THE NECROSIS COASTER!!!
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OP
OP
Indeed, It can really mess with you sometimes.
After years of freaking out to no avail I now just grab a beer, blob super glue over the area in question, dip and start testing. If its more than one coral I grab a beer, toss a little interceptor in the tank after the super glue blob/dip and then start testing. This often works and its obvious the beer is what's actually helping - rest of it is just ritual.
speedstar
Well-Known Member
10 years ago I told my wife never let me do this again. After watching a 500g tank crash. Well this past couple months the hobby bit back and I am doing it again. Tension every morning as I come down to check the corals.
Try checking in the evening, with a beer in hand. Works for me.
I think it's fair to say that an Acropora dominated system is the most likely to cause high anxiety. Keeping all the animals happy in a mixed reef in a small body of water can also be stressful.
After 30+ years in the hobby, I still have to remind myself that a hobby should be relaxing!
After 30+ years in the hobby, I still have to remind myself that a hobby should be relaxing!
ksfulk
Working back towards clean
I will say that this article seems timely. I told myself that this tank and system would be different. I would just let things go and while religiously testing alkalinity daily, I would not sweat the other numbers. Two years of good solid growth and seeing all kind of SPS grow into small colonies made me really really think that I had the right of it this time.
Well, I was wrong. My tank now has eight corals in it total. 95% of my stick collection wasted away into nothingness - I just shipped out the coral skeletons to a forum member who was looking for some - 14.2 lbs of skeletons. The acros that are left are seemingly random in placement, species, rarity and growth. And I was basically ready to throw in the towel. I let things go and it was heartbreaking even to look at the tank on most days.
But - I working on restarting the entire system, learning from small mistakes that may have culminated in the Great Acro Calamity of 2018. Its sadly reassuring to see people doing this for a living stress out about the same things I do, and the quiet reassurance that it can all be changed and made new again.
As an added bonus, I'll get to eventually order more coral for Adam, so silver lining there
Well, I was wrong. My tank now has eight corals in it total. 95% of my stick collection wasted away into nothingness - I just shipped out the coral skeletons to a forum member who was looking for some - 14.2 lbs of skeletons. The acros that are left are seemingly random in placement, species, rarity and growth. And I was basically ready to throw in the towel. I let things go and it was heartbreaking even to look at the tank on most days.
But - I working on restarting the entire system, learning from small mistakes that may have culminated in the Great Acro Calamity of 2018. Its sadly reassuring to see people doing this for a living stress out about the same things I do, and the quiet reassurance that it can all be changed and made new again.
As an added bonus, I'll get to eventually order more coral for Adam, so silver lining there
Scorpius
2500 Club Member
I would say religiously doing 10% water changes every week for an sps dominant tank is good insurance against failure.
I also don't start looking for problems unless I see my long term Acropora having issues. If I do it's full on investigation mode.
I also don't start looking for problems unless I see my long term Acropora having issues. If I do it's full on investigation mode.
Wow this article nailed it! I like to think I am getting to the point of being able to delay reacting.
I am newer to the hobby compared to many of you (4 years, 2 years keeping sps dominant system). One thing I feel is not spoken about enough is the amount of expected losses keeping Acros. I feel like it's a hushed topic and not knowing you feel like something is terribly off anytime the slightest issue surfaces. I think excepting the expected loss rate has helped me immensely.
Adam I like how you occasionally mention the trouble you have growing pieces and / or the losses you regularly experience.
I am newer to the hobby compared to many of you (4 years, 2 years keeping sps dominant system). One thing I feel is not spoken about enough is the amount of expected losses keeping Acros. I feel like it's a hushed topic and not knowing you feel like something is terribly off anytime the slightest issue surfaces. I think excepting the expected loss rate has helped me immensely.
Adam I like how you occasionally mention the trouble you have growing pieces and / or the losses you regularly experience.
Loved reading this and realizing I am not the only one. It is not just coral health but seeing anything going awry in the tank. I've had nightmares and sleepless nights thinking about an aptasia that I spotted and "took care of" but wondered if this was the gateway to an uncontrollable infestation. Or seeing a bit of Red on your rock work and instantly diagnosing Cyano and panicking when it might just be a bit of coraline developing. With time in the hobby I think we all develop a bit of a callous to these situations and let them ride out, but some days, usually after a whopper of a day at work, and a horrible commute, and you come home to find your favorite Acan looks like a multi colored raisin, it is easy to panic, then visually obsess, willing them to come around, as you pull out every test kit you own only to discover after, that a hermit crab crawled over it.
OP
OP
believe me, I am so right there with you guys, pretty much 24/7, I don't think I can even remember a time when i didn't have some kind of quirk in progress.
It's nice to know I'm not alone in my insanity! Thanks for the post.
OP
OP
OP
OP
How about seasonal maladies? Probably a topic worthy of its own article, and something if discussed with friends a lot over years. But I'm sure I'm not the only one who get visits from seasonal gremlins. Seems like every year around the same time, during the harder transitions, winter/fall and winter/spring I see a rise in odd and unexplainable issues.
Zekth
Community Member
Mmmm seasonal really depends on your setup and your house. Personnaly never experienced any issue as i live in a mild area where it's not too cold in winter and not too hot so i don't warm or cool the house with any device. Sometimes only Fan in the summer so the environment is quite stable in term of temperature and CO2 in the air. In addition to this i live in front of the seaside which is a plus for me.
tnyr5
Tony
As I have said many times in the past, the secret to enjoyable reefing is absolute detachment.
Adam has a business, though, so he can't be absolutely detached. Sorry, Adam, you're out of luck.
Adam has a business, though, so he can't be absolutely detached. Sorry, Adam, you're out of luck.
OP
OP
Thanks for the post! I'd' definitely consider the notion that a more consistent climate may not experience the season gremlins to the same extent. Pretty dramatic difference in the environment inside the house between summer and winter in the midwest. I've thought anything from airborne pollen and such, to differences in groundwater may be some part of the reason, but I may never nail down exactly what happens during seasonal swings.
Good read. As an acropora newbie, I'm not sure if it's reassuring or unsettling that the most experienced reef keepers still deal with these problems...
My very first acro frag started showing necrosis within 3 days of adding it to my system, but fixing the problem and watching it recover have been the most rewarding experiences in my journey thus far.
My very first acro frag started showing necrosis within 3 days of adding it to my system, but fixing the problem and watching it recover have been the most rewarding experiences in my journey thus far.
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