Best Practices and top 10 mistakes

[forhabi]

Just as the title suggests... has anyone complied a list of best practices and maybe the top 10 or 25 mistakes to avoid in reef keeping?

I'm rather new to this hobby and have made a few blunders myself... like adding way too much Kalc.

if there exists a list like this i'd love to read it !

[CaliforniaDreamer]

Wow, good idea. I know that moving to fast and adding without testing would be near the top of the list.

[beaslbob]

not establishing plant life as the first priority

[fishtanker]

using tap water

big mistake

[forhabi]

Just to keep track:

a. best practices:
1. Patience... Patience and more Patience
2. Reserch every detail before you buy
3.


b. top 10 common mistakes
1. Using tap water
2. not establising plant life as the first priority
3. not testing and moving too fast
4.

[staticfishmonger]

great idea for a thread.. my list of mistakes as of this far would be (in no particular order)

using a DSB
adding hermit crabs
not testing for CA, ALK from the start
using to thin of a rubbermaid for a refugium
not starting with enough flow
not taking the time design the plumbing before the tank had water
not killing the first aptaspia as soon as i saw it
adding a coral banded shrimp
not doing enough research on reef central before hand

thats about all i can come up with right now

[greenbean36191]

I would say a big mistake would be not buying what you wanted the first time and then having to upgrade later on.

[jun_celis]

1 of my best practice would be having a QT...

[cloudancer]

Stuff not mentioned above

Best practices:
Research - Read as much as possible, talk to people
Buying the best skimmer and lighting you can afford (in that order)


Mistakes:
Not doing enough research (see above)
Underestimating costs
Not underestimating murphy's powers to get water out of your tank (i.e. this last weekend I pumped about 5g out while I was away because my drain filter bag fell against the side of the sump just right to spill a bit over the edge - 1 in a million odds it would happen just right to do that)

There are a lot more, but that's good for now ... cool thread idea btw

[irishsea]

Im going to keep a little reef diary that way i can look back and see any changes in my tank!

[forhabi]

Just to keep track of the points - no specific order YET!

if possible copy and paste this posting and then add your best practices or mistakes to the list. That way i wont have to keep updating the list with your input.

a. best practices:
1. Patience... Patience and more Patience
2. Reserch every detail before you buy also talk to people
3.Buying the best skimmer and lighting you can afford (in that order)
4. having a QT (what does QT stand for?)
5. keep a little reef diary that way i can look back and see any changes in your tank


b. top 10 common mistakes
1. Using tap water
2. not establising plant life as the first priority
3. not testing and moving too fast
4. Underestimating costs
5. Not buying what you wanted the first time and then having to upgrade later on.
6. using a DSB ??
7. adding hermit crabs ??
8. not testing for CA, ALK from the start
9. using too thin of a rubbermaid for a refugium
10. not starting with enough flow
11. not taking the time design the plumbing before the tank had water
12. not killing the first aptaspia as soon as i saw it
13. adding a coral banded shrimp??

c. Tips/Advise:
1. do not underestimate murphy's laws - things will go wrong

[Scuba Dog]

Learn what you like coral and fish wise, and build your system around that basic idea. dont skimp get the best equipment. thousands of dollars and corals can be saved with that philosophy....

[waterlily]

Best practices:
1) Research before you buy anything
2) Quarantine new arrivals
3) Don't be afraid to ask questions, but don't believe all of the answers.
4) Save money on corals by trading with locals.
5) Buy and use a GFCI.
6) Ask to see a fish eat before purchasing
7) Never buy a fish from a tank where any of the fish show signs of disease, even if the fish you want looks fine.
8) Read Reef Central often.
9) Buy the best skimmer you can afford.
10) Don't be afraid to DIY.
11) Keep track of tank expenditures, water parameters, water changes, lifestock additions, livestock deaths or removal in a small notebook. My tank parameter graphs are all on one sheet that I covered with clear Contact paper.

Worst mistakes:
1) Buying hermit crabs (they ate my snails)
2) Asking for snails without researching or specifying what kind. I ended up with temperate water margarita snails.
3) Buying a fish that had white spots.
4) Buying a few fish that were in a tank with other fish that had white spots. (See 7 above)
5) Putting those fish in with a healthy fish.
6) Putting a pistol shrimp in the same tank with a puffer. (Expensive meal for the puffer)
7) Not securing my lights above the tank REALLY well.
8) Not hooking up tubing on my return pump before turning it on.

9 and 10 will have to wait. It's only a matter of time before experience teaches me another lesson.

[Whiterat]

Originally posted by forhabi
Just to keep track of the points - no specific order YET!

if possible copy and paste this posting and then add your best practices or mistakes to the list. That way i wont have to keep updating the list with your input.

a. best practices:
1. Patience... Patience and more Patience

Always a good thing. 'Nothing good ever happens fast in a reef aquarium.'

2. Reserch every detail before you buy also talk to people
3.Buying the best skimmer and lighting you can afford (in that order)

This is arguable. There are many favorable arguements for running particular types of tanks unskimmed to better benefit the livestock in question. Clam tanks are a particular example.

4. having a QT (what does QT stand for?)

Quarantine Tank

5. keep a little reef diary that way i can look back and see any changes in your tank

Always a good idea, and include your test results in it. One of the first things you will be asked when you come on the forums because something weird is going on in your tank is what your water quality is and has been for the past little while.

b. top 10 common mistakes
1. Using tap water
2. not establising plant life as the first priority
3. not testing and moving too fast
4. Underestimating costs
5. Not buying what you wanted the first time and then having to upgrade later on.
6. using a DSB ??

