I give up.

[Tinnerito]

Hi everyone. I've been trying to keep corals for a long time now, and after each attempt, and after every new knowledge, and experiences I gain, I can't seem to stop failing. And as a 15 year old teenage reefer, buying new corals time and time again after deep consideration and research following the previous fails, costs a ton of pocket money which takes me years to save. I've been reading books, watching videos, and speaking to professionals in person on every specific of captive marine aquaria since I was 11, but to this day regardless of how many mistakes I may fix, or how many precautions or measures I take, corals always seem to die on me.



I just spent the last of my money on my third attempt at keeping a coral after 5 months prior to the previous faliure, speaking to more reefers, watching more videos, and reading more books and yet...



What the reefing community considers to be the easiest coral in the world to keep, is dying on me. I've been trying everything I can like multiple dips, different acclimation and quarentine methods, dosing nutrients and minerals, changing light, flow, parameters, and simply leaving the coral alone for self resolution, but nothing seems to work. I am told waiting awhile is the solution but my corals die so rapidly it seems like there's nothing that I can do anymore. I've never had a coral survive for more than 2 months, and I've definitely never seen any of my corals grow.



Fortunately, every saltwater aquarium that I own has a variety of fish, anemones, macroalgaes, sea sponges, crustaceans, and mollusks that all thrive and grow under my care. So I guess these years of research aren't for nothing. But if I ever try to inch toward keeping a coral again, I'm bound to get the same end result. And now, my bank account is empty, and I officially give up on corals... for now; until I am old enough to get a job, and maybe my own place to try again.



Any advice?

 

[PharmrJohn]

What have you been keeping your parameters at? Temp, Ca, Mg, ALK, pH. Are those parameters stable? What kind of lighting do you have over how big of a tank? What kind of filtration are you running? Give us a breakdown of what you've got and how you've been managing your numbers (ranges). And Dude? I gotta say......You are a pretty amazing kid to have tackled one of the toughest hobbies out there. Don't let this get ya down. Sounds like you've had many, many successes as well, and that says quite a bit regarding your Husbandry and work ethic.

 

[braaap]

We need to know more about your tank. Age, size, parameters, equipment etc. Until we have that info we have nothing to help you with.

All I can say is to keep trying. With some help here you’ll be keeping coral in no time.

 

[littlefoxx]

Maybe just keep fish for now. Then re visit corals when youre more experienced! I had the same issue and just started to try corals again. Some are doing well some not. So I feel you. Re find you love for the hobby then when youre not so frustrated try corals again!

 

[wjm6449]

Let’s start from basics. You have an RO ATO and cycling fresh water once a week? Do you have test kits. Are you testing. Based on your limited budget it sounds as though you aren’t testing regularly. It’s a Financial burden I understand. Some people can’t just afford $75 worth of testing a month straight and then once or twice a week to maintain that stability.

The overall lesson is you want stable. Smallest swings possible. I find it hard to believe you can’t keep any coral. At the end of my biocubes life the light was half broken. Tank was covered with aptasia and I have firework clove polys and Xenia still thriving with literally 0 water changes in 5 months.

We just need to know your starting point.

 

[VintageReefer]

I literally do nothing with my tank but put coral in. I add freshwater top off and keep alkalinity calcium in range with over the counter products.

Sounds like you have a major parameter issue, or something inadequate with lighting or flow or a predator / pest

Got photos of the tank and dying coral ?

 

[Tinnerito]

What have you been keeping your parameters at? Temp, Ca, Mg, ALK, pH. Are those parameters stable? What kind of lighting do you have over how big of a tank? What kind of filtration are you running? Give us a breakdown of what you've got and how you've been managing your numbers (ranges). And Dude? I gotta say......You are a pretty amazing kid to have tackled one of the toughest hobbies out there. Don't let this get ya down. Sounds like you've had many, many successes as well, and that says quite a bit regarding your Husbandry and work ethic.

