Trial and error

[Misha]

Hi all

What is the most common/biggest fault you have had while reefing?

I’m asking this, for people like me that are new in the saltwater hobby. So we hopefully don’t make the same fault.

 

[Auto-pilot]

The biggest problem I had while starting was trying to add too much to fast and adjusting parameters too fast when they weren't where I wanted them. I had to learn the hard way that slow and steady wins the race

 

[Journeyman]

I think 99% of my mistakes are due to impatience

 

[Alberta79]

The biggest problem I had while starting was trying to add too much to fast and adjusting parameters too fast when they weren't where I wanted them. I had to learn the hard way that slow and steady wins the race

LOL Same.

 

[ShaunRobinson]

The biggest problem I had while starting was trying to add too much to fast and adjusting parameters too fast when they weren't where I wanted them. I had to learn the hard way that slow and steady wins the race

This is undoubtably the most common and serious problem in reefing along with not researching the hobby before starting out. Unfortunately people just want an instant tank and are not prepared to put the work in or be patient enough to let things happen.

 

[Misha]

This is undoubtably the most common and serious problem in reefing along with not researching the hobby before starting out. Unfortunately people just want an instant tank and are not prepared to put the work in or be patient enough to let things happen.

Im cycling my first saltwater tank as we speak but I want to give my tank time. But it really is frustrating lol. Everything I do or want to buy I spend so much time online reading. Glad I found this community.

 

[ShaunRobinson]

Im cycling my first saltwater tank as we speak but I want to give my tank time. But it really is frustrating lol. Everything I do or want to buy I spend so much time online reading. Glad I found this community.

It is very frustrating but doing it right from the off lets you avoid most of the common pitfalls that plague new reefers. Nobody likes looking at an empty tank but time goes by quickly though and waiting a few weeks is nothing compared to the hassle of trying to sort problems out further down the line. Your tank will thank you for it in the end believe me. Buy some test kits and learn what is going on in your tank and why.

Good luck with the new set up.

 

[ShaunRobinson]

Another couple of mistakes that are very common is adding livestock. For most in this hobby a couple of clownish are on many peoples wish lists from the beginning and rightly so. Few fish are as beautiful and coupled with the fact they tend to be a very hardy species makes them an ideal starter fish. Unfortunately many new reefers want the anemone to go with them without the knowledge or maturity in their tanks leading to problems fairly quickly. Clowns do not 'need' an anemone to be happy and it's better to wait. Never trust an lfs advice as gospel and the same goes for the internet. By all means ask for advice but always do your own research to back anything up.