Most Common Beginner Mistakes

[saltwaterfish.com Verified Sponsor]

I’d say the biggest beginner mistake in setting up a fish tank is not properly cycling it and adding in livestock straight away. I think this is a very common mistake early fish keepers make and can cause them to turn away from the hobby due to sudden crashes. What else would you say is a common beginner mistake in setting up a saltwater tank?
One of my earliest mistakes (when I was a teenager) was was using tap water to make saltwater, which for a FOWLR tank at the time wasn't the worst decision, but the algae blooms I had to go through before realizing what I was doing wrong were definitely disheartening lol.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Mine was not properly testing, and trying to rush fixes when I knew I should have taken them slow

 

[EricR]

Not quarantining or at least understanding the risks.
*just basing that on the number of fish disease posts on here, including some that suggest non-quarantined inverts might be the source

I didn't know anything about diseases/parasites/quarantine when I bought my first fish and I think I just lucked out.
Never personally had any fish disease issue and my first fish (clown) is still all fine and dandy after >5 years but I definitely would've approached things differently had I known then what I think I know now.

 

[ArielS]

Ask for opinion. Now im wait for the new tank to arrive. Diy sump is ready and 3 weeks ago i start seeding the media bateria in that sump. Put one powerhead and one wave maker to keep the water move and have enough oxygen. In past 5 days the sump can consume 1,5ppm amonia in 24hrs. And now i dose 1,5ppm daily.
When the tank arrive and fill with water, do i need reset time the cycling? Or i just add live stock in just few days? Because the sump is already "jump start" the nitrogen cycle.

 

[GJW]

Making changes too quickly and shifting the bacterial balance within the tank.

 

[exnisstech]

Trying to control everything based on test results and not letting the tank settle into a state of normalcy before deciding what if anything needs to be addressed. Too much too soon can result in tail chasing and frustration IME. Tank looks great but my NO3 and PO4 is too high so I need to lower that etc.

 

[saltwaterfish.com Verified Sponsor]

Ask for opinion. Now im wait for the new tank to arrive. Diy sump is ready and 3 weeks ago i start seeding the media bateria in that sump. Put one powerhead and one wave maker to keep the water move and have enough oxygen. In past 5 days the sump can consume 1,5ppm amonia in 24hrs. And now i dose 1,5ppm daily.
When the tank arrive and fill with water, do i need reset time the cycling? Or i just add live stock in just few days? Because the sump is already "jump start" the nitrogen cycle.

I would say that you shouldn't have to reset the entire cycle, but I would still wait at least a week or two before adding in livestock to let your tank seed. Are you doing live wet rock or dry rock? If you're starting off dry I would definitely recommend waiting at least a week or two and testing regularly before adding in livestock. If you're adding in wet already cycled rock, then that will speed things up but I would still let it sit a few days and test regularly.

 

[saltwaterfish.com Verified Sponsor]

Mine was not properly testing, and trying to rush fixes when I knew I should have taken them slow

One thing I've definitely learned in the hobby is that patience is key for long term success. I've made a lot of mistakes trying to rush things as well..

 

[X-37B]

Starting a system with-
No plan=No success.

 

[FrugalReeferJon]

Chasing exact numbers and constantly tinkering around with the environment. Having parameters in range / keeping them stable and leaving light / flow settings alone is key.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

I'll stray a little and say, not buying the largest tank you can afford. This is a mistake that I've made and its cost me thousands.

 

[BobTheBlenney]

When I first started 30+ years, I had no idea what I was doing. I started with just fish, no live rock or dry rock, just some big decorative pieces of coral skeletons. I used crushed coral substrate with an under gravel filter. The fish were badly mismatched. I had a damsel, a tomato clown, a hawkfish, an undulated trigger, and a grouper all in a 55g. Eventually the grouper ate everyone else.

 

[exnisstech]

I'll stray a little and say, not buying the largest tank you can afford. This is a mistake that I've made and its cost me thousands.

That can work the other way also says the guy with small empty tanks in the basement

 

[winxp_man]

Tasting water and thinking salinity was good enough. Then I found out about salinity testers.

 

[saltwaterfish.com Verified Sponsor]

Tasting water and thinking salinity was good enough. Then I found about about salinity testers.

This is the first time I've heard of this. The question is if you did it enough times with testing would you be able to tell the salinity just by taste?

 

[NeutronMan]

Adding corals before the ugly stage is complete.

 

[winxp_man]

This is the first time I've heard of this. The question is if you did it enough times with testing would you be able to tell the salinity just by taste?

I’m not gonna lie, I’m getting better at it.