OK, what a read. I’ve been in this hobby for 63 years and have experienced many things, helped as many people along the way as possible especially in the last fifteen years or so. Two observations I’d like to make, two recommendations I’ll make and a congratulations.
First the congratulations, on joining this forum and LISTENing to the advice given here. Many new reefers stumble along taking advice from the LFS only and too many give up in frustration. It’s been widely proclaimed that you cannot trust the advice given at MOST (not all) LFSs. I am originally from WI, operated a wholesale aquarium supply outlet and Aquatics Unlimited was one of my biggest and best accounts. Generally, advice from them can be trusted as they are one of the best.
First observation. You have definitely been bitten by the reef bug. There are so many really cool things to discover. It is exciting to me, even after all these years, to get excited over your enthusiasm for the hobby. Thank you for sharing so much of your life with us.
Second observation. You are definitely experiencing “beginners luck” with this first system. Much of that luck comes from two things, participating actively here and personal research you’ve done. It is no surprise to me that you are a teacher and I’ll bet a good one, too. Your kids, both at home and in school, are fortunate to have you.
First recommendation. I wrote an article titled, “Nine Simple Rules, Buying Healthy Fish and Keeping them Healthy”. This article has generated very much favorable peer review. I highly recommend everyone read it. You can find it here -
"Nine Simple Rules"
Second recommendation. You have your 29 that you are thinking of selling. I would recommend you put it to good use as a quarantine tank for new arrivals. You have been pretty lucky - so far! Luck has a habit of running out when caution is ignored. While I only skim read your long tank thread, I don’t recall anyone recommending that you quarantine your purchases. Not quarantining is akin to playing russian roulette, you don’t know when your luck will change and disaster strikes. When you read “Nine Simple Rules” you will be introduced to my concept of the “
Spa Quarantine” system.
The life of a fish prior to arriving to your comfortable tank quarters is a journey of HE!!ish treatment. Caught by any of several methods from nets to chemicals to drastic measures as dynamite. They are then bagged, shipped, transferred into strange maybe unstable water, held for a day or two, NOT FED, bagged again, shipped to a destination often 24 to 48 hours away, transferred again to unfamiliar water, NOT FED, bagged, shipped to your LFS, transferred again to strange water and barely fed until you buy this fish and it finally arrives to your loving home. Think about this for a minute, in the journey from their ocean reef home to your tank home, they are not cared for, not fed, not handled with respect, they are a commodity that each handler just wants to pass on BEFORE disease or death shows it’s ugly head. Pretty grim picture, ugh?
That is very close to reality in the life of our precious reef fish that we place so high a regard on. Things have improved over the last ten years or so but there is still a long way to go. Remember, the reefs most fish are collected from are in Third World Countries and NOT close to Metropolitan areas but sometimes hundreds of miles from anything but a remote village. Most collectors are poor villagers receiving 25 to 50 cents per fish from brokers who then bag them and start the fish on their arduous journey. The death rate is still way too high. It has been estimated that a mere 20% of the tens-of-thousands of fish caught survive to reach our tanks. Pretty dismal isn’t it.
That’s why I implore EVERYONE in this hobby to do everything in their power to improve their personal best practices by constant research and making improvements to our practices and systems. This hobby is in a constant state of change as we discover new and improved methods of husbandry. As “Responsible Reefers” we must move with the tide of change.
One huge step for you, or anyone not quarantining, is to put that 29 to best use as a “Spa quarantine” system. You will one day thank me.
Good luck comes to only those that research and improve their skills.
Dick
