What are your "favorite" blunders

Neptune777 · #1 08/29/2007, 12:38 PM

Here are my "favorite" (as in I hate myself for allowing it to happen) blunders thus far in this great hobby:

1) Introduction of lovely Bryopsis into my system.......my tank was algae free until this monster was introduced.. Still fighting this one.

2) Introduced Acro Eating flat worms.....luckily I got rid of these after some serious work.

3) Introduced Monti Nudi's......never could get rid of them until I removed all Monti's from my system.

4) Introduced Ich.....again I managed to beat this one but only after ripping my tank apart and running a Hyposalinity QT.

Lesson learned on all three: I QT everything now

What are some of your "favorite" mishaps?

Neptune777 · #2 08/29/2007, 12:40 PM

Ohhh yeah....one more:

Having a RRC gathering at your house and forgetting to restock the beer in the tiny cooler as the night progressed.....sorry all

J. Montgomery · #3 08/29/2007, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Neptune777
Having a RRC gathering at your house and forgetting to restock the beer in the tiny cooler as the night progressed.....sorry all

Party Foul, Red Card

J. Montgomery · #4 08/29/2007, 01:36 PM

Actually, I believe I picked up monti eating nudis from a frag that I acquired at the RRC meeting you hosted. I can still her Jim's warning echoing in my head, "Man, you better dip that . . !" I think it takes losing large numbers of frags and colonies before you learn your lesson with QT.

I bought a sand sifting star for my 55 gallon tank. Someone with a big tank, please take it.

Reeferduke · #5 08/29/2007, 04:40 PM

buying a green brittle star...sucker ate my two clown gobies and then moved around the LR to make a den. Luckily pet forum took him without question. I still think he's in their coral tank...

angelscrx · #6 08/29/2007, 05:40 PM

Leaving the top off running at night to have my ex come home to a flood and my tank at 1.019 salinity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank God for auto top off now!

JMBoehling · #7 08/29/2007, 07:45 PM

Where to begin...

1. Not dipping my Monti's and getting Nudi's

2. Not really understanding the importance of checking your Salinity (1.0265 with a refractometer, not a swing arm thingy) and ALK levels (7 to 11 Dkh)... and understanding Mag, Calcium and Alk are all related...

3. Snowstorm from Kalk Top Off overdose..

4. Using Plumbers Putty to stop a leak in a bulkhead... Can you say "STUPID"

5. Getting into this hobby about 30 years ago

Later,

Jim

surfnvb7 · #8 08/29/2007, 08:57 PM

i'd have to say my biggest blunders (if you can even call it a blunder compared to ya'll)....is...

-getting red bugs from *someone* (just once...but easily treated)

-years ago when i had a nanotank, i had an AC110 HOB filter converted to a fuge, i decided to take off the intake strainer to clean it.....without turning it off...thinking theres no way that clownfish can get sucked up there. but of course, he somehow got sucked up....that was my very first saltwater fish and i had him for almost 2 years.

still by far my favorite clownfish.

-leaving the RO/DI output open while filling up a bucket, and forgetting that i left it on......have flooded the bathroom at least a dozen times at previous residencies.

J. Montgomery · #9 08/29/2007, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by surfnvb7
-leaving the RO/DI output open while filling up a bucket, and forgetting that i left it on......have flooded the bathroom at least a dozen times at previous residencies.

I hear that, I figured that was a given!

angelscrx · #10 08/29/2007, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by J. Montgomery
I hear that, I figured that was a given!

Been there done that too!!!!!!!!!!

J. Montgomery · #11 08/29/2007, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by angelscrx
Been there done that too!!!!!!!!!!

I started using the kitchen timer when the RO/DI is running. Usually when the beeper goes off I've already forgotten that the water was running.

Neptune777 · #12 08/30/2007, 10:06 AM

I had a good one just last night...........3 snails made their way into the overflow drain and caused a blockage......I had a nice wet living room floor this AM when I was trying to get to work

Charlie Davidson · #13 08/30/2007, 10:32 AM

Man, and i thought I was the only one-- (RO/DI)

How about sushi wrap (alage sheet) getting stuck on overflow teeth causing overflows..

You all are just a bunch of capetwetters

welcome to the club

phurst · #14 08/30/2007, 11:16 AM

I can't tell you the number of times i've overflowed a bucket with RO/DI. Luckily, my unit is in the laundry room to take advantage of the water supply and drain. I just set the bucket on top of the washing machine, and if it overflows, it just goes into the washer.

SunDragon · #15 08/30/2007, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Charlie Davidson
You all are just a bunch of capetwetters

welcome to the club

[/B]

Been a member for quite some time. Though it has been an unusualy long time since I walked around the house in wet socks.

cnelson · #16 08/30/2007, 03:01 PM

LOL! We all know my mishaps! I don't want to rehash history! hahahaha!

