Top 10 Reef Tank Mistakes

In this video we take a look at the top 10 reef tank mistakes that are made by hobbyist. This list is made up of the most common reef tank mistakes that I have even people do. Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe.
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[@jesseascunce4177]

My biggest mistake is starting a brand new 10 gallon nano tank a month before a hurricane lol

[@MadHattersReef]

Ouch...

[@joeygreear7099]

My biggest mistake is not starting yet. Been researching for a couple of years but not pulled the trigger to start.

[@richardpoole1770]

Joey Greear I’m about 8 years now, moving and life get in the way. But I’ve set a target for October next year

[@squidarcherb9707]

Oh yeah 100%

[@tylerguillory2217]

Have you done it yet? Lol

[@hippyskee316]

i was guilty of more then a few of these things when i first started my teef tank. your channel, and a few other things online helped and taught me a ton! you're doing gods work for plenty of hobbyist. great vid! keep up the good work!

[@leeandmandybattersby5958]

My biggest mistake was letting someone else do my salt and not testing it killed all my corals

[@smoothbx22]

Thank you for sharing your experience, I’m getting back into the Bobbie and I’m starting real small due to budget but this video helped me a lot. I appreciate it.

[@chroniclesofchrisfishroom.581]

Enjoy your videos every week. Thanks for sharing.

[@MadHattersReef]

Thanks for watching them!

[@rustyshackleford7288]

Love your videos keep it up !!

[@JyB818]

Another solid video. Thanks Jeff.

[@johnnycarreiro5698]

Awesome video!

[@caitlinjones689]

Great video. I have been doing a lot of research in the process of curing my dry rock. Haven't made any mistake thus far.

[@jadedfelix]

Nice video, loved the breakdown and references to older videos

[@BlueCarbonReefing]

Great video Jeff! Not QT'ing is probably my biggest mistake.

[@MadHattersReef]

Not Qt your fish can catch up to you fast. Thanks for sharing.

[@irtcode]

Great videos

[@COOPERSCICHILDS]

Tanks for sharing

[@ScottM]

Congrats Adam. Great video Jeff and my biggest mistake was not quarantining a Flame Angel. This led to the Angel and all my fish getting Ich. Which then led to me having to break down my entire scape to catch my fish to go fallow. During this I lost my Flame Angel, Orange Spotted Goby and a Mandarin that was eating prepared food. 8 weeks of hell. But as you can see everything turned out well in the end. Lol

[@alisasmith5144]

Loved this weeks topic of ten mistakes, very informational for newbies like myself and maybe even those that are more experienced. I was wondering if you've ever done a video about "holy grail" reefing tools/products (cleaning, fragging, feeding tools etc.), as I am about to begin my reefing journey and would like to make sure Ive got everything I need before the time comes when I need it but don't have it. This may not be the most interesting to some people but it could be very informative to people like me who may overlook some.

[@martinadavis17]

That's an awesome idea! I totally agree.

[@KreefAquariumhobby]

Great info. My biggest mistake so far was overfeeding my tank.

[@jcsh2o944]

Nice video man!

[@ReeferGil]

Spot on Jeff!

[@FishOfHex]

Nice video brotawski

[@michaelblack4993]

Love this week's topic of Top 10 reef mistakes. I agree water changes are important and it's my current choice but I've been reading more and more about doing less water changes and just keep your protein skimming running and using additives. What's your thoughts and I what's the cost advantage of any.

[@ryanwalker7438]

New subscriber loved the video man

[@MadHattersReef]

Thank you for the sub!

[@notdescribed]

Beginners*** luckily there are videosike this that has allowed me to avoid as many simple mistakes as possible. Sometimes making mistakes is the best way to learn. Hearing it is one thing actually having it happen to you is another.

[@kylefalk3562]

I would have to say my biggest mistake so far is rushing. I've learned that slow and steady wins this race and will keep in you in the hobby for a long time!

[@MadHattersReef]

Excellent tip.

[@bluehunterx5252]

Biggest mistake I made was assuming that the salt hobby was to advanced for me I just started a 20 gal tank with two fire fish so far and things are going ok always doing research like you said in this vid and I feel that has helped a lot to my success so far

[@MadHattersReef]

Awesome.

[@alexgreen4131]

Do top 10 oddball saltwater fish!!!!

