wrong things newbies get told...a list. - Page 2

Reefer07 · 11/04/2007, 09:06 PM

Great list. Fortunetly I have not been told anything on that list yet.

Sk8r · 11/04/2007, 10:47 PM

Otrlynn, mushrooms travel---they 'climb' rocks as they multiply, and will sting the base particularly of sps corals. THey engage in wars with lps, and will somewhat retreat from them, but over all, if you want to have lps or sps, sell your mushroom rocks. Even the discosomas are hot, [stingy], and some of the larger ones [elephant ear] actually trap and eat fish. I love them. But was so glad to get them out of my tank, because they did in 3 sps specimens. THey multiply like crazy and often go where you least want them.bb

Tonblogna · 11/05/2007, 02:57 AM

Spiffy.

BillyWobbles · 09/04/2012, 12:05 AM

So much info on this site

jgsteven · 09/04/2012, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Otrlynn, mushrooms travel---they 'climb' rocks as they multiply, and will sting the base particularly of sps corals.

Mushrooms/disc coral can be a nice addition to an otherwise FOWLER aquarium. I personally prefer rock covered with mushrooms to just rock. Additionally, many varieties can grow in very, very little light.

These days if someone asked me I would probably recommend a FOWLER with mushrooms, kenya tree, GSP, etc as a good 'first tank' as opposed to trying to setup a LPS or SPS reef.

Fretfreak13 · 09/04/2012, 01:03 AM

Please add: A fish will only grow as large as the tank it lives in.

I don't get asked this, I get told this every. friggin. day. by clueless know-it-alls at work (I work at a public aquarium), and because I'm on the guest service team I have to politely take a deep breath and explain how putting a human baby in a closet will not keep it the size of a human baby as an adult.

SaltyWenStirred · 09/04/2012, 03:20 AM

"10.) I can just dump waterchange water down the drain, toilet, or front yard.
Check your local laws BEFORE dumping waterchange water to see if there are any regulations regarding the potential wild release of caulerpa species, as they can be mighty invasive. That, and consistently dumping too much saltwater in a spot in your yard, and you'll end up with a really nasty patch of dead stuff (although, this is a wonderful way to keep gravel driveways and rock gardens free of.... well.... all plants)."

Thank you!!!!!!!

I've been chucking mine off the porch onto the grass in the backyard. I do not need to add growing new grass to my list of duties.

SaltyWenStirred · 09/04/2012, 03:25 AM

This is a wonderful thread. Could some of you tell us what you do feed your fish/corals?

Not brand name necessarily, but an example that has been successful for you.

And speaking of brands, does anyone supplement with Cyclopeeze?

sucker_fish · 09/04/2012, 07:05 AM

Sk8r,

So true about the shrooms, I started my first tank years ago with a couple Kenya tree frags, a couple green mushrooms, a birdnest frag, and a lobo. A year later I had about a hundred Kenya trees, a hundred mushrooms and a birdnest frag and a smaller lobo. I'll never put Kenya trees or mushrooms in any of my tanks again.

aandfsoccr04 · 09/04/2012, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SaltyWenStirred

This is a wonderful thread. Could some of you tell us what you do feed your fish/corals?

Not brand name necessarily, but an example that has been successful for you.

And speaking of brands, does anyone supplement with Cyclopeeze?

I feed my fish frozen PE mysis, chopped squid, home made mixture, krill, brine shrimp, cyclopeeeze,

corals: oyster feast once every few weeks

I also add some phytocrom every month or 2.

iced98lx · 09/04/2012, 09:45 AM

Great thread Sk8r!

To add:

Not something you get told, but rather something you DON'T get told:

"Get 35ppm calibration fluid for your refractometer. USE IT often."

greenvillecoins · 09/05/2012, 03:41 AM

i do have to add this one to the list,,,thank god for todd i didnt do it,,the lfs told me to put a copper penny in the back of my tank it will help the fish and colect different nasty elements in the tank,,,i didnt believ him of course i only believe what i read here now and todd wich is a member,,,plus he lost his mother in law the other day so send your prayers his way thanks so much

bluewater921 · 09/05/2012, 06:20 AM

how about research !!! research everything before you buy .. there is so many sites out here that will answer your questions plus if you have a smart phone its simple to add a web page to it so you can sit right there in your LFS and research it .. there is alot of us that have been in the hobby before it was a true hobby .. i started in this hobby over 20 years ago with collecting sea horses on the gulf coast with my best friend that now holds his ML and RS endorsements for collecting marine life and corals off the florida keys n sells up and down floridas east coast and west coast ..

