Key takeaways and lessons learned after 14 months of reefing

[ErikVR]

Hi all,

I just realized that I passed the one year mark, so I thought it would be a good time to share my main lessons learned. It's safe to say that the first 8 months were filled with failures and misery. Leading to coral and fish deaths. I really took the fish deaths personally and it nearly made me throw in the proverbial towel.
So here are my main lessons and advices for people who are just starting out:

Listen to the experts! You're not the exception to the rule!​

If an advanced hobbyist or fish store employee tells you something isn't a good idea, LISTEN TO THEM!
One of my many examples of failing to do so was purchasing a gorgeous powder brown tang.
Two experts at the fish store warned me that they are prone to ich and that I should wait another six months (to let my system stabilize) before adding one.
They also told me that an oversized UV sterilizer was highly recommended.

My tank was only 3 months old at that point. I had no quarantine system and protocols. I had no UV.
I should have listened and walked away, but that fish was so gorgeous and I thought I could somehow beat the odds.... Well as you can predict, THAT FAILED!

I battled ich outbreak (that started with the PB) after ich outbreak.
Three periods of hyposalinity. At least 7 fish deaths as a result.
After 5 month of battling ich I decided I would quit and convert my tank to a freshwater African cichlid tank.
Luckily my girlfriend was able to talk me out of it.

If an expert tells you not to do something and wait for the right time, LISTEN TO THEM!!!

Quarantine and medicate your new fish!​

I know it's a hassle and I know that medication itself isn't without risks.
But those risks heavily outweigh the potential risks of introducing fish straight from the store to your tank.
Just assume that every fish you bring home carries something unwanted.
Since I started strict quarantine procedures, I haven't lost a single fish.

Quarantine and dip your corals​

Again, it's a hassle and requires additional expensive equipment.
Battling bubble algae and aiptasia made me reconsider.

Get a refugium​

Personally, I will never run a heavily stocked (with fish) tank again without a chaetomorpha refugium.
I went from battling nutrients and constant water changes to nutrients being too low and having to moderate my skimmer runtime.
Since I added the chaetomorpha in December I also saw a great increase in overall tank health.
The whole system is much more stable and nuisance algae have disappeared while coralline algae is blooming.
I know many experts are for and against it. But from my personal experience I can only recommend it.

PATIENCE! PATIENCE! PATIENCE! PATIENCE!​

I know it is being said over and over and over... But it is KEY!
Don't rush anything. Don't rush taking action if you think something is wrong.
If you rush to fix something, you'll probably make it worse.

 

[NorthernReefer86]

Hi all,

I just realized that I passed the one year mark, so I thought it would be a good time to share my main lessons learned. It's safe to say that the first 8 months were filled with failures and misery. Leading to coral and fish deaths. I really took the fish deaths personally and it nearly made me throw in the proverbial towel.
So here are my main lessons and advices for people who are just starting out:

Listen to the experts! You're not the exception to the rule!​

If an advanced hobbyist or fish store employee tells you something isn't a good idea, LISTEN TO THEM!
One of my many examples of failing to do so was purchasing a gorgeous powder brown tang.
Two experts at the fish store warned me that they are prone to ich and that I should wait another six months (to let my system stabilize) before adding one.
They also told me that an oversized UV sterilizer was highly recommended.

My tank was only 3 months old at that point. I had no quarantine system and protocols. I had no UV.
I should have listened and walked away, but that fish was so gorgeous and I thought I could somehow beat the odds.... Well as you can predict, THAT FAILED!

I battled ich outbreak (that started with the PB) after ich outbreak.
Three periods of hyposalinity. At least 7 fish deaths as a result.
After 5 month of battling ich I decided I would quit and convert my tank to a freshwater African cichlid tank.
Luckily my girlfriend was able to talk me out of it.

If an expert tells you not to do something and wait for the right time, LISTEN TO THEM!!!

Quarantine and medicate your new fish!​

I know it's a hassle and I know that medication itself isn't without risks.
But those risks heavily outweigh the potential risks of introducing fish straight from the store to your tank.
Just assume that every fish you bring home carries something unwanted.
Since I started strict quarantine procedures, I haven't lost a single fish.

Quarantine and dip your corals​

Again, it's a hassle and requires additional expensive equipment.
Battling bubble algae and aiptasia made me reconsider.

Get a refugium​

Personally, I will never run a heavily stocked (with fish) tank again without a chaetomorpha refugium.
I went from battling nutrients and constant water changes to nutrients being too low and having to moderate my skimmer runtime.
Since I added the chaetomorpha in December I also saw a great increase in overall tank health.
The whole system is much more stable and nuisance algae have disappeared while coralline algae is blooming.
I know many experts are for and against it. But from my personal experience I can only recommend it.

PATIENCE! PATIENCE! PATIENCE! PATIENCE!​

I know it is being said over and over and over... But it is KEY!
Don't rush anything. Don't rush taking action if you think something is wrong.
If you rush to fix something, you'll probably make it worse.

I am 9 months into my first reef tank. My biggest problem is patience, I have had to teach myself to slow down...and as they say "If you think you are going slow enough, slow down even more"....this is so true. It always helps to see the good and bad of this hobby from other peoples perspective. Thank you for sharing your experience!!

 

[Starbuxxx]

Patience is almost impossible to expect from a new reefer but I agree, it's one of the most important tips. Dont overreact to changes, be patient. Nothing good happens overnight. Also, I feel like my refugium is the Dam keeping the tank stable. I dont have to worry about elevated nutrients, I can feed however much I want. I have pods galore. PH bump. Natural filter.

 

[ErikVR]

Patience is almost impossible to expect from a new reefer but I agree, it's one of the most important tips. Dont overreact to changes, be patient. Nothing good happens overnight. Also, I feel like my refugium is the Dam keeping the tank stable. I dont have to worry about elevated nutrients, I can feed however much I want. I have pods galore. PH bump. Natural filter.

I know. I've been more than guilty of that
That's why I think it's important to share failures.

Just that one simple lesson of not getting a fish you aren't ready for could be very valuable.
There are plenty of fish in the sea so don't hyper fixate on that one fish.