So I had the easy tanks as a kid, the neglected goldfish in a bowl, the guppy breeding tank, but then I got a job in an aquarium, I made friends with an octopus, and got my first saltwater tank. I will say that for a few months I was reading everything I could and wrapping my head around it all. I think that’s the key, just reading like mad.

I got an all in one kit from my LFS, so I knew everything worked together, and at first I set it up with the rock, sand, and water and just chilled, I watched the tank, allowed it to cycle, and enjoyed all the hitchikers. I continued reading.

I accidentally got an SPS coral as a hitchiker so that accelerated my coral journey, but I bought things around 6 weeks in, then first fish like 8 weeks? CUC was probably 2-4 weeks.

If you go in, do no research, and just do whatever, then you’ll struggle, but if you read then it’s not really hard at all.

I got into planted tanks and paludariums later and have realised that’s much harder!