but back to my point research : fish make sure they will fit in your tank . dont go buy a yellow tang and think it will be fine to house him/her in a 30 gallon tank .. all fish are tagged for a tank size .. they dont put it there for kicks and giggles .. fish will grow and fast ..

research all corals before you buy .. i know it sounds crazy but corals will fight and bite each other .. trust me happen to me .. zoas got to close to my lord acan lost about 6 heads of high end zoas

dosing if you cant test for it why enter it into your system .. testing is the biggest part of this hobby and to keeping a successful and healthy tank .. along with fish

ALWAYS TAKE IT SLOW ... nothing good ever happens fast ..

feeding .. i know 40% of people out there forgets about a fish diet .. that is so important just like our body we have to eat a healthy diet to stay away from getting ill , same goes for fish DIET DIET DIET .. especially tangs !!! i read so many post each day on 6 different message boards about ick , flukes , velvet , HLLE ect. if you want to stop this give your fish a good diet and change it up all the time .. you would not want to eat the same thing all the time .. neither do fish ..

green thank you my friend for your prayers .. its been a really hard week on my wife ..

Ted_C · 09/05/2012, 06:45 AM

Quote:

there is so many sites out here that will answer your questions plus if you have a smart phone its simple to add a web page to it so you can sit right there in your LFS and research it

Because everything we read on the internet has to be true.

Now - I am a total newbie to saltwater aquariums - I just started 2 months ago on my build. I mean no disrespect and am not trying to be a troll here.

I forgot where I saw this posted - but someone on here had a great thread recognizing the difference between opinion and fact (maybe it was BeanAnimal)...

The hardest part I have found is separating opinion from fact - especially when a poster doesn't say "I think" or "IMHO." Alot of the advice on here and on the internet in general is opinion or something that's worked in their system (try researching a linux operating system problem and see how long it takes you to destroy your computer based on some poor advice). These people are so damn convincing when they state their opinion that you think it just has to be fact.

greenvillecoins · 09/05/2012, 06:49 AM

ive been thinking of you guys for the last couple days i feel bad for the miss's i lost all my famely so i understand,,,hang in thier my friend and sent the miss's our love

bluewater921 · 09/05/2012, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ted_C

Because everything we read on the internet has to be true.

Now - I am a total newbie to saltwater aquariums - I just started 2 months ago on my build. I mean no disrespect and am not trying to be a troll here.

I forgot where I saw this posted - but someone on here had a great thread recognizing the difference between opinion and fact (maybe it was BeanAnimal)...

The hardest part I have found is separating opinion from fact - especially when a poster doesn't say "I think" or "IMHO." Alot of the advice on here and on the internet in general is opinion or something that's worked in their system (try researching a linux operating system problem and see how long it takes you to destroy your computer based on some poor advice). These people are so damn convincing when they state their opinion that you think it just has to be fact.

hey ted .. want to try something that is funny .. take a water sample to 5 different LFS in your area down in largo .. 99.9999% of the time your going to get a different thing wrong with your tank .. trust me i have been there done that .. but heres the kicker a week later .. i took in a sample of ocean water to LFS n they tested it .. told them it was from my home reef tank.. most of the stores told me my PH was way to low .. i had to much cal in my water .. i needed to do a water change super fast or i was going to lose everything .. ha ha to change out the ocean water would be tough .. if they only knew the water came from the ocean ..

no matter where you go in this world you will always have a different option from everyone ..

thanx green i will let her know ..

cedwards04 · 09/05/2012, 07:34 AM

good info in here. this should be a sticky for newbs like me to read. i remember years ago when my dad tried a saltwater tank that failed miserably, he was told many of these things from his lfs. he has since switched back to freshwater tanks and won't try another saltwater due to all the money he lost on it.

