You can't do that! But you did it anyway! What was it?

[Bossman]

Successfully keeping cleaner wrasse in less then a 300 gallon tank.

I have 4 long term; one in a 34 gal, 48 gal, 55 gal and 88 gallon. I'm going to put one in my 10 gal nano just to prove it can be done. They all eat flake, frozen food and the larger ones even eat pellets.

 

[Bklynskandi]

1. What have you accomplished in reefing that someone else said you can't do or it won't work?
I was told not to put jawfishes, and dif ones at that, in a tank together and they should not be with tangs.
I have 2 bluespot jaws, 2 pearls, a purple fire, and 3 tanks in a 120 (powder blue, hippo, and yellow)

 

[MiniBukta]

There are things in this hobby that you shouldn't do. Like putting a tang in a nano or feeding your trigger live damselfish. That's not nice. :/ Heck some might even argue with me over that! But there are many things that people say you shouldn't do or can't do who get proven wrong all the time. Obviously there are things that are unethical when it comes to fish keeping so let's steer clear of that. So today let's talk about it!

1. What have you accomplished in reefing that someone else said you can't do or it won't work?

2. What is something that someone said you shouldn't do but you tried anyway and it didn't work?

1: a guy I knew from work told me I couldn’t have more than 2-3 fish in my 55 gallon tank because it’s “impossible to keep them fed” and they’ll die off. To be fair, I’ve had freshwater aquariums my whole life, so I immediately knew how stupid that was. What’s alarming, is that he also had a small reef tank, so I have no clue what he was doing wrong.
2: I was told not to get a tarantula crab. So, I got a tarantula crab because I did, and still think they’re absolutely awesome. Well, I found a new home for it within a month because it was destroying EVERYTHING.

I’m hoping with moving to a 180 gallon I can possibly reconsider a T crab after some heavy research, but who knows. I’m not quite there yet.

 

[backdraft]

Adding and keeping multiple tangs in a non traditional order of introduction. And having a normally "non aggressive" Tang rule the aquarium. (YEKT vs. Clown tang)

 

[Jax15]

"Angel fish aren't reef safe" -- I've kept a juvenile emperor and flame angel, both are model citizens.

"You can't keep puffers and ornamental shrimp" -- YUP. LESSON LEARNED.

 

[Backreefing]

I have done things differently .
1: I don’t use a protein skimmer ever . I don’t own one . And I have low nutrients.
2: I use a canister filter instead of a sump . People say it’s a nitrate factory but as I just wrote I have low nutrients . Both phosphate and nitrates barely detectable. In fact I just order up some sodium nitrate to start doseing.
so no skimmer and a canister filter with 20 fishin a 90gallon aquarium.

 

[Ti64reef]

yes clown triggers are complet bullies. i've never kept one thank the lords, and i just don't like their appearance to me their dead on ugly.

My Clown Tang (Bob) is an evil son of a gun and generally hates everyone including the magnet cleaner. He tries to bother all the fish but they have learned to fight back. Fortunately he has about 400 gallons to roam so everyone can find some bit of serenity.

 

[jdstank]

Keeping two tangs of the same species
Cutting hammer corals up to the flesh
Killing all planeras with a single dip of bayer
Keeping two mandarin in a no pod system (3years strong)

Same here, 2 acan (PBT and Achilles) and 2 zebra (Desjardini and Purple) and they’re all friends, no sparring.

 

[FlexingFishSticks]

Despite being told not to I Spent my entire stimulus check on my first saltwater aquarium during quarantine....then realized I needed more money so I used half of my girlfriends stimulus check on my tank as well and told her it was for bills

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

I ran my first tank with tap water for almost a year. Didn’t have any sticks, but did have some SPS.

 

[Joem820]

I started a tank without having cycled properly and with only having dry rock. The first fish that was in the tank, and is in there to this day a little over a year later was a copperband butterfly fish.

 

[jdstank]

Despite being told not to I Spent my entire stimulus check on my first saltwater aquarium during quarantine....then realized I needed more money so I used half of my girlfriends stimulus check on my tank as well and told her it was for bills

Yikes!! Hope she doesn’t frequent this site. You may need another stimulus check for that inevitable dog house to sleep in if she sees this.

 

[FlexingFishSticks]

Yikes!! Hope she doesn’t frequent this site. You may need another stimulus check for that inevitable dog house to sleep in if she sees this.

I’m hoping when tell her I love her everything will be okay

 

[Calebb8133]

I had next to no advice on how to get a clown and nem to pair up and I came up with something that has worked quite well and while others probably have done the same I wasn't suggested it.

 

[DSEKULA]

This, it was done very carefully. 155gal btw

 

[Backreefing]

I ran my first tank with tap water for almost a year. Didn’t have any sticks, but did have some SPS.

I used tap water for years , I stopped only because I wanted to lower the alkalinity. Here in Baltimore County the tap water is great .

 

[HB AL]

Having a Clown trigger, Assasi trigger, Sargassum trigger and Blueline trigger all in one mixed reef tank along with 10 other fish.

 

[Tahoe61]

You can not grow clams, lps, anemones and sps under power compacts 1999.

 

[Troy V]

1. What have you accomplished in reefing that someone else said you can't do or it won't work?
3 Tanks-Each with different coral requirements plumed to one sump.

-Skimmerless
-1 Annual water change
-Xenia Refugium

2. What is something that someone said you shouldn't do but you tried anyway and it didn't work?
Keeping mated Maroon Clowns with mated Percula Clown. Poor little guys!;Blackeye No worries. I was able to save them, and they are still with me years later.

 

[1Matthew]

My frogspawn landed on my lobo and it partially killed two of its heads. My family said they didn't think they would grow back. I brought it back to life and the heads are now happy and healthy