should I quit the aquarium hobby? ):

[davidmaguirre]

Hello I had an ich outbreak in my aquarium whiping out my 3 fish including my pair of $130 clowns): the last fish I have is my 6line wrasse and it also has ich.. I've delt with cases of ich in the past with my 120 gallon but this is the first bad tragedy with my 29 gallon bio/: if my last fish dies what should I do? My corals and inverts are doing great but no luck with fish/: should I do a reef only tank or would that be boring and pointless with only corals and cleaner shrimps plus other inverts? Or should I just quit this hobby.? Please help me I'm in need of it):

 

[jjamontan]

I don't know the answer other than you must have a Passion for this. I think I would educate myself and move on

 

[huma-huma]

Im currently experiencing the same issue on my 125 but its a fowlr. Id try to put the last fish in another tank and hypo-salinity treat the fish, and let the main tank sit fishless for 6-8 weeks....yes it really sucks, but it'll guarantee no more ich

 

[victor.m]

I'm with jj...Know that saying "Winners never quit, and quitters never win"? That applies to most everything in life, and especially to this hobby. Perseverance, patience, and the ability to educate yourself are necessary to succeeding.

I'd read up on the outbreaks that caused your system to crash and find out how to remedy them and make sure you go back to having tip-top water quality. I'd invest in a very good filtration system, do some treatment of your water, and maybe look into natural biological filtration and a protein skimmer/UV filter.

Only once you're certain your tank is safe and your water quality is optimal would I re-introduce any livestock (fish), and make sure their transition is smooth. Drip-acclimate them and make sure that it's as stress-free as possible. Stress to a fish can cause many problems, some of which involve weakening of the immune system, making them more prone to disease.

I'd check things like your heating system, making sure your water is always stable between 75-79 degrees Fahrenheit, and making sure you have great water quality.

It's important to remember that when taking on this hobby we're attempting to artificially replicate the ocean in a little tank in our homes. It needs a lot of patience and attention to detail.

Hope this helps a bit! Never give up, I'm sure you'll do great

- Vic

 

[AquaRick]

Hi there David.

First off, I'm sorry for the loss of your clowns. It's never easy loosing fish.

Also, I will agree that you must have a passion for this hobby. You need that to keep you going through the hard times. If you're thinking of quitting the hobby, I'd suggest to think about why you got into it in the first place. Are those reasons stronger to you than why you want to leave at the moment? Give it a few days to decide what you'd like to do.

If you decide to keep on with it (and i hope you do!), it would be helpful to determine how the outbreak of ich occurred. Were the water parameters not up to par? Was something not quarantined enough? Trying to figure the cause of a problem will give you confidence in the future and help a bit to deal with your fish loss.

Good luck!

 

[kurtyboh]

if your 6line passes run for 8 WEEKS- fish free, do not skimp on this, many reports say that ich dies before this, but there are certainly cases were it has lasted mroe than 6. you can still enjoy a reef only tank especially if you still have inverts. the colors are still vibrant and will still have lively actions.

we go 6 weeks with nothing in our tank to cycle, its all patience in this hobby and that patience is very rewarding!

do you use a qt?

 

[huma-huma]

I'm with jj...Know that saying "Winners never quit, and quitters never win"? That applies to most everything in life, and especially to this hobby. Perseverance, patience, and the ability to educate yourself are necessary to succeeding.

I'd read up on the outbreaks that caused your system to crash and find out how to remedy them and make sure you go back to having tip-top water quality. I'd invest in a very good filtration system, do some treatment of your water, and maybe look into natural biological filtration and a protein skimmer/UV filter.

Only once you're certain your tank is safe and your water quality is optimal would I re-introduce any livestock (fish), and make sure their transition is smooth. Drip-acclimate them and make sure that it's as stress-free as possible. Stress to a fish can cause many problems, some of which involve weakening of the immune system, making them more prone to disease.

I'd check things like your heating system, making sure your water is always stable between 75-79 degrees Fahrenheit, and making sure you have great water quality.

It's important to remember that when taking on this hobby we're attempting to artificially replicate the ocean in a little tank in our homes. It needs a lot of patience and attention to detail.