[@MadHattersReef]

🤔

[@jasepoag8930]

I think water changes are one of the most important things you could do for a reef tank. I ran ATI's equivalent to the Triton method for about 6 months. My numbers looked fine on my tests, they looked fine on the ICP tests I had done, but the corals were doing really poorly. As soon as I started doing weekly water changes again, things started bouncing back almost immediately. I think I may have been getting some sort of intangible contaminate that was building up slowly. Next up would be regular Alk checking. I test everything once a week (ideally) , but I test Alk 4 times a week. It can get out of hand fast, and it gives you a good idea of how your corals are doing. Plus it's so easy with the Hanna checker.

[@eugeniusoltan3372]

Love your videos. Biggest mistake: added corals my tank was not ready for which I eventually lost.

[@folksoter]

Hi mad thanks for the video. Why kind of dip are you using for the new corals?

[@MadHattersReef]

I’ve used Coral RX for years and I’ve recently started using ME Coral wash off.

[@johnathonmckenna2459]

I'm new in the hobby since December 2017. Have the fluvial 13.5 and about to set up a deep blue 55 gallon reef ready. I plan on setting up a normal 55 gallon for the sump, if you could help me I would love to know what skimmer and return pump would be the best bang for the buck. Thanks in advance

[@sergtv6907]

Top 10 best tasting Corals

[@KlemmetsmoReefing]

Hey man. Did you at one point have a stellar tank? Seems like you should have a better tank in the background...? Maybe this is just a reboot tank? Great vids. Cheers

[@cassandragwara2942]

haven't made one yet still doing research.

[@craigv836]

Rushing things has been my pitfall!! But Im learning.

[@MadHattersReef]

Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank.

[@johan3ISF]

I would still dip Jason fox a buddy and I bought some frags last time at a frag show and during the dip we got some flatworms falling off

[@rameyshinobi]

The biggest mistake I've made so far is building a custom sump that wasn't large enough to hold the water that back siphons from the DT.

[@jakesorrels8860]

Can you do a tour of all your tanks ?

[@brianwateski9342]

Not using RODI water when I first started I rented an apartment that didn’t have your typical faucets and Since I rented I wasn’t going to tap a pipe. Used a conditioner which definitely helped. Guess I had decent city water.

[@jaimegarcia6008]

I had lighting issues lol par meters will go a looon way ! Even if they are expensive

[@kristopherlandmeier2740]

Sweet! Thanks for the shout out. Let me know how to claim the gift cert. :)

[@MadHattersReef]

Email me: [e-mail]

[@jatinkamal5676]

quarantine !

[@cubanreefer1582]

My biggest mistake in Reefing I think was getting an skimmer that happens to be discontinued and now am stuck with it, and it doesn’t work properly. (It wasn’t cheap I can say that) Now I do more research when am in need of something

[@MadHattersReef]

What’s the skimmers?

[@cubanreefer1582]

Mad Hatter's Reef reef Octopus NW-200-65408 (discontinued)

[@smithjohn647]

Biggest green move on my part, was not having a test for PH. i then went from a 6.8 to a 8.1. Finally seeing the coral grow and puff up. Fish are happier too. PH it matters!

[@jr8688]

Not doing research on diets for fish ie my scooter Blenny. Also was an impulse buy. Luckily I did succeed in getting to eat frozen mysis shrimp

[@tonyv3793]

I resemble some of these mistakes

[@michaelblack4993]

Not teaching my family some of the daily checks is I do. Life gets crazy and neglecting my take has caused major issues that takes weeks to correct.

[@danielosh3218]

so how do i quarentine a fish when im just starting my first tank? not like i have spear tanks laying around :D

[@jeffbritman6217]

The biggest mistake I made was not researching livestock enough before purchasing. Should have looked up mortality rates, QT methods, and what order to add different live stock.

[@TheBritishMelonn]

Top type of live/dry rock :)

[@danielleshafer6958]

Not doing water changes I started reef keeping this year the day after Christmas and I have done 1 water change. Cause I was lazy after watching the video I went and did a water change and my tank with a hundred times better.

[@davidevans1605]

I would like to no how to use lighting on a reef tank with out using a par metter

[@ThaBiznessReefTank]

yep those are the mistakes!

[@joesreeftank22]

My biggest mistake was not dipping coral. The pests can be a real pain

[@MadHattersReef]

Yes they can!

