Sharing the Wealth

[snorvich]

Well it is that time of year when we all should be retrospective of what we have learned, both bad and good, during the past year(s). Please add to my list, or dispute what’s on it, as that is how all of us can share “the wealth� of participating in this hobby.

1. Nothing good ever happens quickly in aquaria. Conversely, bad things happen fast.
2. If you have heaters, you MUST have an independent source of control. The control mechanism within heaters is usually the first thing to fail. We all have expensive livestock that we don’t want to risk by cooking it.
3. Cheap equipment usually fails quickly
4. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
5. Pioneers get arrows in the back. While I am all in favor of trying new things, I am reluctant to be the first. For example, LED lighting sounds great in theory, but has it been proven to sustain SPS corals in the long run? Maybe, maybe not.
6. Using someone else’s anecdotal evidence to prove that an exception to generally accepted practice works, gets expensive
7. If you cannot measure the presence of it, or measure the effect of it, don’t dose stuff into your aquarium
8. The effect of problems tend to be worse in small aquaria
9. Within a given species of fish, there are always exceptions to expected behavior
10. Large tangs and small aquaria are mutually exclusive in the long run.
11. Since we all have a limited capacity for marine fish, do you really want cheap fish for those slots you do have?

I am sure there are many more, perhaps everyone can contribute?