I’m done

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Doneric

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Jun 19, 2018
Messages
5
For over 4years I have poured my time money and emotions into keeping fish.
Long hours scouring books forums internet personal discussions with fish keepers. Have 6 tanks all with at least triple the filtration recommended. I use a blend of tap and r/o water i filter myself. Bought brand new water trough to store water in. Spent lots on filtermedia to get “pristine “. Change water weekly without fail . New water carefully matched to existing tank temp ph etc. Check water parameters frequently with api kit. Ammonia0 nitritrires0 nitrates never over 15-20 ph stable at7.3 and for over 4 years I have suffered the 4 Ds of being an aquarist. Devastating disappointment of dead and disappearing fish. Have enjoyed reading on this forum and I thank all for the info but I have had it. I can no longer face the 4Ds. I will be draining my tanks and giving the few survivors to an lfs
Hopefully I can recoup at least a small amount of the extremely large amount of money I wasted. I will never be able to get back the emotions I had that were crushed by the4 Ds Thanks again and good luck. Ric
 
you had 6 tanks try dropping down to 1 tank dedicate your time their for a while , you overwhelmed yourself the first time so just cut down to 1 tank then over time you can start another just don't try to take over to many at once this way you can find that comfort zone ,



we all fall down sometimes that don't mean we gave up
start slow a lot don't follow that simple rule that's why things fall apart so fast.
 
Hello Don...

I have a new project for you, if you're interested. It's a completely, 100 percent, no water change tank. Nothing to go south and kill off the fish and a tank so low maintenance, you can have several. The problem with most tanks, is you have to cycle them and then tend the aquatic plants and change the water, so the fish don't go belly up. All the water testing and chemistry stuff can cause brain damage. I have some tanks that the fish thrive in, about the only thing I use much of is distilled water. Might be just the thing for you. Let me know. You already have the tanks, so why not use them???

B
 
Thanks for the pep talk and advice I appreciate it but I’m done. So much work to get water where it should be and so much work to keep it there with the reward being dead or disappearing fish. I only started with 2 tanks made lots of mistakes but when they were fixed as my numbers show still had the 4 Ds. I’m tired of being a fish killer. Apparently I wasn’t meant to be an aquarist. Thanks again. Ric
 
Even advanced successful fish keepers suffer defeats, such as catastrophic disease outbreaks, malfunctioning equipment or unexpected aggression between tankmates resulting in death. Note: it's only the expensive fish that dies.
Through experience, advanced hobbiest know how to deal with these issues and quickly rebound.
Although you have four years experience keeping fish, compared to many on this forum that is still rookie status. OP, sounds like you have been trying too hard. Over doing it.
Maybe take a break. As already suggested, concentrate on one tank. Preferably the largest one. Start over using only the simplest power filter. Stock very tough, durable fish such as African Cichlids or Central American Cichlids. Toss the water testing kit and rely on your daily observations and once a week 50% WC to maintain water quality.
I've had two buddies leave the hobby. One due to a tank seal failure on his 180 gal. The other due to a two week power outage, causing her entire 125 Gal. SW system to fail. Those catastrophies cost them "Big, Big Bucks". I doubt your problems are in that league.
You will never recoup all your investment, so might as well tough it out and give this forum a try.
 
Yah.. it's not for everyone... "if it were easy? Everyone would be doing it. Maybe take a break and think about what you really want? Too much too soon is the downfall of many an amateur aquarist. Pick the dream set up and focus all of your energy towards that! Statistically speaking.. if you can drag 6 tanks through the mud for 4 years you can surely rock one epic tank!
 
The books and research don't tell you everything. Everybody's is different. Sometimes you gotta wing it to figure everything out. Sometimes it's just the type of fish you get that can't settle in. When you find your own way of doing things that work, go with it. Some say, don't do this, don't do that. Do it this way or that way. Trying different things to make things work. Like rolling the dice one more time. This is a hobbie. It's not much different than any other hobbie. You get better and better little by little. Diving in and not knowing what's at the bottom could hurt. One tank at a time. We don't all learn over night. When you get one tank down pat. It becomes an addiction. Everything takes time.
 
