My Little Notebook of Screwups...(And Lessons I've Learned from Them)

[livinlifeinBKK]

So I'm pretty new to the hobby (been in it a little over 2 years) and I'm the type of person that needs to learn some stuff the hard way in life and that goes for reef keeping as much as anything else. I'm sure there are others like me reading this too! Worst of all, I've done some things that I was too embarrassed to admit to sometimes when things went wrong which only made things worse and harder to fix. This is why I've started keeping a notebook to not only track my parameters but also write down these lessons learned so I don't repeat them. I'm writing this primarily to share what I feel are probably common mistakes by newer hobbyists so just maybe it'll stop others from making them.

1-Always put fish in a cycled QT tank when you bring them home. There are numerous advantages to this ranging from observing behavior and detecting disease to getting them to start eating whatever it is you plan to feed long term.

2-Be very careful with fish compatibility! Sometimes it's impossible to know if fish will get along but other times it's simple. Even if your LFS just got your favorite fish in stock and you're really excited, think about if your other fish are likely to accept it. It's painful to bring home your dream fish only to have another fish in your tank totally reject it to the point it has to be returned or worse.

3-DONT JUMP TO BUY A FISH UNTIL YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO CARE FOR IT AND HAVE THE ABILITY TO CARE FOR IT! For example if you only have a 10 gallon tank that's months old you shouldn't be buying a dragonet or other fish that only eats pods no matter how much you might be temped. Make sure you are willing and able to care for the fish before you buy it no matter how much you love it. Again it really hurts to have to return a fish or worse because you can't take care of it.

4-Dont be too embarrassed or ashamed to be 100% honest about mistakes you made. This only makes it harder to diagnose problems and fix them. I feel a lot of people know where they messed up but don't want to admit they didn't QT for example when they were repeatedly advised to. Honesty really goes a long way fixing a lot of problems. This is VERY important and yes, sometimes I still struggle with it.

These are just a few of my hard learned lessons...I'm only human and just being honest. Something tells me others have made these mistakes too but I don't plan to repeat them. Feel free to comment some lessons you had to learn the hard way.

 

[Karen00]

That's a good idea about journalling mistakes and knowing it's OK to share what we might consider bonehead screwups. We always think we're the only one that makes these mistakes but chances are most everyone in the hobby has made the same mistakes at some point in their saltwater/reefing career. Hearing how other people tackled the error helps us learn.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

That's a good idea about journalling mistakes and knowing it's OK to share what we might consider bonehead screwups. We always think we're the only one that makes these mistakes but chances are most everyone in the hobby has made the same mistakes at some point in their saltwater/reefing career. Hearing how other people tackled the error helps us learn.

I find if I actually write down my mistake in ink it helps cement it in my mind and internalize it

 

[Karen00]

I find if I actually write down my mistake in ink it helps cement it in my mind and internalize it

It is a good idea. I keep thinking I won't ever forget the mistake I made until I make it again. I should be writing them down and read them once a week.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

It is a good idea. I keep thinking I won't ever forget the mistake I made until I make it again. I should be writing them down and read them once a week.

Give it a shot!

 

[907_Reefer]

Great post and agree 100% on logging! Especially as newer hobbyists. I've used journals for other hobbies and it has been a huge help to identify mistakes, or even identity how things you've done turn out well

I'm just getting back into reefing after 10 years or so, have my notebook ready to go. Will be logging setup notes, testing results, when changes occur (adding fish, corals), all with dates. If a problem occurs, you can easily back track to what you've done recently, and later answer questions like "When did I put this fish in?!" (and for us noobies, "What type of coral was that?!" )

I'm only kicking myself since I didn't keep a solid log from my first tank 10 years ago!

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

It is a good idea. I keep thinking I won't ever forget the mistake I made until I make it again. I should be writing them down and read them once a week.

I also feel like writing down mistakes also helps you get past them because you're forced to acknowledge what happened instead of just trying to push it out of my mind so I don't have to think about it...it's the next best thing to talking to someone about it and this way it's easier to be completely honest and not hold anything back without worrying about anything bad in the future coming from admittance like worrying your LFS won't wanna sell you another fish or something like that...plus gotta keep track of my parameters somewhere!

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Great post and agree 100% on logging! Especially as newer hobbyists. I've used journals for other hobbies and it has been a huge help to identify mistakes, or even identity how things you've done turn out well

I'm just getting back into reefing after 10 years or so, have my notebook ready to go. Will be logging setup notes, testing results, when changes occur (adding fish, corals), all with dates. If a problem occurs, you can easily back track to what you've done recently, and later answer questions like "When did I put this fish in?!" (and for us noobies, "What type of coral was that?!" )

I'm only kicking myself since I didn't keep a solid log from my first tank 10 years ago!

Thanks! I think in the long run it's REALLY gonna help make faster progress and there's literally no downside to keeping a reef journal! It takes less time than a single test to write down anything noteworthy that may have happened that day and yeah, you can always refer to it and refresh your memory about why something didn't work and help plan for the future to avoid repeating mistakes

 

[vlangel]

Good for you livinlifeinBKK! I think the vast majority of us have done things that we are ashamed to admit. We get over excited and jump the gun, or we just do not foresee a problem or we think things will just work out. At any rate I too, have learned a few lessons the hard way.

I have been in the hobby a long time and haven't had a 'sad event ' for quite a long time. Learning the hard way is not usually forgotten.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Good for you livinlifeinBKK! I think the vast majority of us have done things that we are ashamed to admit. We get over excited and jump the gun, or we just do not foresee a problem or we think things will just work out. At any rate I too, have learned a few lessons the hard way.

I have been in the hobby a long time and haven't had a 'sad event ' for quite a long time. Learning the hard way is not usually forgotten.

Thanks! Getting over excited and just assuming things will work out for me however I choose to do them have been my worst enemies in this hobby and although I unfortunately can't go back and give myself this post, I'm trying to do all I can to make sure these mistakes stay in the past.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

All this talk reminding me of being too anxious to wait for a velvet fallow period to pass belongs in my notebook of Screwups...

 

[Charlie the Reefer]

How much for a copy of this journal?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

How much for a copy of this journal?

Haha free for anyone who will read it seriously and try to learn from some of what I did wrong!