(For an article) Looking for input on beginner mistakes

[Seawitch]

Tell me, please, what do you think are the biggest or worst mistakes that beginners make with SW, and what should be done instead?

You're welcome to give me 1, 2, or a list of 67 things you can think of.

Thank you,
Cynthia

 

[Crabs McJones]

Tap water

 

[Johniejumbo]

Impulse buys.

 

[Corey Baker]

this is too easy.... where to start. hahah

#1 thing i see and problem i had was Cycling the tank. Knowing when a tank is done cycling and when it is finally an established tank.

Algae and weird things will happy NO MATTER WHAT just hold tight, don't freak out and work out the problem. These systems can be resilient and will recover if given the chance so be patient

 

[PapaWhisky]

Chasing numbers, cheap plastic "float" hydrometers for mixing saltwater, moving new corals around frequently/daily to find their "happy spot".

 

[pickupman66]

the #1 Mistake I seem to run into is Lighting. Noobs buying a light that is not powerful enough for what they want to do. Especially when they spend good $ on the tank sump and skimmer. You dont have to have a Radion or Orphek but a basic rgb with 1 watt leds wont cut it.

 

[oldfishman]

I have a list of what I have found over the last year some of which I made some of which I learned from R2R.
1. Rushing the cycle process
2. placing too much sand in tank. I think the rule of thumb is twice what it should be.
3. too much rock work and not properly placed
4. not using RO/DI water
5. not investing in a good hydrometer
6. not knowing where to place corals after purchase
7. not doing proper water changes religiously
8. ignoring tank maintenance over and above water changes
9. failure to address a problem and find route cause when it appears.
10. adding equipment that is not needed resulting is spending too much and getting discouraged
11. adding too much of anything at one time fish, coral,
12. depending on chemicals rather than good tank practices
13. getting paralyzed reading reviews on internet AND getting way too many different opinions from all the on line experts

 

[jda]

Rushing
Betting on the exception and not the rule
Using new-to-the-market equipment and techniques
Choosing the wrong people from whom to get help and advice
Trusting poster on a message board over a book or other vetted source
Trying to control your tank instead of letting nature do it's thing

 

[ubasu]

Float hydrometers should be banned.

 

[Blackice615]

1. Not QT'ing
2. Cheaping on lights. I learned 3 months ago how much of an impact they make a difference

 

[KrisReef]

Failure to research the hobby before making purchases.

Find a used tank for cheap or free and load that up in the pick up with reef dreams in their heads.
On the way home they stop by a lfs (or two) and purchase the necessary supplies ; salt, declor, dead sand, a heater, a hob filter, a fish net, and a magnifica nem with a pair of clownfish just to get started. If by chance they talk to someone at the lfs they may purchase some bacteria in a bottle to cycle the tank with when they get home.
At home they move the furniture around to fit the tank in front of a window where it can get some natural lighting and throw a garden hose into the tank and start to fill it. If they are lucky it will hold water, but often these discount tanks leak or fail and flood the well lite corner of the house. It doesn’t really matter if these tanks hold water or not because the nem and the clownfish are not likely to be alive in the near future.

 

[Sailingeric]

Rushing to add fish or coral. I see post of people who want all these fancy and often expensive fish without know what is compatible and I suspect a few add them all to the tank at the same time which the bacteria cannot support the waste and then they start losing fish and wonder why.

 

[WallysWorld]

using Sand that was way too fine as substrate. Nothing but sand storms until I changed this.

 

[Urban]

Slow down, and take the time to stress test ALL of your ideas! Find a forum that seems to be active, and if you have a question or an uncertainty, ask. Don't fail to ask a question because you fear looking stupid/dumb/etc.! Ask those questions, and then let the best ideas win out BEFORE you make a purchase. Every person involved in this hobby had a starting point, and at one time they were a "newbie" too! Also, please always remember that any fool can put any thing on the internet, so take a few extra minutes to research the background of whatever source that you feel appears most reliable.

 

[KorD]

Trying to move too fast in this hobby while trying to do everything with the least amount of money.

 

[MrArcana]

1. Falling for the lie that no3/po4 are the enemy.

2. Not one I fell for, but one many have and will... Believing LFSs actually know what they see talking about in the slightest.

 

[KorD]

1. Falling for the lie that no3/po4 are the enemy.

2. Not one I fell for, but one many have and will... Believing LFSs actually know what they see talking about in the slightest.

LOVE #2, and it is Sooooo true.. my LFS I got my nem at told me they run their tanks at 1.025 SG.. I got a big bucket of water and a rock.. I decided for fun to test their water like I would my tank.. nope.. 1.021, 2 for ammonia, nitrates and nitrites off the charts.. at that point I gave up on testing..lol

Needless to say, in two days the nem looked better and twice as large as it was in their store.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Tell me, please, what do you think are the biggest or worst mistakes that beginners make with SW, and what should be done instead?

You're welcome to give me 1, 2, or a list of 67 things you can think of.

Thank you,
Cynthia

Do your homework, go slow and plan, do more homework because when you're done doing your homework you always miss something or other information needed. Keep your paws out of the water, be careful around display tank don't drop a can of Coral food and kill all your corals by accident. Keep record of all water parameters. Need to have patience