Derrick's 26g Bowfront

[1891Bro]

1 hour ago, Derrick1980 said:

I shouldn't add anything else to my tank until it has some time to rest.  One itsy bitsy starfish probably wouldn't hurt but I dunno.

Trying to ruin this journal too?  I am serious.

 

2 minutes ago, gone_PHiSHin said:

no you are trying to ruin this journal, by going against everyone's advice and getting one itsy bitsy starfish even though it was suggested you didn't.  just like it happened in every other thread you deleted.  i am serious. 

 

[WV Reefer]

1 minute ago, Derrick1980 said:

It doesn't matter.  Because of what all has been said and done, my good reputation here is gone. 

 

You ruined yourself.  

 

That is why you deleted all the threads. 

[1891Bro]

Just now, WV Reefer said:

 

You ruined yourself.  

If this keeps up I'll soil myself. I am serious. 

[gone_PHiSHin]

2 minutes ago, WV Reefer said:

 

You ruined yourself.  

 

That is why you deleted all the threads. 

 

yep, you never had a good reputation here, and it's no one's fault but your own.

 

it doesn't take but a minute to tarnish a reputation, but it takes a long time to build it back up.  sorry.

[lkoechle]

11 minutes ago, Derrick1980 said:

It doesn't matter.  Because of what all has been said and done, my good reputation here is gone. 

You came in with the same reputation almost all of us start with: uninformed n00b.

 

But then you repeatedly ignored and went against advice. Then you went from "uninformed n00b" to "dumb n00b" to "probably a troll, because no person has made this many dumb mistakes and blatantly ignored warnings despite so many seasoned NR members giving advice"

 

You never started with a good reputation, neutral at best.

[gone_PHiSHin]

5 minutes ago, lkoechle said:

You came in with the same reputation almost all of us start with: uninformed n00b.

 

But then you repeatedly ignored and went against advice. Then you went from "uninformed n00b" to "dumb n00b" to "probably a troll, because no person has made this many dumb mistakes and blatantly ignored warnings despite so many seasoned NR members giving advice"

 

You never started with a good reputation, neutral at best.

 

this post nailed.

 

i tend to be more of an ass when responding to these types of people, but you said it directly and to the point without being mean.

[SaltyBuddha]

59 minutes ago, Derrick1980 said:

It doesn't matter.  Because of what all has been said and done, my good reputation here is gone. 

 I've been silent on this the entire time, but you don't start off with a good reputation. You earn it. I'm not into belittling you on this or that. I don't want to do that. I have not earned any reputation in this community. Maybe I will eventually, but I will do that by creating a thriving 10 gallon ecosystem. To start that, I've asked a ton of questions. Listened a lot. And researched subjects way to long. And I'm just waiting for the day when I make a mistake and my tank crashes for it. I'll hopefully be prepared though. 

 

The fact that you don't know to top off with FW or even use RODI water is a huge red flag. Research the basics. Don't trust your LFS anymore because they obviously just want to make some quick money on your dime.

[1891Bro]

Where is the starfish?

[seabass]

I'm confident that Derrick won't be adding a chocolate chip star in his tank.  I also believe that he wants to be successful.  But in my opinion, here's the main problem.  He doesn't see that he's doing anything wrong.  Despite a few losses, in his eyes, everything is going pretty well; even to the point of not believing the what most people are telling him.

 

I mean the remaining fish seem fine (which they probably are; except possibly the puffer, who really needs to start working down his teeth).  Even the losses seem to have a reasonable explanation for them; and there hasn't been this mass die off predicted by "everyone" on this site.  But that's not really how it works.  In the short term, the hobby is often quite forgiving (at least at this stage).  It may allow us to make some critical errors without any immediate ill effects.  Heck, even the carpet anemone appears to be doing fine (newbies often describe this as thriving).

 

To compound matters, there are numerous ways to be successful.  As a chorus of members promotes current common practices, there are examples of apparent success from people who stray from the norm.  Now some of these are only examples of short term success; and often, when they do fail, it doesn't get reported.  However, their are also examples of longer term success, where people use methods different from the most common current practices (although many of these people already have some amount of experience in the hobby).

 

However, I've found that this hobby will eventually teach you some humility (and maybe some patience), or force you to quit.  While we may think we have a handle on things now, something always seems to happen to give us a wake-up call.  It could be getting a new fish and not quarantining it, and ich wiping out all of the fish (happened to me many years ago).  Or it might be a bacterial bloom that affects water quality due to carbon dosing (a.k.a. biopellet reactor) which causes the carpet anemone to die, triggering a tank crash.  I'm not saying this will happen, but it is a possibility.  The thing is, something will go wrong, it's almost inevitable (and happens to the best of us).  The list of possible problems is long (including problem algae, various pests, parasites, alkalinity swings, RTN, failed equipment, cyano, dinos, compatibility issues, nutrient buildup, and on and on).

 

Derrick, although you might not currently see the benefit of the advice being offered, it will likely give you your best chance of long term success.  And while you might feel that things seem to be going alright for you right now, they can sometimes change, very quickly (even in a matter of hours).  As part of this community, you'll get a better reaction if you take the advice given to you a little more seriously.  People actually want you to be successful and they care about these animals.  It hurts a little to know that the anemone that you purchased would have had a long life in the wild (decades), but might only last a few months in your tank.

