What’s the most boneheaded thing you’ve done?

[BrokenReefer]

Let’s collect all of the wonderfully obtuse things we’ve done as a reefing community.


I’ll start with a few of my most favorite recent ones:

- Neptune Apex being used for auto water change, figured it’s the Ronco of controllers, so I set it and forgot it. I kept seeing my sump level increase after it ran and I always said to myself “huh, that’s odd. Wonder why.” But … I never checked until this weekend, going on 5 months of being … me. I had set it up to run in the “add” direction but the system automatically sets it up to reverse the pump direction. So for MONTHS I was adding 1.5 gallons of mix SW daily and wondering why things kept drifting. Fixed it, hooray for me!!

- setup the auto top-off system with the RO/DI refilling it (time was ~10:30pm) and said to myself … “man I’m tired, let’s turn the water off and go to bed.” Well, I know I flipped the switch … but what I didn’t realize was that I turned it ON!! I hadn’t been refilling the reservoir at all, until I went to bed. Woke up at 5:20am to the Apex flood sensor warning. That was a fun wake up.


Let’s hear those fun stories!

 

[NonstopSoda]

I let an aiptasia live because i thought they were cool when I first started reefing

 

[Cichlid Dad]

When doing a water charge, I put the water back in the overflow so it would stay put while I did other things, well when the sump starts to over flow I realized it was not a good idea.

 

[apb03]

Before I had a controller, I was using Kasa wifi strips, and I long ago set up my return pump plug to automatically turn on every 20 minutes in case I had a power outage.

Months later, I was re-doing my overflow plumbing to swap the drain and emergency lines, and suddenly, out of nowhere, my return pump was gushing like Niagara Falls, and water got everywhere.

Bought a Hydros the next week.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My wife often points out my most boneheaded action ever: I was 17, clearing grass from a gas lawnmower with it running. I was surprised a finger could actually slow it down.

 

[19Mateo83]

Got back into reefing after a 12 year hiatus…. I’m not mad about it but wow… everything is so much more expensive.

 

[JoJosReef]

Said the words "I'll get to that tomorrow." Usually associated with spotting an Aiptasia.

 

[PharmrJohn]

Reef Story: Never QTd. Ever. It went fine x 5 years ..... until it didn't. Killed the tank.

Non-Reef Story. I was 17. Decided to, in my infinite wisdom, swap out a two barrel carb on a 225 Slant-6 with a four barrel. Had to cut the fuel line to detach the 2 barrel. 4 barrel didn't fit. So I put the 2 barrel back on and duct-taped the gas line back together. Yep. Duct tape didn't hold. I started it up and Bob yelled FIRE!!! TURN IT OOOOOOFF!!!! I did. And had it towed to be fixed. The mechanic just shook his head on hearing the story.

 

[PharmrJohn]

My wife often points out my most boneheaded action ever: I was 17, clearing grass from a gas lawnmower with it running. I was surprised a finger could actually slow it down.

Oh....I got a chuckle out of that! You have a pass. We ALL did some incredibly suspect things as kids. Amazing we survived.

 

[SaltyWalty]

As a noob I listened to a fish store who told me it would be totally fine to put two powder blue tangs in a 120.

 

[PharmrJohn]

As a noob I listened to a fish store who told me it would be totally fine to put two powder blue tangs in a 120.

Oh! I've got a Petco story. Got a 29g tank in 1991. The dude told me to just buy the tank and put that blue/green stuff down as sand and put in some plastic decorations. I asked how many fish. He said 1 inch per gallon. Obviously he gave me freshwater directions. So. Bad advise. It ended badly.

 

[BrokenReefer]

Reef Story: Never QTd. Ever. It went fine x 5 years ..... until it didn't. Killed the tank.

Non-Reef Story. I was 17. Decided to, in my infinite wisdom, swap out a two barrel carb on a 225 Slant-6 with a four barrel. Had to cut the fuel line to detach the 2 barrel. 4 barrel didn't fit. So I put the 2 barrel back on and duct-taped the gas line back together. Yep. Duct tape didn't hold. I started it up and Bob yelled FIRE!!! TURN IT OOOOOOFF!!!! I did. And had it towed to be fixed. The mechanic just shook his head on hearing the story.

