Jestersix

If You Could Do It Again...What Would You Do Different ?

gimmito

gimmito

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I've noticed quite a few new members in the club and thought the topic would be appopriate.

I'll start off with a few:

1. Read and research the hobby first before buying. I went head long into the hobby without doing proper research. Avoid algae outbreaks, loss of animals, etc. and buy a few good books and pick some tanks that you like and study how the hobbyists achieved sucess. The Coral Reef Aquarium by Tony Vargas is a excellent one to start out with.

2. Buy the largest display you can afford/fit. Most of us enevitably get the itch to go bigger. I started w/a 55, then 75, then 450. Remember though, w/going larger you need larger equipment, more salt, water, electricity, etc. That can add significantly to cost. $)

3. Buy quality equipment. There's no reason to buy cheap equipment when you can get quality equipment from folks breaking down tanks or those of us who have a closet full of gear. Deals can be found all the time on The For Sale Forums on various reef sites.

4. Plan ahead. Decide what type of tank you want. Glass or Acrylic ? Both have their pluses and minuses. Plumbing...schedule 40 or 80 or flex pipe ? I would atleast use schedule 80 unions/ball valves/gate valves for durability and ease of turning on and off. Lighting...LED/T5/Metal Halides/Plasmas ? All have merits and demerits.. What type of animals will you keep ? Not all fishes/inverts play nice. Do you want a predatory tank/softie/LPS/SPS, mixed reef tank, or cold water tank...all have various needs and levels of care. (ed note-just avoid green star polyps, kenya tree, & xenia...you'll thank me latter).

5. Don't get into the next greatest thing in the hobby. There's a a lot of "snake oil" products out there that will claim to never having to do water changes, etc. Again research before you buy...better yet invest that money into a bucket of salt...water changes are your best friend.

That's for now...I'll let others share their advice. :bigsmile:
 
1) don't get an AIO
2) have a sump
3) get a tank that looks nice to start
4) don't have multiple expensive hobbies at the same time
5) win the lotto
 
1. Bigger sump- I'm on the edge of it overflowing when pumps & skimmer are off.
2. Larger doors for the tank stand so it's easier to work in the sump & refugium.
3. Start with a larger tank.
4. Start out with LEDs, not MH/ T5s, but this is easy enough to convert to.
 
1. Dont buy on impulse.
2. Save for the better quality equipment versus trying to save on cheaper, less reliable equipment.
3. Have credit card statements emailed versus mailed to your home whenever possible.
4. "Yeah I got new corals, I got them from Roberts 10 dollar section!" :D
5. +10 on Tony's #4 and Jims #2, oh and continuously trying Johns approach!
 
JOIN A FORUM!!!!! Tried figuring it out alone for WAY too long!

Definately research and spend the extra to get it right the first time. What I thought was saving me money was just delaying me buying the one I should have.

Water changes!!! I spent way to much time on my first tanks trying to fix problems instead of staying ahead of the curve with frequent water changes. A healthy tank is MUCH more amazing than a stressed one.

Check your parameters often until you get good at recognizing the signs that something is out of whack. Or better yet.....check them anyway and fix the problem before the signs are there. Never paid attention to Alk or Phosphates before and can't believe how quickly they can change. I have had some corals for years.........yet in the two months my tank has been running they have suddenly doubled in size and changed back to the color they were when I got them. I have a Monti that I forgot was an amazing green when I bought it. Went to brown, and now stunning again.

Research your fish BEFORE you buy them. I have been responsable for several deaths due to my ignorance. Some from tank mates that don't mesh, some to a common urge to jump without a covered tank, etc, etc.
 
Gomer said:
Heroin...reefing. not too many differences.
Click to expand...

At least no one has declared a war on reefing... oh wait.

1) Buy a deeper tank, just don't like the 18"
2) Buy a good skimmer the first time
3) Do pvc plumbing form the get go.
4) Never buy the stand that comes with a tank again, particle board has no business near saltwater.
5) learn from jestersix
6) No maroon clown
 
1. Been happy with my 10g AGA tank, bag o' "reef sand", fake plastic driftwood with a piece of "coral" on it, all with a low power "reddish/pink" bulb over it enjoying my two fish, blue damsel & tomato clown (probably could have done without the clown)

2. Not buy those 90lbs boxes of Dr Mac Tonga live rock.

3. Never go cheap with a $10 storage bin from target to use as a sump because "hey it's 50 gallons!!!"

4. Never buy the cheap chinese Jebo brand skimmer... and most importantly believe that it was rated for 180 gallons.

5. Stay away from stony corals, soft ones are sooooooo much easier to deal with, often needing less light, less than pristine water conditions, not sucking calcium from my wallet, faster growing. Every piece of rockscaping I've done has been ruined by stony corals (sticks specifically) they grow and fill in all the gaps between, next thing you know water ain't flowing like it should.

6. Spend time setting the tank up, don't rush things just because I want the gratification of having it up and online only to have to do work around a fully setup tank. This is big for me, because the act of building it/setting it up is the funnest part for me, the fish and stuff in it? ehhh not so much.

7. Don't undersize my sump, I'm still doing it to this day, baffles do NOT need to be near the top of your sump to maximize water in it. I'm screwed in the case of a power outage to this day. Let the sump hold a minimal amount of water to do everything you need, skimmer submerged properly, heaters under water, return pump doesn't suck air.

8. Don't buy a controller without writing down on paper exactly what you need. Screw the "cool factor", or the "redundancy" arguments, unless you actually have had issues with overheating, pH, etc there's no need to buy a really expensive light timer. Especially when within a couple months after spending 5 bills on one, "lite" versions came out shortly there after.

I'm sure there are plenty of other issues, but being in the hobby for as long as I have, I'd rather not make myself sound like a complete novice ;)
 
1) Drill the tank and use PVC.... no more HOB overflows that lose their syphon
2) Never give in and let the wife pick the fish
3) DIP EVERYTHING!
4) Slow down and really choose what corals you want and then shop for them. Don't grab it 'cause its pretty.


-Gregory
 
Resist the urge to test out shallow tanks with too much light.
Make water changes easier.
Build a nice insulated fishroom w/good ventilation.
More tanks/volume.

I could really just get by with the first.
 
Must confess I tried golf and hated it! Now heroin on the other hand...

I would really consider my tank dimensions - the real estate you have for 'scaping means so much.

Remember your corals will grow (hopefully!) so don't make the rockwork the focus - unless you are like me and really like rockwork. Treat the rock as a framework to create your coral masterpiece.

There is something to said about a few big colonies of the old stand-by corals as opposed to a ton of tiny high end frags still on the plugs scattered all over the tank.

Just say no to damsels.

Double check the measurements when building stuff for Jim...
 
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