Worst advise seen/been given

[Valum]

Let's all share our stories of the worst advise you've been given when starting out or what you might have seen floating around or just funny things people have said that make no sense

I'll start the lack of explanation of the nitrogen cycle I've seen this quiet a few times when I've bought fish from different shops it's not that they dont mention it it's like they are rushed and say leave the tank running for 10 days then it will be fine it's not hard to give out a link to a YouTube video

 

[homer1475]

"Just use mortons table salt to start with. No need to buy those expensive aquarium salts."

Yes I actually heard a store owner tell a newbie this when they inquired about a new SW setup. Best part, this store is one of the "high end" aquarium stores in my area, and many reefers in my area say they are one the best around.

Needless to say, I no longer go there for advice.

 

[TheDuude]

"This Copperband butterfly will help the aiptasia problem in your 14 gallon biocube"

This was also from a pretty well known LFS in the Detroit Metro area.

 

[homer1475]

"This Copperband butterfly will help the aiptasia problem in your 14 gallon biocube"

This was also from a pretty well known LFS in the Detroit Metro area.

Well he wasn't actually lying. Tank is too small though, and a very delicate species of fish for a beginner.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

 

[Valum]

There's got to be more bad advise going round surely

 

[Joshua Sassaman]

I work/run the reef section at my LFS. One of my own coworkers ( old, hard-headed, and stuck in his own ways), two things he said...
To me: "I have had the same purigen running in my tank before you were born." (He doesn't clean it/bleach)
To a CUSTOMER: "You don't need to change carbon. "
The bad part is he believed what he said and didn't listen to advice.

 

[BeltedCoyote]

Worst advice I’ve gotten:

“If you don’t have at least 1lb I’d rock per gallon you’re going to need a bio pellet reactor”

I still go to that LFS because it’s not absolutely wrong...there are just better ways of making up for less rock in your display

 

[TheShrimpNibbler]

The guy at my lfs gave me some bad advice the other day. When I asked him if they could get a diamond tail flasher wrasse, he looked them up and then told me yes. He said they were probably just angulatus flasher wrasses that had gotten old and morphed, and he could order me an angulatus flasher.
Seriously?! Those are two totally different species of flasher wrasses. Fish don’t get old and morph into new species.

 

[Crashnt24]

One of my LFS tried to talk me out of buying Red Sea alk/mag/calc test kit. Told me that those things aren't important in keeping a successful reef tank...

Yeah ok, just ring me up sir

 

[Fisheroo]

I think one of the worst (yet most widespread) advice given to beginning aquarists in particular are that the smaller the tank, the easier it is to keep. A lot of those little 1-3 gallon tanks for sale that seem popular with beginners show extremely overstocked tanks when in reality tanks that small should not be used for any fish besides raising fry. I’ve seen a 1 and a half gallon cube tank with the picture on the box showing maybe 8 swordtails and guppies crammed into there, and this gives many people the idea that that’s ok when in reality it’s a recipe for disaster. Thankfully I don’t think this practice is as common among marine fishkeepers.

 

[oceans garden aquaculture]

"Just use mortons table salt to start with. No need to buy those expensive aquarium salts."

Yes I actually heard a store owner tell a newbie this when they inquired about a new SW setup. Best part, this store is one of the "high end" aquarium stores in my area, and many reefers in my area say they are one the best around.

Needless to say, I no longer go there for advice.

Whaaa??? Sure they weren't talking about a fresh water tank??

 

[oceans garden aquaculture]

I work/run the reef section at my LFS. One of my own coworkers ( old, hard-headed, and stuck in his own ways), two things he said...
To me: "I have had the same purigen running in my tank before you were born." (He doesn't clean it/bleach)
To a CUSTOMER: "You don't need to change carbon. "
The bad part is he believed what he said and didn't listen to advice.

 

[oceans garden aquaculture]

A fish's growth is determined by its enclosure. I owned an LFS for years, and worked in a couple before then. I can't even count how many times people would try to convince me of this. Probably triple that in reference to turtles and the little palm tree death bowls.

 

[KyOsIBa515]

I have been fortunate enough that my LFS has been family owned for 50 years and almost all employees have been there for more then 20 of it. With that being said, when I do stray I try not being too critical because most people in a FS that give ill advice are hobbyists themselves that work there for just pure experience and knowledge. However, I did get advice when I started the saltwater portion of the hobby 15 years ago by a reputable aquarium store stating I could set the tank up that day and put a lionfish and tessalata eel in that day. That would of been my 1st saltwater tank. Not my 1st fish tank ever dude. ‍

 

[Ionclad]

Worst I got, many years ago was, you have to keep nitrate and phosphate at zero, and you need more bioballs in the dry section of your sump. Where did wet/dry even go? LOL.

 

[Billldg]

Please lets not point out others specifically or by name. We should hear and learn about bad advice given so we can help each other out to not make the same mistake. Lets just keep it civilized.

Thank You

 

[tigre44]

I was once told to buy a tall tank because salt water fish live at greater depths than fresh water

 

[Barnabie Mejia]

A fish's growth is determined by its enclosure. I owned an LFS for years, and worked in a couple before then. I can't even count how many times people would try to convince me of this. Probably triple that in reference to turtles and the little palm tree death bowls.

my wife STILL to this day tries to convince me of this.... I have shown her studies and proof and she still tells me this..... and she is confident that with the stunted growth the fish will be stress free and healthy.....

 

[Bfragale]

When I first got my tank, I was driving by and saw a random fish store. I had my fiancé with me and we decided to pop in and take a look. She found a chocolate chip starfish and really wanted to get it for my tank. My tank was fairly young but already had corals. It was cheap so I told her if it’s reef safe we can get it. We asked the fish keeper and was assured that it was reef safe and we should have no problems. So I bought it. Luckily at my next trip to my lfs I showed my normal fish keeper a photo and he immediately told me it was not reef safe. Needless to say, I ended up donating it and I believe he became Harlequin shrimp food.

i have heard that some* fish stores will say anything to make a sale. But I blame my self for the impulse buy, and should have done my own research. That was a cheap lesson, but since then I do my own research before any purchase. (Thank you reef2reef!)