Wippit's Newbie Blog

[Wippit]

This is a blog that's composed of snippets if information I've gathered from ARC and other places.

[Wippit]

There is a lot of good advice and information out there. That's very good. However, there is so much that I find myself loosing track of things. That's what this blog will partly address. I'll be culling bits of wisdom and putting them here as a kind of online notebook. They'll come from a variety of places, and may or may not be attributed to the author. They won't be organized unless I get organized enough to organize them.

[Wippit]

- #1 lie I believed at the start: That one day, I'd have enough "stuff" for my tank that I wouldn't need to order anything more than food/water.

- figure out the direction you wanna go, LPS, SPS, MIXED REEF, Fish Only etc. the build your set-up to that goal.

- Humility is a big thing in this hobby. Yes there are many different opinions and ways to run a reef tank. However, the general rules are there for a reason. They are tried and tested. There is always someone that says I always/never do (fill in the blank) and have never had a problem. That maybe true, but either they have special circumstances, got really lucky, or the bomb hasn't dropped yet.

The other thing I have learned is pay to do it right the first time. Every time I have tried to cut a corner to save a buck it has cost me more to fix it later. This is a VERY expensive hobby, especially when you are just starting. So be prepared to spend the money.

Lastly and most importantly, be patient!!! It takes time to have a beautiful reef. Your tank will look terrible at times for at least the first year. There will be times you love it, and times you wonder why you got into the hobby. But the slower you stock your tank and the more research you do before every purchase, the better off you will be. When you see that really cool fish at the store you have never seen before, go home and do research before buying it. Sometimes the people working at the store are misinformed, or just plain wrong. I once bought a Wrasse that I was told was a Fairy Wrasse. After getting him home and watching him hunt all my snails, I found out he would have gotten over 2' long! So do your own research. Also don't trust the first site either. Check several and take a consensus. But really, GO SLOW. When you think your are taking it slow, slow down some more. It can be really hard, but your wallet, and your reef will thank you for it later.

Lastly enjoy the little steps. I used to spend hours with a flashlight just looking at the pods on my live rock. The little things can make this an exciting journey!

- Ask here before you buy, more than likely someone has some experience with and opinion of the product you are looking at.

- Patience, patience, patience. As someone wiser than I once said in reefing nothing good happens fast. There are tons of answers out there just don't forget to ask the questions. researching before making purchases (both equipment and livestock) will save you a lot of headaches.

- don't skimp on equipment..having efficient equipment is key to maintaining a healthy tank. Do your research, ask in forums and compare the quality and efficiency of equipment your thinking of buying (depending on what livestock you're adding). Above all have lots of patience and take your time.

- I tend to learn the hard way... Stubborn as a mule. I have had three wipe outs since I have started. Here are a few of the lessons I have learned since starting.

Mass die-off one. Buy a battery backup. You never know when your power will go out. The piece of mind is well worth the 70-100 bucks. Don't put your aquarium on the same circuit as large electronics or other power drains. It can blow a fuse, and it will happen when you are not there to fix it. It may cause you to lose everything.

Don't buy what you think will work for the time being, buy what you know will cover your needs for a long time to come. It is much more expensive to buy something, and later find out it wont support the coral you just have to have. Skimmer and lighting are two that you don't want to go cheap on. I am on my third light set. Started with high output PCs, then T5s, and now MHs. Luckily someone talked me into getting the Remora Pro skimmer, and I have never regretted it.

Have a dummy proof vacation plan. Individual food amounts, pre-rinsed and packaged separately is the way to go. There is nothing worse than being on the other side of the country and getting the call "I don't know what I did wrong, but... " Also, remind the person of the things you take for granted. Wash your hands before you you put them in the tank, etc. Mine had lotion on her hands. She managed to kill not only part of my Fowlr, but also my goldfish?!? You have studied, your neighbor may know nothing about your creatures' care. Die off two.

Listen to the advise of everyone on here, but remember, what works for one person may not work for you. The advise is always well meant, but there are way too many variables to account for everything.