This one's arguable, too. There's a lot of learned men and a lot of anecdotal experience on both sides of this particular disagreement. I stand against the typical, old idea of the DSB myself (as opposed to a stirred and partially vacuumed sandbed), but I think it would be fairer to say that this is not a solid 'mistake'.

7. adding hermit crabs ??

Another arguable point. Some hermits are major problems, others aren't. Certain species are supposedly reef safe, but every so often we hear anecdotal evidence that they aren't. It's true that algae-grazing snails don't eat crabs though...

8. not testing for CA, ALK from the start

And PH! You really need the PH to get the whole picture. It also affects the lethality of ammonia compounds in the water during a cycle, so you should be tracking it. Over time your water will tend towards a lower PH. It's something that should be checked regularly.

9. using too thin of a rubbermaid for a refugium
10. not starting with enough flow
11. not taking the time design the plumbing before the tank had water
12. not killing the first aptaspia as soon as i saw it
13. adding a coral banded shrimp??

Again, iffy. If your tank and species are chosen with a CBS in mind, then adding a CBS is fine.

c. Tips/Advise:
1. do not underestimate murphy's laws - things will go wrong

AMEN!

My two shekels:

Plan for what species you want to keep before buying the first item of equipment. Work out what the species with the most difficult and strenuous requirements are and design your system around them. Once you've done that, resist the urge to buy things that aren't part of your plan until you've ascertained that they can be supported (well!) by your system design, or by modifications you will make to your system before buying the livestock.

Don't assume this reeftank will be your last. They're addictive that way. If there are two species you'd really like to keep, and keeping them in the same tank would involve compromising the health and well-being of one of the two, start thinking about setting up a separate tank geared around that species.

Bigger is not always better. Brighter is not always better. More water movement is not always better. Study the requirements of particular species before building a tank in which they might get lost to never be seen again, fry white under too-intense lighting, and be whipped around and damaged by turbulence they don't experience in their natural environment.

[staticfishmonger]

yeah some of mine were not general mistakes, but were more personal mistakes i made with my set-up. my cbs harrased the one fish i had and he stayed hidden all day. i removed him and added cleaner shrimp and couldnt be happier. aslo my hermits tracked down and killed every snail and then they turned and ate eachother im just waiting for the last few to erradiacate themselves. and the DSB in my case i think is the cause of my hair algae problem, and if i could go back i would have done either BB or a very thin layer of sand just enough to have some sand dwelling critters.

[mickey57]

......11) Keep track of tank expenditures

......You can do this but don't let your wife find it.Put it in a saftey deposit box or your tank will be gone
....Mickey

[LakeEd]

Tooooo funny Mickey!!! And, VERY TRUE! *Grinz*

[crazyfingersmike]

Rule #1 - Read lots of RC

[Agu]

Be careful about who you take advice from !! Do they have a vested interest or agenda they're promoting ? Do they even know what they're talking about ?

If you frequent an LFS look their tanks over and eavesdrop on employee/customer interactions. You'll learn a lot from how they advise other people.

If it's a friend/ RC member take a look at their tank, website, or picture gallery to see how well they do following their own advice.

Agu

[CaliforniaDreamer]

Advice: If you make a mistake (we all do) learn from it. The worst thing we could do is keep making the same mistake over and over. We need to be able to trust our instincts and intuitions but it takes time (like everything in reef keeping) to develop the needed insight and during that time we will make mistakes.

* Don't make the same mistake twice.

BTW I am really good at finding new mistakes to make.

[sfshea]

Best practices - it all starts with water quality
1. RO/DI from the start
2. be meticulous about Sg and temperature both in your tank, and with your top off and water change water.
3. Do water changes on a regular schedule
4. Monitor tank daily- temperature, pumps working, lights working, no leaks, etc. Account for tank inhabitants
5. Observe-tank inhabitants will usually give a sign that something is wrong

[teamcamelot]

Mistake-leaving the ro water on to fill the bucket and forgetting about it----oops

[bjolly]

my mistake was not checking my water's TDS. when the cyano took over, I wondered why....till I *finally* pulled out the TDS meter and realized it was past time for new cartridges!

[WaterKeeper]

Bad Mistake!,

As Agu hinted, going by anything WaterKeeper writes in his Newbie thrreads.

Great Move!

Joining Reef Central

[AEALOVESHERGIRLS]

Stay away from the fish store until you have gotten all your info from RC and books.

Put ear plugs in your ears at the LFS and know what you want before you go.

Buy the expensive quality stuff first, not cheap so you don't have to rebuy things later like I did.

Pick 1 LFS that you like and 1 On-line store and stick with those places. Get to know the people on a first name basis. Call them a lot to B.S. and ask questions you already know the answer to just to make conversation, believe me, it will pay off. I haven't paid full price for anything in a long time!!!! And besides, I have actually become good friends now with my LFS and on-line vender and I truly am interested in their lives!

Do NOT Impulse buy. As pretty as something is, or as rare as you think it is, it can be found again, AFTER you research it!

When you get frustrated, VENT! Don't keep it built up in your brain. You will get mad at the tank and consider giving up. We have all made mistakes, come here and get support!

As soon as you feel proud of something, no matter how miniscule you might think it may seem to advanced reefers, take a picture and show it with pride, because you have worked your hiney off and you are proud of it!!!!

Amanda