Sk8r · 09/05/2012, 09:57 AM

They sting and they walk, and feed on tank waste very efficiently. Especially discosoma species, (and particularly neglecta, which I think actually quite pretty)---takes over structural rock, divides frequently, and crowds corals. An all-shroom and -button tank can be gorgeous, but I'll guarantee you they won't be highly colored specialty ricordea and zoas, which grow MUCH more slowly than common buttons and red, green, purple and neglecta discosoma. OTOH, you want a carefree tank that'll look like a flower garden, that fish will NOT eat, and that will eat so much waste you can get by on a really bad skimmer? Button-shroom tank. Every surface will be covered in color and texture, your waste will get scarfed down, etc. Mind, you have to watch the water quality and keep it well---but outside of that, you will get lots of them. Scrape them off your rock and 4x as many grow from the pieces left behind. If you added green star polyp to the lot, you'd be scraping gsp off your glass in no time. [Back in the day, those 3 species were what we kept. Does it say something that all of the above can survive a cycle? And if they get on your structural rock, you have to sell that rock to get rid of it.]

dstipple · 09/05/2012, 02:23 PM

I have a question about the caulerpa not being in the display. I have some in there now (about to take it out after reading this) and I did leave the lights on longer than normal a few days ago when people were over. I woke up the next morning to a cloudy tank and a dead banded coral shrimp. My other fish and all my corals were fine. I now know not to change the light cycle.

The part about the post that confused me was "caulerpa. NOT in your display: and the problem is, it breaks off bits that can get through the sump return and INTO your display". Does this mean that when a little part breaks off and land in another spot in the tank it will take root and start another patch of it?

Just wondering because I like the look of it and put it in my display instead of my refugium for that reason. But if I put it in the refuguim will pieces break off and end up in my display anyway?

Mavrk · 09/05/2012, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dstipple

I have a question about the caulerpa not being in the display. I have some in there now (about to take it out after reading this) and I did leave the lights on longer than normal a few days ago when people were over. I woke up the next morning to a cloudy tank and a dead banded coral shrimp. My other fish and all my corals were fine. I now know not to change the light cycle.

The part about the post that confused me was "caulerpa. NOT in your display: and the problem is, it breaks off bits that can get through the sump return and INTO your display". Does this mean that when a little part breaks off and land in another spot in the tank it will take root and start another patch of it?

Just wondering because I like the look of it and put it in my display instead of my refugium for that reason. But if I put it in the refuguim will pieces break off and end up in my display anyway?

It depends on the species of Caulerpa (for instance I would not worry about C. prolifera). But generally, yes that is the fear. If you like the look and don't have coral to worry about, then I think it is fine.

tommer725 · 02/08/2013, 04:04 PM

Bump for the humanity!

Sk8r · 02/08/2013, 05:05 PM

Mushrooms. I love them, think they're beautiful---but they reproduce like rabbits, and they can start intruding on your other corals: green star polyp is in the same class: I've peeled foot wide sheets of that off my glass and had to toss it, because there's no market.

Sk8r · 02/08/2013, 05:08 PM

Caulerpa: illegal if you're in California, for good reason. Otherwise, yes, it reproduces by spore, root, runner, or fragment, and it can get from sump to display. I've fought a near decade-long battle trying to get rid of it: it arrived in live rock.

LightForce · 02/08/2013, 07:41 PM

Good post and Great info on this forum. We have tons of knowledge now on the internet i wonder 20Y ago how some of you had to go thru the research, books etc... Wow.

wenwillwego · 02/09/2013, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ted_C

Because everything we read on the internet has to be true.

The hardest part I have found is separating opinion from fact - especially when a poster doesn't say "I think" or "IMHO." Alot of the advice on here and on the internet in general is opinion or something that's worked in their system (try researching a linux operating system problem and see how long it takes you to destroy your computer based on some poor advice). These people are so damn convincing when they state their opinion that you think it just has to be fact.

I think this is one of the most important posts in this thread.

11/04/2007, 10:47 PM	#27
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Otrlynn, mushrooms travel---they 'climb' rocks as they multiply, and will sting the base particularly of sps corals. THey engage in wars with lps, and will somewhat retreat from them, but over all, if you want to have lps or sps, sell your mushroom rocks. Even the discosomas are hot, [stingy], and some of the larger ones [elephant ear] actually trap and eat fish. I love them. But was so glad to get them out of my tank, because they did in 3 sps specimens. THey multiply like crazy and often go where you least want them.bb __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

11/05/2007, 02:57 AM	#28
Tonblogna Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Waterloo, IL Posts: 748	Spiffy. __________________ Hey man you just peed your pants!! "Naaah man, I just drop it like its hot." (From my future book Booking Room Dialogues. Current Tank Info: 150 tall & 100 gallon sump. Mixed reef.

