What are your earliest mistakes that are a big part of your reefing process now?

Wuffletoast · Mar 30, 2023

Back when I started almost a year ago, I didn't realize how big of a deal drip acclimation and having a QT process was. Due to that, two fish and a shrimp were lost.

I was just curious what others did or did not do at the start of their reefing hobby that now seems impossible to forget due to the outcome of not knowing.

Dom · Mar 30, 2023

One of my earliest mistakes was using fresh salt water at 35ppt for topping off.

Sump Crab · Mar 30, 2023

Earliest mistake was not using RODI water for top off and mixing SW

Wuffletoast · Mar 30, 2023

Dom said:
One of my earliest mistakes was using fresh salt water at 35ppt for topping off.

How high did your salt level get? Were you testing at the time? Or did something happen to make you look into it?

Dom · Mar 30, 2023

Wuffletoast said:
How high did your salt level get? Were you testing at the time? Or did something happen to make you look into it?

It went up to 45ppt. I forget how I discovered it.

Dbichler · Mar 30, 2023

Stocked too many fish too fast. Didn’t feed a varied enough diet no casualties from that but much healthier fish now.

Mr. Mojo Rising · Mar 30, 2023

My early mistake was putting a power bar on the floor by the tank with wires running straight down to the power bar. I once woke up at 3 am hearing electrical buzzing and smelling smoke.

That’s how I learned about the life saving importance of a drip loop, and every wire always has a drip loop now and the power bar is always raised off the floor.

Stephen8169301 · Mar 30, 2023

Rushing the process = wasted money I take it slow now

Wuffletoast · Mar 30, 2023

LordofCinder said:
My early mistake was putting a power bar on the floor by the tank with wires running straight down to the power bar. I once woke up at 3 am hearing electrical buzzing and smelling smoke.

That’s how I learned about the life saving importance of a drip loop, and every wire always has a drip loop now and the power bar is always raised off the floor.

I had to change my entire wire work due to a HoB skimmer that needed to "work out the overflow of water in the cup before functioning properly." Now my power strip hangs inside the stand with P shape for all cables.

Wuffletoast · Mar 30, 2023

Dbichler said:
Stocked too many fish too fast. Didn’t feed a varied enough diet no casualties from that but much healthier fish now.

My royal Gramma turned pinkish purple for a while before I added a variety to their diet. Now they are a healthy violet color.

Wuffletoast · Mar 30, 2023

Stephen8169301 said:
Rushing the process = wasted money I take it slow now

Stocking the fish too early? Or buying products before research?

JCM · Mar 30, 2023

Cheaping out on equipment. Saw the light when I upgraded from a coralife skimmer to a euro-reef (hot stuff back in the day).

CoastalTownLayabout · Mar 30, 2023

The assumption that bigger, better, more advanced equipment would crush almost any problem. Clean water, patience and a disciplined maintenance regime will take you a long way in this hobby.

Slocke · Mar 30, 2023

Testing water before adding a fish. So obvious but sometimes a drip acclimation works faster or slower than usual and sometimes you just need to float.

Learned this with an eel in a massive bag. Obviously the usual drip didn’t do anything and realized too late. I added the eel while the salinity in the bag was a lot lower. It survived but had a bad case of osmotic shock.