I really appreciate your reply. It made me feel like I've made progress in my passion for aquatic life. I will give you everything I know about my setups.

Filter - I use EHEIM canister filters for every setup that I kept coral in. I rinse the media in a tub of tank water monthly.

Temp-79-80 degrees F
Alk-8.0 ppm
Po4- 0.15
No3- 8ppm
No2- 0
Ammonia- 0.25ppm
Calc- 430ppm
Salinity- 35ppt
I assured all params were consistent for atleast a month before adding corals.
I dose chaetogro, and neonitro every week to keep nutrients and minerals consistent, since I keep a lot of macroalgae in all of my tanks.
I am unsure of the exact content of every mineral(fe, mg, etc) but I dose enough that it keeps all of my macros healthy.

Heater brand- hygger

Lighting- Fluval Sea full spectrum led light.
Blue-35%
Violet-15%
Cyan-15%
Red-10%
White-5%

All of my tanks are between 5 and 60 gallons since these are all crammed in my bedroom, except for my freshwater systems. Therefore, I use a fluval sea nano light for each of the tanks that I intended to house corals in.

All of my tanks have a heater, light, and atleast one powerhead facing the general direction of the filter return pump.

Coral acclimation: I float the bags in display tank for 20 minutes. I inspect corals, and remove visible pests in a tub of bag water. I place in dip for 10 minutes, observe, and periodically blast the corals with a turkey baster. The dipping solution that I use is Coral RX. I use according to instructions. I rinse and inspect in another tub of saltwater, then I place into an acclimation tub, where I drip acclimate for about 40 minutes, and remove half of the water every 10 minutes.

I use BSI IC-GEL coral frag glue to mount the corals. I take notes on care requirements given by reef shop workers, and mount the corals accordingly. (Ex: I place blastomussa's in shadier areas with medium flow towards the bottom of the tank)

I use thawed mysis shrimp to feed fish, and I gave my corals reef roids every week. I check on them every few minutes to make sure that they eat it all, and I remove some reef roids if it looks to be too much.

Corals look great the first week, and go the rest of the month looking a little sad. The following month they tend to slowly shrivel, shrink, and disappear leaving only skeleton.

Thats all of the information I can think of on the spot, but if theres anything else you'd like to know, feel free to ask.

 

[Tinnerito]

Let’s start from basics. You have an RO ATO and cycling fresh water once a week? Do you have test kits. Are you testing. Based on your limited budget it sounds as though you aren’t testing regularly. It’s a Financial burden I understand. Some people can’t just afford $75 worth of testing a month straight and then once or twice a week to maintain that stability.

The overall lesson is you want stable. Smallest swings possible. I find it hard to believe you can’t keep any coral. At the end of my biocubes life the light was half broken. Tank was covered with aptasia and I have firework clove polys and Xenia still thriving with literally 0 water changes in 5 months.

We just need to know your starting point.

I usually test the essential parameters such as nitrate, phosphate, salinity, and alkalinity twice a week, and all of the other parameters once a week. I use a relatively affordable test kit. I use one of the liquid kinds with a either a color chart, or a conversion chart. I test salinity using a refractometer.

 

[fishface NJ]

Are you using RO, RODI, sea water or facet water?

Did you start with Dry Rock or Live Rock?

 

[Tinnerito]

I literally do nothing with my tank but put coral in. I add freshwater top off and keep alkalinity calcium in range with over the counter products.

Sounds like you have a major parameter issue, or something inadequate with lighting or flow or a predator / pest

Got photos of the tank and dying coral ?

This is the one tank which I've been repeatedly adding corals to every few months in attempt for success. I have no photos of the dying coral which I just had, since I had already thrown it out. But I have some old photos of previous dying corals if those help. They're long since dead though. I will give a photo of at the time I bought my last few coralsx and some before and after comparisons.

 

[Tinnerito]

Are you using RO, RODI, sea water or facet water?

