What is the biggest mistake you made as a noob???

[Clay4AU]

Back in '93 when I started, coral skeletons were used instead of live rock. Instead of bulking up my clean up crew, when the algae would get bad I would take everything out of the tank and bleach it. It sure made the tank look clean again but I was decimating my beneficial bacteria every time when all I really needed to do was spend ~$20 on some snails and crabs. Looking back, fighting algae with not much of a clean up crew kept my tank in a rut for years.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Another mistake I made was buying a sea clone skimmer. I also bought too small of a tank and cycled it with damsels.

 

[TD2K]

not wearing heavy rubber gloves when scrubbing my very first live rock. Bristles HURT! It was years later before I even knew what had really happened, and nearly as long to pick out all those "splinters"

adding a picasso trigger to my tank, then adding about 20 snails shortly after (lunch!). trigger ate everything I put in that tank, including new fish. He went back to the store a few weeks later.

topping off with tap water because I was out of RO/DI (previous to installing my own) Killed several corals pretty much instantly. (and we DRINK that stuff?!?!?!)

 

[chort55]

Eventhough I used tap water for atleast 2 years that wasn't my biggest mistake (I actually never had the bad effects many have, until I switched to RO/DI then I had massive algae outbreaks and cyano I couldnt control for months....) my worst mistake....

Buying 2 small of a tank in the begining... and then buying to big of a tank knowing I was going to have to move it atleast twice.... moving a 180 is not as easy as a 20g thats for sure lol

 

[rjones1891]

not useing a qt

 

[mainereefer]

seems mostly salt related mistakes here

 

[Steven R]

doing what everyone who has been in it longer then me had to say. forgot the simple principle what works for one system will not always work for another. 2. trying to skimp on money for filtration wrong move being that it is the most important thing besides proper lighting. and last but not least trying to rush the systems before it was able to support all life forms. Oh and not reading species compatability.

 

[robert]

My very first saltwater tank - I did everything by the book. After it was all set up and fully stocked, damsels, shrimp, royal gramma, cleaner wrasse, starfish etc.- everything was good and I was so proud! A month or two later, I had the itch for something new but being in college with a limited budget I woke up one morning, went down to the beach and brought home a small sculpin from a local tide pool. I added it to the tank and headed off to school.

When I got home - all I had was a sculpin and a starfish.

 

[uall8up]

I will let you know the worst mistake in a few weeks. I am attempting to build my own sump!! lol Before I had ANY idea what I was doing I added salt straight to the tank. I have NEVER told anybody this so please don't repeat it!!!!

 

[NanoNathan]

I will let you know the worst mistake in a few weeks. I am attempting to build my own sump!! lol Before I had ANY idea what I was doing I added salt straight to the tank. I have NEVER told anybody this so please don't repeat it!!!!

Lol don't like to read directions much

Sent from my tank using tapatalk

 

[scapone]

Dosing alkalinity in my tank and not testing water then killing most my fish and a lot of corals in a hour or two

 

[uall8up]

Directions...I have bought a skimmer and an overflow box and neither have come with direstions. I am just going on help from great people. The salt issue....I was just in a hurry to raise my salinity!! Shame on me!!!

 

[sexycorals]

took a mother colony out to frag it and then leave it outside to die while putting the frags i just cut back in the tank..

yes ive done it more than once .. in fact more than 5 time.. lol

 

[uall8up]

took a mother colony out to frag it and then leave it outside to die while putting the frags i just cut back in the tank..

yes ive done it more than once .. in fact more than 5 time.. lol

So basicly you are saying you made a sexy mistake??? lol With the coral you have I bet it really hurt!!!

 

[k2parkstar]

dosing calcium withouth testing the water. It also raised my ALK to over 20 dkh.

 

[ahtatt]

I bought a aio system for my first tank. I just started throwing stuff in there with out checking any levels for almost a year. I learned about needing to quarantine things, compatability, light level importance, the importance of checking water before water changes... checking water before water changes... How dwarf lionfish arent good for nano tanks..
Most importantly i noticed I should probably read about some things before I just jump in there and get after it.

 

[Mike171]

Built my sump with the wrong silicone. Killed everything. "Luckily" it was still pretty new so not a lot in there only a few fish.

 

[SAZAMA]

being too cheap.

 

[Bubbles_B]

Not purchasing a chiller during the great heat of 2006 up here in NorCal

 

[palvyre]

Using brass hose barbs in my sump. Spent another $300 on all sorts of filtration enhancements before I realized what was wrong.