Share your NOOB experience and WIN a TUNZE Reefpack 250!

[revhtree]

Tunze USA and R2R is giving away a Tunze Reefpack 250!!

So how can you enter to win??? Just share your NOOB misadventures!

SHARE YOUR NOOB EXPERIENCE!

We we're all new to the hobby "noobs" at some point and some of us still are. There is no shame in that nor is there any shame in making honest mistakes! Now let's help others by sharing our worst "noob" experience. Anything from worst hunk of junk equipment you bought because your LFS said it was great, or how you put a lionfish into a 40 breeder, plumbed a skimmer backwards and turned it into a fountain, etc..


The WINNER will be drawn randomly from this thread. This is NOT a better story competition. Just share your noob experience and you will be entered to win!

PRIZE: Tunze Comline Reefpack 250 shipped to your door by TUNZE USA!

The new Tunze Comline® filters opens the way for compact aquarium components designed for internal operation, are ultra-functional and are highly-sophisticated. The system creates a natural atmosphere in the aquarium at a minimum size. The goal always remains the same, more performance and less space.

Tunze Reefpack 250 is a complete solution for the filtration of reef aquariums up to 65 gallons. It includes DOC Skimmer 9004 and Comline Filter 3162. The filtration units are packaged in a 13l (3.5 gallon) bucket which can be used as a top off reservoir when the optional 3155 Osmolator is fitted in the filter. This unique and elegant solution removes surface film and provides protein skimming and a place for mechanical and chemical filter media. It mounts easily on glass for acrylic aquariums up to 3/8" thick with the included magnet holders and keeps all the equipment required tidy and with minimal intrusion as the 3162 can house a heater of up to 75w (not included).

The Comline®nano Reefpack 250 in detail:

Mechanical and chemical filtration with Comline® filter 3162, refillable with any type of filter media.
Surface intake for removal of bacteria film, ground intake for heavy particles and sediments.
Loop current in aquarium by energy saving pump with variable performance from 250 to 850l/h (70 to 250 US gal./h).
Skimming with Comline® DOC Skimmer 9004, surface intake and high performance.
Storage tank 5002.10 with a volume of 13 litres (3.4 USgal.), serves as reservoir for top-off water.
Energy consumption of only 8.5W for all components,115V/60Hz.
Supplied ready for installation, including patented Magnet Holder up to a aquarium thickness of 12mm (0.47 in.)
Storage tank and filter cotton included.
Dimensions including skimmer cup: L 7.1" x W 4.3" x H 12"

Comline Filter 3162 Features:

Can be retrofit with controlled heaters up to 75W directly on the case, better heater efficiency, no risk of burns for animals.
Can be retrofit with Osmolator® 3155 (sold separately) for water level control directly on the case.
Attachment with a patented magnet holder for a aquarium thickness of up to 3/8"
Large filtering volume of 0.78L, can be refilled with any type of loose Micro and Macro wadding or other filtering media.
Controllable bottom intake for heavy particles and sediments.
Controllable Comline® energy saving pump with variable output of 70-225gph, energy consumption 2.5 – 4.5W.
New “Comline® Designâ€: comfortable use, elegant and unobtrusive in the aquarium.
Surface intake with bacteria film removal.

DOC Skimmer 9004 Features:

Surface intake with bacteria film removal.
“Flash skimming†principle enables highly efficient foam production.
Skimmer cup, 0.2l (.05 USgal.) volume, also accommodates the foam reactor, easy to remove.
Intermediate chamber with patented anti-overfoaming system.
TUNZE® Foamer 9004.040, high air output and low energy consumption.
Bubble-free outgoing water.
New “Comline® Designâ€: comfortable use, elegant and unobtrusive in the aquarium.
Air flow regulation and silencer for an exceptionally quiet operation.
Made in German, 2-year manufacturer`s warranty

 

[Johmanda]

My first corals included a Green Rimmed Plate. This coral did not make it and it is probably because I was having some chemistry issues. This guy just probably couldn't tolerate the low Ca levels I was experiencing at the time. I have since gone to using bottled RO water for top offs and WCs and the Ca is now in the desired range. I now have Frogspawn, Alveopora, Mushrooms, Acans and just got some new stuff from Cherry Corals Sale that all seem to be very happy.

