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Thinking of quitting reefing

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Hummuslover

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I set up a tank about 5 months ago and have been plagued with frequent bacteria blooms and ammonia spikes. My prized fairy wrasse jumped out of my tank when i uncovered my tank to cool off during a hot day in September. My allegedly paired cardinal fish just started fighting each other.

I am thinking of quitting because I clearly cannot provide the care that my fish deserve. If i were to quite how do i go about making sure my fish have a good home?
 
5 months isn’t a long time for a new tank, especially for a beginner. So I won’t get discouraged, but try to be more patient and wait out the uglies til tank really becomes stable. We all have tank issues, but learned to overcome them and move forward. I sound like a life coach, haha.
 
Hummuslover said:
I set up a tank about 5 months ago and have been plagued with frequent bacteria blooms and ammonia spikes. My prized fairy wrasse jumped out of my tank when i uncovered my tank to cool off during a hot day in September. My allegedly paired cardinal fish just started fighting each other.

I am thinking of quitting because I clearly cannot provide the care that my fish deserve. If i were to quite how do i go about making sure my fish have a good home?
Click to expand...
There is a lot of learning from doing this for 5 months already, which you would benefit from if you continue trying. We can collectively make every tank work in this club. My advice, become a member, setup a journal with your tank details and your challenges, and you will receive more help than you ask for :).

I am not a patient person at all, so not a good candidate for reef tanks, but the satisfaction of finally making it somewhat work deserves the pain that literally everyone has in the first 5 months doing that.
 
Like others have said, most reef tanks struggle for the first year (especially if you start from dry rock/sand). If you don't give up, it will be extremely rewarding.

If you end up deciding to re-home your fish, there are plenty of experienced reefers here who can give your fish a good home.
 
Hang in there, don't quit yet. 1-18 months is the most frustrating time in this hobby. Do yourself a favor and find yourself some good old established rock from a tank and just let your tank settle. People want to hit the gas when they get in the hobby, we look on social media and see all these amazing things but forget most these tanks are old and seasoned. This hobby is a marathon not a sprint. 3-5 years is really where your tank shines then it really gets fun. Your not alone in this trust me, we all went through this.
 
Let’s assume she/he does not want to continue. As non-member, where would this need to be posted, to make sure fish find a good home, since non-members have no access to the PIF section?
 
I’ve been in the hobby for 26 years. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about quitting. You do know that this is one of the hardest hobbies in the world. The average person only last 18 months in this hobby. Think deep down if you have a passion for this hobby. If you don’t then quit and save yourself some heartache cuz it’s a road full of bones and heartbreak.
 
5 months in, tank's aren't usually sparkling and full, especially for a first tank. Whether or not you want to continue is of course your choice, but the biome in your tank has only started to find its balance. Things just take a while.
 
How dedicated are you?
Death is guaranteed
The fish and corals in your system did NOT ask to be in your care
There is a huge financial requirement,…
Do you exhibit self restraint?

If you’re in, become a $upporting member
Pay the price, roll the dice, move your mice
We’re here to help you have a successful reef aquarium
 
Last edited:
Kensington Reefer said:
How dedicated are you?
Death is guaranteed
The fish and corals in your system did NOT ask to be in your care
There is a huge financial requirement,…
Do you exhibit self restraint?

If you’re in, become a $upporting member
Pay the price, move your mice
We’re here to help you have a successful reef aquarium
Click to expand...
“Pay the price, move your mice” ~ Erin aka our own Dr. Suess of BAR :)
 

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Hummuslover said:
I set up a tank about 5 months ago and have been plagued with frequent bacteria blooms and ammonia spikes. My prized fairy wrasse jumped out of my tank when i uncovered my tank to cool off during a hot day in September. My allegedly paired cardinal fish just started fighting each other.

I am thinking of quitting because I clearly cannot provide the care that my fish deserve. If i were to quite how do i go about making sure my fish have a good home?
Click to expand...
It’s a legit question. No one best answer. The most straightforward way is to give everything away or sell it to someone trustworthy. Parting everything out is painful. You can give stuff away here without being a member, but to sell stuff you need to be a supporting member ($30). You won’t get your money back selling unfortunately. One advantage of doing either here is you increase your chances it will go to a good home.

There are other online marketplaces like some FB groups, craigslist, etc, but then you really have no idea if they will go to a good home or not.
 
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