Tips to a healthy reef tank... lets share!

[vlangel]

1 hour ago, Clown79 said:

I love using liverock. Fast and simple cycle. You also get biodiversity in the tank.

 

I too always run gac -even just small amounts.

 

Nothing beats a schedule of weekly waterchanges. 

It can be relaxing and enjoyable. It's being hands on with your tank.

Amen!

[Christmas Corals]

keep things simple and have fun with the hobby! simple is always better. too many times people get caught up in numbers. routine maintenance is key to achieving a balanced thriving reef! stay on a consistent basis for waterchanges and your weekly/monthly tasks. its very rewarding to have a beautifully well maintained thriving ecosystem. use your setbacks as opportunities to learn more and achieve better results. probably one of the greatest most rewarding hobbies out there! 

[Tamberav]

GO SLOW

No matter how many times this is said/posted.... a new thread pops up with someone who just added a anemone to their week old tank or someone who stocked all their 5 fish at once... mid cycle... ect

 

 

[HarryPotter]

On 8/18/2017 at 11:24 PM, GregEmmitte said:

That's a lot of maintenance. 

I have ditritus from hell.

 

?? love that post 

 

 

 

On 1/3/2018 at 5:15 PM, markalot said:

Do as little as possible to keep the tank looking the way you want it and the corals healthy.   If your tank is healthy and the corals look like you want then never change regardless of what other people are doing because each tank is different and will settle into a unique routine that works for the tank and YOU.  If you hate doing maintenance but settle on a high maintenance routine eventually you will slack off and the tank will suffer because of the change. 

 

I haven't cleaned the sump in my 150 gallon since I set it up, I thought about it once but soon got over it.  

 

I agree- do the minimum amount of work that the tank needs. Too many people fuss over every little thing and the tank becomes a stressor rather than relaxing. If you don’t enjoy it the majority of the time, you’re doing something wrong. Fix it or take it down. 

 

KEEP YA SAND CLEAN! 

 

You can blast it with a powerhead, mix it by hand, anything. Make sure you agitate all the sand before a water change. If you don’t maintain your sandbed, it’s a nutrient bomb waiting to go off. 

 

 

[Clown79]

1 hour ago, HarryPotter said:

 

?? love that post 

 

 

 

 

I agree- do the minimum amount of work that the tank needs. Too many people fuss over every little thing and the tank becomes a stressor rather than relaxing. If you don’t enjoy it the majority of the time, you’re doing something wrong. Fix it or take it down. 

 

KEEP YA SAND CLEAN! 

 

You can blast it with a powerhead, mix it by hand, anything. Make sure you agitate all the sand before a water change. If you don’t maintain your sandbed, it’s a nutrient bomb waiting to go off. 

 

 

I'm still surprised by how many people in the industry and hobbiests who still believe cleaning a sand bed is detrimental when it's the opposite.

Even with regular cleaning it still gets nasty.

[Christmas Corals]

2 hours ago, Clown79 said:

I'm still surprised by how many people in the industry and hobbiests who still believe cleaning a sand bed is detrimental when it's the opposite.

Even with regular cleaning it still gets nasty.

Yes! Especially when you do a tank transfer and see for yourself first hand! All sorts of nasty! That's why setting up an aquascape to make it as easy as possible to maintain the sandbed is paramount. Really benefits the system when you can maintain the sandbed properly. ??

[xthunt]

My dirty water in 2 gal bucket after vacuuming the sandbed during water change. That’s all snail poop/detritus at the bottom of the bucket, not sand. My water isn’t that color, it’s looks like that from suspended waste that came out of the sand. I pull out that much trash each water change.