 

[Loki]

When I first got in I bought stuff from a LFS. I wanted coral so I bought the "best" lights for them. Turned out it was a $300 PC! What a bummer. For some strange reason that tank didn't make it.

I have since found forums and ditched everything from that failure.

I recently paid $200 for a 8 bulb TEK light with bulbs.... What a difference


Sent from tapatalk

 

[J Rog]

Here we go.. lol Long story short, i walked into a normal pet shop to buy dog treats and walked out with your standard 50 or 55 gallon tank and stand with hopes to have an awesome saltwater tank.. Never reseached a thing about the hobby in my life.. My girlfriend at the time just saw finding nemo and wanted a tank and I thought it was a cool idea.. lol That tank didn't work out to well.. lol Oh, and i forgot the dog treats..

 

[johnstonstms3]

First time I started to keep corals. I was the recipient of a very large red cap. This guy was about 12" wide with 5 tiers of platting. A friend of mine said I needed to dose with ALK for this type of coral. I go to the LFS buy Part 2 and start to dose. I dosed daily until the first small bottle was gone. So I went back and bought a second bigger bottle. Yes you know the size bottles I am talking about… I went through the first one to quick of course. Low and behold everything bleaches out, I start to grow Hair Algae quickly and crash my tank.

Moral of the story. Never, Never, Never, NEVER EVERY Dose unless you are testing for what you are dosing.

Months later and a couple water changes later I finally get it back to an acceptable level of 8 to 10..... BTY it would not even register when I tested it after finding out about the test I should have been doing all along…..
:wink:

 

[-Logzor]

In the early days I once poured salt right into the aquarium to raise the salinity.

 

[tatorswife]

We had been doing freshwater fish tanks forever and one day my hubby says i want to try saltwater tank. I was like no way it will be way to expensive and more work. He was like surely not so we decide to drive 2 hrs to a saltwater fish store and before we ever did any research we are leaving with a 150 gallon tank, stand and hood. Needless to say after that purchase the tank and stand sat in my living room empty for several months because we had no idea all the extra stuff and expense we would need to get it going (RODI unit, Skimmer, sump, pumps, powerheads..etc)..We had to purchase one thing at a time til we could start filling the tank. My advice to anyone just starting out is research research research.

 

[Peterock]

This happened just the other week and I've had my tank for over 5 years... "Return of the Noob!"

Water change day, had to buy some water at the grocery store out of the dispensers because my unit takes far too long. Got home, took the hood off the tank, shut off all the power, drained out the 15 gallons. Normal routine. Go to pour the 3 x 5gallon jugs into the tank and they are freezing cold. So there I sat with no running water in my tank trying to heat up three seperate jugs of water. Took me a while and I was using my arm to stir the tank for a bit there. All the SPS at the top of the tank we exposed so I was splashing water on them to keep them moist. Finally got the water warm enough to put back into the tank. Everything was fine.

Lesson: Make sure your replacement water is ready to go before you drain your tank for water changes.

 

[M@!]

I had some hair algea problems in my first tank. I bought some chemical fix and dosed a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon. I killed my clowns. :cry:

 

[ritter6788]

I added some "pH UP" to my first tank and fried about 4 corals...

 

[secretreefer]

I crushed up 5 multi vitamins and added it into my tank thinking it would be beneficial to my fish.......oh boy....they were very "active" but they lived. I've come a long way. lol.

 

[GHill762]

after cleaning ATO float, reassembled it upside down.. it was on a timer and I didn't think anything of it.. flooded the floor of my bedroom..

bought an aquarium starter bundle to save money.. ended up replacing everything that came in it..

other typical noob mistakes..

 

[HiroPro]

Two things come to mind for me.
1. Topping off with salt water
2. Actually buying and using PurpleUp.

 

[Raggamuffin]

I have WAY to many to share so I will just list a few...

1: Started the hobby after studying for about a year on all the critters... what I didn't study was how to maintain the water quality in the tank.

2: Looked up the local water online to see what was in it, ok no problem got a standard RO/DI. Tank turned in a HA farm after about 6 months, after a couple years I tore down the tank and gave up the hobby. The local water witched from chlorine to chloromines and did not send out any warning. Word to the wise keep checking with your local water source or just cut to the head of the line and get a 5 stage chloromines RO/DI.

