BIGGEST mistake you've made in the hobby

[culp]

Originally Posted by johnwfranklin
http:///forum/post/2844565
20K??????? worth of fish-- were they wearing Gold Jackets
sorry-- had to ask-- what kind of fish were they--
i was wondering the same thing.

 

[premilove]

canister filters and no drip loops!!

 

[lkgrenegade22]

Originally Posted by premilove
http:///forum/post/2845810
canister filters and no drip loops!!
I keep a towel around mind to prevent a leak if one ever occurs!

 

[premilove]

not even leaks..i hate canister filters. it destroyed my 65 gal. i have to do it over now. i just dont want my fish to die during the process..

 

[robert0862]

getting into the hobby

 

[mboswell1982]

finding this message board and getting interested in the hobby in the first place LOL

 

[funkysean5]

Its not too bad... if you take the money out.

 

[funkysean5]

Originally Posted by mboswell1982
http:///forum/post/2853245
finding this message board and getting interested in the hobby in the first place LOL
Its not too bad... if you take the money out.

 

[grumpygils]

My wife says my biggest mistake was buying 2 goldfish and a bowl for $5. It has cost me in excess of 10-15K so far!
Mc

 

[funkysean5]

Originally Posted by grumpygils
http:///forum/post/2853544
My wife says my biggest mistake was buying 2 goldfish and a bowl for $5. It has cost me in excess of 10-15K so far!
Mc
lol

 

[big]

Originally Posted by grumpygils
http:///forum/post/2853544
My wife says my biggest mistake was buying 2 goldfish and a bowl for $5. It has cost me in excess of 10-15K so far!
Mc
Yep my wife calls my obsession " That Damn Endless Money Pit"
Yet every nite I see her sitting and staring and saying .. "Oh lookie at that"

 

[lkgrenegade22]

Originally Posted by big
http:///forum/post/2853988
Yep my wife calls my obsession " That Damn Endless Money Pit"
Yet every nite I see her sitting and staring and saying .. "Oh lookie at that"
LOL, my g/f is the same way. One minute she is like, "I can't believe you have spent that much on that tank. I told you I wanted a new couch/tv/glasses/bed/you get the picture." Then when it's time to eat or leave I'm always having to tell her that it's ok to leave the tank, the fish will be fine without your supervision for a few minutes.

As far as mistakes...buying too many fish at one time, letting her get the grouper she wanted, and purchasing damsels.

 

[mboswell1982]

with me an my gf, its her going, everytime i sketch out a size on a tank build we're doin next summer, thats too small, i want it bigger, so now, im building 2 6' long tanks next summer, 168 gallons pertank LOL

 

[funkysean5]

Originally Posted by mboswell1982
http:///forum/post/2854017
with me an my gf, its her going, everytime i sketch out a size on a tank build we're doin next summer, thats too small, i want it bigger, so now, im building 2 6' long tanks next summer, 168 gallons pertank LOL
LOL, nothings too big.....

 

[mboswell1982]

they're not getting any bigger LOL i might make em a lil bit wider, the stand ive got designed is 4ft wide, so i might just make em a wee bit wider but as for longer, nope, 6ft is long enough, theres gonna be a tv in between each tank, on its own separate section of the stand, so 6' long tanks are wide enough

 

[sharkbait9]

just getting into this hobby 19 almost 20 years ago was the biggest mistake I ever made

The money I have dropped into this hobby, I cringe to think about the money my parents dropped on me when we first started saltwater.

 

[ninjamini]

Biggest mistake:
Getting in this hobby without a pile of cash.
Almost biggest mistake:
Getting a 6 gallon eclipse (W/ 6 watt light) a bag of live sand, some live rock, and a box of sea water. Then returning the next day to pick up my Anemone and 2 clowns. "Once the tank settles". That LFS is now out of business. Glad I did not believe him.

 

[jag2232]

Originally Posted by Keebler
http:///forum/post/2822906
Tap water, instant ocean, and a hydrometer...I've evolved since then though.

lol...I did that too. Other bad thing I did was get a used stand that wasn't in the best condition. I never really thought about how much a 75 gallon tank filled with water and rocks would weigh and it kinda started to bend downwards. We took care of it though before anything broke but it still could have ruined my living room.

 

[mboswell1982]

redearslider.com, great site for computing how much a tank is going to weigh with water in it, just enter in your measurements, and bam, your golden LOL

 

[ken w. good]

I made so many mistakes early on in this hobby:
1. buying 9 fish for a 40 gallon after 3 days of cycling;
2. using crushed coral instead of live sand;
3. using tap water instead of ro water; and
4. believing anything and everything that my LFS said.
Now that I am more experienced and have moved on to a 150 gallon tank my mistakes have continued:
1. not having patience to quarantine fish and losing them and having to treat the rest of the tank to keep from losing more; and
2. putting two purple tangs in a single tank and watching as one tried to "kill" the other (finally got it out and if fully recovered).
Ken