I Just Don't Think I'm Cut Out for Saltwater :(

[Bettafanatic]

I wish I was though. Reef aquariums are beautiful and I've always wanted one, but I feel like if I start one up I'd lose all my corals because I'm just terrible at saltwater. Everything seems to go wrong for me. Salinity is always difficult for me. It's always either too low or too high, and it took me a long time to finally get it to normal levels. And now for some reason all my precious nassarius snails are dying and I think one of my prized scarlet skunk shrimp has passed on too but I have to go double check. Everything always seems to go wrong for me in my saltwater tank. So I don't even know how disastrous it would end if I took on a reef aquarium.

Idk I think I'm just a freshwater person. That's where all my luck lies. I wish I was better at saltwater, but I just don't think I am.

Sorry if this thread bored you, it was just to admit that I'm no good. I think from now on I'll stick with freshwater.

 

[PurplePolyp]

How long did you have your tank set up before you started adding livestock?

 

[Bettafanatic]

I fish-less cycled. I'm always super lucky with fish-less cycling so it took 3 weeks. But the tank's been running for a few months now.

 

[PurplePolyp]

I let mine cycle for 6 weeks. Are you using live rock or base rock?

 

[Bettafanatic]

Live rock. The tank was finished cycling though. Ammo and trites were 0 and trates were about 5 i don't remember how high. I kept dosing ammo for several days with the same results.

 

[PurplePolyp]

How big of a tank is it? I've noticed that smaller tanks are harder to keep as saltwater.

 

[Bettafanatic]

I definitely agree with you. It's only a 10 gallon. I had the tank lying around so I though I'd try something new.

 

[PurplePolyp]

Yea. That would be very tough for saltwater. I'd recommend at least 30 gallons for salt but the bigger the better. If you could upgrade to a 50 or 75, you would alleviate a lot of the salinity issues.

 

[Bettafanatic]

Oh I would love too but I'm afraid I'd mess everything up like I am now. I know it'd be easier but I'm afraid I'll kill all the corals and everything. I was thinking of upgrading to a 20 gallon reef (only thing that'll fit in the kitchen where the 10g is now) but I'm afraid I'll mess it all up.

 

[severum mama]

Hey, if it isn't working out for you right now, sometimes it's better to just get out if you're stressed about it. I certainly understand. You can always come back to SW/reef later when you have more time to deal with it. It's totally ok if you just go with FW. There's plenty of interesting FW animals to keep.

 

[Bettafanatic]

I think I might. I'm kinda afraid that everyone will be disappointed with me, but at this point I'm kind of ready to quit it. It stresses me out more than relaxes me, which is part of the reason why I even have fish tanks.

 

[Bettafanatic]

And I was right. One of my skunk shrimp died. I wonder who I'll manage to kill next.

 

[clearancepuppy]

Hey, if it isn't working out for you right now, sometimes it's better to just get out if you're stressed about it. I certainly understand. You can always come back to SW/reef later when you have more time to deal with it. It's totally ok if you just go with FW. There's plenty of interesting FW animals to keep.

Very wise advice. Give yourself permission to be imperfect. You have a gift for FW, and there is so much you can do with that. (and take your foot off your own neck, as a friend of mine used to tell me).

 

[pcdebb]

awww dont think like that. having a small tank like that is a huge gamble, problems will arise quicker with a tank so small. I say give it another shot with a bigger tank. there's alot of helpful people here that will help guide you along, dont give up

I have a 44 and a 75 saltwater, and my 75 always gave me huge problems and I almost quit, lost some fish, levels varied, but it's better now. Ive only had them about 6 months or so.

Don't be discouraged!!

 

[Beengirl]

You are NOT terrible at sw!! A 10 g as a first SW tank is a BIG challenge!!
But if its stressing you out that much, just step away from it for a little while. Don't sell your equipment, just pack it away and forget about it for a little while. it's not quitting- it's hitting the "pause" button. It's supposed to be a fun and exciting hobby. If its not that for you right now, maybe it's just not the right time for it. You can still dream about your reef tank, and in the meantime, read up on things that didn't go so well-like the salinity. Then next time you'll be a pro at salinity. Read up on any of the things that gave you trouble, and CONQUER them next time!! Maybe by the time you decide to try SW again, you'll be the one in the threads with all he answers to our questions cuz you've researched so much!! Lol just don't forget about your friends on the salty side!!

 

[Bettafanatic]

Thanks everyone. I think what I'll do is call it off for now and maybe someday I'll try again with a bigger tank. I think a nano tank was a bad decision for a first saltwater tank. You guys did manage to cheer me up though. I'll probably go back someday. Thank you all!

 

[Rutrag]

It sounds like you have already made your decision, but I think the problem you are having is definitely in the small tank size. As you noted, specific gravity is difficult to maintain in a small tank and shrimp are hyper sensitive to swings in specific gravity.

The easiest way to overcome this is by using an auto top off (ATO) system. You simply have another container of water (a gallon jug would probably be fine for that size tank), a float switch, and a transfer pump to move water from the container to the tank.

The downside is cost. The ATO would run you about $50, the pump you can get for $16, and you can probably come up with a jug for next to nothing.

I have one on my 75 because my overflows are very sensitive to evaporation (well, the change in water level really) and I'm often gone for a few days each week. My wife manages the fluctuations in my 37 for me with a few jugs of RODI water while I'm gone since that overflow maintain siphon even at low water levels.

I think in the long run you'll find it easier to set up a 30 gallon tank where things aren't magnified so much as in the 10 gallon. You can always use your 10 as a quarantine tank.

 

[twoodrough]

If it ain't fun, then don't do it. I thought about doing a salt tank but right now I don't want to mess with it so I am sticking with fresh. No harm in that.

 

[Bettafanatic]

I might go back later. There's an endless list of freshwater things I want to try. Dwarf puffers, brackish, platy species tank, amazon biotope, southeast asian biotope, cichlids, betta sorority, etc etc etc. Then maybe someday when I'm a little more experienced in freshwater I'll try and tackle saltwater, and follow the saltwater forum to try and learn as much as I can while I take a break. I don't know when I'm gonna tear the tank down. I'd have to rehome the fish and the crab. Although I've made my decision I still kind of regret it, even though it's not that nice a tank.