# Done with the hobby



## big_bubba_B (Apr 25, 2010)

well i went for a holiday this summer. And we asked a family friend to house sit for us ( live in our house ) as i had a 80g reef tank and 4 kitties. so we went for our trip everyday i was texting asking how everything was . to make sure the protein skimmer cup doesent over flow . sump doesent get to low and make sure kittys are fed and looked after . so i did this every second day and when we arrived at our house. The house sitter was standing outside told me that the skimmer cup overflowed shorted out the power bar the night before we got back ... i had asked him that day if everything was good he replied all levels and all animals are good. so after he told me what happend i went inside the whole house smelt like death . cats were fraking out . the food dish was overflowed . and my tank water was merky black . things were rotting . how can that happen from saposebly my tank shutting down less then a day before ... then i asked my neibor if he seen the so called frinds vehicle there and he said maybe twice so i have come to the conclusion that the skimmer overflowed shorted out the powerbar and tripped the breaker and my tank was left sitting most of the week and he was feeding me lies. one of our cats was hyperventilating had to take him to the vet and was diagnosed as verry stressed out .. so now if i even look at a tank i want to destroy him and have no intrest left in fish .... i enjoyed the hobby but after now . more of a bad memmory then good and all i can think about is how everything sufferd and basicly sufficated , 

take care all


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

How about a fresh water tank; especially a fully planted tank.. you can leave it without water changes and feeding for many many days before problem occurs.


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## architeuthis (Apr 22, 2010)

Sorry to hear about your tank. 
That's why I got out of reef tanks. 
I had one for over 12 years and never went away on a vacation during that time.
Not even for a weekend.
Again sorry to hear about your tank.


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## Alkatraz (Jul 20, 2012)

Sorry for your losses.  

+1 for planted tanks, also for pet sitting services. We just got back from a 10 day vacation and had a bonded pet sitter feed the cats/fish daily. They even provided status updates every few days with pics.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

OMG, that's horrible. I am so sorry you had to deal with that. Some friend!  Crap like this is why I shell out the $ for a professional pet sitter. It's cheap for the peace of mind of knowing that my pets are well looked after. Are your other pets OK?

I hope you'll reconsider leaving the hobby. Stuff like this makes me wish that we could get that fish sitter club thing going!

I really hope you told this guy exactly what you think of him. I know the tank is worth more than money, but it's too bad you can't go after him for the $ value of lost fish and corals. People who neglect animals are...well, I can't say it on this forum.


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

Very sad. The fact that the cat bowl was overflowing tells me he came by every now and then to fill the bowl.
Sounds like they were dead for awhile. Sorry to hear and sorry to see you leave the hobby.


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## sunshine_1965 (Aug 16, 2011)

That is a tragic loss. I do not blame you for your feelings. I would not take my frustration out on the hobby as much as I would on my so called friend. With a friend like that who needs an enemy. I hope that in a while you will give this great hobby another go round. Freshwater is definitely the best kind of tank to have if you plan on a vacation.


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## onefishtwofish (Apr 21, 2010)

sorry to hear. so needless.


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

That sucks Bubba. Sorry dude.


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## Jay2x (Jul 20, 2010)

reefing is nice to look at, sucks to maintain...would never trust any to sit the tank, b/c unless your paying them or some kind of signed agreement...they don't give a heck.


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## big_bubba_B (Apr 25, 2010)

thank you for the coments , maybe just need some time is just hard everytime i look at a nice tank or think about buying a used setup , just get the flash back of the gross looking tank ,.. i took alot of pride in my reef tank and it showed i had couple losses when i first got running did tons of research bought some good books and learned alot and it showed i had strong healthy fish my inverts were shedding and growing like crazy corals were groing , just hurts that someone didnt care what i envested alot of time and money into that tank helped alot when i was feeling depressed about having to give up trucking due to a messed up knee. sorry didnt meen for this to be a boo whoo sesion . im not good speaking my feelings but can type them out also if this helps with someone not losing a tank then it is worth saying this

spend a bit on a perfesinal .. a bit is better then all your fish and time and love down the drain 

also cats are doing good had to get a anti deppresent for tiggy our older cat , but cant blame him how many days did he have to live with the stench of rotting fish.


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## Vman (Jan 20, 2011)

Don't know what to say that hasn't been said.I have gone on several vacations now and was lucky enough that my friends did a great job with my pets.But then again,I got them all into tanks. Both of my buddies who care for my Africans also have them.Now I can imagine what would happen in your case if the wife didn't care for the tank from the beginning. If you do have a partner,I hope she would understand.


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Well even if you do leave the hobby, don't leave the forum! We need someone to bash the Canucks after all...


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## JTang (Apr 21, 2010)

Wow that sucks! Sorry to hear about that! Now I'm worry about our trip to Hawaii in 4 months.... I better start teaching my mom on how to take care of my tanks! She does have 3 FW tanks but Reef tank is way more complicated....


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## sunshine_1965 (Aug 16, 2011)

JTang said:


> Wow that sucks! Sorry to hear about that! Now I'm worry about our trip to Hawaii in 4 months.... I better start teaching my mom on how to take care of my tanks! She does have 3 FW tanks but Reef tank is way more complicated....


You can never know too much when it comes to the care of fish. They all have different needs.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Glad to hear the cats are doing better, and that you're reconsidering leaving.  Stick around, we need at least on non-Canucks fan in here!

It sucks losing fish. I've gone through a wave of weird diseases recently with a number of my fish, and I can only imagine losing a whole tank.


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

are you going to sell your equipment or hang on to it for now?


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

[email protected] you have officially caught the sickness...


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

Look at my signature, lol you think I just caught it now? haha


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## hp10BII (Apr 23, 2010)

ThePhoenix said:


> are you going to sell your equipment or hang on to it for now?


lol - they're starting to circle. Let bubba heal a little bit so he can make the right decision for himself. He's a little far from us though if you were thinking about another setup...

Sorry about your losses - the hobby is full of highs and lows, when you step away for a bit, you will remember the highs.


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

no, he does live far away, and Im not into marine life. I was just curious if he was going to be getting rid of it.

it was an honest question, no implications.


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Sad to hear indeed. I won't quite totally quit. Take a break and start up. I was gone pretty well half of July / August with the longest being a 3 weeks stretch. I had forgotten how many tanks I got, never even worried about the for all 3 weeks. It just need some proper planning and a trusted hobbyist to help.

I actually had left my 200+ gallon salt water system unattended for a whole week with no incident. 

It is very very frustrating and expensive mishap. I am sure there will be help here when you are ready to start up again.


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