I don't know about the rest of you, but I did a lot of research on keeping a saltwater tank before I began this hobby. It's almost been a year now and I've come to realize research is no substitute for experience. So I'd like to start a thread dedicated to all those tidbits of info you've gleaned that were NOT included in the beginner books that you've had to learn the hard way. I'd love to hear from those experts who have been doing this a lot longer than I have been so that maybe next year will go smoother. And I'm not talking costs, although that was also a tough lesson. In my humble experience to date, I wish I know about the following before I started:
1) There is more than just the nitrogen cycle to worry about. To keep corals, you need to know about calcium, alkalinity, pH and magnesium.
2) Bulk reef supply is a godsend.
3) Salt differs by brand so they are not necessarily exchangeable and do a lot more than just provide a source of salinity.
4) Microfilter socks on the inflow into the aquarium are extremely effective filtration devices at very low cost... just be sure to change them every few days.
5) Buy a good RO unit with a high flow rate- when you need to do a water change, you NEED to do a water change.
6) Corals seem to prefer more frequent small water changes than less frequent larger water changes.
7) Always quarantine. OK, this one was in the book but I didn't really believe it until I had my very own ick outbreak.
8) Test the water parameters of newly made saltwater BEFORE adding it to your tank.
9) Don't always believe what you hear in the LFS and don't impulse buy at the LFS. Research it first as best as you can.
10) Patience truly is a virtue.
So what advice do you want to pass to newbies who dream of tropical reefs in their living rooms?
1) There is more than just the nitrogen cycle to worry about. To keep corals, you need to know about calcium, alkalinity, pH and magnesium.
2) Bulk reef supply is a godsend.
3) Salt differs by brand so they are not necessarily exchangeable and do a lot more than just provide a source of salinity.
4) Microfilter socks on the inflow into the aquarium are extremely effective filtration devices at very low cost... just be sure to change them every few days.
5) Buy a good RO unit with a high flow rate- when you need to do a water change, you NEED to do a water change.
6) Corals seem to prefer more frequent small water changes than less frequent larger water changes.
7) Always quarantine. OK, this one was in the book but I didn't really believe it until I had my very own ick outbreak.
8) Test the water parameters of newly made saltwater BEFORE adding it to your tank.
9) Don't always believe what you hear in the LFS and don't impulse buy at the LFS. Research it first as best as you can.
10) Patience truly is a virtue.
So what advice do you want to pass to newbies who dream of tropical reefs in their living rooms?
