worst purchase/addition you have ever made

[dreams]

i think this kind of list will be really helpful to us noobs:)

me first:

skilter skimmer
fluval cannister filter
hydrometer
coralife light fixture

all the above were recommended by one LFS or another....the light fixture, i am gunna use on my fuge:)

damsels
yellow-eye kole tang (no way i was prepared for this purchase)
hermit crab
long tentacle anemone (or this one)

[Rob]

i will agree on the damsel,
my hydrometer has worked fairly well (have a refratometer now)
and i have been very happy with my coralife PC hood.

other than that i really don't have any major regrets
well other than a coral frag o got that apparently had flatworms.. but that's another issues...lol

[dreams]

i should probably clarify.....the coralife is a decent little fixture, but no way enough lighting.....i think i paid about $40 for it.

i have no clue how you got a hydrometer to work.....i rinsed it like i was supposed to & would tap o it to get all the bubbles out....still couldn't get it ti read right....now i use the glass floating type

[Rob]

did you go threw the 24 hours seasoning proccess.??

[christensonjes]

20 bottles of chemicals that I dont use now because I dont test for it. My first tank must have been chemical soup!

[fat walrus]

what store in h*ll did you buy the skilter from? those things are fossils. which pc hood for $40? the only one that cheap must be the 2x9wt...what did you tell the lfs you were using it for, a fishbowl?

[dreams]

rob, nope...how do i do that

walrus, that is the only skimmer they sell.....and that is their recommended light fixture for a reef

aside from petco, that is the only LFS in our area....i did find a pretty nice LFS in the next town over

[fat walrus]

then give your business to the good one. hobbyists should support the stores that know what they are doing and avoid those who don't.

[dreams]

i am, walrus...was just in there sunday, buying my mag & overflow box:)

[JustDavidP]

Skilter
Seaclone
a small tank
my wife..oh...does that count?

[Rob]

my wife..oh...does that count?

for the worst or most expensive....
or maybe both.. :)

[ZeroKoolNYC]

I think the worst was all the Hang On Tank Filters that I bought and ended up dumping for all new equipment.... damn stupidity is expensive. LOL

[dwillingm]

Rio Power heads - They seize up constantly and can contaminate the water if they fail and burn up.

Small Brittle Starfish that grew into a HUGE brittle starfish with an appetite for my fish.

I have always used hydrometers, and havent had any problems with them. My friend brought over a refractometer to compare, and the readings were very close.. Within .001 units of each other.

[Reefbaby]

Coral sand, definitely!!

BTW, Welcome to TR dwillingm!! :-)

[raermo]

cheap skimmer I bought and had to replace three months later
coral gravel that took me about five hours to break down tank to remove
Lunar Wrasse that ate all my snails he just looked sooo cute in the store

lesson do things right the first time and do your research -- Rachel

[Rob]

Coral sand, definitely!!

BTW, Welcome to TR dwillingm!! :-)
commercial Live sand its working its way up my list....;)

[Reefbaby]

commercial Live sand its working its way up my list....

yeah....now if I could just get my hands on some! :-)

[fat walrus]

what else can one used beside coral sand? and i think live sand is great if you can afford it...it makes cycling a whole lot faster and smoother.

i think the all the worst purchases i ever made are all obscure lighting units i found cheap on the internet. i had 2 JBJ...3 Odessea...and 1 Jebo hoods all smoked out on me.

[Reefbaby]

With coral sand, I mean a larger sized sand that's more like little pebbles...it is a major detritus trap! I can't wait to switch to sugar fine sand in my new set up!

[fat walrus]

With coral sand, I mean a larger sized sand that's more like little pebbles...it is a major detritus trap! I can't wait to switch to sugar fine sand in my new set up!
where i am, it is actually difficult to find large grains or pebbles. when i first start to keep marine fish, we had what was known as Philipine bone coral. i kind of miss those days. now the only larger size anything cost a lot because it is marketed for calcium reactors.