Number One

[brokensword]

To help any newbies stopping by, I thought I'd put this topic out there for anyone's to weigh in on; what would you say is the Number One bit of advice to give a newbie. The very first, most important thing you'd give as advice. Might be hard to narrow it down and of course, there's more than one important, but what is it to you?

I'll weigh in with mine; I think the number one thing I'd tell any newbie is to filter using bog (upflow wetland filter).

[j.w]

I'd say location, location, location! You need to put it in a place where you will really get to enjoy it that is very comfortable feeling for you. Nice place to sit and take in all the hard work that you put into creating the pond and also you can sit and see all the stuff you want to fix, change and tweak as the years go by. Listen to the falls and enjoy your fish!
My spot on the porch where I can suck it all up!

[Gemma]

My number one would've been also to invest in building a bog, but since @brokensword beat me to it, I'd go with suggestion number 2 which is :
instead of wasting money on harmful chemicals, put it towards better quality food... it will strengthen your fish immune system, brighten their colors and keep them active, healthy and happy