J. Montgomery · #17 08/30/2007, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Neptune777
I had a good one just last night...........3 snails made their way into the overflow drain and caused a blockage......I had a nice wet living room floor this AM when I was trying to get to work

I placed some eggcrate around my new AquaFuge output line to prevent larger snails from crawling into it. Hopefully it'll work. Flooding a bathroom floor with RO/DI water is one thing, flooding carpet with tank water is another!

cmoresps · #18 09/01/2007, 02:15 AM

Uhh, I built my own plywood tanks a few years ago, they worked well, I moved them and resealed the tanks with silicone 2 as I read it was reef safe. WRONG, lost $10k in sps, crashed the entire system (I lost my Ric Tricolor I grew out from a frag that was a 18" table, had it for 7 years, was like losing a kid). Lesson learnt

angelscrx · #19 09/01/2007, 05:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by cmoresps
Uhh, I built my own plywood tanks a few years ago, they worked well, I moved them and resealed the tanks with silicone 2 as I read it was reef safe. WRONG, lost $10k in sps, crashed the entire system (I lost my Ric Tricolor I grew out from a frag that was a 18" table, had it for 7 years, was like losing a kid). Lesson learnt

Now that sucks!

prop-frags · #20 09/01/2007, 07:23 AM

1) moving a bunch of big sps colonies into a new tank filled with fresh salt mix and not enough water from the original system - lost 9 colonies

2) losing a goby that jumped out. replaced it with a new goby without blocking the back of the canopy. lost the second goby within a day.

3) buying 3 150w MH mogul setups, replacing them with 250w mogul setups within 6 months, then replacing those with DE pendants within another 6 months.

4) spending about 3 weeks hand-dipping and nursing a perc clown back to health from a bad case of brooky. the day I'm going to return it to the display, the strainer fell off a maxijet and the clown was pulled into the pump, killing it. I think I actually cried from frustration and being so p.o.'d.

5) buying a clam from a local retailer and naively thinking "I don't need to QT a clam". That clam had some sort of bacterial infection, and took out my 5yr+ old teardrop maxima, and the blue max I had raised from a 1.5" baby.

6) doing a water change, pumping water from the R/O vat into the salt mixing vat. Standing in a puddle of water, hands and arms all wet, reaching across the two vats to unplug the pump, using one hand....ZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAPPPPP. Thankfully the pump was plugged into GFI, cuz it was pulling over an amp and it was knocking the be-jeeezus outta me when the GFI tripped. I was standing there thinking "uh ohhhhh"...

Neptune777 · #21 09/02/2007, 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by prop-frags
1) moving a bunch of big sps colonies into a new tank filled with fresh salt mix and not enough water from the original system - lost 9 colonies

2) losing a goby that jumped out. replaced it with a new goby without blocking the back of the canopy. lost the second goby within a day.

3) buying 3 150w MH mogul setups, replacing them with 250w mogul setups within 6 months, then replacing those with DE pendants within another 6 months.

4) spending about 3 weeks hand-dipping and nursing a perc clown back to health from a bad case of brooky. the day I'm going to return it to the display, the strainer fell off a maxijet and the clown was pulled into the pump, killing it. I think I actually cried from frustration and being so p.o.'d.

5) buying a clam from a local retailer and naively thinking "I don't need to QT a clam". That clam had some sort of bacterial infection, and took out my 5yr+ old teardrop maxima, and the blue max I had raised from a 1.5" baby.

6) doing a water change, pumping water from the R/O vat into the salt mixing vat. Standing in a puddle of water, hands and arms all wet, reaching across the two vats to unplug the pump, using one hand....ZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAPPPPP. Thankfully the pump was plugged into GFI, cuz it was pulling over an amp and it was knocking the be-jeeezus outta me when the GFI tripped. I was standing there thinking "uh ohhhhh"...

Good ones Mike....err should I say horrible ones?

LB · #22 09/02/2007, 09:05 AM

Back in the day I bought a ro unit that came with a hose bib fitting for quick install. I put a y behind the washing machine and hooked it up. One day soon I came home to water shooting from the laundry room into the livingroom ceiling and then onto the floor. The unit used a nylon fitting that just blew off! There was enough water on the livingroom and kitchen floors to come over top my feet. I had almost forgotten about this one till I saw this thread Good times!

Oh! I came out to the good cause the ins. paid for new carpet but after I got the carpet dry it looked like it was just back from the laundry mat Money in pocket Sweet!!

Any Ins. sales people please disregard!!

prop-frags · #23 09/02/2007, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LB
Any Ins. sales people please disregard!!

Reeferduke · #24 09/03/2007, 03:13 PM

very very lucky LB, normally when insurance is involved they quote you at too low of a cost and money normally comes outta the pocket and not in.

surfnvb7 · #25 09/03/2007, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LB
Back in the day I bought a ro unit that came with a hose bib fitting for quick install. I put a y behind the washing machine and hooked it up. One day soon I came home to water shooting from the laundry room into the livingroom ceiling and then onto the floor. The unit used a nylon fitting that just blew off! There was enough water on the livingroom and kitchen floors to come over top my feet. I had almost forgotten about this one till I saw this thread Good times!

Oh! I came out to the good cause the ins. paid for new carpet but after I got the carpet dry it looked like it was just back from the laundry mat Money in pocket Sweet!!

Any Ins. sales people please disregard!!

you must have an awesome policy.......my parents just had a water pipe break in their house, which caused the sheet rock in the kitchen ceiling to collapse.

state farms official stance was "they do not cover flood damage"......i.e. they will not cover the charge for fixing the root of the problem, but will cover the damage caused by the problem....but only after a $1000 deductible........shoot, i did all the clean up work for free, and having new sheet rock installed and a new paint job will cost well under $1000