the ocean alone. Very few are successful with them at all. Sure, many do keep them, for some time, but most do not even live a year. Many of them in fact die within 3 months. Anyone who can keep them a year, actually is doing well. If you had yours 2 yrs, I think you did pretty good. Now, this is by no means a succes story, b/c they should live much much much longer, but by the norm, you have done better than most with them.
BTw, how is everything else going??
better, I hope
richard rendos
Active Member
fshhub - Dindi's signature tells what lights are on the tanks. I agree that anemones are not for everyone and in general are more difficult to keep than most corals.
Dindi - are you using RO water tap? you say water parameters are excellent, but what are you testing for?...algae can be caused by a few different things...like nitrates and phosphates (which may show low on a test kit because it is locked up in the algae itself), overfeeding, wrong spectrum of light, or old light bulbs.
You may have already gone through this in other posts, but I didn't see them if you did.
Dindi - are you using RO water tap? you say water parameters are excellent, but what are you testing for?...algae can be caused by a few different things...like nitrates and phosphates (which may show low on a test kit because it is locked up in the algae itself), overfeeding, wrong spectrum of light, or old light bulbs.
You may have already gone through this in other posts, but I didn't see them if you did.
dindi
Member
YES, I USE RO WATER AND I TEST FOR PHOSPHATES AND SILICATES BEFORE I EVEN USE IT TO DO A WATER CHANGE. MY GREEN CARPET ANENOME IS DEAD! HE WAS HUGE! WEIGHED ABOUT 1LB! IWAS KEEPING AN EYE ON HIM FOR A WEEK NOW ONCE HE DETATCHED HIS FOOT FROM THE ROCK, HE DIDN'T FLOAT ANYWHERE JUST KINDA LAYED ON HIS SIDE. IWAITED UNTIL HE STARTED TO DISINIGRATE WHICH I NOTICD THIS MORNING, PULLED HIM OUT, MAN DID HE STINK! I HOPE HE HASN'T POISONED MY 75 I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO CHECK THE WATER BECAUSE I HAD TO COME TO WORK, BUT I HAVE ONE SAFE GUARD I PUT IN A NEW POLY MARINE FILTER IN MY FLUVAL THIS PAST SAT. SO IT SHOULD ADSORB THE AMMONIA IF ANY. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT, I'LL KEEP ON PLUGGING AWAY AT MY HOBBY!
sarahmorton2003
Member
Dindi
I feel your pain. We have had our tank up since September 2002 and have gone through it all!! Water went bad} Fish died} Corals Died} Algae blooms}. You name it. We even had a fire from our lights. I wish we had found this board sooner. All the advice has been wonderful and the folks here don’t beat you up. I know this is frustrating but that’s the name of the game in this sport. We even joined the Baltimore aquarium out of frustration and to try to better educate us. All I can say is keep going you will be glade in the end!
Good Luck
I feel your pain. We have had our tank up since September 2002 and have gone through it all!! Water went bad} Fish died} Corals Died} Algae blooms}. You name it. We even had a fire from our lights. I wish we had found this board sooner. All the advice has been wonderful and the folks here don’t beat you up. I know this is frustrating but that’s the name of the game in this sport. We even joined the Baltimore aquarium out of frustration and to try to better educate us. All I can say is keep going you will be glade in the end!
Good Luck
sandman_rsr
Member
AGREE with marco333 100 watts of light is noway close enough to house a anenomes in a 75 gallong tank cause they feed on lighting and help from you. JMO i would not go any less then 220 watts on your 75.
fishtails
Member
See,Dindi, you shouldn't give up now...People are helping you......First off all,as the others said,your lighting is too weak.....You need atleast 4 wpg or need good water quality and regular feedings......Really anemonies are some of the hardest inverts to keep,IMO.......I'd lay off on 1 or two of the tanks and concentrate more time into just one or two tanks...It would be much less stressful and you'd be able to learn more with patience.......
dfishh
Member
yes, alge is annoying, purple slime is coating everything in my tank.....oi well, i just get rid of it evry water change, its not so bad, as for the anemones, just get rid of them, like sell them or give them away.IMO if sumthin is giving u a problem in ur tank, i should not be in ur tank, im not saying take teh anemone out thrown it on the ground and kill it tho. get rid of it humanely, not by killing. i.e. sell back to the lfs
DAVE
DAVE
phil1964
Member
NEVER GIVE UP IF YOU LOVE FISH
I just dumped 4 grand. I planned on 2
Years ago I tried the same thing. I had a heck of a time.
Every 4 or 6 months something would die.
$$$$$$ down the toilet.
Worse yet, fish lives.
I finally found out that any fish that eats other fish, triggers, lions, groupers, eels, were tougher. I had a lion, grouper & snowflake eel for 8 years with no problem.
I am 4 grand into it and am going to try tangs, angles & other heart breakers. Talk to me 2 years from now and I might have a trigger, a lion, a grouper and an eel.
NEVER GIVE UP IF YOU LOVE FISH.
I just inspired myself !!!
I just dumped 4 grand. I planned on 2
Years ago I tried the same thing. I had a heck of a time.
Every 4 or 6 months something would die.
$$$$$$ down the toilet.
Worse yet, fish lives.
I finally found out that any fish that eats other fish, triggers, lions, groupers, eels, were tougher. I had a lion, grouper & snowflake eel for 8 years with no problem.
I am 4 grand into it and am going to try tangs, angles & other heart breakers. Talk to me 2 years from now and I might have a trigger, a lion, a grouper and an eel.
NEVER GIVE UP IF YOU LOVE FISH.
I just inspired myself !!!
dindi
Member
Well thanks, Sarah where do you live? I'm in Manassas VA. My aneneomes are doing welll, had them 1 year now except my green carpet bought here. It died, it did not like my lights at all, it would suck up when I turned them on, now why is that? I just checked my water parameters and they are all good Jeeze what a hobby
dindi
Member
Thanks sammy, I still have a rose and a pink tipped and a condi..all spread out in my tanks, they have been doing well. /i believe these animals should not be anywhere but the ocean. I will never have one again but I still have 3 for 8 months now. I feed silvesides 3 times a week. My lights may be weak but they seem to like the dark more. More spread and bloom. Why is that?They open in the dark and when my lights are on they kinda disappare, why? I don't know? is it ph?
sarahmorton2003
Member
Beefcake & Dindi,
Not sure how or why the lights caught fire. We were home (THANK GOD) and we smelled plastic burning. It fried the rubber end caps and burnt the end of the light on two ballasts. The other two were fine. We were lucky that JBJ next day aired new equipment and the tank survived. Wonderful warranty!! Dindi, I live at Fort Meade, MD
Not sure how or why the lights caught fire. We were home (THANK GOD) and we smelled plastic burning. It fried the rubber end caps and burnt the end of the light on two ballasts. The other two were fine. We were lucky that JBJ next day aired new equipment and the tank survived. Wonderful warranty!! Dindi, I live at Fort Meade, MD