Funniest rookie mistakes

[Sebastian the Lionfish]

Alright let's have a good laugh and everyone be honest! What is the most cringeworthy/hilarious rookie mistake you made now looking back!

 

[Euphyllia97]

Wondering why my leather corals were dying, having not replaced t5’s in 2 years (Didn’t realise the importance of par etc...)

 

[Sebastian the Lionfish]

I'll kick it off... mine was putting 3 tablespoons of baking soda in a brand new 32 gallon aquarium because my hardness was at 6!!! Let's just say I battled my hardness and it looked like it was snowing in my tank for weeks because I didnt do a simple google search...

 

[Cstar_BC]

1) I used my hands (no gloves) to get my carpet anemone out of the bucket into the tank.

2) tried to unload a 60 gallon tank by myself

 

[monti mike]

the first time my hermit crab molted I found its “remains” and thought I had a predator in my live rock. A few google searches later and I was convinced I had a mantis shrimp hiding in the rock... then I felt like a fool when I found the hermit alive and well

 

[Sebastian the Lionfish]

the first time my hermit crab molted I found its “remains” and thought I had a predator in my live rock. A few google searches later and I was convinced I had a mantis shrimp hiding in the rock... then I felt like a fool when I found the hermit alive and well

I did the same thing! Except I thought I sucked my hermit out of his shell and spent 5 minutes looking for a shell where I had just gravel vac'd felt like a dummy afterwards.lol

 

[Auquanut]

Okay. I'll play. I posted this awhile back. Once, while doing a water change, I tilted one of my return nozzles up out of the water to clear some algae off of it. Needless to say, I forgot to angle it back down. When I turned the return pump back on, a beautiful fountain of water came cascading out of the tank. I was completely drenched before I was able to turn the pump off. Luckily most of the water wound up on me before it drenched the carpet.

 

[fishguy242]

let 16" snowflake bite my hand,to see what it felt like back in the 90's,dumb move

 

[Cstar_BC]

let 16" snowflake bite my hand,to see what it felt like back in the 90's,dumb move

Don’t leave us hanging ....

 

[Sebastian the Lionfish]

let 16" snowflake bite my hand,to see what it felt like back in the 90's,dumb move

now that's the proper way to conduct an experiment!hahaha

 

[Sebastian the Lionfish]

I have thought about letting my lionfish sting me for the name of science but cant ever muster up the courage. and always remember how horrible of an idea it is!

 

[fishguy242]

Don’t leave us hanging ....

let just say he was hanging as i took him off,minimal damage but reverse teeth he shook could not let go ,had to lift off

 

[Sebastian the Lionfish]

Don’t leave us hanging ....

I mean... did it hurt? lol

 

[Cstar_BC]

I have thought about letting my lionfish sting me for the name of science but cant ever muster up the courage. and always remember how horrible of an idea it is!

Just make sure you have a full bladder. No wait maybe that’s jelly fish stings. But there was definitely a movie about a guy stepping on an urchin . Oh well can’t hurt to try right

 

[jsvand5]

Mine was around 1989 as a kid. I didn’t realize the powerhead attached to the Under gravel filter wasn’t providing any surface agitation. Suffocated a lot of fish before I finally got it right. I blame the LFS mostly though since they pretty much set up the tank.

 

[Sebastian the Lionfish]

Just make sure you have a full bladder. No wait maybe that’s jelly fish stings. But there was definitely a movie about a guy stepping on an urchin . Oh well can’t hurt to try right

jellyfish = full bladder
lionfish = hold my beer.lol

 

[Seahorse man]

I bought 2 small frags of neon green goniopora at a LFS thinking that it was GSP. Bought them as my first corals. Needless to say, they didn't make it very long.

 

[fishguy242]

I mean... did it hurt? lol

not too bad ,left a blood line of teeth marks barely broke skin ,don't try this folks!!!

 

[KTrevino]

One of the more common- turning on the RODI unit and remembering you turned it on hours later meanwhile there is a small pond in the laundry room.

 

[Cstar_BC]

jellyfish = full bladder
lionfish = hold my beer.lol

this looks more of a tall scotch kinda thing .