If you could go back to your first reef tank….

[bReefedBaker]

If you could go back to your very first reef tank, what would you have done differently that you know now? Even with your current aquarium, is there something or anything that you wish you had done differently?
(I’d like to see what others have learned and applied since they’ve begun the hobby)

- Would you have started with a bigger tank?
- Would you have chosen a different substrate or gone bare bottom?
- Dry Rock vs. Live Rock
- Aquascaping
- Aquarium location

We all learn from our mistakes. If there was just one thing (or a few) you could tell a new reefer just beginning the hobby what would it be?


— For myself, I’ve learned a tremendous amount and still learning daily —
I’d have to say, I learned to never rush the aquascape. I began with some great aquascape in my eyes, but that quickly changed. I’ve moved my rock countless times to make it just right for the actual aquarium livestock. I also believe I would’ve gone with a shallow substrate compared to the common 1” bed. Lastly, I regret buying coral from a reef shop that was attached to true live ocean rock and the hitchhikers were astronomical. Trust your sources as well, because not everyone is in the hobby for your pleasures. Some may be in it to just make a buck off the uneducated. #happyreefing #reeflife

 

[Paul B]

I still have my first reef tank.

 

[WVNed]

My single biggest mistake has been to cheap out and not buy equipment of sufficient size or quality to get long term use out of it.
The buy good enough and upgrade later thing is the most expensive way to go.

As for my first tank, I have no desire to run a Nanocube again. Want a small system? Go get a 20L and a 10 gallon for a sump. I would do that again.

 

[elorablue]

I would change my aquascape and gone with a long and low tank instead of a cube.

 

[DoomervilleG]

I still have my first tank. Not even a year in, and the lessons I have thus far learned: Should of went for a bigger tank, should have spent more time on the aquascape, don't listen to the majority of advice. Find one or two folks, and follow theirs. Tanks are unique, and trying 10 different things to accomplish one is rediculous, and unfair to the animals that live inside of the world you built.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

I wouldn’t do the tank. I don't care what anybody says, with few exceptions, you can’t be poor and in this hobby. You don’t have to be rich, but you can’t be poor. I was poor.

 

[G Santana]

If I could go back in time with the knowledge I now have, I'd still have that tank and a number of corals I can't get now.

 

[brandon429]

I would simply have lifted out the rocks, scraped off/burnt/peroxide etched/ the horrible red gelidium taking over about to ruin the setup. we were given NO permission for direct access CPR in 2001, none, zero. You simply added red slime remover and crossed your fingers



and that approach isn't rare today see the nuisance algae forum, any mass invasion post. Reefers for thirty years have been told you will ride this system into the dirt and agree to take it down long before you are allowed to simply take it apart, clean the system, target the invasion, and reinstall everything back to clean preserving all animals and coral.

I rode it into the dirt as told. uncontrolled gelidium choked 100% of all life but I saved two frags of blastomussa merletti and I did scrape the bases with a pocket knife, out of anger, and they're in the current system only way bigger by 100 heads lol.

if I ever saw gelidium pop up in my current old tank, unspeakable harm would come to that spot on the rock. it'd be indescribable action on the spot. and then after action taken I would use a half inch diameter drill bit to bore out the spot and fill in back in with a coral plug.

 

[HJ99]

If I knew then what I continue to learn now, I would have stuck with my goldfish pond and called it a day.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

I would have added distilled water instead of salt water to cover my evaporation!! My poor hawk fish never had a chance, lived a long time for that kind of abuse tho. 4 months.

 

[bReefedBaker]

I still have my first reef tank.

You’ve aced the reef tank since the beginning? Mmmm

 

[jfoahs04]

If you could go back to your very first reef tank, what would you have done differently that you know now? Even with your current aquarium, is there something or anything that you wish you had done differently?

It's probably easier to list the things I'd do the same - it's a pretty short list. My first was when I was 16 back in 2004.

But basically:

• I'd pick the 20L instead of the 20H. The bigger footprint would have been much more valuable than the extra height.
• I would do a fishless cycle - my damsel survived, but it was stressful for the fish and I didn't end up wanting it in the tank.
• I'd be much less impulsive.
  • I grabbed all of the first crappy live rock I could find from Petco with zero plan for a scape, so I ended up with a big pile of rocks (the 20L would have helped me more on this front too).
  • I had zero strategy for stocking tank - I quickly ran out of room for both coral and fish and wasn't thrilled with my choices after a few short months.
  • I wouldn't overstock and I would do more homework on requirements for my fish. In my 20H, I had a yellowtail damsel, a coral beauty, a panther grouper, and a snowflake eel at the same time. I ended up having to sell the eel, coral beauty, and grouper back to the LFS for credit (less than I paid for them) as they grew. I miraculously didn't lose any fish.
• I'd make sure I had a long-term plan to keep the tank running. I started the tank about 1.5 years before I left for college. At 16, that seemed like a long time. For a reef, it really wasn't. My parents took care of it for the first few months of school, but I eventually had to break it down and sell everything.
• I'd buy the right gear from the start. I basically bought a freshwater setup (stock hood/light, HOB filter) and didn't do anything for flow. It's an absolute miracle that I lost zero livestock. I actually had some softies grow (though not fast).

 

[ReefKidDarian]

If you could go back to your very first reef tank, what would you have done differently that you know now? Even with your current aquarium, is there something or anything that you wish you had done differently?
(I’d like to see what others have learned and applied since they’ve begun the hobby)

- Would you have started with a bigger tank?
- Would you have chosen a different substrate or gone bare bottom?
- Dry Rock vs. Live Rock
- Aquascaping
- Aquarium location

We all learn from our mistakes. If there was just one thing (or a few) you could tell a new reefer just beginning the hobby what would it be?


— For myself, I’ve learned a tremendous amount and still learning daily —
I’d have to say, I learned to never rush the aquascape. I began with some great aquascape in my eyes, but that quickly changed. I’ve moved my rock countless times to make it just right for the actual aquarium livestock. I also believe I would’ve gone with a shallow substrate compared to the common 1” bed. Lastly, I regret buying coral from a reef shop that was attached to true live ocean rock and the hitchhikers were astronomical. Trust your sources as well, because not everyone is in the hobby for your pleasures. Some may be in it to just make a buck off the uneducated. #happyreefing #reeflife

my 2nd tank actually.

 

[aydemir]

Go bigger probably. My first tank was a 2 gallon fluval spec lol. It went OK, Xenia really took off in there as expected

 

[WheatToast]

Aquascaping and substrate. WHY DID I CHOOSE FRESHWATER ROCKS AND SAND?! The diatoms NEVER ENDED!

 

[workhz]

You gotta start somewhere but essentially better equipment, better maintenance and more knowledge.

 

[shwareefer]

I just never would have got rid of it. It was so much easier with real Marshall Islands rock than the battle I had the next time around.

 

[REEFTIDE]

I would have spent a longer time on my first reef tank. I was in a rush to get something bigger and IMO had I stayed with it longer I would have learned fundamental rules earlier

 

[Jubei2006]

Had a 125 as my first reef. Biggest changes.......quarantine and better planning for power outages. Had velvet wipe the tank out, and have had a power outage wipe a tank, and a/c outage during the middle of a SE US summer wipe it out.

 

[fish farmer]

I'm running a similar sized system as the first over 20 years ago. First was standard 38 with sump, current is standard 29 with sump.

I would have bought a dosing pump.

Possibly a different shaped system like a 40 breeder or cube and reef ready, first tank wasn't drilled.