Saltwater Regrets???

I wish I would have bought a long tank. I just feel like my 29 gallon has a lot of open space at the top. If I would have bought a 20 long instead it would be the same dimensions, just not as tall. Also, less water to change out.

 

Should have bought a bigger house for a bigger tank (or two or three) to go in; my 210gal doesn't seem big enough anymore....

 

Lol!

 

Thanks!! I don't know if it'll make a difference but I used brown striped hermit for that task, not a blue or red.

 

Ditto. My biggest regret is selling a PM Calcium reactor with a nice regulator and pH controller for chump change. Of course I wanted it immediately when I setup the next tank. :

 

But hey, i was a beginner, and couldnt even find any dead rock in my area anyways. We all start somewhere.

 

I regret a few things..

1. Not doing a lot more research on everything.. Because of this, I'm replacing my light fixture

2. Not building a stand and getting a bigger sump. My stand doesn't allow for room for a sump bigger than 10g.

3. Not having a proper water change barrel from the get-go.

 

I regret trying to go the cheap route on things then having to go back and spend more money on what I should of bought in the first place.

 

My greatest regret from the first year I was in the saltwater hobby was every single thing I did. If I could do it wrong, I did it wrong. A result of my impatience. I transitioned from FW to SW and even now I can have a 180 gallon FW setup up and running in under 2 days. That mentality doesn't go over real well in a SW setup. As my signature says, the only thing that comes quick on a reef is disaster.

My second regret was having to get out of the hobby for a few years but that was beyond my control. Health issues forced it. Hopefully I can stay a heck of a lot longer this time.

My advice to a beginner? As cold and cruel as it reads:

Do not beat yourself up over your mistakes. You WILL mess up. We all did. The key is to try to limit your mistakes by learning from your mistakes. If you aren't going to learn from your mistakes, just give me your money and I will show you photos of my screw ups. After that, ENJOY what you are doing. If it becomes more of a job than a relaxing hobby, its time to rethink it.