Stupidist things you've done as a reefer, I'll start - Page 3

Kannin · #51 10/03/2007, 07:26 PM

I was target feeding 2 little cute anemones that I thought were "baby RBTA's" They became the 2 biggest Mojanos you ever did see. I'm much smarter now!

So, last weekend... I removed my overflow box to give it a good spring cleaning while doing my weekly water change. When I filled the tank again and it started draining there was this terrible elctrical smell because I forgot to hook up the drain tube. I caught it pretty quick... Shut everything off... cleaned up the water... Went to The Home Depot to replace the power strips and light timers that got fried... Put it all back together and noticed that my MJ400 on my phosban reactor wasn't pushing water. So I (in this order) removed it, unplugged it, cleaned it, re-installed it and it worked beautifully. So, I decided to do the same thing to my MJ1200 on my skimmer (in this order). So I removed it, promptly pumped a half gallon of water into my brand new power strip and timers, unplugged it, cleaned up the water, went to The Home Depot to get a new power strip and timers, put it all back together and told my wife that the whole incident was unavoidable.

Justin James · #52 10/03/2007, 07:52 PM

Try to battle Dinoflagelents for a month while harming a few occupents.

I finnally gave up on the Dino's and let them go. Now 5 days later after not cleaning the tank or doing a water change the Dino's have almost all died off on their own and my remaining corals look great! Nature always finds a way.

vessxpress1 · #53 10/03/2007, 07:53 PM

# 1 stupidest thing I've done...

When moving from apartment to my new house, I figured I'd clean my algae covered live rock in the process since I was moving it anyway. Took it all outside. Scrubbed with a wire brush AND of course, cleaned it off with the garden hose.

Then added the nice looking rock, back to the tank. To celebrate, bought a few more fish because I thought I could get away with it and over-loaded the tank. So, my 38 gal. FOWLR, had 7 fish in with a pile of dead live rock (obviously killed by the chlorinated fresh hose water). Everybody can guess what happened next.

Ammonia spike from hell that no amount of water changes could get down. All fish wiped out, one by one.

Left tank in the dark for a couple months with only a filter running. Almost left hobby.

Still ashamed of myself over that mess. Didn't know about reefcentral at the time. Didn't know any other person in the hobby that could help me (or talk sense into me) besides the LFS'.

Decided to get into reefs after the incident and made it much better than it was before. Was the only way I could get back into it.

davidryder · #54 10/03/2007, 08:11 PM

I tried to plumb the return of my skimmer to the top of my tank

Needless to say there was some flooding involved!

BangkokMatt · #55 10/03/2007, 08:28 PM

I drilled a siphon break in my brand new 250 dollar Wavy Sea and then realised it was to high and spraying water everywhere

tinmanny · #56 10/03/2007, 08:55 PM

got my beautiful live rock in the mail then proceded to go out and hose it off till it was just that rock with not a living thing on it all washed with the pressure from the hose and that grate chlorinated water
PS all 100lbs of it
thought that I could fix the drip in the morning not knowing that it was dripping on the computer in the basement below and found it smoke about an hour later my office and desk were drenched too
Manny

davidryder · #57 10/03/2007, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tinmanny
got my beautiful live rock in the mail then proceded to go out and hose it off till it was just that rock with not a living thing on it all washed with the pressure from the hose and that grate chlorinated water
PS all 100lbs of it
thought that I could fix the drip in the morning not knowing that it was dripping on the computer in the basement below and found it smoke about an hour later my office and desk were drenched too
Manny

After learning you made a mistake like that it's almost like an epiphany... a complete revelation that makes you feel incredibly retarded

davidryder · #58 10/03/2007, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nattydread
Dosing too much kalk while wasted and thus killing my 9 yr old Grouper.

I am sorry Otto!

I was literally laughing out loud!!!

davidryder · #59 10/03/2007, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by saltydude
Never had a problem in the least. I will however remember to not do what all of you have done.(not said with sarcasm).

Give it time Kevin, it will fill out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkEc67m_jvM

Translation: given enough time something very funny (not at the time) will happen!!

Zucker26 · #60 10/04/2007, 05:51 AM

Bought a NanoCube because my girlfriend wanted a "Nemo." I could actually consider myself financially stable if that event had never occurred 4 years ago.

