what's the 1st thing you wish you had known
- Thread starter chachi
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mike6969n
Guest
that patience is a virtue that not all of us were blessed with, but it is a virtue that is necessary for this hobby. it is the single most important lesson, take your time and do it right the first time even if it takes a little longer or a lot longer for that matter. and just know that it will be worth all the time and effort you put into it.
saltwater8
Member
Originally Posted by mike6969n
that patience is a virtue that not all of us were blessed with, but it is a virtue that is necessary for this hobby. it is the single most important lesson, take your time and do it right the first time even if it takes a little longer or a lot longer for that matter. and just know that it will be worth all the time and effort you put into it.
that patience is a virtue that not all of us were blessed with, but it is a virtue that is necessary for this hobby. it is the single most important lesson, take your time and do it right the first time even if it takes a little longer or a lot longer for that matter. and just know that it will be worth all the time and effort you put into it.
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reflectz
Guest
I would probably buy the cheaper brand salt to cycle the tank, and then buy something better when I do the last water change.. Cost me about $300in salt already for my 240Gallon tank. Would that have been a good idea???
bombay_duc
Member
First thing I should have known is that I have NO self control.
lauras
Member
I wish I had known that for me smaller is better. Had a 55 and a 37 and it was a chore. Now I have a 24 pod, a 12 pod, a 20 long a 10 and a 25. I faithfully do my water changes weekly with ro/di and it doesn't take long to change and clean the glass. Also wish I had known that I prefer corals and serpent stars to fish. One tank has no fish, one has 1, one has 2 and the other has 3. (10 is a QT tank) All are peaceful except my bi-color blennie who bites. I am in awe of you people who keep LARGE reefs but the cost to fill it would do me in. With my small tanks I buy mostly frags and my 12 gal has only zoos and blasto looks like a bag of skittles
Also wish I had known more about lighting, my money grubbing LFS sold me the wrong lights twice (now sitting in my basement) now have T5's they rock :cheer: I know it's been said on this board that smaller is harder but my water tests great, my tanks are throughout the house so I always have one to look at. Thinking about getting another 12 pod for the computer desk :jumping: Refractometer was a great investment!!
snccoulter
New Member
I wish I had not listened to LFS and bought a Pink Hotdog I was told it would not be a problem if it died in my tank since it was as large as it is. unfortunately lost $500 in fish 2 days before I deployed to the desert my wife is learning on the fly how to restock a 130 gallon tank hopefully I will have a nice tank when I get home.
iluvreefs
New Member
Where do I begin....First of all, I would have had my tank pre-drilled for the overflow and had some form of closed loop system in place before I started. Decided to start a refug. ( a DIY project) and bought the mud, more LS and some macro algae from someone with an established tank, and a pump. The one thing I didn't buy was an overflow kit. That was my second mistake. As anyone can tell you from being there, trying to get the balancing act with gravity vs. the pump, it's a constant battle. You either have too much water in the display tank (hence the need for the overflow kit) or too much water in the refug. I would also suggest having a quarentine tank as soon as you purchase your main tank. That's my 3rd mistake....tangs and ick go together like PB&J. Much easier to put your new fish in a bareless tank (NO SAND OR ANYTHING ASETHETICALLY PLEASING)than it is to dismantle your LR and try to catch all your fish to treat them (cause MOST treatments will KILL the rock or invertabrates). If you can't afford a RO system in the beginning, go to where there is a Culligan water source. Mine here is 39 cents a gallon. Either that or sometimes your LFS will either give you some or make you pay a small fee for it (if they have a RO/DI system). LIGHTS, LIGHTS, LIGHTS...I don't have any corals yet because I still need to purchase some which require some good hard cash. Worth the investment. Remember to also not add all your fish at the same time. Spread it out a little. Your water numbers and protein skimmer will thank you. Otherwise bio load gets to much at one time. A good clean up crew is a MUST! I've always heard you need a hermit crab for every gallon of water in your tank. Snails, starfish (serpant, brittle or sand) are helpful since they love the detris that is in the sandbed and they also aerate the sand for you. Last but not least, ask a zillion questions and read/research the heck out of what fish, corals etc. that you want in your tank. When looking for what fish you want, make sure you know the adult size, compatability and how much you are willing to spend initially for those beautiful creatures. For the corals it's basically the same thing. Know where in the tank vs. the lighting system each coral needs to be, how they will get along with their neighbors, which corals need to be introduced first (cause some will wonder until they find their perfect home and then anchor) and what food they require. Some corals need to be spot fed with phytoplankton while others require real meat. I've only had my tank for 3 months, but I spent a lot of time reading and asking questions prior to setting up my tank. Sometimes though, you just don't know what questions to ask and that's where these message boards come in handy. Someone, somewhere has experienced it all and has talked about it. Good luck to all!