09/04/2012, 01:03 AM	#31
Fretfreak13 I am not a boy! Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,114	Please add: A fish will only grow as large as the tank it lives in. I don't get asked this, I get told this every. friggin. day. by clueless know-it-alls at work (I work at a public aquarium), and because I'm on the guest service team I have to politely take a deep breath and explain how putting a human baby in a closet will not keep it the size of a human baby as an adult. __________________ ~Kali Just keep swimmin'

09/04/2012, 03:20 AM	#32
SaltyWenStirred Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 245	"10.) I can just dump waterchange water down the drain, toilet, or front yard. Check your local laws BEFORE dumping waterchange water to see if there are any regulations regarding the potential wild release of caulerpa species, as they can be mighty invasive. That, and consistently dumping too much saltwater in a spot in your yard, and you'll end up with a really nasty patch of dead stuff (although, this is a wonderful way to keep gravel driveways and rock gardens free of.... well.... all plants)." Thank you!!!!!!! I've been chucking mine off the porch onto the grass in the backyard. I do not need to add growing new grass to my list of duties. __________________ Innovative Marine 38g Nuvo Tank; Skkye 92W LED light Innovative Marine AuqaGadget - Skimmate Protein Skimmer, midsize Innovative Marine MiniMax All-In-One Media Reactor (PhosGuard) Nikon D90 35mm

09/04/2012, 03:25 AM	#33
SaltyWenStirred Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 245	This is a wonderful thread. Could some of you tell us what you do feed your fish/corals? Not brand name necessarily, but an example that has been successful for you. And speaking of brands, does anyone supplement with Cyclopeeze? __________________ Innovative Marine 38g Nuvo Tank; Skkye 92W LED light Innovative Marine AuqaGadget - Skimmate Protein Skimmer, midsize Innovative Marine MiniMax All-In-One Media Reactor (PhosGuard) Nikon D90 35mm

11/04/2007, 09:06 PM	#26
Reefer07 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 2,090	Great list. Fortunetly I have not been told anything on that list yet.

09/04/2012, 12:05 AM	#29
BillyWobbles Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 22	So much info on this site

09/04/2012, 07:05 AM	#34
sucker_fish Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Covington, TN Posts: 441	Sk8r, So true about the shrooms, I started my first tank years ago with a couple Kenya tree frags, a couple green mushrooms, a birdnest frag, and a lobo. A year later I had about a hundred Kenya trees, a hundred mushrooms and a birdnest frag and a smaller lobo. I'll never put Kenya trees or mushrooms in any of my tanks again. __________________ <------- Have you ever seen tortoises playing leapfrog? Current Tank Info: 40 B w/ T5's and tunze 9002 skimmer. no sump. 90 gal. mixed reef, 36"x16"x16" sump/fuge, reef octopus xp2000 skimmer, water blaster hy5000 return.

09/04/2012, 09:45 AM	#36
iced98lx Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 2,258	Great thread Sk8r! To add: Not something you get told, but rather something you DON'T get told: "Get 35ppm calibration fluid for your refractometer. USE IT often." Last edited by iced98lx; 09/04/2012 at 09:54 AM.

09/05/2012, 03:41 AM	#37
greenvillecoins Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: sc Posts: 142	i do have to add this one to the list,,,thank god for todd i didnt do it,,the lfs told me to put a copper penny in the back of my tank it will help the fish and colect different nasty elements in the tank,,,i didnt believ him of course i only believe what i read here now and todd wich is a member,,,plus he lost his mother in law the other day so send your prayers his way thanks so much

