Share your NOOB experience and WIN a TUNZE Reefpack 250!

[GHill762]

not proud of this by any means, but here's my noob experience entry : (

My reef tank - YouTube

Aside from the overstocking issues that's a pretty nice looking tank...

Sent from my SCH-R530U using Reef2Reef Aquarium Forum mobile app

 

[andijo81]

Put a 3+ head aussie gold torch next to a frogspawn thinking that it would be fine...just like my hammers. It wasn't...the torch died...Let's not talk about it again, haha.

 

[Ecvernon]

About 8 years ago My first coral was a frogspawn. I was so excited. Later I discovered that I have a new type of coral growing and I thought it was because my tank was doing very well. After weeks of feeding this coral It reproduced All over the tank and all of them were growing very large. It was when another reefer came to my home and asked me the reason I was raising Aiptasia anemones

 

[rewlee]

Well when I got my first pair of clowns, I couldnt untie the knot in the bag, so I decided to use sissors. I figured I could just hold the bag and the slowly put it in the acclimation container. Well one handing it, cut the top off, and it spread out spilling all over the couch, floor, laptop. Fish where fine, but they did not get a good acclimation . They still roam my 44, and even after being let lose on the couch.

 

[jleat]

When I first started out a LONG time ago, had a small 10 gallon with a regular flourescent light. LFS sold me a clown and a sebae anemone and said they would be fine. Well, I am guessing you can figure out how that turned out. Fish lasted a while but had to do some quick cleaning and changes after the anemone decided to throw in the towel. Lesson learned. RESEARCH, don't always trust LFS.

 

[Rikerbear]

When I first started out a LONG time ago, had a small 10 gallon with a regular flourescent light. LFS sold me a clown and a sebae anemone and said they would be fine. Well, I am guessing you can figure out how that turned out. Fish lasted a while but had to do some quick cleaning and changes after the anemone decided to throw in the towel. Lesson learned. RESEARCH, don't always trust LFS.

I think many of us have had your same experience....I know I sure did.

 

[k8hockey]

I need to remember that salt water evaporates faster than fresh. My barrel of ATO water runs dry until the pump starts screaming usually around 3 AM when it wakes everyone up!!

 

[ronnie]

First skimmer was a skilter. I modded it to no avail and finally chunked it across the yard and bought a real skimmer (aqua c remora - back in the day it was a great skimmer).

 

[Slickwill613]

Almost a year in and everyday I realize I'm still a stoopidnoob.

Seems like the only thing I can reliably keep alive is fish ang gsp. I finally got rid of bad gha and now I'm battling cyano.


Lesson to be learned: some of us will always be noobs.

 

[eagle]

My WORST noob experience happened with a diatom filter. I bought it from my LFS lady because she had let me borrow it on my first tank to clear up the hazy water (small town lol) It worked really well at clearing the water. It was a jar type and she had hoses for it to reach from the floor to the tank. After holding the hoses for about a half an hour I had a brilliant idea. I decided I could make some "candy canes" out of 1/2 inch pvc pipe to hang over the edge of the tank so I wouldn't have to hold the hoses in there. I got some pvc and made the contraptions. In my stupidity I made the line run deep into the tank, almost to the sand. I hooked it up and turned it on. No leaks for a while and running great, it was late at night so I decided to leave it running overnight. Stupid decision #2. I woke up to as you may imagine a HUGE mess. The jar on the diatom filter had cracked, and of course siphoned my whole tank in the carpet and in the heater vents. Probably 110 gallons of salt water everywhere. Total loss of everything. It was a bummer. I have since learned what a siphon break is, check valves, and I don't run lines deep into the tank anymore. Hard lesson learned.

 

[Cherish]

My biggest newb moment came when I came home from work one evening to find my 12g completely dark and motionless. I had only had my clown in there for one day and had just gotten a nice new heater and powerhead. Thinking I had merely blown a fuse I went out into the garage and flipped the switch to get things moving again. Huge mistake! Turns out my new Jager heater had shorted out (it was visibly discolored upon further investigation) and turning the fuse back on shocked the aquarium, instantly killing my clownfish. Lesson learned! Always check your equipment before powering it up, especially under suspicious circumstances like that!

Ugh!

 

[TaylorLee]

i have my tank set up and ready to throw fish in and i forgot a key ingredient to success. im running my 125g tank overall water volume of 175g with no heaters... i put in an order for 2 300W jagers and they aernt expected to arive until feb. 4th. ***!!

 

[MamaDeLo]

I am a proud "noob"! I got started after taking my then 5 month old to New England Aquarium, after seing his face full of excitement how could I not have that for him at home? He is now 18 months old and I am the proud owner of a 29gal with live rock, a 6-line wrasse and my first coral...a torch coral! Looking forward to where this adventure takes us!!
Ps-my biggest noob moment was trying to drip acclimate my 6line and he jumped out of the container I was using!!! Definatly going to use a deep bucket from now on!!

 

[tat2d]

Got into the hobby about 12 years ago. I started with a 75 gal. tank. It went through the cycle, and was told by LFS I was good to go. So I started dumping expensive fish in way faster than I should have, without researching the care requirements. Long story short....I lost about 400 bucks worth of very beautiful and costly fish. I was heartbroken and nearly threw in the towel. I decided to try one more time, and find another LFS. The first store is no longer in business, and I research everything before I do it now.

 

[BigRedNole]

I am new as well from a long hiatus. I have just finished the cycle on a Current Cardiff (bullet) nano system. It will be a reef system. My last experience was with a 90g that I was ill prepared for. The cost and timing for something that big became prohibitive for that point in my life.

Tank: Current Cardiff ~24g
Lights: Programmable IT2040 from Reef Breeders
Rock: 20LBs of dry rock, ~5Lbs of live seed rock
Sand: 20Lbs of live sand
ATO: Tunze Nano Osmolator (I cannot say enough great things about this unit)

 

[dogum99]

turned off my plumbing to do something and when I turned it back on the water going into my refuge shot out of the refuge hitting my reefkeeper units. ended up toasting my mlc module.

 

[slyforestfire]

used a standard compact flourescent bulb in a desk lamp to up my light output till i can afford the upgrade i want. hair algae sprang up EVERYWHERE.....

 

[gorally]

Connecting PVC pipe can be an easy yet important task. Take your time to cut it properly. Use the cleaner to clean out all the paint, and oil before applying the glue. May sure your glue cover all outside of the pipe or you will be sorry. These extra 5 mins of work will save you hours/days when you find a leak where you can't fix from the outside.

Have fun.

 

[SterlingSalt]

The fact that I thought a flexable divider would keep my snowflake eel from taking a bite from the egg sack of my newly hatched cat shark

 

[pecan2phat]

With my first reef tank years ago, I used a razor blade to scrape the algae off an acrylic tank. Needless to say I didn't look at the tank till I was finished and the tank was then slated for a sump.