X
xoxox
Guest
Originally Posted by snccoulter
I wish I had not listened to LFS and bought a Pink Hotdog I was told it would not be a problem if it died in my tank since it was as large as it is. unfortunately lost $500 in fish 2 days before I deployed to the desert my wife is learning on the fly how to restock a 130 gallon tank hopefully I will have a nice tank when I get home.
You mean sea cucumber? Yea, I had one of those jihad in my tank. The thing exploded like a bomb, they like to expel there internal organs when they get stressed, only problem is they kill all the other fish (my shrimp lived though).
I wish I had not listened to LFS and bought a Pink Hotdog I was told it would not be a problem if it died in my tank since it was as large as it is. unfortunately lost $500 in fish 2 days before I deployed to the desert my wife is learning on the fly how to restock a 130 gallon tank hopefully I will have a nice tank when I get home.
You mean sea cucumber? Yea, I had one of those jihad in my tank. The thing exploded like a bomb, they like to expel there internal organs when they get stressed, only problem is they kill all the other fish (my shrimp lived though).
petjunkie
Active Member
Don't just buy because it's pretty! I was lucky because once I bought my tank I was flat broke for three months and I read online every chance I had. Also living in a small town I couldn't go out and buy fish without a three hour drive and it was obvious my local pet store owner knew less about her 90 gallon then I did about a tank that wasn't set up yet.
Other than that, listen to people on this forum, search every question you have because it's been covered on here. Also I think tangs, anemone, starfish, and damsels should be illegal without a years experience in this hobby. Too many people just buy on a whim and ask questions later when their fish are gasping and covered in ick!!!
Quarintine everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Other than that, listen to people on this forum, search every question you have because it's been covered on here. Also I think tangs, anemone, starfish, and damsels should be illegal without a years experience in this hobby. Too many people just buy on a whim and ask questions later when their fish are gasping and covered in ick!!!
Quarintine everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
pyro
Active Member
When people tell you not to run your plumbing perfectly vertical... hold back your OCD habits and put it at an angle... Especially if the tank is beside your bed.
In general, do anything you can yourself and save your money for stuff you can't.
Little scoop of expirience spreads a long way
Get a turkey baster, a long plastic stick of some sort, and a light timer.
Little bit (normally actually a lot; I lied) of cash upfront is a lot cheaper in the long run normally.
Take it slow; trade frags in for credit to save your wallet.
In general, do anything you can yourself and save your money for stuff you can't.
Little scoop of expirience spreads a long way
Get a turkey baster, a long plastic stick of some sort, and a light timer.
Little bit (normally actually a lot; I lied) of cash upfront is a lot cheaper in the long run normally.
Take it slow; trade frags in for credit to save your wallet.
cjml
Member
Absolutely!! Cycle with live rock &live sand-do notadd live animalsuntil cycle completed and then only add one or two at a time.Slowly!!! Its so hard to wait and be patient but well worth it for your tank and your fish. Also use ro/di water only. And Frequent water changes-and do not believe your lfs-research on your own. It took us many months to get our tank good and safe for our fish--lots of bad info!
