I am at a crossroad in the hobby...

[dvgyfresh]

You have a beautiful tank , you could make it gorgeous - IMO your biggest “problem” is outside of the tank can you work on adding some black boards to match the top that are hiding the lights? I think aesthetically the outside of the tank needs to be dealt with so you can appreciate/focus on the fish/reef

 

[exnisstech]

I see your in NY, maybe winter blues are getting to you? I've been sleeping for the last two days. Winter always takes a toll on my mental state which is questionable on a good day.

 

[00W]

Tank looks nice to me.
My tank will never be like a showpiece.
There are a lot of those on here.
Lots of pictures too. But it's mine and I tell anyone who asks don't try and have someone else's tank just have your own.
Each one is so different.
I find yours interesting because it's not mine!
None of my tanks I've ever had in over 35 years were showpieces.
Ever.
I over feed, can't ever figure out lighting and generally have no idea what I'm doing.
This might not help you in any way.
My advice to you is simple.
Don't try making it what it is not but rather let it be what it is.
Once you get there, your enjoyment of it will skyrocket.
Best regards.
Joel

 

[TX_REEF]

As I have gotten older I have found that scaling down the tank size is very liberating. It was bitter sweet getting rid of my older fish, and I feel a loss but also a new sense of enthusiasm.
My big tank days are behind me. My little specialized ecosystems days are in front of me.
You obviously enjoy plants and trees. Set up a lagoon system. Anemones and Mangroves. You proven you can keep a large system successfully. Try something new.

Good point of view, I felt overwhelmed by the sheer size when I had a 120 too

 

[Holmes Grown Coral]

First and foremost what are your parameters

 

[56longroof]

Outside looking in I'd say your messing with it too much. For a tank that's been running that long I see no coralline on the rocks. It looks too sterile. You have a excellent foundation started. Maybe buy a few pieces of live rock ftom TBS or KP to add some biodiversity. What are your parameters? Low alk and calcium will inhibit growth. As will little to no NO3 or PO4. Hang in there.

 

[JTP424]

So I am "over-husbandrying"

I was having issues with overcleaning/prepping my tank for a while, ended up being a chore mentally and just messing my nutrient levels up!
Took a step back and made a plan in case things started looking bad, i.e. large water change plan, backups etc. Basically prepared for a tank crash in case my constant attention had drastic impact. I started seeing how long I could go without cleaning/touching things between water changes.

My tank perked up and became something I relaxed with again My tank seems to be super stable lately and have shrunk my water changes, removed some additives etc.
My tank has been around for around the same length as yours, I felt the same.... "boredom"/lack of enthusiasm, I ended up taking a bunch of stuff out! Gave me a different perspective on the tank, ended up putting everything back in but in a different position I like much better (for now ha!)

 

[Mschmidt]

My experience:
1) we see flaws where others see successes. with my 100 I saw the coraline I couldn't get off the glass, empty space that I couldn't afford to fill with fish, and coral that were growing too slowly to fill the space if they were growing at all. others' saw the growth that was there, the coraline was a vignette, and were generally optimistic about the tank.
Your tank has a lot of potential, and would be killer with little more than a heard of cromis and/or anthias and/or wrasse to fill in the empty space. If money is less an issue for you as it is for me, buy qt'd fish. FishHotel has three for me getting cleaned up and working with him is a breeze.

2) I am so much more excited to fill my 29 gallon than I ever was for the 100. sure, I can't have the powder brown, but I can see very easily the nem and clown and love it.
Bigger may not be better. you've got some tangs coming, so can't go too small, but it takes a lot less to fill a smaller tank.

 

[Reefer Matt]

So I find myself at a crossroad in the hobby. This isn’t a post to elicit sympathy. I’m trying to make an informed decision: should press on with my efforts in the hobby or convert my tank into a house plant enclosure?

Looking back at my receipts, I purchased my first tank in 2008. Here it is, 17 years later and the issue I face today is the same issue I faced when I was early into the hobby; my tanks survive, but they do not thrive.

I’m certainly not a cheapskate; I don’t skimp on equipment. But frankly, I received better results using (4) Loop ICs in a 12 inch tank than I get with (3) Hydra 32s on a tank whose depth is 21 inches.

I am meticulous in my husbandry, vacuuming substrate, 20% water changes using RODI, glass cleaning and filter media replacement. My OCD won’t allow me to cut corners.

I test different water parameters each day and do a complete test on all parameters weekly. I feed a variety of mixed frozen food with the occasional serving of flake.

In the end, this tank isn’t winning any awards. I would love to have this tank in my living room, but to be honest, I am embarrassed of it, particularly because of the lack of results being in the hobby for so long.

I believe I do things correctly, but don’t understand why my results do not reflect my effort.

So what am I doing wrong? What else is there to look at? What have I missed?

Maybe I should make this tank FOWLER?

If I pull the plug on the hobby I will be giving it all away. But my competitive nature won't allow me to give up yet.

Hello! It sounds like you know what to do, but I’d just enjoy your tank for you. I don’t win any tank awards either. No one should be reefing with that as their motivation, imo. That said, maybe you mettle too much instead of leaving things be? Are you the type who can quietly stay still, or do you have to constantly be moving and fiddling? The answer to those questions can help you pair livestock with your lifestyle for the best success, as we all aren’t a good match for every species. And what are your goals versus what you have now?

