I think I've made a huge mistake

Hello everyone. I recently was asked to watch over my Dads tank while he was away for awhile. He told me before he left that all I need to do was feed the fish a cube of brine each day and add tap water once week. Well you can imagine what I have been through in the last few weeks. Anyway, I managed to get the problems with his tank dealt with but along the way I've become nearly obsessed with wanting a tank for myself. So today I purchased the first piece of my new tank. I have but one favor to ask of you all. If there was one major mistake each of you made, what was it? I will be reading as many topics and posts as I can over the holidays. I am certainly relieved that I found this site when I did.

First off welcome to the Reef. What did you get for the impending tank? What makes you think that you made a huge mistake?

my biggest mistake is not having patience. also i suggest you tell your dad to stop feeding brine since it is like a junk food to fish and tap is also very bad. and welcome to the site

your dad's biggest mistake was having you use Tap Water. Was there a ton of algae in the tank?

So you have been bitten by the bug.Join us and welcome to the site!

I agree with Alto,tapwater and lack of patience was my undoing many years ago.

I will not be using tap water any longer. I have a shop very close to home I can go to when needed. The algea was all over the sand and rock and was red in color. Within 24 hrs of the first fish dying, the tank turned milky white and the rocks looked as if covered by snow. I made a 50% water change and now it looks clear. I will check the water today and see if it is safe again. Thanks for your help everyone.

wait wait did you just set this tank up and put fish in it?? if so stop. you need to let the tank cycle before adding any live animals. to check if the cycle is finished you need to test for ammonia,nitrite,nitrate. when the first two are 0 after at least a week you can then add fish 1 at a time every couple weeks or at the least a week in between.

No this tank has been up and running for a couple of years now. I have only dealt with it foir the last few weeks. I can't understand how the fish lived so long being cared for as they have. It's a miracle.

Hi and welcome! Like others have said, using tap water is a big mistake. Not only can tap water be fatal to invertebrates, but it will cause major algae problems most of the time. Buying an RODI unit is recommended, or buying RODI water from Walmart, the grocery store or your LFS.

Welcome.

My biggest mistake was thinking the tank and stand are the most expensive parts of the hobby. I probably would have gone bigger if I had known better. The lights can be as much as the tank and stand combined if your buying new. Also, Craigslist can be your best friend.