Your biggest mistake?
- Thread starter newguy
- Start date
dburr
Active Member
Getting started. This hobby is expensive and I can't afford it.
Just kidding.
I think most people rush things. Rush= death of something.
I know I have in one way or another and have had setbacks. It sucks to get stuff just the way you want it and have it all fall apart because you just couldn't wait to have a new fish or coral to put in the tank or new gadgit to add on to it.
I think that turns people away. They think it's to hard to maintain the system.
Dan
Just kidding.I think most people rush things. Rush= death of something.
I know I have in one way or another and have had setbacks. It sucks to get stuff just the way you want it and have it all fall apart because you just couldn't wait to have a new fish or coral to put in the tank or new gadgit to add on to it.
I think that turns people away. They think it's to hard to maintain the system.
Dan
austinreef
Member
My first wife . I'm sorry I couldn't resist that one! Honestly, the cost of setting something up for the first time. I was involved in this hobby for 5 years, 15 years ago. Things have definitely changed. I didn't know anyone that had LR and LS back then. The Internet wasn't even a concept back then either. I've got 1500.00 into mine right now, and I don't even have the lighting I want for corals. I have a FOWLR and I'm happy with that right now. Hopefully, in another 6 months, I will upgrade my lighting and will start building an actual Reef tank.
. I'm sorry I couldn't resist that one! Honestly, the cost of setting something up for the first time. I was involved in this hobby for 5 years, 15 years ago. Things have definitely changed. I didn't know anyone that had LR and LS back then. The Internet wasn't even a concept back then either. I've got 1500.00 into mine right now, and I don't even have the lighting I want for corals. I have a FOWLR and I'm happy with that right now. Hopefully, in another 6 months, I will upgrade my lighting and will start building an actual Reef tank.
katara
Member
PHIL..
No prob..also, tell her it's no fun watching the hermits crawl out of their shells and even the bristle worms crawl out of the dsb, all the while the fish and everything else is seizing and gasping for air due to the toxicity.Not worth it at all!My clowns are perfectly happy in my frogspawn
No prob..also, tell her it's no fun watching the hermits crawl out of their shells and even the bristle worms crawl out of the dsb, all the while the fish and everything else is seizing and gasping for air due to the toxicity.Not worth it at all!My clowns are perfectly happy in my frogspawn
bheron
Member
Two things:
1) agree with stumpdog. I took my LSF word for it back in '94 - my first try. Eventual disaster. Then, just last year when I decided to try it again on LSF word. I found this site about 6 months into it. Too late I am now starting over.
2) Not putting in the proper time to research. Like above, I am paying for it now bigtime b/c I figured the guy in the store knew everything. The comparison between here nd my LSF is not even possible, not even close. Based on the research I've done here on this site, I know at least 10x's more than I did this time last year.
PUt in the research up front, be it word of mouth, books, LSF, or the internet. I did not do this and paid dearly...twice.
1) agree with stumpdog. I took my LSF word for it back in '94 - my first try. Eventual disaster. Then, just last year when I decided to try it again on LSF word. I found this site about 6 months into it. Too late I am now starting over.
2) Not putting in the proper time to research. Like above, I am paying for it now bigtime b/c I figured the guy in the store knew everything. The comparison between here nd my LSF is not even possible, not even close. Based on the research I've done here on this site, I know at least 10x's more than I did this time last year.
PUt in the research up front, be it word of mouth, books, LSF, or the internet. I did not do this and paid dearly...twice.
broomer5
Active Member
My biggest mistake - thinking that the tank should look "mature" only 2 month after set up.
Trying to make it look right - when all along if I had just relaxed and not tried to rush things - after several months or so - it looked great.
I haven't added anything to my tank in 6-8 months.
Patience is so hard when you first get into this cool saltwater stuff.
Trying to make it look right - when all along if I had just relaxed and not tried to rush things - after several months or so - it looked great.
I haven't added anything to my tank in 6-8 months.
Patience is so hard when you first get into this cool saltwater stuff.
armageddon
Member
Watch out for overfeeding. Leads to high ammonia levels, and your fish will be gone before you know it.
claireep
Member
thank you birdy... it IS okay to have a copycat thread...
too many times the people who are vets on this site get too irritated with similar threads and new people who don't feel like reading ALL the old threads are afraid to post a question cuz they might get reamed for not "doing a search" and didn't know about an old thread.
too many times the people who are vets on this site get too irritated with similar threads and new people who don't feel like reading ALL the old threads are afraid to post a question cuz they might get reamed for not "doing a search" and didn't know about an old thread.
wwfstyle
Member
My biggest mistake was listening to only 1 LFS. I bought all my equipment from them cause they acted as they knew alot about saltwater. Check with other LFS and check prices and there knowledge on what you are planning on doing with your set up. I found outlater that an LFS over priced me on everything includeing my fish. So before settleing down with 1 person check all around your area and see what they have set up and there prices. Out of about 12 LFS around me I only trust 2 of them. Thanks to these guys I have my set up now. Thanks Rick
stumpdog
Member
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude, but I guess I did sound rude. I was just stating my observation. I am by no means a vet and I ask questions that I am sure have been answered a million times before. I don't want to be "That Guy" on the board.
Thanks-
Jeremy
Disclaimer: If someone has the name That Guy please don't take offense to the above statement.
Thanks-
Jeremy
Disclaimer: If someone has the name That Guy please don't take offense to the above statement.
reefnut
Active Member
My biggest mistake is I did not find SWF.com until I was 2- years into the hobby.
I would have saved a lot of money, critters and headaches if I would have researched more and listened to others. But, I had the "Not my Tank" syndrome. Now I will gladly learn from someone else's mistake because I don't want to make the same one.
I would have saved a lot of money, critters and headaches if I would have researched more and listened to others. But, I had the "Not my Tank" syndrome. Now I will gladly learn from someone else's mistake because I don't want to make the same one.
dacia
Active Member
I think the biggest mistake that a lot of people make is assuming that saltwater tanks and freshwater tanks are the same (except for the salt factor).
A lot of people think that all they have to do to switch over from their FW tanks to SW is remove the fish, add instant ocean, then add ocean fish. It is important to remind everyone that the bacterial colonies are different and you need lots of time to cycle the new SW tank.
IMHO, there are not so many differences AFTER the cycle is complete and the tank is mature...unless of course you have a reef and then it is completely different.
A lot of people think that all they have to do to switch over from their FW tanks to SW is remove the fish, add instant ocean, then add ocean fish. It is important to remind everyone that the bacterial colonies are different and you need lots of time to cycle the new SW tank.
IMHO, there are not so many differences AFTER the cycle is complete and the tank is mature...unless of course you have a reef and then it is completely different.