[@Depintooo]

Biggest mistake I’ve ever made was thinking I would be ok with buying a cheap light

[@mikesenuty7162]

My worst mistake was not dipping a new coral. I paid for it though, it had dino on it and it went full bang outbreak. Good times.

[@TheStricklander]

My biggest mistake is not doing water changes to replenish minerals and elements, and then doing a large water change. The sudden increase in Calcium and Alkalinity killed my 6in Derasa Clam

[@stephendunn8782]

My biggest mistake is not accounting for all the money I’ve spent on my tank. I’m now afraid to go back and count it all up. Lol

[@MadHattersReef]

Your better off not to 😂🤯

[@monstamothman4542]

my biggest mistake has been trying to get away with using distilled water it took me almost a year to undue the damage i did with it the quality control on it is to loose for a reef tank ..its for drinking .

[@zaackingdom7633]

My biggest mistake is ordering a Fluval Evo 13.5 online and then the shop telling me they were out of stock. So I had to wait two months and it’s only just arrived ☹️

[@paco112209]

My first tank I added water and just added cool fish. No research at all. Rushed the tank. My second attempt took me 8 months before I put anything in it. And now I keep seahorses. Coral/reef tank and a fish only tank.

[@tanysolx6114]

I started about a month ago. So far my mistake was not buying a test kit to keep track of the cycle 🤦🏻‍♀️.

[@carnationcrab1]

Not having an ato on my small aquarium was my biggest mistake.

[@xaviersancho1638]

Differently Starting The Hobby With No Coral Or Fish Quarantine Setup

[@kristopherlandmeier2740]

When I upgraded from by 46 gallon to my 90 gallon, I added about 50 pounds of dry uncured Rock without cycling it. I was trying to figure out why over the next few months all of my corals and a few fish started to die. I had to watch almost everything die off one by one before I realized it was my stupid mistake of not curing this rock.

[@retroreefs7986]

Biggest mistake I've made is chasing numbers. Ph nitrates and phosphate mostly.. gotta know all reefs are different ..

[@portwolf2293]

Retro Reefs reefbot will be out soon. I would setup where I have to dose nitrate and phosphate rather than chase. PH I would just atomize oxygen just like you do co2 in a planted tank through the skimmer and control with a ph probe. Liquid oxygen is cheap. Organic buildup is usually the biggest issue in a system to make you chase number with growing livestock. That's why I use a reverse plenum to pump filtered water under the sand bed. Uplifting flow keep everything suspended. And calcium reactors with ozone helped me alot.

[@jfunk2097]

My biggest mistake was switching to LED’s when they first came out.

[@tonyaclark1570]

Adding a sleeper head gobie to my reef. I wanted to keep my sand clean but this Gobie sifts sand on all coral on the sand including clams. I lost clams and some Lps. I guess this would fall into not doing proper research. The Gobie is still alive, but I'm very frustrated wanting to add sand coral or clams, now I can't unless I tear down my tank to catch this fish. Ugh!!

[@MadHattersReef]

Research is very important to finding the right critters for you and your aquarium.

[@ryanrich06]

Best tip in reefing...don't be lazy!!

[@vinnylamandia6213]

My biggest mistake was waiting so long to finally start my first reef tank!!!! 😎

[@MadHattersReef]

I did the same thing. It took me years.

[@vinnylamandia6213]

I've had the itch for years, finally bought our 1st home last year so now I have a place where I dont have to worry about moving the tank. Your videos and content have been a great deal of help. Much appreciated my friend. Reef On!

[@th3ta2012]

The biggest mistake I have ever made was not having an extra heater and return pump on hand... I went on holiday and had my return pump die :( overnighting one cost me almost double of just having an extra one on hand

[@Soulmaker-xn1jk]

tpa , 10 to 20% weekly?

[@dennisporanski1460]

Not dipping coral, maybe share the process of dipping some time.

[@johnnycarreiro5698]

My biggest mistake was buying a yellow tang without knowing there was already ich in my tank.

[@lukejohnston309]

Letting my 6 year old rush me into adding fish from quarantine.

