reef_junkie96
New Member
When does this contest end?
Share your NOOB experience and WIN a TUNZE Reefpack 250!
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bsharding1982
Community Member
I first coral experience was a carpet anenome that caught my eye at the LFS. The guy at the store told me my T5's would be fine for it. Well, between those and my puffer harassing it, it did not last long. Several years later, I would love to have that guy now.
For me it has got to be investing $350 in a Coralife SS 220 because the guy at the LFS sold me on it, didn't take long to figure out what a piece of junk it was but took just long enough for me to not be able to return it. I tried to sell it on my local forum, and finally ended up giving it to a guy setting up a new tank, then bought a reef octo 
CrazyKonen05
Active Member
For me it has got to be investing $350 in a Coralife SS 220 because the guy at the LFS sold me on it, didn't take long to figure out what a piece of junk it was but took just long enough for me to not be able to return it. I tried to sell it on my local forum, and finally ended up giving it to a guy setting up a new tank, then bought a reef octo
Anthony! How've you been? I have a Coralife SS 220 you can have. Just pay shipping.
Been there.Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
puebloreefer
Community Member
as with most people starting out the question was what didn't I do wrong from adding stock 2 fast wrong live stock for what I wanted 2 do using tap water for the reef. to small of a protein skimmer wrong lighting not keeping up with water changes and the list go's on and on my biggest mistake was listing 2 people who thought they where the expert and not doing the research my self! best advice I can give now before you even buy one thing is DO YOUR RESERCH and go SLOW!
Pete H.
Active Member
I bought a full tank setup from someone looking to get out of the hobby. I kept all the liverock and sand. However, I experience terrible stability in the tank. No corals were happy (zoas closed, lps closed, sps bleaching, etc.) and I lost a majority of my fish. I find out later that he was using untreated tap water and was running virtually no filtration (no skimmer, no carbon, no gfo) on the tank. I was so confused because my parameters looked ok. I was doing water changes and scheduled maintainance. However, my algae problem was just out of control. I had so much stuff leaching out of the rocks, it was making green hair algae run rampant and was hurting my fish and coral. I gutted the tank, got rid of the rock and started over with all base rock and seeded the tank with a cup of sand. Now, the tank is doing awesome, fish are great and corals are beautiful.
So, lesson learned - Take the time to understand where your rock is coming from. It can absorb bad things over time and leach them back into your tank. If you are unsure as to where stuff has been before your tank, it is not worth putting in.
So, lesson learned - Take the time to understand where your rock is coming from. It can absorb bad things over time and leach them back into your tank. If you are unsure as to where stuff has been before your tank, it is not worth putting in.
general0
Active Member
I had just started my first reef tank (a 55g) and after having everything going perfectly for 3 months I got news I was going to be deployed to Afghanistan, I though if I tried to get everything stable and worked out the best maintenance you could imagine for my wife who had zero interest in aquariums to follow everything would be ok. The schedule consisted of daily, weekly, and monthly task, I even printed out a years calendar with everything I could think of and read that she would need to do to maintain my tank while I was gone. It went well for the first month and she sent me pictures of the tank once a week and it appeared to be doing great. I was only able to get to my emails or mail about once every other week and so it was also a stressful moment when it came time to check in to see how my tank was doing. I guess in all my planning and preparing I missed out on the most important part that topping off the water was to be done with fresh water and not salt water and she never really understood how to use the awesome hydrometer I had bought so the salinity levels went through the roof and crashed my hole tank. The worst part is she had no help to tear down the tank so all she was able to do was drain as much water as she could and leave it where it was till I got home! When I returned home I found my tank with salt creep as thick as the glass and the sand had solidified into concrete! I must say though, she was nice enough to put my cherished fish in freezer bags and stored them in the garage freezer that I used for my fish food and fishing tackle for me to see when I got home! Not a good way to see your tank to say the least!!
The lesson I learned was if your not going to be able to take care of your tank for an extended length of time sell it off and restart.....I would have at least had the money from the livestock and my fish and corals would have at least had a fighting chance. I call her the tank killer now!!
The lesson I learned was if your not going to be able to take care of your tank for an extended length of time sell it off and restart.....I would have at least had the money from the livestock and my fish and corals would have at least had a fighting chance. I call her the tank killer now!!
Ladipyg
Saltwater Diva
After years of FW tanks, I was 16 and wanted to do saltwater. I saved my baby sitting money, this was in 1970...I had a UG filter and flourscent lighting. That was all we knew about back then...at least at the LFS. I had a tomato clown and a medium sized angler...the clown was big but the angler had no trouble eating it hole after a couple of weeks. After that I bought a sea turtle hatchling for $12.00. It quickly outgrew the tank, went into progressively larger and larger swimming pools in the basement. All my cash was going to by salt and top of the line squid and fish for the turtle. After 5 years I made a trip to Tampa and let the turtle go into the Gulf of Mexico...it seemed quite happy to be free. I now know that releasing captive animals into the wild is wrong, but it was OK back then. I have been keeping SW tanks since then, and I'm still and NOOB cause what we know is ALWAYS CHANGING!!