Did you start with Dry Rock or Live Rock?

I use RODI water, and I always start with dry rock, but I do use live sand, and I add the essential bacterium for the cycle.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Hi everyone. I've been trying to keep corals for a long time now, and after each attempt, and after every new knowledge, and experiences I gain, I can't seem to stop failing. And as a 15 year old teenage reefer, buying new corals time and time again after deep consideration and research following the previous fails, costs a ton of pocket money which takes me years to save. I've been reading books, watching videos, and speaking to professionals in person on every specific of captive marine aquaria since I was 11, but to this day regardless of how many mistakes I may fix, or how many precautions or measures I take, corals always seem to die on me.



I just spent the last of my money on my third attempt at keeping a coral after 5 months prior to the previous faliure, speaking to more reefers, watching more videos, and reading more books and yet...



What the reefing community considers to be the easiest coral in the world to keep, is dying on me. I've been trying everything I can like multiple dips, different acclimation and quarentine methods, dosing nutrients and minerals, changing light, flow, parameters, and simply leaving the coral alone for self resolution, but nothing seems to work. I am told waiting awhile is the solution but my corals die so rapidly it seems like there's nothing that I can do anymore. I've never had a coral survive for more than 2 months, and I've definitely never seen any of my corals grow.



Fortunately, every saltwater aquarium that I own has a variety of fish, anemones, macroalgaes, sea sponges, crustaceans, and mollusks that all thrive and grow under my care. So I guess these years of research aren't for nothing. But if I ever try to inch toward keeping a coral again, I'm bound to get the same end result. And now, my bank account is empty, and I officially give up on corals... for now; until I am old enough to get a job, and maybe my own place to try again.



Any advice?

Maybe try to send off an ICP test, there might just be some x factor in the water killing off your corals.

 

[Rshahnyc]

Also back off the reef roofs if you already have nutrients in your tank.

 

[Tinnerito]

Also back off the reef roofs if you already have nutrients in your tank.

My very first coral died to what I was told could be nutrient deficiency so I thought it wasn't enough. I will keep this in mind though. I appreciate the reply!

 

[stewy14]

Hello, same age, started 7 months ago and keeping acros, I have a 10gal, I don’t dose, I never drip acclimate, and everything goes well
How big is the tank? What lights? What coral have tried?
Try out euohyliahs, mushrooms, Duncan’s, and yeah, start with those

 

[Tinnerito]

Maybe try to send off an ICP test, there might just be some x factor in the water killing off your corals.

Sounds good now that I think of it. I will definitely look into that. Thanks for the reply!

 

[Tinnerito]

Hello, same age, started 7 months ago and keeping acros, I have a 10gal, I don’t dose, I never drip acclimate, and everything goes well
How big is the tank? What lights? What coral have tried?
Try out euohyliahs, mushrooms, Duncan’s, and yeah, start with those

My only tank where I had the courage to add corals is my 6 gallon vertical nano "reef" since I didn't want to destroy any nutrient balances in my other tanks. I use a Fluval Sea full spectrum nano reef light for that specific tank. I have tried toadstools, dead mans fingers, hammers, blastos, and pavona's.

 

[KQuillan]

I applaud your efforts and knowledge. How long has the tank been running? How often are you changing the water? You still have some ammonia. Don't give up. This hobby requires a LOT of patience. We are all here to help and support you.

FWIW, I don't drip acclimate any corals. It's a dip and in.

 

[VintageReefer]

Lighting might not be strong enough. Just a guess

 

[IceNein]

Have you considered maybe doing a tank thread where you could document, with photos, every step of your tank's journey? I think that it might be helpful for people to have a complete one shot view of every aspect of your tank, and its progress over weeks and months.

I think people might be able to give you better constructive criticism that way. Obviously right here it sounds like you're doing things well enough that I would expect at least something to survive, but clearly something is wrong.