Let's give some noob advice!

[skinz78]

Post up one piece of advice you would give to somebody who is new to the hobby!

I think the best advice is don't believe everything the local fish store tells you, most of them are just looking to make a buck. Granted there are good one's out there but more often than not they are just trying to sell you something that will just end up costing you money in the long run. Come to the boards before you buy and ask questions about what you are looking to buy.

 

[FishScale]

learn how to test your own water.

 

[TATTOODFREAKS]

Patience

 

[redtop03]

do a lot of research before starting a saltwater aquarium,get a good plan started on what you'll want to keep and design a system that'll accommodate those species,give the new tank time to fully cycle before adding inhabitants and add 'em slowly,giving the bacteria time to catch up to the added bio-load......as tattoodfreaks stated,patiences,and good husbandry is the key to success

 

[raymond]

take your time, dont be in a hurry

 

[JGoslee]

Don't add any livestock to your tank until you have fully researched it. If adding corals make sure you dip them to prevent any unwanted pests from getting in to your tank. If adding fish I highly suggest setting up a quarantine tank and placing all new fish in the QT for at least 4 weeks for observation and treatment if needed before adding them to your display tank.

 

[bulkhead]

Vinegar and water is a safe solution to clean the outside of your tank.
Windex is NOT.

 

[Captain Nemo]

Buy the biggest tak you can afford to keep, keep i mind this hobby is not b any means cheap, its an investment. Also DO NOT RUSH things. nothing happens fast in this hobby except bad things......

 

[skinz78]

take your time, dont be in a hurry

Patience

Good points because only bad things happen really fast in this hobby!

 

[Raggamuffin]

With my very first tank I bought about 10 maybe 15 books. I noticed a lot of repeating info so I copied down all that was repeated and considered these rules. Everything I wrote down I double checked online and all that passed that I considered truths. Absolutely everything else I did my own way and failed on a bunch of things (some things worked so well friends of mine took them up) but eventually I found what worked for me and my tank.

Basically do not be afraid to play with things, who knows you may be the one to come up with a breakthrough in our hobby!

 

[btkrausen]

Vinegar and water is a safe solution to clean the outside of your tank.
Windex is NOT.

Why not Windex? My fish and corals live on the inside of my tank, not sure about yours

I've been using Windex and other glass cleaners on my tanks for years...never had a problem.

 

[ucantmakeme]

+1. I wipe my glass ALL the time with windex. No problems ever.

I also spray a paper towel with it in a different room first, and not directly onto the glass.

 

[brian.srock]

Do not use tap water

 

[BlazinNano]

Get an RODI filter setup. Don't always trust you LFS's water. It is also good to be able to have water all the tine at the house invade you need some asap for a water change or some other emergency.

 

[steamer51]

Research equipment purchases extensively before you buy. Make sure the item is really what you want so you don't upgrade in a few months when you learn more and have to sell the original for much less. Join a club to meet people who know the market and what is a good price to advise you. This can be a very expensive hobby but if you are conservative and find good deals on both new and used you end up with a nice system for much less. Check for clearance and close out items, they may not be the newest technology but still work fine. I have bought new $79.95 items for $9.95. I bought a used $2,000 item for $400 that had no flaws. I regularly find small things such as powerheads on sale for 1/2 and even 1/3 of the retail price. People getting out of the hobby or upgrading always offer good deals on used equipment. Be careful buying used as sometimes they are partially worn out or a junk brand that never worked as well as it should. Bottom line, know what you want and what the best price is before pulling the trigger.

 

[Captain Nemo]

Excellent advice!! + 1000 for you streamer! Great write up!

 

[Wy Renegade]

Best noob advice I can give, is to listen to what others with more experience (not necessarily equal to more posts) tell you; most the time, whether you agree or not, they are right. That said however, take everything you are told by everyone in this hobby with a grain of salt, weigh and measure it and ultimately you must make up your own mind about what it "right" for you. In this hobby, there are tons of different "right" ways to do things, and they all work for some people. That doesn't mean they will all always work for you.

 

[scrapz]

don't trust anyone's advice until you've see their tank.

K.I.S.S. Method - KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID.

The less things you add to the tank, the lesser the chance there is to mess anything up. Dose basic elements such as Calcium, Alkalinity & Magnesium.

Keep a volt meter handy to test for stray voltage.

 

[beaner_12]

before buying a coral make sure you have the right lighting and also that you know how to feed it.

 

[Hyprviperx]

NEVER use copper based medicines if you have corals or sensitive invertebrates.