Hope this helps a bit! Never give up, I'm sure you'll do great

- Vic

A protein skimmer isn't going to help in terms of parasite outbreaks, and he has a 29g biocube, no need for skimmer ... water changes will do the job.
Same goes with uv sterilization, yes it'll kill off bacteria/parasites....but its never 100% effective.
.....qt .....qt......qt....
Keep your head up and try again, only quarantine EVERY SINGLE fish for ATLEAST 4 weeks in a separate tank.
If you do that....you'll improve your chances of not having an outbreak again by 95% .

In terms of getting rid of the current ich, its a parasite, it needs a host in order to reproduce and survive... if you remove your remaining fish and get them into a qt tank and hypo-salinity treat them, after 6-8 weeks you'll kill it all off.

 

[victor.m]

A protein skimmer isn't going to help in terms of parasite outbreaks, and he has a 29g biocube, no need for skimmer ... water changes will do the job.
Same goes with uv sterilization, yes it'll kill off bacteria/parasites....but its never 100% effective.
.....qt .....qt......qt....
Keep your head up and try again, only quarantine EVERY SINGLE fish for ATLEAST 4 weeks in a separate tank.
If you do that....you'll improve your chances of not having an outbreak again by 95% .

In terms of getting rid of the current ich, its a parasite, it needs a host in order to reproduce and survive... if you remove your remaining fish and get them into a qt tank and hypo-salinity treat them, after 6-8 weeks you'll kill it all off.

Just figured better overall water quality is better for the environment of the tank. Learn something everyday

 

[kurtyboh]

better water quality means healthier fish and less chance of them getting ich, however its most certainly not the best way to keep ich out.

 

[francis]

stick with it, i've had downers big time too. My fish wouldn't cooperate but its definitely worth it. I've definitely had those nights where im just pissed and its like screw it, but a couple hours later im in love again. Sleep on it and see how you feel. A lot of people would say keeping corals are the hard part, I'm at the point thinking fish are easy, corals and anemones stressing me out . Post some pictures of your tank let us appreciate it with you!

 

[huma-huma]

better water quality means healthier fish and less chance of them getting ich, however its most certainly not the best way to keep ich out.

+1 ... i def wasnt trying to negate your post by any means. Water quality does play a big part, for instance it could be the determining factor of weither of not your fish can handle any disease... but as kurty said, it def wont prevent all diseases.

 

[Bubble_B0y]

that's terrible
Please don't feel discouraged or disheartened.
EVERYONE in this hobby has had loss - whether it be because of a disease outbreak or the frustration of cycling.
I myself lost a tank of 9 show quality Bubble-eye goldfish when my 65 gallon LEAKED overnight!


Don't give up. You may have lost a few hundred dollars. But the satisfaction and happiness you get back when everything works successfully is priceless. The joy and beauty of an aquarium is undeniable.


The key is to do lots of research about EVERYTHING on this hobby. It's the best way to learn.
Ask lots of questions - don't ever feel like your question is stupid. Chances are, many people have thought about the same question.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[huma-huma]

EVERYONE in this hobby has had loss.

i came across a gorgeous pink-faced rainbow wrasse at a local store, bought him, took him home to acclimate, left for errands and came back...dead....there went $60 down the hole...

just gotta roll with it

 

[davidmaguirre]

Dzsffdd

 

[davidmaguirre]

effect

 

[paytertot]

Oh I got this way when I lost my favorite discus I lost like 5 of them, over $300 worth of beautiful fish but I didn't quit! I learned about it and kept going, as should you

 

[Scotty09]

I stared a year and a half ago never had a fish tank jumped in the deep end got my reef going lost some nice corals but getting better now can tell by looking if something is wrong now . When ever I had enough (algae outbreaks) it just made me work at it harder , now for the first time I am looking at my tank thinking this is a nice tank . Basically u need to think if u want it to work if u do find the answer and make it work .. Good luck !

 

[Jesselav1233]

Don't quit I had a plague outbreak and it killed all 8 of my discus cost me a lot of cash but it made me even more determined to get it right the next time now I'm up and running and all is well you'll get there to just got a project ahead of you now is all but the challenge is half the fun! Good luck!