Rookie Mistake: What were some mistakes you made when you were "new" to the hobby.

[Gumbies R Us]

We all make mistakes one time or another, but with mistakes comes knowledge on how to not repeat those same mistakes. I am wondering what are some mistakes you have made in the past but won't make again! Curious to know everyone's input!

 

[BanZI29]

Trying to go too fast. I tried to speed up the cycle by getting fish and using cycle chemicals. That set me back a month

 

[Jekyl]

Dry rock and gsp

 

[Dom]

Topping off with RODI at 35ppt.

 

[sfin52]

Listening to a lfs. I lost about 70 percent of my corals because of them.

 

[fodsod]

Wow, I've got a list. Granted this was 15 years ago and I had zero knowledge of Reef tanks when I started.

1. Didn't use RODI water, just tap water that was treated. I had no clue on TDS or why any of that mattered.
2. Didn't know what a protein skimmer was so not having one was an issue.
3. Had zero clue on what it actually takes to keep even basic corals alive so I did everything wrong.
4. Didn't know how important lighting was.
5. I had zero idea that water changes were so important (especially when the tank is new and needs consistency).
6. Never put an old heater in the sump. It'll probably explode and drop 3o gallon of water on the floor.
7. Had no idea how important maintenance on a canister filter was and how much I would grow to despise them. lol.

The list goes on and on and still continues today as I push into the more advanced territory of reefing.

 

[WallyTime7]

Taking an extra week for cord management and organization. It's almost impossible to get things in and out and wish I thought it all through for a few extra days. Just wanted to get water in the new tank ASAP

 

[Uncle99]

Thinking I could do this without test kits.

 

[7of9]

Stressing over small stuff and overreacting to changes.

Taking for granted the livestock I had because I wanted something flashy and as a result having die off that affected my existing livestock.

Thinking I had to jump on every new piece of advice and change everything.

Not keeping that first tank.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Listening to a lfs. I lost about 70 percent of my corals because of them.

I hate that!!! What did they tell you?

 

[sfin52]

I hate that!!! What did they tell you?

That i had phospates and nitrates that was what was fueling gha. I needed to use phospate and nitrate reducing agents. When it wasnt workikg to use more. Turned out i was dealing with dinos and the lfs was full of crap

 

[Coinzmans Reef]

Thinking it was affordable?

 

[Fritz05]

1. Not using live rock to start a tank.
2. Reacting to every little change (e.g. one coral looking unhappy), thinking it was a big deal
3. Having my hand in the tank all the time
4. Thinking a coral has to start growing after only a couple of months

 

[Joe.D]

Not disabling the ATO before a water change. That was a nice swing in salinity that could have been avoided.

Running a tank without a lid when you have fish that will jump. Though funny enough, I’ve lost 4 fish to jumping - all were after I had the lid! Now, when I’m working in the tank, I cover half with plexiglass and I’ve created another cover that goes between the tank and the wall to prevent them from ending up behind the tank. I now do plenty of roll calls when cleaning and am always scanning the floor.

 

[Propane]

1. Not making a RODI unit a priority and trusting that LFS would maintain theirs properly.
2. Choosing sugar fine sand.
3. Using too much rock and not leaving room for maintenance.

Just to name a few.

 

[Mr Krabbs]

Using Ammo Carb in my OG 180 mixed reef tank (think Chernobyl )
using sand that is too course in my current tank
not dipping every new coral (Asterina stars pulverized some nice zoa colonies)
raising my credit card limit

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Thinking it was affordable?

Haha, I feel like that is common for a lot of people

 

[Gumbies R Us]

1. Not making a RODI unit a priority and trusting that LFS would maintain theirs properly.
2. Choosing sugar fine sand.
3. Using too much rock and not leaving room for maintenance.

Just to name a few.

I almost went the LFS route for water, very glad I chose a RODI instead

 

[jda]

In reefing: figuring out who to take advice from.
In life: that I could not afford to be cheap.

 

[coolhandcub]

Thinking "with caution" means that my coral will be fine. Now I see "Reef Safe, with caution" and I automatically say no!
I also made the mistake of thinking the kid at my LFS knew what he was talking about when he told me to just use tap water, Prime, and Instant Ocean salt to start my 120