 

[Dom]

to me it looks like you have happy corals and a healthy tank. Maybe a rockscape remodel? how about constructing a dry scape you love out of the tank and adding it?

At one point, I had 4 bubble tips. I'm down to one. They get smaller and smaller as time goes on. They started out about the size of a softball and now, the one left is about the size of a quarter. Its kinda like a "Honey I Shrunk The Kids" thing.

When I see things like this happen, I can't help but feel the tank could perform better.

 

[BeanAnimal]

So I find myself at a crossroad in the hobby. This isn’t a post to elicit sympathy. I’m trying to make an informed decision: should press on with my efforts in the hobby or convert my tank into a house plant enclosure?

As with any of these threads -- only you can make that decision

...my tanks survive, but they do not thrive.

...but don’t understand why my results do not reflect my effort.

So what am I doing wrong?

Put in less effort - not trying to be funny. Relax and enjoy what you have instead of stressing about what you think it should be.

I can't help you about the embarrassed to show others part.

In the end, if the reef aspect is too much trouble for the enjoyment, then by all means maybe a FOWLR will fill the gap for less effort and expectation.

House plants? I don't see them being much easier than coral --- but maybe other's do.

 

[Dom]

My experience:
1) we see flaws where others see successes. with my 100 I saw the coraline I couldn't get off the glass, empty space that I couldn't afford to fill with fish, and coral that were growing too slowly to fill the space if they were growing at all. others' saw the growth that was there, the coraline was a vignette, and were generally optimistic about the tank.
Your tank has a lot of potential, and would be killer with little more than a heard of cromis and/or anthias and/or wrasse to fill in the empty space. If money is less an issue for you as it is for me, buy qt'd fish. FishHotel has three for me getting cleaned up and working with him is a breeze.

2) I am so much more excited to fill my 29 gallon than I ever was for the 100. sure, I can't have the powder brown, but I can see very easily the nem and clown and love it.
Bigger may not be better. you've got some tangs coming, so can't go too small, but it takes a lot less to fill a smaller tank.

Potential. That's the word I've been looking for! The tank could be so much more than it is, but I don't know how to get it there.

But I firmly believe in self-QT. I can never be sure something that claims to be QT'd, was.

Again, I am in a holding pattern on adding anything until I decide which road to take.

 

[TX_REEF]

House plants? I don't see them being much easier than coral --- but maybe other's do.

something only a true reefer would say, I love it

 

[Dom]

Hello! It sounds like you know what to do, but I’d just enjoy your tank for you. I don’t win any tank awards either. No one should be reefing with that as their motivation, imo. That said, maybe you mettle too much instead of leaving things be? Are you the type who can quietly stay still, or do you have to constantly be moving and fiddling? The answer to those questions can help you pair livestock with your lifestyle for the best success, as we all aren’t a good match for every species. And what are your goals versus what you have now?

Yeah... that "not winning awards" comment was just a metaphor of sorts. I'm not in it for awards. I was drawn in by the science of the hobby.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Go FOWLR and start to enjoy life. (Lol!)

 

[Dom]

Hello! It sounds like you know what to do, but I’d just enjoy your tank for you. I don’t win any tank awards either. No one should be reefing with that as their motivation, imo. That said, maybe you mettle too much instead of leaving things be? Are you the type who can quietly stay still, or do you have to constantly be moving and fiddling? The answer to those questions can help you pair livestock with your lifestyle for the best success, as we all aren’t a good match for every species. And what are your goals versus what you have now?

I think that was the point @JTP424 was making; maybe not touch the tank so much.

My goal would be a mixed reef that I can be proud of.

 

[sawdonkey]

Agree. But why isn't the tank robust? ?Where is the growth? Where is the color? Its uninteresting.

You could get some easy and fast growing corals that fill up a lot of space. Im thinking birdsnest, forest fire digi, purple stylo. Some stags grow fast (CaliCali comes to mind). Add some torches for movement. Get some giant hairy mushrooms. There’s always monti caps!

This kind of stuff adds a lot of color and should grow pretty quickly. I can’t pt a finger on why you don’t get growth, but it sounds like you have the right things in place?

 

[blecki]

I agree that the tank looks very empty. There's a lot of space with not very much rock laid across the bottom. IMO you need to fill it up. I'm not sure what the expectation here is - it's doing fine for what it is. But those TOTM packed full of coral? They're packed full because they've been packed full... It doesn't just grow like that.

 

[Dom]

can’t pt a finger on why you don’t get growth, but it sounds like you have the right things in place?

The hammers you see in the tank started out as two heads I placed in my 40 gallon; all of that from 2 heads! Same with the Zoas; it was a 1 inch tile with 4 heads on it. They exploded with growth with nothing more than weekly water changes while under (4) Loop ICs.

I thought, great!

I'll improve the lighting and let them fill in a new tank. (3) Hydra 32s and a 125 gallon Aqueon later and no growth.

 

[Dom]

You could get some easy and fast growing corals that fill up a lot of space. Im thinking birdsnest, forest fire digi, purple stylo. Some stags grow fast (CaliCali comes to mind). Add some torches for movement. Get some giant hairy mushrooms. There’s always monti caps!

This kind of stuff adds a lot of color and should grow pretty quickly. I can’t pt a finger on why you don’t get growth, but it sounds like you have the right things in place?

I could. But without growth, what would be the point?