Beginner Saltwater Tank Owner

[pegasus]

You know fish 1025's head is reeling at this point? LOL! Actually, you guys have covered most of the common mistakes made by newbies... and occasionally... seasoned hobbyists. Always start at the bottom, and work your way up. See if you can keep a fish alive for awhile, then try keeping two or three alive. If that works out, and you've got your maintenance routine down pat (water changes, equipment maintenance, etc.), then you can think about sprucing up the place with a few softies. Again, start at the bottom with some easy to keep corals, and learn how to take care of them. After you've mastered that, try something a little more demanding like LPS, and eventually, SPS. Always work your way up. NEVER try to start at the top and work sideways, because you'll more than likely end up at the bottom... where you should have been to begin with. Just my 2c...

 

[jay0705]

Lol baby steps w sw is easy. Start off like bigfoot and u b screwed

 

[lmforbis]

That has

You know fish 1025's head is reeling at this point? LOL! Actually, you guys have covered most of the common mistakes made by newbies... and occasionally... seasoned hobbyists. Always start at the bottom, and work your way up. See if you can keep a fish alive for awhile, then try keeping two or three alive. If that works out, and you've got your maintenance routine down pat (water changes, equipment maintenance, etc.), then you can think about sprucing up the place with a few softies. Again, start at the bottom with some easy to keep corals, and learn how to take care of them. After you've mastered that, try something a little more demanding like LPS, and eventually, SPS. Always work your way up. NEVER try to start at the top and work sideways, because you'll more than likely end up at the bottom... where you should have been to begin with. Just my 2c...

That sums up my whole fish experience. I started with regular FW moved to African cichlids then discus. Moved to SW 18 years ago fish only for awhile then added softies. Had that tank for a long time. Got out for a few years after my grand daughter fed the fish a whole can of flakes and everything died. Now i have a much better system and try to follow the nothing good happens quickly rule but it is really hard.

 

[jay0705]

Agreed. Even growing out frags takes awhile

 

[pegasus]

Agreed. Even growing out frags takes awhile

Frags grow painfully slow, especially hard corals. I know they will eventually grow into beautiful colonies, but it seems like it takes forever! At least I can tell they're growing, so that'll have to be good enough. A year can make a lot of difference. Patience is key... right?

 

[jay0705]

Lol I hear ya. I got 2 frags last nt. My first real shot at coral. I checked this am and found a hermit suspiciously close to one!