Owning a Reef Tank: A Trick or Treat?

[revhtree]

It's Halloween and it's all about the "boo" the fright and the scary stuff! Sometimes it can be such a TREAT and other times just a mean TRICK so it seems! So in theme with the holiday today let's talk about it!

Has owning a reef tank been a Trick or Treat for you, or somewhere in between?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Has owning a reef tank been a Trick or Treat for you, or somewhere in between?

Its been nothing but a treat but trick comes in every so often with acro. Just seems ever since I installed trident, I have high calcium which some acro have suffered. I have disconnected DOS and dose manually for now. The trident for those unfamilar sends message to Apex and DOS and does not dose anything

 

[Reefer Matt]

I think reefing can be as rewarding or frightful as you make it. It is definitely not for the lazy or impatient, but can provide a lifestyle that gives meaning to everyone willing to keep at it.

 

[trevorhiller]

Has owning a reef tank been a Trick or Treat for you, or somewhere in between?

Its been nothing but a treat but trick comes in every so often with acro. Just seems ever since I installed trident, I have high calcium which some acro have suffered. I have disconnected DOS and dose manually for now. The trident for those unfamilar sends message to Apex and DOS and does not dose anything

How high is high? I haven't heard of too many citing high calcium damaging acros or really many problems at all for that matter, but now I'm a little worried. My calcium runs higher despite using Kalkwasser.

 

[vetteguy53081]

How high is high? I haven't heard of too many citing high calcium damaging acros or really many problems at all for that matter, but now I'm a little worried. My calcium runs higher despite using Kalkwasser.

560-580. Was A L W A Y S 436-458

 

[Salty_Dreamer]

Definitely a treat! My tank brings me peace.

 

[WirelessMike]

The trick is making it a treat. If you don’t have patience and good resources it will always be a trick. If you overcome the beginning stages and certain self inflicted headaches the treats will present themselves ten fold.

 

[i cant think]

It's Halloween and it's all about the "boo" the fright and the scary stuff! Sometimes it can be such a TREAT and other times just a mean TRICK so it seems! So in theme with the holiday today let's talk about it!

Has owning a reef tank been a Trick or Treat for you, or somewhere in between?

Definitely a treat for me now! I now have the perfect growth in all my corals. My Softie tank doesn’t have coral growing out of control and in my SPS tank, growth is very fast.

 

[kevgib67]

Definitely a treat or else why would we spend all the money and time and continue even with the occasional trick. The treat is way more than the tricks.

 

[flashsmith]

The treat is enjoying the progress but the trick is no matter how much you try or how much you spend trying to automate everything the work never gets easier. There's always something to clean something to test and something to buy. I'm doing better going the other way and simplifying every process I can.

 

[Stoney]

This is such a rollercoaster of a hobby. Sometimes I feel like a god and other times like an abject failure.

 

[doubleshot00]

This is such a rollercoaster of a hobby. Sometimes I feel like a god and other times like an abject failure.

This. It was a treat for the first 6 months. Now its been a complete pain in the butt and want to take everything down.

 

[Treefer32]

It's a roller coaster. some days I want to destroy it in anger and rage, and the next day I love it. Lol. The part that frustrates me is the cost of the hobby. And sometimes the absolute near junk of the hobby. I'm struggling with an MP40 right now. Last week it was a $30 algae scraper that busted on me. I spent $800 in food for my fish a year. Then another $600 a year in nitrate and phosphate management.

Everytime I turn around I feel like A) the hobby is significantly more expensive - just in line with everything else. B) there's always something else that needs repairing, replacing, or updated. Definitely not a hobby for the light hearted that's for sure! I've thought about a reef tank for my office, but given the prices of everything, and the cost to maintain my large tank in the basement. I'm probably giving up the possibility of an office tank.

 

[Troylee]

Trick today! Used to be a treat! The prices are insane any more on anything dry goods to corals compared to 10 years ago lol..

 

[Mr.OK]

Been trick for me, Can not seem to get my pram stable, and my phosphates are going crazy now for me. I got my nitrated down from 50 to 10, just my phospahtes test from .49 to .64 lately and my tank is gettign covered in green algae and looks horrible. Some days i am ready to just give up and sell it all.

 

[G Santana]

Took the better part of 2 yrs to get real stability and some good growth but then came the trick when your tank sitter fails miserably lol

 

[LeDart]

Personally, it's both, because they are beautiful, and challenging which keeps me occupied, and on my feet, however it is expensive, and the darn dinos are a pain in my butt. I currently spent $1500 on my reef, and I only bought coral, and fish when they were on sale, and bought my red sea reefer 200xl on sale used for $500, so I have really spent close to $900 in upkeep, and to keep it looking beautiful, for 6.5 months, but that's because I spent a lot of money in the start.

 

[Queen Anne's Corals]

Definitely both! When I got my first aquarium I can't count how many times I thought about giving up but I'm glad I didn't. Seems like a common theme with new reefers from what I've gathered talking to people .

 

[Salty_Dreamer]

Gotta take the bad with the good! The rewards are worth it.

I say this with 5000 asterinas in my tank at this time. Lol (may be exaggerating a little)

 

[Holy handgrenade]

A treat to my eyes, a trick to my wallet