The Ten Most Common Mistakes Made In Marine Keeping

[steelhealr]

It is still painful for me as a mod here to read the following thread titles:

• "Help, my corals are dying"
• "Help, my hawkfish is eating my snails"

(see this link and check pseudochromis' with wrasses) Fish Compatibility

Be familiar with the most common mistakes made in marine aquarism. Here ya go:

1. Poor tank maintenance
2. Overloading your tanks system...heavy bioload
3. Using a poor quality water source: USE RO/DI or distilled or SW from your LFS IF YOU ARE SURE OF THE QUALITY
4. Buying animals that look sickly..or are just out of the bag..thinking you can nurse them back to health
5. LIVESTOCK INCOMPATIBILITY..READ....don't buy things and then find them ripped to shreds the next day ESPECIALLY WITH NANO TANKS!!!!!!!! The reduced volume forces the animals into close quarters AND THEY WILL FIGHT TO THE DEATH
6. Poor/inadequate filtration: use ENOUGH LR OR WAIT UNTIL YOU CAN BUY IT OR MAKE IT.
7. Dosing your tank/overmedicating it: DON'T DO IT. WATER CHANGES. If you must, measure what you are dosing for and TEST ALL COMPONENTS/PHASES OF THE ELEMENT.
8. LACK OF RESEARCH: read..read. ...read before you put anything into your tank.
9. Making a wrong diagnosis with your fish
10. GOING TOO FAST: TAKE YOUR TIME. There is no such thing as an instant nano reef. Remember: beauty develops slowly; disaster comes quickly.

Avoid fish incompatibility.It is oftimes accentuated in a nano tank. Avoid having a flame scallop disappear, die and kill all $750 dollars worth of corals that you worked so hard to get. Avoid hair algae and cyanobacteria (or, at least reduce your chances) by using a good water source and NOT OVERLOADING your nano.

SH

 

[rhysiboy]

edited to show a piece offering dont want to fall out with anyone

 

[steelhealr]

I apologize publicly and edited. SH

 

[Lynden]

Have to agree SH. We should add to the list, pin it.