[Weetabix7]

4 hours ago, seabass said:

I'm confident that Derrick won't be adding a chocolate chip star in his tank.  I also believe that he wants to be successful.  But in my opinion, here's the main problem.  He doesn't see that he's doing anything wrong.  Despite a few losses, in his eyes, everything is going pretty well; even to the point of not believing the what most people are telling him.

 

I mean the remaining fish seem fine (which they probably are; except possibly the puffer, who really needs to start working down his teeth).  Even the losses seem to have a reasonable explanation for them; and there hasn't been this mass die off predicted by "everyone" on this site.  But that's not really how it works.  In the short term, the hobby is often quite forgiving (at least at this stage).  It may allow us to make some critical errors without any immediate ill effects.  Heck, even the carpet anemone appears to be doing fine (newbies often describe this as thriving).

 

To compound matters, there are numerous ways to be successful.  As a chorus of members promotes current common practices, there are examples of apparent success from people who stray from the norm.  Now some of these are only examples of short term success; and often, when they do fail, it doesn't get reported.  However, their are also examples of longer term success, where people use methods different from the most common current practices (although many of these people already have some amount of experience in the hobby).

 

However, I've found that this hobby will eventually teach you some humility (and maybe some patience), or force you to quit.  While we may think we have a handle on things now, something always seems to happen to give us a wake-up call.  It could be getting a new fish and not quarantining it, and ich wiping out all of the fish (happened to me many years ago).  Or it might be a bacterial bloom that affects water quality due to carbon dosing (a.k.a. biopellet reactor) which causes the carpet anemone to die, triggering a tank crash.  I'm not saying this will happen, but it is a possibility.  The thing is, something will go wrong, it's almost inevitable (and happens to the best of us).  The list of possible problems is long (including problem algae, various pests, parasites, alkalinity swings, RTN, failed equipment, cyano, dinos, compatibility issues, nutrient buildup, and on and on).

 

Derrick, although you might not currently see the benefit of the advice being offered, it will likely give you your best chance of long term success.  And while you might feel that things seem to be going alright for you right now, they can sometimes change, very quickly (even in a matter of hours).  As part of this community, you'll get a better reaction if you take the advice given to you a little more seriously.  People actually want you to be successful and they care about these animals.  It hurts a little to know that the anemone that you purchased would have had a long life in the wild (decades), but might only last a few months in your tank.

 

Holy Heck, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Actions speak louder than words. 

[Clown79]

Well said Seabass.

 

The unfortunate thing is, this has been repeatedly told to him. I know because I'm one of the ppl who have said it, at least 3 times.

 

 

[lkoechle]

11 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

Well said Seabass.

 

The unfortunate thing is, this has been repeatedly told to him. I know because I'm one of the ppl who have said it, at least 3 times.

 

 

same.

[Weetabix7]

17 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

Well said Seabass.

 

The unfortunate thing is, this has been repeatedly told to him. I know because I'm one of the ppl who have said it, at least 3 times.

 

 

 

Since I truly believe that actions do speak louder than words, my personal feeling on this is that I am not willing to contribute my words to try to help @Derrick1980 until I see by his actions that he is willing to do what it takes to make a Reef Tank work. 

 

Until then, if I don't laugh I'll start beating my head on the desk, so yeah, it's likely I'll enjoy the humor of this situation elsewhere although I don't intend to clutter this thread up with it. 

[Clown79]

I know

 

I'm not into belittling anyone. I fully believe in constructive critism and guidance but...

The thing is ppl get tired and impatient dealing with repetitive behaviour. 

 

If you want to repair your reputation, you're going to have to do it yourself by your actions. 

 

 

[WV Reefer]

6 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

I know

 

I'm not into belittling anyone. I fully believe in constructive critism and guidance but...

The thing is ppl get tired and impatient dealing with repetitive behaviour. 

 

If you want to repair your reputation, you're going to have to do it yourself by your actions. 

 

 

Repetitive behavior is one thing, bragging about killing live animals is where it stopped for me.  You get no pass for that in my book even if you are just saying it to be shocking. 

[Nixperience]

Well, he can't delete this thread. Maybe we should turn this into an advice thread for Derek. 

[WV Reefer]

40 minutes ago, Nixperience said:

Well, he can't delete this thread. Maybe we should turn this into an advice thread for Derek. 

We could call it Dear Derrick  All the noobs will be called Derricks. 

 

[Nixperience]

Oh wait. This is his. I'm so confused. We should turn that other thread into a thread for him that he can use as a resource after he deletes this. 

[Nixperience]

2 minutes ago, WV Reefer said:

We could call it Dear Derek.  All the noobs will be called Derek's. 

 

Somebody please start this!

[WV Reefer]

Just now, Nixperience said:

Somebody please start this!

The first article attached could be on the merits of sniff testing to figure specific gravity. 