That sounds similar to a trip up to Lake of the Woods Canada fishing, a buddies truck developed a strange and intermittent stutter. The day before we were crossing at the border his truck stalled on him three times just getting around town. Popped the hood, smelled the gas but I couldn’t see from where. Took some rags and cleaned it up, thinking maybe altitude change on the old truck was giving it fits. Well, we crossed the border, barely, pulled over for coffee and I could see the gas line hissing. I took an old rag and duct tape, patched it up and told him … pray we make it to Walmart so I can find a rubber hose to match!!

We ended up crossing back over the border, spent 3 hours at the dealership where they got him fixed up. Mechanic told him he’s surprised it didn’t go up in a ball of fire cause it was spitting on his driver side header bank.

 

[DIYreefer]

Recently? I forgot to turn off my skimmer when I fed my fish the other day. I turn off the return pump everything I feed so the level in the sump inevitably rises, causing the skimmer to overflow if it isn't turned off. I was completely unaware until my living room started to smell like a sewer. I have a couple of corals that still aren't happy, but I'm confident that they will pull through.

If you're asking about longterm, well, that would take a long time to answer. I do dumb stuff all the time.

 

[PharmrJohn]

That sounds similar to a trip up to Lake of the Woods Canada fishing, a buddies truck developed a strange and intermittent stutter. The day before we were crossing at the border his truck stalled on him three times just getting around town. Popped the hood, smelled the gas but I couldn’t see from where. Took some rags and cleaned it up, thinking maybe altitude change on the old truck was giving it fits. Well, we crossed the border, barely, pulled over for coffee and I could see the gas line hissing. I took an old rag and duct tape, patched it up and told him … pray we make it to Walmart so I can find a rubber hose to match!!

We ended up crossing back over the border, spent 3 hours at the dealership where they got him fixed up. Mechanic told him he’s surprised it didn’t go up in a ball of fire cause it was spitting on his driver side header bank.

Yep. It happens. I took to carrying parts I knew might fail in a vehicle in a sizable box in the trunk. My gas line went one day. But guess what? I had gas line! Had it fixed in 5 minutes. Just had to go do my Pharmacist thing smelling like Gasoline.

 

[Fish_Fry]

I keep finding new ways to overflow my skimmer onto the floor.

I also recently used the wrong reagent & couldn't figure out why my phosphate readings were sky high, until I realized I was using nitrate instead.

Pro-tip: I've recently reached the age where I need reading glasses. I don't always have them with me so I've found it easier to rewrite testing instructions, or dosing instructions so they are larger. Saves me from struggling to read things.

 

[SaltyWalty]

Oh! I've got a Petco story. Got a 29g tank in 1991. The dude told me to just buy the tank and put that blue/green stuff down as sand and put in some plastic decorations. I asked how many fish. He said 1 inch per gallon. Obviously he gave me freshwater directions. So. Bad advise. It ended badly.

Even in freshwater an inch per gallon is a lot of fish! I do love the absurdity of some big box fish store

 

[vancouverredsea350]

I was going on vacation to Mexico for two weeks and turned the thermostat in my house down and came home to all my fish and coral dead and the place smelling horrible. Both quarantine tank which had some corals in it and display tank were toast.

 

[marcusar]

Before I had a controller, I was using Kasa wifi strips, and I long ago set up my return pump plug to automatically turn on every 20 minutes in case I had a power outage.

Months later, I was re-doing my overflow plumbing to swap the drain and emergency lines, and suddenly, out of nowhere, my return pump was gushing like Niagara Falls, and water got everywhere.

Bought a Hydros the next week.

I’ve got a freshwater tank that pearls like crazy and the gas ends up in my FX4. The FX4 purges itself when the flow is cut off so I thought about having it stop and start throughout the day but I know it will start up when I’m cleaning the hose out or something like that. Still trying to think of a safe solution.

As for boneheaded stuff, I’ve done the whole “gee there’s a lot of water in this hose. The bucket’s almost full” before realizing that I’ve got a siphon going and frantically trying to find a valve that will save me. Yeah I’ve done that many a time. Science has shown that siphons are twice as easy to start when you don’t want to.

 

[jabberwock]

Two equally colossal fails.
1. I married my first wife.
2. I bought a pair of clown fish.

 

[JoJosReef]

Two equally colossal fails.
1. I married my first wife.
2. I bought a pair of clown fish.

Could the first have been so bad it's above a pair of clowns!?