The "I wish I would have..." thread

[jb61264]

We've all said it no matter what type of project...that one thing that you wish you would have done instead of what you actually did...not that we regret what we did...just wish we would have done it a little differently.

I wish I would have just gone the extra mile and had bought my tank reef ready with holes pre-drilled and a built-in overflow.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with my setup...I know when I go bigger though that I'll definately have a tank that is predrilled reef ready with overflows in each corner.

What do others wish they may have done differently or will do differently in the future with their reef system?

 

[yote]

Great idea for a thread JB.
Wish I had of went with a bigger tank.
And I had NOT of ever added a kenya weed I mean tree.:mrgreen:

 

[hotimportknight]

Wish I would have known about fosters and smith before I started my tank, and not paid top dollar at the LFS for everything, including a 100$ skilter that sits in my closet. For what I paid I could have had a 120 or a nice drilled 90 from foster and smiths...

 

[Doc]

hmmm, where do I start...First, I wish I had gone bigger, like 210 to start.

I wish I knew more about lighting when i started. I should have done T-5 for my 125 to begin with.

I wish I knew more about stocking so i would not have killed so many fish at the start.

I wish I wouldn't have added a purple tang in my 125 and I would still have my radiata.

Lets go to that point for now. I don't want to divluge too much of my early stupidity

-Doc

 

[reeffreak]

I really could go on and on
I wish.....

I never added Capnella coral.
I bought an Oceanic tank
I never added so many dang soft corals and leathers which really relates with the first.
I never bought sun corals.

 

[cthegame]

I wish i would have gotten a bigger sump when my tank was empty.

I wish I would have added my yellow tang last.

I wish i would have the courage to see treatment for my impulsive tank shopping.

 

[daugherty]

I wish that i would have bought a bigger tank and not bought a retro fit light kit

 

[SSalty]

"I wish I was a baller"--Skeelo

Honestly the only thing I wish I would have done different is to get a 75 instead of this peice of shit 55.

 

[LionFish]

... Taken More time with tht plumbing.


Great thread!

 

[jb61264]

And I had NOT of ever added a kenya weed I mean tree.:mrgreen:

Whats up with the Kenya tree coral?

 

[jb61264]

I never added Capnella coral.

whats up with the Capnella coral?

I never added so many dang soft corals and leathers

why..what type of soft corals and leathers did you add and why don't you like them now?

I never bought sun corals.

what's wrong with sun corals?

 

[jb61264]

Taken More time with tht plumbing.

What did you feel like you did wrong with your plumbing?

 

[Doc]

whats up with the Capnella coral?


why..what type of soft corals and leathers did you add and why don't you like them now?


what's wrong with sun corals?

as far as the capnella or kenya tree coral is concerned, it tends to take over a tank quickly, multiplying almost overnight. Once established, it tends to be tough to weed out and can choke out more desirable corals. Just my guess.

As with the sun corals, the need to be fed by hand three times a week to live and that can be really time consuming. they can be pretty, but a pain to feed and they don't stay open very long during the day. a poor return for so much work is my guess

-Doc

 

[Alexander]

wish I wouldn't have bought a copperband butterfly. I'm not at all supportive of buying fish that are difficult to keep. they, like lots of other fish are better left in the ocean to view their beauty on dive trips. its really too bad we all buy difficult fish to die in our tanks and just raise the demand for them so in turn they keep getting fished instead of left alone

 

[yote]

Whats up with the Kenya tree coral?

It turned into a weed.I rank it right up there with hair algae,only harded to get rid of.

 

[Bifferwine]

I wish I had never added a kenya tree or green star polyps.
I wish I wasn't so damn lazy and did regular water changes.
I wish I hadn't added so many "generic" and "plain" and "common" fish in the beginning, because then I became emotionally attached to them, and was restricted in buying some of the more rare and stunning fish instead.
I wish I could stop trying to keep plate corals. Five dead, and counting. I have no idea why.

 

[Melonbob]

I wish I had gone bigger, not huge, but at least big enough to keep a tang........or a butterfly.......or a foxface........or anything bigger than a freakin silver dollar!!!

 

[jb61264]

I wish I had gone bigger, not huge, but at least big enough to keep a tang........or a butterfly.......or a foxface........or anything bigger than a freakin silver dollar!!!

What is the general recommended minimum tank size to keep a tang or similar fish?

 

[Doc]

What is the general recommended minimum tank size to keep a tang or similar fish?

100 gallons for a yellow tang, purple tang, bristletooth tang, etc. The books say you can get away with it a 75 gallon tank, but the do need a lot of space to swim and turn around. If you do try a 75 gallon, they need open swimming space, so the rockwork should be low and open at the top

-Doc

 

[Bifferwine]

I think you can put a small yellow tang in a 55 gallon tank. I kept one in my 55 for two years with no problems. BUT I think that's the ONLY type of tang you can keep in a tank that small, and they WILL outgrow it eventually.