Experienced hobbyists---what is the ONE (or 2) things you would tell newbies...?

[ReefkeeperZ]

salt water and electricity is 20x more dangerous than freshwater and electricity. lemme see if I can find pictures

 

[sean357]

Don't over stock your tank, XYZ amount of fish may be ok if you are super diligent but long term if you are living on the edge it'll bite you in the ***.
Try to dummy proof your tank, things will go wrong. Also expect life to get in the way. You'll get busy, you'll get distracted, you're interest will wax and wane. Do as much as possible when you can but make sure that if you neglect your tank for a month it won't blow up.

Also +1 on the ATO and the water changes. ATO makes life easy and regular water changes are the most important part of a regular maintenance schedule.

 

[dkwatts15]

X1001. Start slow and get to know your tank.

 

[avery155]

Fancy equipment won't make your reef any better if you don't keep up with your maintenance. When comparing equipment make sure the price vs convenience is there. If it has features you won't use or use in the future with your tank it might not be the right option for your tank even though it may be for someone else's tank.

 

[tonyreef]

Safety & RODI are #1 If your touching anything wet you are at risk of electrocution! Ground all water that has electricity going in!
RODI should be installed before water integrity testing!

 

[Lfunnyfarm]

1. Patience
2. Use the Tank Transfer method
3. Quarantine

 

[AquariumTom]

Think about the fish you want to keep before buying anything, Do the research on the fish so you know what's needed

 

[Dmorty217]

Read,read and read some more. I have been in the hobby 19 years and learn something new almost daily. QT and learn about disease and what they look like.