What to do

Ok so what more do i do with just one or two As I said I don’t hav ammonia nitrite or nitrate problems I change 50% water weekly. My tanks are crystal clear I rotate 3 qualityflake foodsI feed brine shrimp blood worms vegetables once or twice a week ph is stable at 7.3. And my fish r happy eating active one day and dead or gone the next day.. I have managed to keep only 3 fish alive more than 6 months given the above. I am at a complete loss as to what else there is to do except consult an exorcist What more is there to do???
 
Ok so what more do i do with just one or two As I said I don’t hav ammonia nitrite or nitrate problems I change 50% water weekly. My tanks are crystal clear I rotate 3 qualityflake foodsI feed brine shrimp blood worms vegetables once or twice a week ph is stable at 7.3. And my fish r happy eating active one day and dead or gone the next day.. I have managed to keep only 3 fish alive more than 6 months given the above. I am at a complete loss as to what else there is to do except consult an exorcist What more is there to do???
What fish do you have and what are the other fish you had that died. How long did you have the other ones for? There's a lot to this hobbie to know and learn about. Keeping an aquarium in tip top shape is always top priority. But, some fish will carry diseases, that will take out most, if not all fish in your tank. One by one and that fish will still live. There's other facts about how fish will pass down a illness by genetics. I can go on and on and so can others about this hobbie. But, to start off. Type of fish? Do you put new fish in a tank to themselves for a few weeks before adding to tanks with your other fish? How long have you had the fish that died? There's a lot that could have happened. Tell your story and others will have their thought on it to. Maybe we can help solve the case. [emoji4] try not to get down too much. These things happen. We all learn from something that has happened, just makes us better for the future. Keep your head up!
 
Ok so what more do i do with just one or two As I said I don’t hav ammonia nitrite or nitrate problems I change 50% water weekly. My tanks are crystal clear I rotate 3 qualityflake foodsI feed brine shrimp blood worms vegetables once or twice a week ph is stable at 7.3. And my fish r happy eating active one day and dead or gone the next day.. I have managed to keep only 3 fish alive more than 6 months given the above. I am at a complete loss as to what else there is to do except consult an exorcist What more is there to do???


I would tend to agree with BBradbury maybe for the first time ever. I switched my tank over from what would be considered the norm in today’s fishkeeping world and I’m at 5 months with 0 water changes with just top offs with RO. Of course not everyone has the issues you are experiencing with today’s practices BUT this does not necessary mean it is the right way to go about keeping fish nor does it mean the no water change method is the be all and end all. What you have to consider is that with the current way of managing your tank you are losing fish. You are probably losing microbes too. One thing I like to think about is the microbes because it all starts there.

After 5 months with no input other than a scarce bit of fish food and the tank being left alone my duckweed which had vanished is actually returning. My tank was like a wasteland of algae and dead plants when I made the switch but 5 months down the road it is starting to come back to life. Algae in my opinion is nature’s way of correcting our mistakes. When you leave the tank long enough it comes back to life. My crypts are finally sending new leaves, my laganandra too. My Hygro is producing healthy new leaves they are pearling despite no co2 and low light. But best of all, since I switched off the co2 and stopped dosing and changing water with tap I have not had a single bacterial bloom. Not 1 fish death, my snails actually spend time in the water and they don’t hide or close up. They graze all day like they are supposed to. The fish appear healthier and relaxed and the water clarity is like looking through a window. You are over filtering and over cleaning in my humble opinion and the microbial population is unbalanced. That’s what causes fish deaths. If you want to learn more let me know. Here is a fish tank that had been run the same way since 1995. Same plants.

IMG_0293.jpg
 
I'll throw my 2 cents in, but yeah, I think most long timers hit the wall, whether it be a run of bad luck, over extending yourself on what you want vs what you can actually keep up with or what have you. I've hit it a few times. It happens.

My advice? Kiss. Keep it simple . I tell myself this all the time. Don't chase perfect water conditions, don't chase 'dream fish' that require tons of work I'm not ready for, don't try to get crazy with complicated setups or 'perfect' looking tanks.

Take a step back. Why did you get into the hobby in the first place? What fish do you actually WANT to keep? What setup did you wish you had? How much time a week do you actually want to spend on fish stuff? Be brutally honest with yourself, you might be surprised. A lot of people would scoff, but I honestly would love to have just one big tank with 2 or 3 fancy goldfish and some dojo loaches and call it a day. This is strictly about you, so take what we all say in consideration, but picj what you want to live with, even if it's a ten gallon with a betta, or a massive tank of oddballs.
 
