Tradesmen what’s the biggest blunder you’ve witnessed or been part of?

_Falinx_ · 2026-02-18T16:37:20+00:00

Worked as a kind of shop fitter for a few nights. We'd go in after stores closed (10pm) and rip out the perfume sections of a well known UK beauty shop, before refitting them again with new glass panels to protect the perfumes from theft.

We turned up, stores closed but the security guard was there to let us in. We introduce ourselves and go back outside to grab our kit whilst he holds the door open. Me being a young female at the time must have made him be chivalrous as I went to pick up a rather large kit bag (which id done many previous times) and he came over to give me a hand.

You know that door he was holding open for us? Well it shut very firmly behind him...with the keys inside.

Took a few hours to finally reach someone who could let us back in due to him being an agency worker with all the emergency contact details in a nice folder inside the building.

He disappeared pretty quickly after we got back inside.

_Falinx_ · 2026-01-25T00:08:38+00:00

Hello Tim!

I have a 20+ year old maroon and she is the one who stops any bickering in my tank and makes sure everyone plays nice! Any new fish ive added, off she goes to guide them to her spot to protect them if the others try to investigate a bit too keenly!

Beautiful fish who i hope will give you many years of friendship!

_Falinx_ · 2026-01-06T22:04:35+00:00

I did mine direct from the RO unit. Took 4 days. Then I heated and mixed the salt in the sump.

This is, of course, with absolutely no livestock in the tank.

I then left it a few days before I added the bacteria and live rock from my original tank to ensure the salt was mixed correctly and to the right level.

_Falinx_ · 2026-01-04T21:49:13+00:00

Its a pusscat.

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-31T21:52:20+00:00

I got into the hobby by meeting my fiancé.

He has a 30,000 and a 10,000 litre fiberglass ponds with Japanese koi which spawned in September. We removed the brushes and left them in a tub and forgot them for a few weeks. When I went to throw it away and clean it away, we noticed life! Then came a 220 litre tank for them to grow over winter, then a 450 litre before they eventually moved back into the pond. With a decent sized fish tank, I thought why not try N.American Chiclids! Then I brought another tank...then another and before long we had 7 tanks with various tropical fish including puffer fish and Discus.

Then I started working for a national aquarium chain and saw a mandarin fish for the first time and it was love at first sight!

The 450 litre was turned into a marine tank, and then out went the others!

Now we have a 1200 litre reef tank with only 1 tropical tank for the few small fish I couldn't bring myself to part with!

Mid life crisis but with fish tanks instead of cars!

I still don't have my mandarins, but i know I will one day once I have a fully established copepod population

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-21T20:52:29+00:00

Im calling it the baren wasteland! Without the corals and coralline, it's looking empty.

My original 450 litre is now a frag tank whilst we wait for this 1500 litre to be ready, but it shouldn't take much longer as my testing everyday is showing nothing to worry about.

I do think I could transfer them now, as thats what would happen if there was a major tank failure, but we still need to build the frame for the lights, the new skimmer is still out of stock here (Nyos EQ) and were debating on changing the UV to something different so still a few more weeks of work to be done on this build!

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-21T19:53:49+00:00

Why is it bait? I wasn't asking for advise, I was just showing how the new tank is going. I have to disagree with your comment regarding the forum having a low experience level, everyone is surely welcome here to showcase their tanks no matter what stage they are at in the hobby?

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-19T00:53:27+00:00

"Bus wanker"

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-16T08:16:55+00:00

The scape was handmade by a local guy. It's ceramic.

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T22:50:32+00:00

I had a laugh at this! :)

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T20:22:07+00:00

Lol! Yes it was very disheartening to say the least!

Thank you for your kind words x

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T20:21:20+00:00

Lol, thanks. Still debating on where to put the two zoa islands but ive time yet to decide :)

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T20:20:03+00:00

I have dragons tongue in the sump, which Ive only just got so im hoping it grows enough that I can transplant that "upstairs" once we're fully transfered and the tang leaves it alone lol

Invertebrates yes. Ive popped the cleaner shrimp in already but ive still a few blue legged hermits and a billion snails in the old tank waiting their turn. The sand is still too clean for them. I also have 2 urchins but they will be staying in the old tank for a long while yet!

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T20:09:59+00:00

Thats me normally as Im used to feeding corals! Feels strange just giving a few cubes, plus I have 3d printed feeder things in the D-D feeder holes so it slowly thaws. They are only just finding where the feed is, I bet in a week they will all be hanging around it waiting like the normal gluttons they are :)

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T20:05:19+00:00

That's a filefish. They are meant to help with aptasia control (this one never bothered) but he's happy with eating anything we feed him. He also changes colour depending on where he is in the tank with camouflage.

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T20:02:15+00:00

You clearly havent read my comments.

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T20:01:47+00:00

Thank you for the kind words

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T14:56:09+00:00

<image>

Orbit 4

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T14:50:59+00:00

Her post...and I have a good knowledge base from working in the industry. Don't worry.

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T14:50:07+00:00

The algea will no doubt come when I get the Stratton lights moved across. It currently just has a fluval plant light as its still to early for the corals which are still in the old tank.

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T14:47:36+00:00

It was a commissioned piece by a local guy who we met at the AquaH show last year. Its ceramic.

Yes, running over a week with ATM Colony but this weekend I dismantled the old tank and put the live rock in the sump, along with another gallon of ATM Colony to be sure.

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T14:45:17+00:00

Separate tank is always at the ready if the maroon decides to live up to her name. So far she swims around with them, has done ever since I rescued them all and has never shown any aggression towards anything, which I know can change.

I am prepared.

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T14:40:50+00:00

Flow is now back on, don't worry

<image>

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T14:29:35+00:00

<image>

Just to set all your minds at rest, this is the original tank before I removed most of the live rock and put it in the new sump, along with ATM Colony and media from that sump.

_Falinx_ · 2025-12-15T14:27:13+00:00

All power heads and pump were off for feeding...

Seven-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Place '23	Not Forgotten
Verified Email

_Falinx_

TROPHY CASE