How a dream becomes a nightmare

[Quietman]

While I wish you every success, you need to be aware that this hobby can be extremely frustrating. You can do everything right and still not have the results you were expecting. Diatoms, cyano, disease, etc...don't seem to care about how much you spent. Shipments of corals can show up melted if cold snap/heatwave happens during shipping. One power outage can take out half your livestock if not ready.

But you're not alone. Good vendors will always try and make every reasonable effort to make it right, they want you to succeed and be a regular customer, but there are limits. You have all the help and support in the world on here as you can see. Ask questions before deciding and spending money on a strategy.

But, your journey is just starting and it can be months before you can sit back with no issues....and even then things can happen. I'll let you know when I can look at my tank and say...done.

I would just caution that your expectations with this hobby are aligned with most of our experiences. Otherwise you'll continue to be frustrated and you'll feel your money is being wasted. It's a great hobby that I find immensely satisfying but it's not for everyone. You seem highly motivated which is terrific, but be careful that the goals you set are achievable.

Best of luck this year!

 

[LARedstickreefer]

The actual problem I am dealing with is how will I deal with major issues that require something I have to order online and receive quickly some form of medication. I live in the middle of basically nowhere. The camel is located down the street so to speak. I also work in the customer service industry and get very frustrated when someone doesn't fix the issue fairly. I have to rethink the whole concept now. I believe it is just too dangerous to do here. I would be destroyed if an animal died because I couldn't get an item on time to help them.

Medications? I keep a bottle of scotch around for when it hits the fan.

Trust me, this will be resolved and much worse things can happen; wait till you start having fish and corals shipped to you. It’s going to get REAL then!

I totally get how you feel, I tend to get ape ish crazy when my orders get screwed up, yell a lot, have some scotch, feel stupid later.

BRS isn’t a company on the down low, they’ll take care of this for you.

 

[Silver14SS]

I did not mean to use their name. They do come across as a very fair company. I realize mistakes happen, but I hate it that I have to pay to fix it.

My last few orders from them all went poorly. There is a good variety of vendors out there. I've switched to ordering from Marine Depot and Aquacave and have had much better results.

 

[Ippyroy]

Medications? I keep a bottle of scotch around for when it hits the fan.

Trust me, this will be resolved and much worse things can happen; wait till you start having fish and corals shipped to you. It’s going to get REAL then!

I totally get how you feel, I tend to get ape ish crazy when my orders get screwed up, yell a lot, have some scotch, feel stupid later.

BRS isn’t a company on the down low, they’ll take care of this for you.

That's what I'm scared of. How many animals will die with me trying to order them online. If I can't trust a major vendor for a tank, how am I supposed to trust someone for a live animal.

 

[Sarah24!]

That's what I'm scared of. How many animals will die with me trying to order them online. If I can't trust a major vendor for a tank, how am I supposed to trust someone for a live animal.

Hello,

You don’t have to, just buy from your lfs or have them order it in. Yes it’s a small drive for you (or long maybe), but it leaves the trust issue out. If you can physically see them in front of yourself, I hope you trust yourself more.

 

[Ippyroy]

Hello,

You don’t have to, just buy from your lfs or have them order it in. Yes it’s a small drive for you (or long maybe), but it leaves the trust issue out. If you can physically see them in front of yourself, I hope you trust yourself more.

5 hours one way to nearest LFS.

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

Wow and I thought the super market was far it’s two blocks away. Okay ahhh well online is the option. I would absolutely have a qt tank ready at all times, anyway. I have never ordered fish and won’t, but have corals a few times. I have always had luck but I have only done it twice. I buy most from the lfs because I like to see it prior. I always get their medical charts.

 

[Ippyroy]

I realized I would have to pay a premium for Divers Den. Plus I have designed my QT and a grow out tank for corals.

 

[Terri Caton]

You will have fish and coral die even if you get them from your LFS or another reefer. It's just the way it is.

 

[Pau Hana Reefer]

I'm sorry you are going through this and hope everything works out.

As others said, this is a small hiccup amongst the many challenges that come with reefing. I spent over a year doing homework and slowly buying equipment during sales. I also encountered hiccups during my setup, including incorrect items being shipped to me. However, now a year in, those hiccups were trivial and only the beginning of many challenges and expenses that I did not think about during my year of research. However, having a reef tank was also a lifelong dream of mine... and despite having moments where I also wanted to quit, I've come to learn and accept that this is part of the hobby.

Right now is the best time to explore whether you want to continue with your dream. If you decide to stop now, hopefully you can recoup much of your money by returning things or selling them new. But if you choose to continue, be ready to have many more challenges along the way... some will be time consuming, some will be frustrating, some will cost money, and some will be all of the above. And know that you have an amazing community here at R2R who will not only help you, but listen and sympathize when you encounter other challenges along the way.

 

[TheOne]

5 hours one way to nearest LFS.

There are alot of online vendors.

www.saltwaterfish.com
www.bluezooaquatics.com
www.aqualocker.com
www.vividaquariums.com
www.liveaquaria.com

The reality of it though is in the ballpark of 70% or less survival rate. These fish go thru a lot to make it to us. Even my lfs hasn't had much luck ordering me fish that are healthy. Captive bred fish are always the best to start with as in my experience they are a much hardier fish and you will likely have success with them.