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I agree with all that everybody has said before me and I will also add that there is no "one size fits all" tank setup for all fish. Not everything can be mixed and not everything mixed should be mixed. Depending on what fish you were working with, your tanks may have been too clean, or too densely( or sparsely) decorated, or too hot or too cold or too small or too bright or too dark......... you get my point I hope. ;)
So as long as you still have the tanks, let's try to break things down as to what may have been the issue. Start with the list of fish and how you tried to keep them. (y)

Also, did you quarantine any of your fish before adding them to your main display tanks?
 
Yah.. it's not for everyone... "if it were easy? Everyone would be doing it. Maybe take a break and think about what you really want? Too much too soon is the downfall of many an amateur aquarist. Pick the dream set up and focus all of your energy towards that! Statistically speaking.. if you can drag 6 tanks through the mud for 4 years you can surely rock one epic tank!

So much caring and good advice here with these AA'ers.

The advice about reducing what you are doing is smart. Also thinking about what fish or couple fish you would like to look at in your tank.

What are your natural water parameters out of the tap?

Do the favorite fish live in those parameters?

Can you set up the ideal tank for them?

Where are the fish you are getting coming from?

Every get fish directly from local breeders? (if they are available)
Sometimes it is the fish stock which is a problem.

Ever go to a regional fish club meeting?

Not trying to pry or put you on the spot but opening the possibility of being able to enjoy fish keeping :)
 
my power went out tues night my pumps never kicked back in when power came back on.


my pumps were down god only knows how long . in the morning the tank sounded as they always do but it was only 1 tank .


I went to dr that morn still not knowing what happen , due to the pumps not running the tank started to loose oxygen . I lost all my fish and most of my inverts I lost a Vlamimgii tang 12inch with a value of $325. even lost my lil buddy goober my engineer goby , I got him well over 10yrs ago he looked like a tiny worm when I got him he was sick I brought him back to health .he grew to a litte more then 2 ft his value priceless
over all I lost close to $2000. . and thats not going to stop me from starting over
so now you see us old timers get nailed too so your not alone
 
my power went out tues night my pumps never kicked back in when power came back on.


my pumps were down god only knows how long . in the morning the tank sounded as they always do but it was only 1 tank .


I went to dr that morn still not knowing what happen , due to the pumps not running the tank started to loose oxygen . I lost all my fish and most of my inverts I lost a Vlamimgii tang 12inch with a value of $325. even lost my lil buddy goober my engineer goby , I got him well over 10yrs ago he looked like a tiny worm when I got him he was sick I brought him back to health .he grew to a litte more then 2 ft his value priceless
over all I lost close to $2000. . and thats not going to stop me from starting over
so now you see us old timers get nailed too so your not alone
That sucks pretty bad man.. That's like losing family at that point. Bright side is you get to buy new fish!!
 
Man, that hurts Seaweed. Good luck and I hope you have a smooth & speedy restart.
 
Thanks

Thanks for your info sympathy and advice but my mind set at this time isn’t right to continue on my quest to keep fish in an aquarium alive for more than just a few months.

In my mind I gave it one helluva try and am proud of the fact my tanks were crystal clear my parameters were right on the money and that I was obsessive about water changes proper food feeding and filtration.

But apparently that wasn’t enough —Despite the above my fish looked great felt great as I did for a few months then died or just disappeared!!!

The ones I was able to see after death looked like they were just sleeping. No injury no signs of disease shiny eyes good slime coat etc.

I think I’ll take a break from the work and the 4Ds for a while and maybe try again in the future. Thanks again Ric
 
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Understandable for the frustrations. There are sooo many things about our tanks we don't know and will never know. As hobbyists, we can take the median and specific details for known things and act on them. It is the ones we don't know about. A quote just came to mind - looked it up... it was really just a part of this but here is the whole thing...

"There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know." Donald Rumsfeld

And the seemingly okay fish in good conditions dying would be really annoying, sad and frustrating to me too.

Sorry it is the end of a chapter. But maybe not the end of the story.
 
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