[@matthewm9025]

Hi I'm new to this about a month and a half in but the biggest mistake I made so far was trusting the wrong LFS and getting a 12 gallon to start they set me up to fail told me not to condition my water and a bunch of other things killed every thing cause nitrates off chart within 2 weeks but thankfully have found a new store who have been super helpful and upgraded to a 29 gallon so far so good if anyone gas ideas on stocking plz reply Is going to be a reef tank thanks

[@MadHattersReef]

A good LFS will play a huge role in your success. Thanks for sharing.

[@matthewm9025]

Mad Hatter's Reef Thx I have a good one now lol you got any ideas for stocking or can you make that a next video

[@mi3austin525]

My biggest mistake was buying the wrong food then having to drive to the store which is an hour and a half away to get the right kind

[@jenkinscrew]

Biggest mistake...not testing enough. Doesn't take long for things to get out of balance.

[@MadHattersReef]

Especially in those smaller tanks... thanks for sharing!

[@oxiac6006]

I don’t quarantine because I get mine from a very trustworthy lfs in Fort Collins and I live in cheyenne

[@ryandraper456]

im so tired of people saying that you have to use a rodi system to filter your water. I have no hate against it, but tired of people thinking you HAVE to have one. Ive used my regular well/tap water for my 150g mixed reef and 20g nano mixed reef for the past few years with absolutely no problems.

[@Jason-pt3gw]

20% WC weekly!? Wowee. First time I've heard that amount.

[@zerg5883]

Biggest mistake was buying a used tank on Craigslist. Still battling algae after 1 year

[@timmyturnr3353]

I’m just starting out so I haven’t made one yet and hopefully I won’t make one that’s too devastating

[@araquariums7789]

Beard on point 🧔🏼👍🏻

[@willd5377]

I saw a WWC unboxing video and when the guy dipped the corals there were like 100 pests that fell off, mostly bristle worms. That is why I don’t trust anyone. I’m not trying to say that WWC isn’t a good place to buy stuff I’m just saying that I will always dip new corals.

[@jalenhollins9991]

Do dragonets go in a 10 gallon

[@caewalker9276]

Jalen Hollins. You can but they will die unless you can provide at least 1500 pods per day for them to hunt and eat. It doesn't matter if they are eating store brought foods, they still need alot of pods to keep them healthy and happy.

[@crazyabouttanks35]

Adding fish too soon before cycling could be complete

[@zacharykulinski2862]

Biggest reef mistake I made was probably inpulse buying and not knowing what critria I need to keep the coral and them ending up dead or very sick

[@MadHattersReef]

Impulse buying is a big one... thanks for sharing.

[@lundiboy8]

Biggest mistake was trying to reach a ph of 8.3. I stopper trying after open windows, and extra aeration did not work. I will settle with 7.8. Everything is healthy and stable.

[@MadHattersReef]

Don’t chase PH it’s a waste of time. Ph can be affected by too many people in the room (decrease PH) or opening a window (increase PH) I stopped worrying about PH a long time ago.

[@marthadraws4154]

My biggest mistake was not checking the tank I bought on Craigslist 3 leaks hurt my life

[@MadHattersReef]

ouch.

[@iguanabrad]

Not keeping up with water tests!

[@musiclives43v3r]

Biggest mistake was not quarantining my pair of clowns/not having a space available to quarantine, then losing one to velvet and the other to suicide(?). Didn't help that my female was harassing my male to no end and they were on the thin side

[@williamchristian4031]

Biggest mistake I made was starting my saltwater tank without the proper equipment and or knowledge of the equipment I was using

[@aitrus76]

My biggest so far is not doing my research on what fish to add to my tank

[@MadHattersReef]

Impulse shopping can definitely lead to problems...

[@jasonclay3977]

Not using ro water and regular water testing

[@fruityblu1055]

My biggest mistake was buying some zoas from a guy on Craigslist and not dipping it. Aiptasia is not fun :|

[@OCReventsAndbuilds]

My biggest mistake was getting rid of my tank and all the gadgets 8 ish years ago

[@alacard84]

Not automating things like auto topoffs

[@marcelrodriguez2067]

My biggest mistake is not knowing how much saltwater evaporates until i noticed it in my return chamber. Holy shit its like a gallon of water a day lol

[@MadHattersReef]

It’s quite a bit and fluctuates throughout the seasons.

[@andrewdixon766]

My mistake was not giving my wife a good plan for power outages when I went on deployments. Then Hurricane Katrina hit!!!

[@The_reel_archer]

Not quarantine my fish 100%