If you had to start over...

[jkt001]

I know this topic has probably been covered multiple times in past posts and also in Aquarium Coop livestreams....

however, I have now had my first tank for a few months and I was wondering: if you could start all over again in the hobby what is one thing you would have done differently? 

I would rather walk behind some of you through the mine field than be blown up myself over and over!!!! I get mistakes are part of the learning process but I would love to learn from some of your mistakes as well👍
 

Hope everyone is having a great thursday and not freezing like I am here in Michigan.

[FrozenFins]

I don't know if I would have done much differently. I started off with a 10 gallon with fake plastic plants. I am glad I went with plastic plants and not live plants because I KNOW i would have killed all the plants, and I probably wouldn't do live plants for a little while. If I started off with a 20, I probably wouldn't have a the 40 gallon I have now or the empty 10 gallon QT tank.

I guess if I had to pick one, it would be not to put bettas in bowls. 

[Emika_B]

As much as I hate to admit it, I’d use aragonite/crushed coral as substrate if I were to redo my tank.  I prefer darker substrate and I adore wood, especially mopani.  Unfortunately, mopani (and other woods) leach tannic acid, which reduces pH.  In my water with fairly low KH, that meant I could be in for pH swings, which is not good for the fish.  Aragonite/crushed coral won’t really affect GH but helps with KH and therefore pH.  The higher your KH, the more stable your pH.  It’s not the look I was going for but if it means happy fish, then I’ll run with it.

Oh, and get lots of plants, more than you think you’ll need.  I thought 5 or 6 of each would be plenty; not so much.  I’d have been happier with the initial look if I’d gone with twice as many plants.

[DaveSamsell]

I would have originally started with thicker/deeper substrates.   Easily modified afterwards, but would be on my list for sure.  

[MickS77]

Started quarantining fish earlier on in my fishkeeping career.

Not worried so much about chasing numbers and just let my fish adjust to my tap water parameters.

Used sponges filters sooner. 

[jkt001]

2 minutes ago, Emika_B said:

As much as I hate to admit it, I’d use aragonite/crushed coral as substrate if I were to redo my tank.  I prefer darker substrate and I adore wood, especially mopani.  Unfortunately, mopani (and other woods) leach tannic acid, which reduces pH.  In my water with fairly low KH, that meant I could be in for pH swings, which is not good for the fish.  Aragonite/crushed coral won’t really affect GH but helps with KH and therefore pH.  The higher your KH, the more stable your pH.  It’s not the look I was going for but if it means happy fish, then I’ll run with it.

Oh, and get lots of plants, more than you think you’ll need.  I thought 5 or 6 of each would be plenty; not so much.  I’d have been happier with the initial look if I’d gone with twice as many plants.

I was wondering about that with the plants. I think I grossly underestimated how many I would need to make the tank feel like an actual ecosystem. 

[jkt001]

1 minute ago, MickS77 said:

Started quarantining fish earlier on in my fishkeeping career.

Not worried so much about chasing numbers and just let my fish adjust to my tap water parameters.

Used sponges filters sooner. 

I am quarantining right off the bat and using sponge filters as well. Glad I have access to all this information, what would I have done in the past....go to a library????? Haha

[Maggie]

I wish I had gotten a 55 gallon and not the 45 I have. It's too tall for me and on its stand, it is very difficult to access the bottom. A 55 is 3 inches shorter, but a whole foot wider and I think 4 inches longer. Those 3 inches would be the difference between standing regularly and standing on my tippy toes. Plus more fish!

[Mmiller2001]

Would go with Eco Complete vs sand,  and never bought bottom dwelling fish. Wish I'd know how awesome plants are.

[Will Billy]

Originally i wanted a fish tank, for just that, a fish tank. It wasnt until i started it up that a friend recommended live plants. Fortunately there are still plenty of plants i can use in my inert gravel bottom substrate. I wish however i had known how much i not only love my live plants (sorta bonus pets really), and how they help maintain my water column chemistries. As i look back now i wish i had gone with aqua soil substrate instead of inert gravel, for the sole purpose of opening up more options in my planted tank. Now that my tank is established as is, i think it is more trouble than its worth to go back and tear everything down, just to change my substrate. Especially all the time and money invested so far, although i would love the look of a completely carpeted bottom, i cant justify that expenditure at this moment. Maybe someday i might attempt a soil substrate, but for now i sorta feel like i unintentionally boxed my self in so to speak. 

[Struggle]

2 hours ago, MickS77 said:

Started quarantining fish earlier on in my fishkeeping career.

Not worried so much about chasing numbers and just let my fish adjust to my tap water parameters.

Used sponges filters sooner. 

This.

[TheDukeAnumber1]

Nothing I guess, it has been a learning journey and I have adapted as I learned, I do wish I learned many things sooner though.

So if the question is changed to, what do you wish you knew when you started? When I started I wish I knew plants were easy, and possibly the best thing to have in an aquariums ecosystem.

[JettsPapa]

I think the biggest for me would be to have larger groups of each species of fish in each tank instead of more species.  I'm getting there though.  I only have 4 in the 20 long and the 40 gallon breeder, and 6 in the 65 (counting the lone angelfish and the pair of bristle nose plecos).

[Tanked]

If I could go back to the my initial attempts at aquariums I would have skipped the 10 gallon tank and thorough cleaning and water change every week. The 29gl. and better filtration was a game changer.  If I could start over today,  I would have a fish room of sorts, matching tank sizes, and more plant friendly fish.