Top 5 Common Mistakes Made by New Reefers

Top 5 mistakes made by new reefs you will want to avoid by Coralust Reef Solutions.

5 - Moving to Quick

Rushing into things and not doing enough research. This is a hobby that requires lots of patience and research when dealing when new species. Adding too many things or making to many changes all at once can have a negative effect on the species in your tank.

Adding too many fish at once can affect the bioload of the tank. There may not be enough good bacteria in the tank to support them. Adding high-intensity lights too early may cause algae bloom in the tank. Adding a Dragonet to the tank that is not well established and only has a small population of pods will cause the Dragonet to starve unless it is eating prepared food or you are adding pods on a regular base.

4 - Not having an ATO

An auto top off unit is also known as an ATO. It will automatically add fresh water to your tank as the water evaporates from it. It is crucial to keep up with evaporation, even if you deal with it once a day and fill the tank back up that causes swings in your salinity.

Consistency is critical, and that is why an ATPO is essential. The ATO will add small amounts of fresh water to the tank as the water evaporates throughout the day, keeping your salinity levels consistent.

3 - Good Quality Salt

You want to make sure that you have a good quality salt. I prefer synthetic salts that allow for a more pure salt, Fritz Pro Aquatics Salt. You also want to make sure that you have good quality testing tools to make sure that you have the proper salinity.

The cheap swing arms salinity readers are known to have issues, especially if a small bubble is attached to the arm will through off the salinity levels. I like the digital reader for salinity to I use the Hanna Digital Salinity Tester or Milwaukee Digital Salinity Tester. Make sure your Salinity is correct to be successful.

2 - Forgetting to Add Bacteria

Especially when you are new to the hobby, it is hard to be patient and understand that good thing come to those who wait.

Well with that said you can speed up the process by adding good bacteria to your tank which will let you add species quicker.

1 - Not Using an RO/DI filter

Using unfiltered tap water is the biggest mistake new people in the hobby make. It should not be used to make saltwater or to top off your tank. The most common issue for not using an RO/DI filter is algae outbreaks. Unfiltered tap water will feed bacteria and algae growth in your aquarium. Make sure to use an RO/DI system with the proper number of stages to reach a 0 TDS reading. Start with a 5 step RO/DI system, and you can add to it if needed to reach 0 TDS. You can pick up a TDS reader for just a few bucks, click here to see the current price of one.