I'm writing an article for my LRC on common mistakes that we often see people make in this hobby, and how they can be avoided. I thought id pick the minds of fellow experienced reefers here (since we see and respond to such posts daily here)
Not interested in debates or crackpot theories on things that are widely accepted (ex: using RODI, Quarantine, etc). Looking for sound advice that works for a majority of people which can help a newbie avoid some of the headaches or outright failures that are common to people who don't do their homework.
Just looking to cover the following basic subjects for now, will probably do a follow-up on more advanced subjects down the road. Here are some of the thoughts I have gathered so far:
Marine Aquarium Basics
*Maintaining water quality (Testing, RODI and premixing salt)
*Avoiding (and treating) nuisance algae outbreaks
*Maturing/stabilizing a tank before corals/sensitive inverts
*Compatibility of tank equipment/budget (lighting/flow/filtration) with livestock goals (fowlr/soft/sps/etc)
*Major differences over a freshwater system (input needed plz)
Fish Husbandry
*Avoiding impulse purchases (doing research/inspect fish beforehand)
*How to setup a simple QT
*How to observe and diagnose common fish diseases
*How to keep livestock healthy, unstressed and thriving in DT
The goal is to give sound tips that will not be exceedingly tedious or expensive for someone new in the hobby to follow.
Please leave a thought if you have something to contribute, thanks!
Not interested in debates or crackpot theories on things that are widely accepted (ex: using RODI, Quarantine, etc). Looking for sound advice that works for a majority of people which can help a newbie avoid some of the headaches or outright failures that are common to people who don't do their homework.
Just looking to cover the following basic subjects for now, will probably do a follow-up on more advanced subjects down the road. Here are some of the thoughts I have gathered so far:
Marine Aquarium Basics
*Maintaining water quality (Testing, RODI and premixing salt)
*Avoiding (and treating) nuisance algae outbreaks
*Maturing/stabilizing a tank before corals/sensitive inverts
*Compatibility of tank equipment/budget (lighting/flow/filtration) with livestock goals (fowlr/soft/sps/etc)
*Major differences over a freshwater system (input needed plz)
Fish Husbandry
*Avoiding impulse purchases (doing research/inspect fish beforehand)
*How to setup a simple QT
*How to observe and diagnose common fish diseases
*How to keep livestock healthy, unstressed and thriving in DT
The goal is to give sound tips that will not be exceedingly tedious or expensive for someone new in the hobby to follow.
Please leave a thought if you have something to contribute, thanks!