 

[Bpp124987]

Bummer. There’s nothing wrong with starting smaller: eg a 30 gallon aio (I love the im tanks) with some clowns and gobies and whatnot. Do some display macro so your display fuge is your dt too! Eventually add some softies... then a year later maybe a few lps.
It confuses me that folks would go right for the grand poobah tank.

nothing wrong with starting freshwater too

 

[Hermie]

If you're willing to give up that easily I'd say just give it all up now. It takes dedication to have a reef tank because there are struggles for the vast majority when people first start. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but that's the honest truth.

 

[BornHandy]

My tank sat for two years while I bought more and more hardware. I couldn't afford to buy it all at once, so a little at a time was the next best option for me. Patience is a virtue that I had to embrace!

I was lucky enough that all of my gear came in without a hitch, but I broke a tank drilling, made an overflow box wrong, had a $320 pump fail after 4 months, algae blooms, and a handful of other issues... All of these are par for the course, and at the end of it all, I love my tank. I would do it all over again - even if I knew up front all of the issues were coming.

I can certainly understand the frustration, but this is a super easy solution to resolve, and honestly, the idea of losing money on a reef tank is a fact of life for reefers.

Call the seller, ask them to email you a return shipping label. If they refuse, dispute the transaction with your bank, and you get your money back, so reorder the sump from another retailer - even if you have to pay a little more. It's part of your design, and you'll be happy when it's in its place.

Reefing is supposed to give us satisfaction, so enjoy the ride, and happy reefing!

 

[Terri Caton]

I'm sorry you are going through this and hope everything works out.

As others said, this is a small hiccup amongst the many challenges that come with reefing. I spent over a year doing homework and slowly buying equipment during sales. I also encountered hiccups during my setup, including incorrect items being shipped to me. However, now a year in, those hiccups were trivial and only the beginning of many challenges and expenses that I did not think about during my year of research. However, having a reef tank was also a lifelong dream of mine... and despite having moments where I also wanted to quit, I've come to learn and accept that this is part of the hobby.

Right now is the best time to explore whether you want to continue with your dream. If you decide to stop now, hopefully you can recoup much of your money by returning things or selling them new. But if you choose to continue, be ready to have many more challenges along the way... some will be time consuming, some will be frustrating, some will cost money, and some will be all of the above. And know that you have an amazing community here at R2R who will not only help you, but listen and sympathize when you encounter other challenges along the way.

Very well said!

Although it has been suggested that you start with a smaller tank I do not agree. A larger volume of water is much more forgiving.

 

[blitzkragz]

For me qt'ing fish is way more stressful than driving. There is a certain amount of paranoia involved and you can be doing everything right and will still have losses.

This is an expensive hobby, and you need to have some dry powder both financially and psychologically to roll with challenges as they arise, or I would wait awhile before getting livestock. $20 is tiny in the scheme of costs coming your way.

 

[Sarah24!]

You will have fish and coral die even if you get them from your LFS or another reefer. It's just the way it is.

Hello,

Sorry she is correct on that and I should have made that note as well. Just because I get them from my lfs means nothing. But I know they have all fish in copper and they get 30 days free if you want. They dip the corals before you leave so I know they are done. So I completely trust them because I have not had issues. Now I have lost corals just for what ever reason. I lost two fish from moving, and they were great just days before. You will lose corals and fish and not know why, so be prepaid going into this.

 

[TheOne]

I have a saltwater tank because I love the ocean. I've lived on the coast and I took up diving and love seeing new underwater places. One of which will be Cozumel in a couple of weeks.

Reefing is my escape from the stresses of everyday life but it is alot of work. There is no right or wrong way with reefing. The learning curve can be as simple or complicated as you want to make it. If I didn't find joy in the journey I would move on to something else. No sense in being unhappy in life. Which leads back to my question. If you think it will bring you happiness then why not take the journey? Everyone has failed at one time or another that is just part of the road to success.

Happy reefing my friend. Would love to go flyfishing up there again one day. My dad taught me to to throw a fly while camping in Yellowstone.

 

[Ippyroy]

I have a saltwater tank because I love the ocean. I've lived on the coast and I took up diving and love seeing new underwater places. One of which will be Cozumel in a couple of weeks.

Reefing is my escape from the stresses of everyday life but it is alot of work. There is no right or wrong way with reefing. The learning curve can be as simple or complicated as you want to make it. If I didn't find joy in the journey I would move on to something else. No sense in being unhappy in life. Which leads back to my question. If you think it will bring you happiness then why not take the journey? Everyone has failed at one time or another that is just part of the road to success.

Happy reefing my friend. Would love to go flyfishing up there again one day. My dad taught me to to throw a fly while camping in Yellowstone.

I work in the nicest hotel in West Yellowstone. Let me know and I will help you out with a nice room.

 

[Ippyroy]

Hello,

Sorry she is correct on that and I should have made that note as well. Just because I get them from my lfs means nothing. But I know they have all fish in copper and they get 30 days free if you want. They dip the corals before you leave so I know they are done. So I completely trust them because I have not had issues. Now I have lost corals just for what ever reason. I lost two fish from moving, and they were great just days before. You will lose corals and fish and not know why, so be prepaid going into this.

I understand all of that. But I am beginning to realize that it might be a lot worse because of where I live and the special circumstances that I have to deal with. I am having to reevaluate the whole thing.