[gone_PHiSHin]

i'm cracking up at calling all noobs 'Derricks' 

 

everyone that just commented said it very well.  the success of your peers in this hobby is something that is very satisfying and rewarding...we are essentially all trying to achieve the same goal, and that can be done faster, easier, cheaper, more effectively etc with forums like this.  you would be foolish to not use that to your advantage.

 

like someone said, in the meantime i've been enjoying the humor that has come out of this, on a forum that usually doesn't stray much from people being nice, helpful, humble, and willing to learn. 

 

Derrick1980, it's time you stop being such a Derrick and get that tank stable and thriving!  

 

 

[seabass]

On 4/28/2017 at 1:38 AM, Derrick1980 said:

Looking for advice.

I don't believe that it's been said yet, but you have a very nice tank.  And besides the anemone, your current livestock is fairly suitable for it.

 

Your equipment list sounds pretty good too, except for the biopellet reactor (which needs a powerful protein skimmer to operate properly) and the auto feeder.  I would discontinue using the biopellet reactor and rely on your skimmer, chemical filter media, tank maintenance, and water changes for nutrient export.  Also, I'd save the auto feeder for vacations.  Feeding manually will give you better control, let you assess the health of your fish, and make sure that everything is eaten.

 

I'm not sure what your LFS return policy is, but it sounds much more lax than any of mine.  If possible, I would return the anemone while it's still healthy.  I'm not sure if it came on a rock (hopefully it did, and is still on it).  However, no matter what, do not try to remove the anemone from the rock that it is on.  This would damage its foot and kill it.  You said that you'd return the chromis, but let them die instead; please don't do this with the anemone.

 

Also, you need to give your puffer something to wear it's teeth on.  If you haven't already, place an order with Reef Cleaners today.  You might even consider putting pieces of some Formula One frozen fish food in a piece of coral rock rubble.  You don't want it to decay in there; but hopefully it will bite at the rock to get at the food.  However, I've never kept one, so I have limited knowledge about their care and feeding.

 

But besides that, you really aren't in too bad shape.  Try to avoid impulse purchases.  Research any new equipment and/or livestock purchases, and I recommend that you run them past us prior to buying anything else.

 

Use this time to get into the swing of tank maintenance and water changes.  Neglecting this is probably the number one reason that tanks do poorly.  Finally keep reading, and researching.  I've almost given up on you a few times, but I'd still like to see you succeed.  Hopefully, I'm not just wasting my time.

 

 

[Weetabix7]

3 minutes ago, seabass said:

I don't believe that it's been said yet, but you have a very nice tank.  And besides the anemone, your current livestock is fairly suitable for it.

 

Your equipment list sounds pretty good too, except for the biopellet reactor (which needs a powerful protein skimmer to operate properly) and the auto feeder.  I would discontinue using the biopellet reactor and rely on your skimmer, chemical filter media, tank maintenance, and water changes for nutrient export.  Also, I'd save the auto feeder for vacations.  Feeding manually will give you better control, let you assess the health of your fish, and make sure that everything is eaten.

 

I'm not sure what your LFS return policy is, but it sounds much more lax than any of mine.  If possible, I would return the anemone while it's still healthy.  I'm not sure if it came on a rock (hopefully it did, and is still on it).  However, no matter what, do not try to remove the anemone from the rock that it is on.  This would damage its foot and kill it.  You said that you'd return the chromis, but let them die instead; please don't do this with the anemone.

 

Also, you need to give your puffer something to wear it's teeth on.  If you haven't already, place an order with Reef Cleaners today.  You might even consider putting pieces of some Formula One frozen fish food in a piece of coral rock ruble.  You don't want it to decay in there; but hopefully it will bite at the rock to get at the food.  However, I've never kept one, so I have limited knowledge about their care and feeding.

 

But besides that, you really aren't in too bad shape.  Try to avoid impulse purchases.  Research any new equipment and/or livestock purchases, and I recommend that you run them past us prior to buying anything else.

 

Use this time to get into the swing of tank maintenance and water changes.  Neglecting this is probably the number one reason that tanks do poorly.  Finally keep reading, and researching.  I've almost given up on you a few times, but I'd still like to see you succeed.  Hopefully, I'm not just wasting my time.

 

 

 

Well said, I agree.

[seabass]

1 hour ago, WV Reefer said:

bragging about killing live animals is where it stopped for me.

I guess I missed that post.  I agree, there's no excuse for that.  While most of us have lost some livestock (even due to our own mistakes), we feel bad about these losses, and try hard so that they don't happen again.  Hopefully that was just an unfortunate and inappropriate joke.  I'm still torn between trying to help him and giving up. 

[WV Reefer]

14 minutes ago, seabass said:

I guess I missed that post.  I agree, there's no excuse for that.  While most of us have lost some livestock (even due to our own mistakes), we feel bad about these losses, and try hard so that they don't happen again.  Hopefully that was just an unfortunate and inappropriate joke.  I'm still torn between trying to help him and giving up. 

That's the problem with the deleted posts...... if you read this it seems as if we were/are being bullies and assholes. We all tried again and again and talked him out of leaving again and again. After he began to talk about watching them die and how fun it will be and then talking about how high his post count was getting we gave up and began to use it as entertainment ...... playing with trolls as it were.