Stupidest things you’ve done Reefing!!!!

terraincognita · Nov 2, 2020

wonroc said:
ya clean up crew. dont get those crabs. dont trust crabs.

+1 on no crabs, besides hermits that is, or nem or acro crabs who don't bother no one.

terraincognita · Nov 2, 2020

Auquanut said:
I tilted one of my return nozzles upward to clean it during a water change. Of course, I forgot to move it back before turning on the return pump. Got a really nice saltwater shower and scared the crap out of myself.

This can't be the dumbest thing you've EVER done in reefing if so I'm happy for you hahahaha

terraincognita · Nov 2, 2020

Ksull72487 said:
Okay guys I wanted to start this up. I buy Ocean Water just cuz the Nanos are easy and cheap. Sometimes I’ll mix salt with the 5 gallon purified since that’s where I work I get it for free and that’s what i top off with. Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium are the trace amounts.

So me being totally stupid not thinking. Leaves the water in the trunk yesterday. I put in the heater and I start siphoning. It was 30-50 degrees out today. My dumb butt isn’t going to heat that water up in less than 5 hours. Lol. But I got a 200watt heater in the tank. So I might get in done in 2. Or close enough.

That takes the cake for me. Dumbest thing I’ve done.

By far the stupidest thing I ever did. Luckily I didn’t take much out and I can speed up the process with the other heater.

I'd much rather cold Water change water than hot!

I think the bounce back is definitely way better.

Clownfish_Boy · Nov 2, 2020

Pulled media out of a filter and replaced it with new and caused the tank to cycle with fish in it. As I was not aware there were ammonia detoxifiers available, the fish were all wiped out.

Ksull72487 · Nov 2, 2020

terraincognita said:
bought my first reef tank

besides that.

I used to stick my arms and hands in WAY too much (I think if you put your doing something in your tank with your hands more than once a week it's too much, maybe twice for emergencies.)

Also OVERFEEDING.

This is a really, really big thing I think a lot of people don't mind much, but I think daily frozen feedings is even too much :X maybe just me.

That’s a good one. I get dirty a lot

terraincognita said:
bought my first reef tank

besides that.

I used to stick my arms and hands in WAY too much (I think if you put your doing something in your tank with your hands more than once a week it's too much, maybe twice for emergencies.)

Also OVERFEEDING.

This is a really, really big thing I think a lot of people don't mind much, but I think daily frozen feedings is even too much :X maybe just me.

I work a dirty job. Lol the waters clean but I get dirty pumping diesel and delivering it. That stuff takes a whole weekend to come off. I think we all have over fed before. But hands in tank. I’ve always thought about that. Coral tweezers and those grabber things. Lol. And medical gloves. You brought up a good point.

Which brings me to another point. Customers still ask me to go inside their homes while others don’t answer the door. I’m like lady do you know how many places I been. She goes what a bunch of houses ummmm like 8 places that have positive tests of Covid 19 and 3 assisted living centers and a walk through the quarantine zones. I deliver to department of home land security and an airport. Ohhhh Just leave water on front porch. Lol.

Don’t let your delivery guys in. Lol. You ask it’s stupidity on your part. They see to many places. People are getting mad at USPS for shoving Mail through the slots on businesses. Lol that’s the effort to prevent the spread. Go pick it up.

Hands in tank! Yup that’s a good one.

xxkenny90xx · Nov 2, 2020

Too many dumb things to list...

The other day I did a water change so I unplugged the ato pump. Afterward I plugged the pump back in but into a regular outlet instead of the ato outlet.... 10g of kalk water pumped right into my tank! Sump filled to the brim but didn't quite overflow!

Hermie · Nov 2, 2020

tried to correct salinity by pouring hypersaline water into a QT tank and killed the fish

McCarrick · Nov 2, 2020

This is along the lines of starting with cheap equipment!! Learned my lesson real quick! Followed a youtube video for diy aquarium lights that used those sticky led strips. After 1 or 2 weeks, I came home to find that my lights had fallen into my tank and I dont know what kind of chemicals were in those lights, but it wiped out my fish. Pretty sure they didnt get electrocuted since my shrimp survived.. somehow. But it was a bad plan to begin with. Immediately got something that was actually intended for fish tanks! Upgraded to bigger and better things now!

terraincognita · Nov 2, 2020

NotASpammerDude said:
tried to correct salinity by pouring hypersaline water into a QT tank and killed the fish

Did you over salinate it? I've done this at least 3 times in my reefing career (add this to the dumbest mistakes) of WC'ing with the freshwater for my ATO instead of the Saltwater I just mixed XDDD or because once I completely also forgot to add the salt! HAHAHAHA

I didn't have any bad effects though in all honesty, maybe some stressed fish for a few hours, but everything else was fine after.

Hermie · Nov 2, 2020

terraincognita said:
Did you over salinate it?

I did it on purpose but it was a really bad idea

terraincognita · Nov 2, 2020

NotASpammerDude said:
I did it on purpose but it was a really bad idea

100% understood man, you live and learn, I've blocked them out of my mind, but I'm sure I could remember a couple things I did on purpose I later really regretted in this hobby!

excell007 · Nov 2, 2020

Happened so fast 15 years ago, I started a fresh water aquarium, 2 weeks later I said "this is easy" and started a saltwater aquarium.

mindme · Nov 2, 2020

Jseimo said:
Left my rodi on all night and flooded my house. Soaked from my upper floor into my main floor. Ruined my ceiling and everything. Now I use a float switch

I wish I could say I've only done this once...in the past month. Lucky for me mine is in my garage so it doesn't do much damage most of the time unless I have something out there.

tricky_tran · Nov 2, 2020

quitting about 10 years ago and having to start from the beginning again..

Roosterjack · Nov 2, 2020

Hmmm....dumbest thing....wow. Has to be somehow forgetting to put the Trident waste line back in the jug and pumping about a week’s worth of stain into the carpeting,

Rp8 · Nov 2, 2020

Jseimo said:
Left my rodi on all night and flooded my house. Soaked from my upper floor into my main floor. Ruined my ceiling and everything. Now I use a float switch

I literally had this happen last night...

Clownfish_Boy · Nov 2, 2020

terraincognita said:
+1 on no crabs, besides hermits that is, or nem or acro crabs who don't bother no one.

I once had a nasty old Sally Lightfoot crab, didn't like it once I put it in the tank....

DaneGer21 · Nov 2, 2020

Long story short, something that was 99.99% preventable... I dumped 120gals of saltwater from my old system on the floor. Luckily it was a basement, so worst was I had to pull up carpet, but the concrete floor saved me from massive amounts of damage.

hockeyhead019 · Nov 2, 2020

Another victim of forgetting to turn off the RODI here. Phone alarm goes on right after I fire it up now. The wife was not happy about the puddle in the basement.