Is this possible?

[EarleD]

I currently have a Fluval EVO 5 gallon tank.  It’s been running for a month with live rock and 1” of caribsea live sand.  Tank is established with bristle worms, sea stars, etc.  Healthy copepod population. 
 

No hair algae or anything bad.  Diatoms and some green glass algae. Not an issue now at all. 
 

Just did my first water change.  Did around 60%.  Scraped glass for the first time. Etc.   Evaporated water is made up with tap water.   Probably pint a day.  I plan on adding a top off system in the future. 

 

Tank was confirmed cycled by the local reef store. He tested my water weekly and supplied some of the live rock.

 

I plan on upgrading to a better light. Probably one of those Amazon led. 30-50watt.  Plan on a better pump when the 606 is available again. 
No skimmer.  

 

Ok. That’s the back story.  The question is……

 

if I do small water changes every other day. Can I get away without testing for alk/Ca/Mg etc and not using supplements.  Just looking for some Zoas and mushrooms.  Some peppermint shrimp.  

 

thanks 
 

 

 

 

 

[jefferythewind]

Not testing is never a good strategy. No matter what you decide to do, testing is the only way to know what is happening to the water.

 

That being said, once you figure out your schedule and understand how the parameters change, then you can most likely go for stretches without having to test too much.

[A.m.P]

Plenty of folks don't test and only change water weekly, bi weekly, or bi monthly.
None of the corals you've mentioned will really consume alkalinity or calcium so you won't need to worry about dosing and waterchanges should be enough to maintain stability.

You really should stop using tap water though.

[DevilDuck]

Topping off with tap water is not a great idea either. Depending on where you are tap can contain a lot of minerals, can be inconsistent in chemical treatment. I may cause bad algae blooms down the line. It's safer to use RODI or distilled.

[EarleD]

3 minutes ago, A.m.P said:

Plenty of folks don't test and only change water weekly, bi weekly, or bi monthly.
None of the corals you've mentioned will really consume alkalinity or calcium so you won't need to worry about dosing and waterchanges should be enough to maintain stability.

You really should stop using tap water though.

Tap water is just east for now.  The shop I use sells me the premixed salt water.   Made with ro/do.  Actually. I bet they would sell me 5 gallons of it.  

So distilled is ok too ?  

[EarleD]

Would this be a good light for this tank?  
https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-Aquarium-Dimmable-Spectrum-Saltwater/dp/B083XYR64W/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=Y7EE8A17VIAB&keywords=led+reef+light&qid=1642294133&sprefix=led+ereef%2Caps%2C81&sr=8-4

[A.m.P]

16 hours ago, EarleD said:

Tap water is just east for now.  The shop I use sells me the premixed salt water.   Made with ro/do.  Actually. I bet they would sell me 5 gallons of it.  

So distilled is ok too ?  

Distilled or RODI are both fine for top off.
The nicrew 30W will work fine for your system, so would the ABI Tuna Blue PAR bulb if you mount it high enough, people have success with the ASTI and HiParGero as well.

My recommendation given your stocking plan would likely be the HiParGero, lots of even light spread and you don't need much par for your coral choice.

[growsomething]

You may know this, but, what happens is tap contains dissolved solids and your tds will continue to rise as you replace evaporated (0 tds) water with tap.

Eventually levels will become unhealthy even for easy corals.  As was mentioned it may also contain compounds toxic to reef creatures.

 

Distilled is fine.  

[EarleD]

Guess I’m heading for the store for some distilled water today 

[banasophia]

I only tested my Evo 5 once, before adding my livestock, except for my salinity which I check once a week before doing weekly water changes. I do 50% water changes once per week. I use the stock light and stock pump, and I have the intank media rack and an auto top off. I use distilled water in my auto top off.

I’d recommend giving the stock light and pump a chance, they work well for me. I think a lot of people “upgrade” stock equipment too soon to really know if they will work or not… since you bought an “all in one” it could be worth it to try to use the equipment that came with it. I also run two Biocubes with stock lights… my tanks do alright.

 

You can check out my Evo 5 here, if you’d like:

 

[banasophia]

Is that your pump in the display? And what temp is your tank running? 

[EarleD]

Tank runs around 76.  
 

Local shop gave me the Fluval pump.  It was crusty and barely working.  Soaked it in vinegar and now it’s running good.   Just for some extra flow 

 

i have the intank media rack also.  Much better than stock. 

[banasophia]

30 minutes ago, EarleD said:

Tank runs around 76.  
 

Local shop gave me the Fluval pump.  It was crusty and barely working.  Soaked it in vinegar and now it’s running good.   Just for some extra flow 

 

i have the intank media rack also.  Much better than stock. 

So basically you have the stock pump that came with it in the back chamber and you’re using an extra stock pump as a powerhead?

[EarleD]

23 minutes ago, banasophia said:

So basically you have the stock pump that came with it in the back chamber and you’re using an extra stock pump as a powerhead?

Yes. 
 

I do plan on getting a better wave maker in the future but I’m think my first priority is the ATO system.  This is the one I think. Lol

 

 

[EarleD]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09FPRN3GT/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=AAHRV9546RMOX&psc=1

 

any recommendations if that’s not a good one.  Want to stay lower prices.  Under $100

[Jaren45]

check out the kamoer ato or auto aqua's options

 

https://www.amazon.com/Kamoer-Automatic-Water-hydrator-ATO/dp/B07PY7KDR1/ref=sr_1_14?keywords=auto+top+off&qid=1642344833&sr=8-14

 

https://www.amazon.com/AutoAQUA-SATO-260P-Automatic-Refiller-Controller/dp/B07X2HHX1G/ref=sr_1_1?crid=272R731S7I7HJ&keywords=autoaqua+lite&qid=1642344896&sprefix=autoaqua+lite%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-1

 

I've used both and can say they work well.

[EarleD]

Well I picked up 2 gallons of distilled water for top offs.  No more tap water 

[EarleD]

Gonna start a new thread. Added my first coral 

[banasophia]

For the ATO, I have a Smart Micro ATO and I recommend it because the sensor is tiny and can fit in the rear chamber the pump is in. Looks like they have a “lite” version that has good reviews and is less expensive:

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X2HHX1G/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_PDXMJZZFPETSAEHVE4AX

 

 

[jcrisman2009]

On 1/15/2022 at 4:43 PM, EarleD said:

I’d stop using tap water for top off because it varies in tds from one day to the next.

On 1/16/2022 at 9:40 AM, EarleD said:

Well I picked up 2 gallons of distilled water for top offs.  No more tap water 

Distilled is what I use 100% in my 40g