I've helped my fair share of people get into this hobby, and I've noticed a trend lately that almost always backfires. The prevailing attitude goes a little something like this: "I can skip learning the basics because I'm going to buy a controller, some reactors and a few other gadgets to automate everything for me." 
I actually advocate the exact opposite for noobs: Learn to do everything manually first, and then look for devices you can connect to your WiFi and control with your iPhone. My reasoning is this:
Once you feel more confident in what you're doing, then is the time to upgrade to a larger system. By then you will have realized that a quarantine or frag tank is a not a bad idea, so your "old tank" won't go to waste.
So how do I get better and learn this hobby? #1 Go slow (can't stress the importance of this enough) and #2 Read. I'm going to share a secret with you: No matter how well you plan it all out, no matter how hard you try ... you will never, ever reach the finish line with your tank. There will always be a coral/fish to trade for some other one, or a tweak/modification to make on your tank. It never gets completely finished. So be patient, enjoy the ride, and go slow.
Read as much as you can here on R2R and other forums. And there are two books IMO every newbie in this hobby should read cover to cover:
I actually advocate the exact opposite for noobs: Learn to do everything manually first, and then look for devices you can connect to your WiFi and control with your iPhone. My reasoning is this:- You spend more time learning how to operate the gadget than focusing on the fundamentals of the hobby. I know people who will check every probe and every setting on every controller before even thinking of looking to see what's going on inside the aquarium to find the problem. Maybe a snail is stuck inside your pump and it's shell jamming the impeller is the reason why the pump won't come on?
- If ever your kalk or calcium reactor or ATO were to break ... Do you know you can use a milk jug and crimped airline hose to gravity drip supplements directly into your tank?
- Spending thousands on toys for your aquarium really adds pressure to succeed with it sooner rather than later. Especially in the eyes of a disapproving spouse.
- The best deals in this hobby always come secondhand. Unfortunately, top-of-the-line used equipment isn't always readily available. But if you're patient and keep an eye out, a deal will come along. In the meantime, learn to do everything the hard way.
Once you feel more confident in what you're doing, then is the time to upgrade to a larger system. By then you will have realized that a quarantine or frag tank is a not a bad idea, so your "old tank" won't go to waste.So how do I get better and learn this hobby? #1 Go slow (can't stress the importance of this enough) and #2 Read. I'm going to share a secret with you: No matter how well you plan it all out, no matter how hard you try ... you will never, ever reach the finish line with your tank. There will always be a coral/fish to trade for some other one, or a tweak/modification to make on your tank. It never gets completely finished.
So be patient, enjoy the ride, and go slow.Read as much as you can here on R2R and other forums. And there are two books IMO every newbie in this hobby should read cover to cover:
- The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Bob Fenner
- Natural Reef Aquariums by John H. Tullock