Keep friends in the hobby. They may actually enjoy listening to you ramble on about your latest coral, and they are there for the random emergencies that pop up.

If you can, quarantine. At least dip your corals. Getting disease out of your display can take more patience then the average Saint will contain. Brooklynellosis is particularly hard to get rid of. It took leaving my display tank empty of fish it can infect for six weeks to kill all the developing parasites. I got it from a clownfish from a reputable local dealer. Luckily it only effects Angels, Tangs, Jawfish, Seahorse, Clowns and Damsels. Clowns are a common carrier.

For vital equipment that mechanical failure will cause death quickly, I would keep a backup. You can manage a week without most equipment while you wait for a replacement, but a heater or flow in your tank is essential. Die off three.

Research even the things you may take for granted. Read what others have to say about salt, foods, additives, etc. Some foods can be very high in phosphates, some salts can very greatly in quality, and some additives are nothing more than a reason to spend money, etc. Ten minutes of research before you buy is helpful.

Research every fish, coral, invert, thoroughly before you purchase. You are committing to care for it for the remainder of it's life. Make sure it is something you are reasonably sure you can do. If you aren't sure, wait. Try easier species first. Also, research where you are purchasing. Not all dealers are the same!

- GFCI. A tank crash is noting compared to dying.

- Spend on quality equipment, then purchase livestock.....i.e., not the other way around.

My (Hydro's) 10 mistakes/suggestions...

- If your tank is full of rock don't try to cycle a new tank with with damsels (except for clowns), damsels can get big and can be very aggressive, once they are in you may never catch them again without taking the tank apart. If you want to cycle the tank buy a fish you actually plan on keeping.

- If possible buy your live rock and sand from someone breaking down an established tank, it will keep your tank more stable in the begining and should cycle faster. Search craigslist, ask people that are selling complete aquariums if they will sell the liverock and live sand separately.

- Dip your corals before adding them to the tank.

- Keep an eye on all water paramters (of course) and check at least twice a week in the begining. Use a refractometer for checking salinity (bought new for $60). I used one of those cheap hang on ones with the floating arm to start out with, it showed 1.025 but was actually at 1.021.

- I went to the coral farmers market in Dallas recently and I asked Steve Tyree why he has had tanks crash in the past and he told me it was because of low KH, if it happened to him it can happen to us.

- KH, Mg, Ca, and PH all work together, if one is low it makes things unstable, I'm dealing with low ph and Mg right now.

- Figure out your canary in the mine, I have a sensitive coral that I look at closely...if it's polyps are closed or if its sliming I start checking everything, sometimes its nothing.

- Use a fresh water top off, keeps salinity stable.

- Use a phosphate reactor, they aren't expensive and are good insurance.

- If you have strong lighting acclimate your corals to it, don't just blast them, it will cause bleaching or death.

- How to acclimate corals to lighting: start then on the sand bed and slowly (a couple of days) move them up your tank to their final resting spot.

- Make extra checks whenever you change your plumbing. I have had a couple of floods because of this. One was when a hose wasn't clamped on a pump tight enough after cleaning it. Another one was when I was siphoning out flatworms into a temporary filter sock in the sump. It seemed stable enough, so I left it alone for a while. I came back and *bam* the filter sock had slipped out and I had siphoned about 40 gallons of saltwater on the floor.

Also, invest in a $10-ish water alarm from Home Depot. Well worth it.

- Ive always had an issue with fittings. The math says I need 1.5" bulkheads but in reality I should make them 2". Its impossible to upgrade the fitting once the tank is running.

If any of you are like me then theres always an upgrade in the works. Its easy to reduce the mainline to fit the new item but the other way just doesnt work, the water just isnt there.

[Wippit]

Reefkeeping 101 series. Don't be put off by Waterkeeper's tone, it's meant in fun.

[Wippit]

Xtalreef's Hitchhiker FAQ

[s_griffin]

VERY INFORMATIVE. I found one in my aquarium that I thought was bad, but with the descriptions I read here I found it to be good and somthing that would binefit the aquarium, too late.