TonyOrlando · #61 10/04/2007, 08:22 AM

For my first month, to adjust my salinity level, i would dump salt directly in my tank.

pikachusalad · #62 10/04/2007, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dendro982

- set refugiums to lower nitrates and phophates, in turn, ranging from chaeto in the high flow, through DSB, up to Duplex - everyone become the source of the red cyano, acoel workms and some - dinoflagellates. The main tank was in much better shape.

...what...uh....how do I avoid...doing this?

I know...I should go back to the noob forum...but I'm really not sure what the "stupid" part of the above was - sounds bad - but how would you have done this...smart...ly?

Thanks.

Warif · #63 10/04/2007, 03:19 PM

I bought several Tangs from my LFS and had no idea that they are so proned to Ich.

I tried several methods for treating the Ich in my reef tank,but all failed.

I bought a QT set-up,but it was too late.

All my TANGS died!!!Over $600.00

Warif · #64 10/04/2007, 03:19 PM

I bought several Tangs from my LFS and had no idea that they are so proned to Ich.

I tried several methods for treating the Ich in my reef tank,but all failed.

I bought a QT set-up,but it was too late.

All my TANGS died!!!Over $600.00

Warif · #65 10/04/2007, 03:20 PM

I bought several Tangs from my LFS and had no idea that they are so proned to Ich.

I tried several methods for treating the Ich in my reef tank,but all failed.

I bought a QT set-up,but it was too late.

All my TANGS died!!!Over $600.00

davidryder · #66 10/04/2007, 03:21 PM

Warif, how many times did you buy several tangs from your LFS?

sabbath · #67 10/04/2007, 03:28 PM

Wow that is like $1800 in tangs. JK lol

mg426 · #68 10/04/2007, 04:59 PM

Not finding this site before my first attempt was a big mistake.

enforcer · #69 10/04/2007, 05:59 PM

Being impatient replacing the filters on my Eheim cannister filter which then led to a leak, and ultimately swelling up all the wood at the base of my tank.

audio101 · #70 10/04/2007, 06:25 PM

My dad decided it to clean the inside of my tank while I was gone with a dish washing sponge. Obviously I wasn't pleased with the end results!

islandcreation · #71 10/04/2007, 06:38 PM

I was fragging my new colony of palys and was so into looking at the tank that I didn't noticed I was steping on the super glue bare footed. Luckly the super glue was on a towel which was now connected to my foot. It hurt so much trying to walk with the weight of the towel tuggin on the skin that I had to scoot on my a$$ to the bathroom. I took mygirlfriend nail polish remover to take the glue off! And this all happened 2am so I couldn't really wake anyone up. ha,ha,ha fun times being a crack head addicted to corals!

sabbath · #72 10/04/2007, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mg426
Not finding this site before my first attempt was a big mistake.

Ditto!

joesmoe517 · #73 10/04/2007, 08:12 PM

-keeping a baby volitans in my nanocube 12g for 4 months, then finding out i cant keep him well fed without blasting my ammonia through the roof.
-thinking feather caulerpa is a good idea to put in the main display, until it intertwined with my trumpet colony and it crashed.
-buying a purple pseudochromis who promptly killed my favorite fish ever, nocturnal cardinal of some kind (apogon maculatus).

suprised i havent made more mistakes in the past 2 years but this has been about it.

GobyJohnKenobi · #74 10/04/2007, 10:16 PM

Always forgetting that there is a few seconds of lag time between squeezing the tube of super glue gel until I almost burst a blood vessel and the glue actually coming out of the tube, and coming out of the tube , and coming out of the tube, and STILL coming out of the tube until I'm stuck to the tweezers and the scalpel and about three paper towels and about five pieces of live rock rubble ranging in size from grains of sand to bowling ball.

And then the Coup de Gras: gluing fingers of both hands together in supplication of a swift and immediate end to my suffering.

Usually while an expensive colony of zoas calmly dries out while it sits on the table waiting to be fragged.

I HATE SUPER GLUE GEL!!!!!

FUA · #75 10/04/2007, 10:40 PM

turned my back on my 3 year old son just after he took a bath. Just as I turned around he said, "My go pee, daddy!" yeah he was definately peeing in my bucket of livesand I had sitting at the foot of my tank. Oh well the sand is in my tank now, maybe I will just get a little extra cycle, LOL!!