[BMW Rider]

This can be a frustrating pastime. I too have wondered if it is worth continuing at times when things are not looking ideal. I had a real algae problem for a while, but with some phosphate remover and lots of manual removal, I've got it 95% beat. I also had my acros showing some tissue recession recently. The cause was a re-apperance of the red bugs despite having treated all my new acros fro them. I suspect that I must have had them on my original colony as well as it was the only one that was never treated prior to placement in the tank. I pulled them all and retreated, leaving them in qt for two weeks to ensure none remained in the main tank. Hopefully they are gone. So far the acros all look to be improving in colour and health.

I find it much harder during the summer months to look after the tank since I really want to be travelling on my bike more. I want my tanks to be able to be self sufficient for at least a week without care, but its hard to plan an extended trip and not wonder if I'll come home to a disaster. I am planning to get a controller and some back up power supplies eventually to add some peace of mind, but I need to get the budget for them first.

There is no shame in downsizing if that is what you need to do for the time being. If a total shut down is what it takes, while sad, it may be the better choice rather than just letting it degrade to the point where it is all lost. You can keep all your equipment and restart when things are more accomodating. It is a hard choice though once you have invested so much into it, both time and money. For noiw though, try to figure out the cause of the decline first, then choose a course of action to deal; with it. The RO/DI is a good first step.