Worst advise seen/been given

[robbyg]

When I was still inexperienced with fish and corals I asked the LFS salesman what I should buy.
He sold me everything that caught my eye.

An Orange Sun Coral.
A Goniopora Coral
A Flashlight Fish
A Rock Beauty
A pair of True Percula Clowns
A Blue Ribbon eel
And since I was a good customer he threw in some free pulsing Zenia.

I think they must have been still laughing after the store closed.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

When I was still inexperienced with fish and corals I asked the LFS salesman what I should buy.
He sold me everything that caught my eye.

An Orange Sun Coral.
A Goniopora Coral
A Flashlight Fish
A Rock Beauty
A pair of True Percula Clowns
A Blue Ribbon eel
And since I was a good customer he threw in some free pulsing Zenia.

I think they must have been still laughing after the store closed.

Lol free xenia, what a deal

 

[Spare time]

Give me the seachem alk, calcium, and mag supplements and says just pour this stuff in once a week into your tank and your corals will love it.

 

[Nigel35]

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

lol!

 

[FortyFour44]

“That anemone will be fine, they are really easy to care for.”

 

[BobbyCline]

I try to avoid reading any threads relating to ich management, treatment, or prevention. Someone always provides some poor advice in those.

 

[JPM San Diego]

My example is reverse of bad advice - no advice. I resumed reefing in 2017 after a 20 year hiatus. I asked for help at my LFS and in retrospect what I thought was advice was actually a non-committal lack of advice.
I asked, "should I start with fish or coral?" Response, "I've seen it work both ways."
"Do I need a protein skimmer?" "Some reefers use one and some do not".
After a few months of good growth my corals began to fade rapidly. "Do I need more light?" "You could try more light."
"Should I feed my corals?" "You could give it a try." etc., etc., etc.
Oh, I did I mention ... not a word of advice about measuring Ca, Mg, and Alkalinity, nor dosing those elements.
A big shout out thanks to Bulk Reef Supply and all of their how to videos. After two frustrating years of growing far more algae than coral I binged watched about a hundred hours of BRS videos. I think I have a much better handle on how to maintain a reef tank now.

 

[CoralVue_Marketing]

"You can TOTALLY keep that Harlequin Sweetlips in your 24-gallon." ;Bucktooth

 

[Oliver d]

Being told that Ich was a natural part of the cycle of a new tank. This was said to me by a worker at a local LFS.

 

[MnFish1]

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

The worst advice I was given was to take a 210 gallon mainland stand and tank - which was delivered (with much difficulty) - to my house - and once set up - realized that the tank literally swayed about 1/4 inch from side to side. The Aquarium store owner said - its not a problem - I've done this hundreds of time - once water is inside - it will be fine - and 'the price is right'. Well I against better judgement accepted it - then spent a year - nervous about the whole thing collapsing. I just gave it to the LFS and bought a RedSea.

 

[MnFish1]

Here's mine....I was told this years ago by three LFS by me, "you can acclimate a fish from their 1.018 salinity water to your 1.025 water in 60 min with a fast drip". Matter of fact I still hear that advise today to new aquarists. Then a few days later they are back at the LFS saying their fish died.

Its interesting - but - fish tolerate fluctuating salinities without much problem. 1.018 to 1.025 is a bit much - but think of what happens during typhoon season on shallow reefs...

 

[MnFish1]

My vote for #1 worst advice because its so common:

"You should start with all dry rock to avoid hitchikers, it becomes live rock soon enough anyway"

But - it does become live rock soon enough.... Right? Depending on what kind of life you want on it?

 

[snorklr]

lfs owner told me all i needed was to put a "special reef" 20 watt T8 bulb in the plastic hood of my 30 long and i could keep coral...and he actually hosted a pet show on tv

 

[Bonifacio]

"You don't need to buy those test kits (PO4 NO3 MAG KG CA) you just have to look in water"

Yes Daniel'san....

 

[Ippyroy]

I started my 85g mostly with bleached old rock (60 lb), so no critters. The 20-ish pounds of live rock were very clean, from a guy that cures it in brute cans so they have bacteria but no critters or pests. So my tank doesn't have any of the good guys yet, where do you recommend that I get that kind of stuff (stars, worms, amps, etc.)?

ipsf.com sales all of those things at a great price.

 

[S2G]

Fish grow to their environment

 

[jmsilhy]

ipsf.com sales all of those things at a great price.

Thanks, I'll check them out!

 

[bevo5]

After 30yrs of keeping different types of tanks I've had quite a few amazing bits of knowledge dropped on me.

I think the best was when a guy at a reef store told me to just drop a few big chunks of garlic into the overflow to stop ich. Said it worked every time. I didn't do that, but I still wonder if maybe he's right and we're all just idiots for not doing it!!!

 

[Barnabie Mejia]

After 30yrs of keeping different types of tanks I've had quite a few amazing bits of knowledge dropped on me.

I think the best was when a guy at a reef store told me to just drop a few big chunks of garlic into the overflow to stop ich. Said it worked every time. I didn't do that, but I still wonder if maybe he's right and we're all just idiots for not doing it!!!

Stopping by Albertsons after work to get a few cloves of garlic and IN THEY GO!

 

[tehmadreefer]

Increased oxygen will kill ich