3: Oh that beautiful algae! I seen this amazing viney red algae that I had to have and put it in my display. 4 months later fighting off red grape calerpa I tossed the rock and bought new.

4: This Seaclone skimmer is rated for 100 gallons and is cheap! WHAT A GREAT IDEA! (sarcasm fuse just blew brb)

5: Used CF fixture for $250? AWESOME DEAL! (crud bunnies there went another fuse..)

6: You just throw frozed food cubes in right? Just so you know if you don't thaw and rinse them expect your nitrates to hit 100ppm within a month... /facepalm

7: Hey that looks like coral on that live rock in the LFS tank...what a steal! 20 beach ball sized frags of GSP later....

8: Wet hands while unplugging a skimmer leads t ZZZZZZTTTTT!

9: Trying to grab a light fixture that is falling into the tank leads t ZZZZZTTTTTT!

10: Some fish that are "Semi-Agressive" like a 6 line wrasse and yellow tail damsel will take on a 250 pound man...and win! So guess what they do to your other fish.

 

[cdness]

Wow... So many to choose from...

My largest "noob" mistake was actually over 3 years into the hobby. I had a 75G fully stable awesome looking mixed reef. The corals were so large I had to get bags from the pet store to haul them to the new place. In order to prepare for the move, I borrowed a couple large containers to mix up replacement water at the new place because really who wants to haul over 75 gallons of saltwater down 3 flights of stairs, across town, then up 3 flights of stairs... I also decided upon reading online to replace my sand when moving to avoid the nasties in the sandbed.

So the day came to move. I had a few buddies over to help with the hard stuff. I had already begun to move the corals and fish to bags (7:00 AM) and into cooler boxes to help keep the warmth. I drained nearly all of my water into the sink and scooped out the sand saving critters I saw as I scooped. We moved the tank to the new place and got it all set up on the stand. My buddies proceeded to eat the provided food and drink the provided drink while I finished up the setup. I placed the rock in the tank and then the new sand. Then using a pump, I pumped the fresh saltwater from the large containers into the tank. The sandstorm was unlike anything I had ever seen in a tank so I waited for it to clear up a bit.

By 5:00 PM it was still not clear but I put the fish in anyway. I didn't think it was ready for the corals yet though. All the fish were just fine. I waited a few more hours to place in the corals. They can handle 24 hours in a shipping container so I should be fine at a little over 12 right? Well I opened up the cooler boxes and what did I see? Dead or dying corals in almost every bag. I ended up losing approximately 85% of my corals either that day or the following few days after adding them to the tank. I pushed through that disaster to the tank I have today, but I am still trying to find a few of my prized corals that are nowhere to be found and I never distributed any frags as I liked the way the colonies looked...

Lessons Learned:

1. Move as much of your existing water as you can, no matter how many stairs you need to climb. New water needs to cycle a bit before it is ready for fish and corals.
2. Do not use bags to move corals. Put them in a bucket with flow and aeration...
3. Do something to prevent the sandstorm of adding water to the tank. A plate, glass, or sometimes even aiming the tubing toward the rocks can help greatly...
4. Last but surely not least, if you love a coral and consider it a prize, cut it up. Give away frags to people you trust as insurance because you may NEVER find that same coral again.

 

[spscrazy]

^^ lol. One of my first purchases was majanos. Lfs said they were good beginner corals I fed them and was so proud of how big they got and how fast they multiplied.

 

[spscrazy]

Sorry the lol was for raggamuffin not cdness cause that wasn't funny at all

 

[_Alex_]

well ive been in the hobby 3 years now goign on 4....guess not exactlya noob... but few months ago was changing out sump on our 120. had to rework the returns so i cut them off.... well needless to say make sure that the output pipe on the return line you cutting is above the water line.... water went everywhere, got on my vortech controller and burned it up.... lol so ya been there done that haha

 

[JasonT]

I was doing a water change with a pump when the tube attached to the pump came off and the pump shot about a gallon of water 5 feet across the room....i use zip ties now.

 

[PepperDeath]

Unplugged what I thought was the power head to feed the tank and checked the temp later that day and temp dropped down to 73 deg. Plugged the heater back in and all is good