By biggest noob mistake was in failing to learn about the Vortech before designing my custom tank. I Ended up having the tank drilled for a closed loop, when I would have been happier with a Vortech.
eefan
Community Member
Reef Noob
I'm still considering myself a noob when it comes saltwater in general. I've only really been up and running for about four months. In those four months I've made some really basic noob mistakes. For the longest time I had been topping off with pure saltwater. I had been freaking out as to why my snails and other inverts were dying off. I turned to my LFS for answers. A water test revealed where I had been going wrong, my salinity was almost 30ppm! At least my phosphates and nitrates finally leveled off.
I'm still considering myself a noob when it comes saltwater in general. I've only really been up and running for about four months. In those four months I've made some really basic noob mistakes. For the longest time I had been topping off with pure saltwater. I had been freaking out as to why my snails and other inverts were dying off. I turned to my LFS for answers. A water test revealed where I had been going wrong, my salinity was almost 30ppm! At least my phosphates and nitrates finally leveled off.
alexingalls09
Active Member
i know i already shared one experience but i just recently had another NOOOOOOB experience just today. Purchased a new sump today and when installing it (like most guys did not read directions) managed to skip the steps stating that the bulk head plug must be glued in with pvc cement and to make sure the washer is on the wet side of the sump....So i managed to drain half my tank on the floor before figuring out my mistake.....sigh what a long day
kxmarks
New Member
This is too cool. I got my reef tank set up and my soft coral is dividing, this has been going on for a couple of weeks. Meanwhile I have two anemones and then, almost overnight, there were three!!! Must be doing something right. Also one of my frags turned upside down (plastic base sticking up) and before I realized it the corals are moving off on the surface and spreading.
skinz78
10K Club member
Happy New Year and welcome to Reef2Reef!
If you haven't already done so you should enter in this months Membership Drive contest sponsored by The Alternative Reef! The winner will receive an awesome hand made pillar valued at $250, just post a friendly hello in this thread to enter: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/me...f2reef-membership-drive-give.html#post1172301
Andrew9307
Active Member
Anthony! How've you been? I have a Coralife SS 220 you can have. Just pay shipping.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
Are you serious about the skimmer mine took a crap on me where do you live
SAWDUSTINTANK
Community Member
One day I was doing a rush water change and forgot to turn off the return pump. Mind you I had the TV blasting as I am draining the first 5 gallon bucket of water from the tank. I didn't even hear the ATO unit kick in to realize I am now filling the sump with fresh water as I am draining the tank of salt water!
Rikerbear
Valuable Member
I've already posted a couplebut hey, I've made SO many noob mistakes it's hard not to post a few more.
One of my mistakes I forgot about till yesterday while sealing my new fowlr tank is NEVER use silicon from Home Depot.......poisoned a tank full of fish once because of this. Always use aquarium grade not construction/plumbing grade.
One of my mistakes I forgot about till yesterday while sealing my new fowlr tank is NEVER use silicon from Home Depot.......poisoned a tank full of fish once because of this. Always use aquarium grade not construction/plumbing grade.
Steveowhits
Active Member
My first saltwater tank was a 55 gallon that ended up being a Exxon Valdese oil spill exhibit.....,
I had cycled water in the brand new tank for a week and was excited to add some live sand that I had sourced from a friend. He gave me the live sand in a 5 gallon bucket which I stuck in my garage for a few days.
The place I lived was a house I rented with two other friends and "various guys on the couch". One of the guys on the couch decided he would use our garage to do a quick oil change..... Can you guess which bucket he put his used motor oil in????
Not knowing the bucket contained oil and sand I dumped its entire contents into my new display. Immedatley I saw a thick black solution form a layer over every piece of my newly purchased system......
The closetest thing I can compare it to having your new bike stolen before you got a chance to sit on the seat.
I had cycled water in the brand new tank for a week and was excited to add some live sand that I had sourced from a friend. He gave me the live sand in a 5 gallon bucket which I stuck in my garage for a few days.
The place I lived was a house I rented with two other friends and "various guys on the couch". One of the guys on the couch decided he would use our garage to do a quick oil change..... Can you guess which bucket he put his used motor oil in????
Not knowing the bucket contained oil and sand I dumped its entire contents into my new display. Immedatley I saw a thick black solution form a layer over every piece of my newly purchased system......
The closetest thing I can compare it to having your new bike stolen before you got a chance to sit on the seat.
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