what's the 1st thing you wish you had known

[g-stacks]

I wish i had known about these online forums instead of listening to the Dumbf%$#s at the LFS when I first decided hey i want saltwater FT with little nemo. And when the teenage girl told me "you PH is like high so like you should like lower it." i think i should of just walked out. PH wasn't high at the time

And using tap water and mixing salt instead of buying saltwater. And so much more and more.

 

[reefkprz]

I wish I had know that a saltwater tank was nothing more than a hole you throw money at to make it bigger.

 

[maxsmart]

I wish I'd known that Instant Ocean hydrometers are crap. I used one to maintain the density at 26, (1.026/1.0026 whatever it is) got a floating hydrometer and it showed 20. Yikes! Went to the LFS, they used my hydrometers, a spectrometer, a Deep Six hydrometer, and THEIR Instant Ocean hydrometer to test water from one of their FO tanks - the results:
Both Mine and their Instant Ocean hydrometer - 1.026
Spectrometer - 1.021
Deep Six Hydrometer - 1.021
My floating hydrometer - 1.020
It's interesting to know that my reef tank has the same salinity as their FO tanks. No wonder my coral has been struggling!
Also, I wish I had known that mushrooms would turn into a plague and take over the tank.
Also, I wish I had bought FLATWORM EXIT and dipped my corals into it before putting them in the display tank!!! What a nightmare!

 

[mcbdz]

When building a new house, just go ahead and use the heavy duty electrical wires and put in 240(or whatever it is) breakers so, when you decide to put a big tank there you don't have to wait on an electrician to come run more wires.