Common Newbie Pitfalls

[MisticX]

in every thing (games,life,forums ... whatever) there are 2 species of new "players"

the Newbies and the Noobs

definition of a newbie: a person that wants to learn how to do things, but thinks before acting.

definition of a Noob: pretty much same as the first one BUT ... acts before thinking.


.... meet the NOOB (yeah me)


pitfall 1
do NOT buy fish before having your aquarium "living" (yeah empty aquariums have a life of their own ... read about cycle)

advice 1
IF you bought fish the first day of your aquarium, have a strong heart, 1/3 of them will die the first week, 1/3 of the rest will die in the next week, and half of the rest will behave poorly after that.

pitfall 2
do not add ANYTHING in the aquarium while there are fish in it.
Advice2
if you REALLY MUST DO, wash it, rinse it before you do, then rinse it again
if you REAL REAL REAL have to, do it very slow, will stress your pets a lot less

pitfall 3
if you buy a water filter, make sure the fish are bigger then the aspiration holes
advice,
get a sponge, and try to put it around the water aspiration holes, this will stop the fish being vacuumed in, or worse being stuck to a hole
i say stuck is worse because they die in 1-2 minutes, while the ones sucked in have a chance to be "rescued" provide you see they got caught.

all this being on a very BASIC level,
i have not yet learned how to properly cycle my aquarium, how to fit multiple species in the same tank, nor how to effective maintain the ph stable.

started with about 30 fish, lost 6 to the water pump, 3 due a nitrites spike, 3 due stress, and 6 others are performing badly ;(

so ... final advice,
if you do not KNOW HOW to start a NEW tank, have someone help you,
BUY the water, plants and a couple of fish from a WORKING tank, and enjoy them for at least 1 month, instead of doing what i did ... aka buying everything the same day, enjoying them 2 days ... then starting to loose them.

[Karegg]

Welcome to AA.

Your story is a very common one, but you can now relax, knowing you are in the capable hands of a ton of experienced aquarists. Head over and post in the Welcome Wagon, make yourself known, and learn!

[neilanh]

Welcome Mistic. Like stated, you're in very capable hands here. It sounds like you've already done a lot of reading and learned about what mistakes were made. have no fear, we were all "Noobs" once, so you are definately not alone.

Read up on the forums, ask lots of questions, and we'll help you recover and get things going in the right direction for a nice, healthy tank.

[removedastars]

1. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!
2. Double Check what your friendly LFS person tells you! I work at a PetSmart and am probably one of the most knowledgable in my department but those new hires are not very trustworthy with what they tell people.
3. FISHLESS CYCLE YOUR TANK NO MATTER WHAT!
4. Fish tanks DO NOT take care of themselves! IE gravel vac and monthly [if not more] water changes
5. Know how big that fish is gonna get when he's full grown. He maybe small now but in a year...yeah
6. Buy the biggest tank you can fit and afford

That's all I can think of now...but I think that covers the basics.

[haykay]

most all has been said.. but one thing i would like to add. is once you have got your tank started with the wonderful help from everyone here.. PLEASE do NOT forget to QT ANY and ALL new additions to yout tank.. it will save so much heartache and trouble in the future!

[FastFly67]

I keep hearing cycle cycle cycle. Someone point me in the right direction of the best article on this topic?

[SpeedEuphoria]

Fishless Cycling For Dummies

For this topic I think not reading enough is a common pitfall as well as being anxious and getting fish before research.