thomas.torode
New member
This is a list of what I have learned in the hobby, my mistakes, and my advice.
1. Patients
When I first began this hobby, 1 month of cycling sounded like such a long time! But if you are really want to guarantee success, it is necessary you take this time to cycle and prepare your tank. 1 month in this hobby is not a long time!
2. Never take short cuts
Weather it's trying to save a buck, or what you think might work, don't always trust yourself. It is necessary that you start correctly and not have to worry about back up expenses or even tank crash in the future. All of the equipment I started with, I no longer use. This includes failing power heads, awful cheap test kits, using tap water, ect.. All together, I have wasted well over a few hundred dollars trying to start cheap.
Biggest mistakes of my first year:
Buying fish from chained pet stores
I have noticed that all but 1 fish that I have ever purchased from PetCo have all come in bad shape. (Looking perfectly fine in store)
Not cycling my tank
No fish died, but my first clownish got ich and had to be medicated.
Accidentally fraging zoanthids
Not that much of a bad thing, but I could have been seriously hurt.
Not getting the correct food for my fish
I started with flakes and noticed my fish weren't as bright and happy as when I purchased them. After buying frozen and live food, I have noticed my fish will go crazy feeding on these!
Using tap water
Barrier reefs do not have the nutrients that tap water has! Your tank will look fine for the first to weeks, until suddenly, algae has infested your tank.
Adding salt by drizzling over the water
I did this while my shrimp was molting and he died... Make your water, warm it, and add salinity slowly as fish are sensitive to large changes of water.
1. Patients
When I first began this hobby, 1 month of cycling sounded like such a long time! But if you are really want to guarantee success, it is necessary you take this time to cycle and prepare your tank. 1 month in this hobby is not a long time!
2. Never take short cuts
Weather it's trying to save a buck, or what you think might work, don't always trust yourself. It is necessary that you start correctly and not have to worry about back up expenses or even tank crash in the future. All of the equipment I started with, I no longer use. This includes failing power heads, awful cheap test kits, using tap water, ect.. All together, I have wasted well over a few hundred dollars trying to start cheap.
Biggest mistakes of my first year:
Buying fish from chained pet stores
I have noticed that all but 1 fish that I have ever purchased from PetCo have all come in bad shape. (Looking perfectly fine in store)
Not cycling my tank
No fish died, but my first clownish got ich and had to be medicated.
Accidentally fraging zoanthids
Not that much of a bad thing, but I could have been seriously hurt.
Not getting the correct food for my fish
I started with flakes and noticed my fish weren't as bright and happy as when I purchased them. After buying frozen and live food, I have noticed my fish will go crazy feeding on these!
Using tap water
Barrier reefs do not have the nutrients that tap water has! Your tank will look fine for the first to weeks, until suddenly, algae has infested your tank.
Adding salt by drizzling over the water
I did this while my shrimp was molting and he died... Make your water, warm it, and add salinity slowly as fish are sensitive to large changes of water.
