Biggest Lesson You've Learned?

[Peter_in_the_city]

I think its nice to admit mistakes and learn from our experiences. I've probably committed all the sins of reefkeeping, so I'll list a few:
Tang in a 60 gallon (didn't work)
Copper in a display tank (this one wasn't too bad but seriously just get a 20 long during a 1$/gallon sale)
Added buffer to raise pH (oh man don't do this. I was chasing 8.0 pH and succeeded in getting my alkalinity to 20+)

 

[ReeferMadness01]

Still learning here...SLOW DOWN. Patience is key in this hobby. When I want something...I want it now. This is prob the hardest thing I’ve done because it seems everything I do is very fast paced... kind of relaxing just slowing down.

 

[michealprater]

I’ve learned it far easier to buy a healthy established tank then to set one up from scratch. It’s much cheaper as well. Get a used setup and customize it to your liking.

 

[Waters]

Definitely that having 0 nutrients is not good for coral.

 

[Snuggs]

Patience. Too quick to get the tank up and running. My biggest regret is my scape. Too encrusted to change

 

[emmeriaa]

Those RODI a filters need to be good
Membrane too!!

Got lazy didn’t change mine for an extra couple months... all sps STN’d. ICP showed 60x tolerable tin levels in the display and 20x in RO water. Change your filters people, especially the sediment filter

 

[jpnegrete14]

Not taking fish QT serious. Dump and pray is a sure formula for failure when you’re in the hobby long enough. It will catch up to you and the chances of it crushing your soul and tank are pretty high. It happened to me

My two current tanks only have fish that were put through an extensive QT process. It’s such a huge difference. The fish are so healthy and fat. No worries of waking up to the nightmare that is velvet or ich.

oh and at a minimum dip your corals. Never used to do that either

 

[jpnegrete14]

 

[jpnegrete14]

It’s hard to tell but they’re fatties lol

 

[Cory]

Blindly trusting test kits

 

[nursebran]

QUARANTINE! Everything! And, when in doubt.... always go longer, never shorter.

 

[thecouch]

I know about them but still haven't learn. Patience for everything. But I stock to early. Don't over feed. But I like to feed as I know fish are happy then

 

[nursebran]

Not taking fish QT serious. Dump and pray is a sure formula for failure when you’re in the hobby long enough. It will catch up to you and the chances of it crushing your soul and tank are pretty high. It happened to me

My two current tanks only have fish that were put through an extensive QT process. It’s such a huge difference. The fish are so healthy and fat. No worries of waking up to the nightmare that is velvet or ich.

oh and at a minimum dip your corals. Never used to do that either

I totally understand! Almost had my Nemo collection, 20+ fish, I added “Dory” and lost it all. Well almost. 3 survivors: 1 clown, 1 green chromis and my yellow tang. The only 1 I had left to get, would have been the Moorish idol. The very last 1! Nope! Ballpark of $1000, gone.. just like that! It actually hurt, I might have cried. I was definitely ... devastated. So much hard work... gone... within hours. It was most likely velvet, maybe Brookelynella. But, painful and expensive lesson learned. Now, I quarantine everything. I have multiple tanks for different things. 1 for coral dips, 1 for formalin treatments, 1 hospital/ ready for medicine/treatment tank and 1 for traditional Quarantine. I look like I’m running a pet store in my living room! Lol

 

[jpnegrete14]

@nursebran It really is just a horrible experience. And your heart breaks for the fish. Lots of tough lessons for sure.

I’m glad to see you didn’t call it quits tho! It’s easy and honestly totally understandable for something like that to be the final straw. I def took a hiatus after losing 15 fish in my 180.

There would be multiple tanks in every room of my house if I had it my way! So I envy your pet store vibe haha

 

[iMi]

Biggest mistake... Geez, there are so many. I would say making that impulse buy and getting a fish that was not a good fit for the tank it was going to inhabit. Shortsighted, quick decision. As the saying goes, nothing good happens fast in this hobby. Then again, I did once accidentally contaminate a tank trying to “renew” one of those resin filters. I lost a couple of small fish and believe that was the issue. I’ll never do that again. Toss and replace.

 

[CanuckReefer]

Well....here I go.... 19 or 20 years ago I put a 7 or 8 inch Naso into my 90 gallon at the time. When that one died I promptly went out all confused and purchased a Red Sea Sohol of same size. All this happened over about 3-4 months. I would like to profusely apologize to these fish lol. They ran into a newbie who wanted to impress with his BIG fish and not so big tank....ugh. We better now lol.

 

[JosephM]

Not trying to catch a hitchhiker crab when I first saw it. Ended up killing a fire fish, another hitchhiker crab I didn’t know I had, and possibly a Dracula goby. Still haven’t caught him, he’s sneaky

 

[Cory]

Not trying to catch a hitchhiker crab when I first saw it. Ended up killing a fire fish, another hitchhiker crab I didn’t know I had, and possibly a Dracula goby. Still haven’t caught him, he’s sneaky

Have you tried the bait trap?

 

[JosephM]

Have you tried the bait trap?

I’ve tried bottle traps, shot glass leaned on rock, and luring him out and grabbing him... all with no success.

 

[Thaxxx]

Never trust your memory.
Filling the ATO make sure you set timer with Alexa®

 

[PeterC99]

Never, never make any changes to your setup or system before you go on vacation. Something always comes up that you didn’t anticipate and then major problems.