09/05/2012, 06:20 AM	#38
bluewater921 Registered Member. Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: melbourne fla Posts: 605	how about research !!! research everything before you buy .. there is so many sites out here that will answer your questions plus if you have a smart phone its simple to add a web page to it so you can sit right there in your LFS and research it .. there is alot of us that have been in the hobby before it was a true hobby .. i started in this hobby over 20 years ago with collecting sea horses on the gulf coast with my best friend that now holds his ML and RS endorsements for collecting marine life and corals off the florida keys n sells up and down floridas east coast and west coast .. but back to my point research : fish make sure they will fit in your tank . dont go buy a yellow tang and think it will be fine to house him/her in a 30 gallon tank .. all fish are tagged for a tank size .. they dont put it there for kicks and giggles .. fish will grow and fast .. research all corals before you buy .. i know it sounds crazy but corals will fight and bite each other .. trust me happen to me .. zoas got to close to my lord acan lost about 6 heads of high end zoas dosing if you cant test for it why enter it into your system .. testing is the biggest part of this hobby and to keeping a successful and healthy tank .. along with fish ALWAYS TAKE IT SLOW ... nothing good ever happens fast .. feeding .. i know 40% of people out there forgets about a fish diet .. that is so important just like our body we have to eat a healthy diet to stay away from getting ill , same goes for fish DIET DIET DIET .. especially tangs !!! i read so many post each day on 6 different message boards about ick , flukes , velvet , HLLE ect. if you want to stop this give your fish a good diet and change it up all the time .. you would not want to eat the same thing all the time .. neither do fish .. green thank you my friend for your prayers .. its been a really hard week on my wife .. __________________ if i was a fish i would play on the reef & swim in the surf Current Tank Info: 180 in the wall reef

09/05/2012, 06:49 AM	#40
greenvillecoins Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: sc Posts: 142	ive been thinking of you guys for the last couple days i feel bad for the miss's i lost all my famely so i understand,,,hang in thier my friend and sent the miss's our love

09/05/2012, 07:34 AM	#42
cedwards04 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 217	good info in here. this should be a sticky for newbs like me to read. i remember years ago when my dad tried a saltwater tank that failed miserably, he was told many of these things from his lfs. he has since switched back to freshwater tanks and won't try another saltwater due to all the money he lost on it.

09/05/2012, 09:57 AM	#43
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	They sting and they walk, and feed on tank waste very efficiently. Especially discosoma species, (and particularly neglecta, which I think actually quite pretty)---takes over structural rock, divides frequently, and crowds corals. An all-shroom and -button tank can be gorgeous, but I'll guarantee you they won't be highly colored specialty ricordea and zoas, which grow MUCH more slowly than common buttons and red, green, purple and neglecta discosoma. OTOH, you want a carefree tank that'll look like a flower garden, that fish will NOT eat, and that will eat so much waste you can get by on a really bad skimmer? Button-shroom tank. Every surface will be covered in color and texture, your waste will get scarfed down, etc. Mind, you have to watch the water quality and keep it well---but outside of that, you will get lots of them. Scrape them off your rock and 4x as many grow from the pieces left behind. If you added green star polyp to the lot, you'd be scraping gsp off your glass in no time. [Back in the day, those 3 species were what we kept. Does it say something that all of the above can survive a cycle? And if they get on your structural rock, you have to sell that rock to get rid of it.] __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

09/05/2012, 02:23 PM	#44
dstipple Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 185	I have a question about the caulerpa not being in the display. I have some in there now (about to take it out after reading this) and I did leave the lights on longer than normal a few days ago when people were over. I woke up the next morning to a cloudy tank and a dead banded coral shrimp. My other fish and all my corals were fine. I now know not to change the light cycle. The part about the post that confused me was "caulerpa. NOT in your display: and the problem is, it breaks off bits that can get through the sump return and INTO your display". Does this mean that when a little part breaks off and land in another spot in the tank it will take root and start another patch of it? Just wondering because I like the look of it and put it in my display instead of my refugium for that reason. But if I put it in the refuguim will pieces break off and end up in my display anyway?

02/08/2013, 04:04 PM	#46
tommer725 The boy who cried fish Join Date: May 2012 Location: Decatur, Illinois Posts: 804	Bump for the humanity! __________________ Current Tank Info: 200 gallon mixed reef

02/08/2013, 05:05 PM	#47
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Mushrooms. I love them, think they're beautiful---but they reproduce like rabbits, and they can start intruding on your other corals: green star polyp is in the same class: I've peeled foot wide sheets of that off my glass and had to toss it, because there's no market. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

02/08/2013, 05:08 PM	#48
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Caulerpa: illegal if you're in California, for good reason. Otherwise, yes, it reproduces by spore, root, runner, or fragment, and it can get from sump to display. I've fought a near decade-long battle trying to get rid of it: it arrived in live rock. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

02/08/2013, 07:41 PM	#49
LightForce Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Chicago IL Posts: 53	Good post and Great info on this forum. We have tons of knowledge now on the internet i wonder 20Y ago how some of you had to go thru the research, books etc... Wow.