What are things you wish you knew when you first started the hobby??

[Krish]

Yeah Detri, it's a good thing to use some aged water or some substrate that had already been seeded from an established tank. Nowadays, companies like CaribSea etc. make it easier for the hobbyist, by selling substrate loaded with beneficial bacteria to speed up your cycling process. With that, you wouldn't really be starting at aquare one as you will already have a headstart with established/cultured substrate for one.

 

[Detri]

Well with freshwater its harder to find substrate to start a cycle. So alot of the time, you have to use live fish and hope you don't loose many. I was happy after I learned about the cycle process that saltwater uses live rock. Its a super cool experience. All this information and new experiences makes it very exciting for me.

 

[spongebob lover]

Steve those are some kewl ones .
i wish i could do things for my tank , it'd be way cheap and like you said you get double.
i have learn that is better to trade/ buy with people from here than to buy or try to trade with the LFS because they don't give me credit and they make me wait for ever.

 

[SaltyTemple]

My ooops to prevent, is don't use the clear PVC tubing for your plumbing. That "ooops
" watered our floor a good 30 gallons.

 

[clayswim]

I started into the hobby pretty serious when I was a kid (I had a $400 pair of breeding FW Angelfish when I was somewhere around 12). The best thing back then would've been places like RF; where you could scan through piles of information before even asking your first question.

Although it's been said already, buy quality equipment! Do the research, plan everything out, and do it right from the beginning. I've spent who knows how much money replacing equipment that never really worked like I wanted. Some of my better equipment is still in use after years and years of work.

When I first started saltwater tanks I wish I knew how well live rock worked as a biological filter. That was in the days when trickle filters were the coolest thing around; and apparently so were nitrates.

Detri, there are freshwater substrates that contain biological bacteria; in fact there's even one for African Cichlids. http://www.carib-sea.com/catpage6.htm It's called "Eco-Complete for African Cichlids". The easiest way to cycle a tank, FW or SW, is to use biological media from another tank. For FO I usually run a sponge filter for a few days in an established tank, and then transfer it to the new one; after it's been in there a week or so the permanent filter will usually be well seeded.

Clayton

 

[My2heartboys]

That some LFS will trade work for corals, and you get free experince.
Just because a fish looks friendly doesnt mean it is.
Buy a bigger tank.
If something says it will do X divide X by two and buy one size bigger.
Cheap stuff doesnt save me any money.
Make it myself, I care. And for the price I can make another one if I dont like the first one.
Powerstrips catch on fire. (Learned that on here) Glad it wasnt my tank.
Nothing is idiot proof, because they will just make a better idiot. (Thats ME!)
Leave it alone.
If you dont know what it does, dont touch it.

Although I am a newby--I would add don't buy from the LFS if they don't take the time to talk to you to educate you and know what they are doing.

Anne

 

[My2heartboys]

Again, I am a newby but here is a couple that hit home for me. WATER QUALITY is everything.

If it doesn't make common sense--then don't do it.

Anne

 

[My2heartboys]

Forgot one--while you are still stocking with crabs and snails and the like--take time to stare closely at your live rock from time to time. You will be amazed at what you find. Also don't do all of the staring at once--a couple of times a week should be enough to notice changes.

Anne

 

[Detri]

That I didn't know, Clay. Thats cool. How long has that been around for? I was about 14 or so when I got my tank and had it running ever since. I am 31 now so cycling hasn't been an issue for me at all LOL. Wow, I just realized I have been keeping live fish for 16 years. Cichlids for 10 of them.

 

[clayswim]

Eco-Complete has been around for quite a while, but the African Cichlid version is fairly new. I've been in the hobby pretty serious for over 20 years, and I'm only 28. I guess I've had African Cichlids for about 13 years. In fact I still have one of the "babies" of my original Metriaclima estherae pair; she's now 12 years old and still feisty. She almost killed a Pleco a couple weeks ago.

I had to edit this to discuss something SW related; since I just noticed that was a FW-only post, lol. Always use refractometers! There, that should do it...

Clayton

 

[BlennyBabe]

an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Always have a quarantine set up. Waterchanges will save you if you do them before they are needed. Never skimp on labor.

 

[bbauer]

krish I talked to you earlier in the week about my proclear 150 and you said that the system worked ok. Did you really see a huge difference by going with an external skimmer. I just want to have everything set up right when i start the tank.

 

[Alice]

Coming from FW to SW, I thought a 55 gallon was a huuuge tank, lol. I wish I would have known how quickly I'd want to go with at least a 75!

 

[spongebob lover]

lol !!
i used to think my 37 gal was huge , now i wanna go to a 100.
i should have agreed with my husband at that time .