Keys To Keeping A Successful Reef

[jeffopentax]

The first thing you need for a successful tank is money. It's going to cost a lot, no matter if you buy good stuff at the start, or buy cheap stuff and then replace it when you discover it doesn't do the job
Then:

1) Neptune Apex
2) GFO!
3) Dosers
4) 15% weekly water changes WITH RO/DI (0TDS) water ONLY!!!
5) Low bioload
6) GOOOD LIGHTS
7) Bigger than needed skimmer
8) GFO!
9) Rox Charcoal
10) GFO!

Enjoy!

So what you're saying is don't bother with gfo?


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[ColbytheClown]

So what you're saying is don't bother with gfo?


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What is GFO

 

[Fishit]

T5??

Yes I run 2 aqua max led pendants one China black box and 4 ati t5 bulbs two blue plus 2 coral plus I've always been a t5 guy just could not afford all ati t5 to light the 180 so supplementing seams to work great I did try just led and not even close to what I get with the t5 ati bulbs added

 

[Fishit]

I personally run rowa in my tank and works great always 0 phosphates I also run bio pellets but I'm a heavy feeder at least three feeds a day frozen , pellets , and norry I know that's allot of feeding but once everything is built up to expect that bioload seems to stay pretty stable key to success a good consistent schedual to keep all parameters stable

 

[ColbytheClown]

N

Yes I run 2 aqua max led pendants one China black box and 4 ati t5 bulbs two blue plus 2 coral plus I've always been a t5 guy just could not afford all ati t5 to light the 180 so supplementing seams to work great I did try just led and not even close to what I get with the t5 ati bulbs added

i think you misunderstood, no worries, I was just wondering what t5 means

 

[shamous113]

N

i think you misunderstood, no worries, I was just wondering what t5 means

T5 is a reference to the size (diameter) of the florescent bulb that their using

 

[Bece13]

I will split my answer in 2 parts: General and Particular (what works for me beside the general).
I have to mention that sometimes I'm a hypocrite as I know what I have to do and I'm still not doing it and paying the price for it.

General:
1. Plan ahead. Know what look you want for your tank and stay on course. Research what you want to put in your tank.
2. Keep it simple.
3. Do not cut corners.
4. Maintenance should not become a chore. Have everything accessible and easy to do.
5. Good reliable equipment.
6. Good lights.
7. Keep your hands out of the water unless you really have to do something. Do not thinker with the system on a daily basis.
8. Water Stability - the most important
9. Changes should be made slowly.
10. Create a schedule (ritual) for maintenance, water changes, feeding, etc. Do not skip it as you try to achieve an equilibrium in your ecosystem.
11. Patience.
12. Have backup equipment.
13. Automation where possible but don't complicate it.
14. Good test kits and calibrate your probes.
15. Dip and quarantine any new coral and fish
16. Quarantine tank ready to go and Frag tank as backup
17. Know your system.
18. Everything you do should be logical, should make sense and be fully understood.
19. Keep a log of what you are doing
20. Enjoy your tank

Particular:
1. Deep Sand Bad - done properly - both display tank and refugium.
2. Refugium.
3. Home made food only. Do not overfeed.
4. I try to use the skimmer only when necessary.
5. Good, smart, water flow.
6. Carbon.
7. Only DIY 3 parts additives (Alk, Ca, Mg) - no other chemical supplements.
8. Water changes.
9. RO/DI.
10. Run GFO only if necessary.
11. Filter sock only when doing maintenance.
12. I'm not adding anything that I cannot test for.
13. I'm striving to run the system as natural as possible.

If I forgot something I'll edit the post and add it.

 

[ColbytheClown]

T5 is a reference to the size (diameter) of the florescent bulb that their using

Thanks shamous!

 

[Luke.]

I love the idea of t5's but for a guy with my wage lol , I can't afford but if you ask @EricTMah he could tell you how well kessil's are , I think lighting is key i think the t5's give better colour I think,

@Nonuser what lights do you have again?

 

[Nonuser]

I love the idea of t5's but for a guy with my wage lol , I can't afford but if you ask @EricTMah he could tell you how well kessil's are , I think lighting is key i think the t5's give better colour I think,

@Nonuser what lights do you have again?

radion xr15 Pro. Nice light, have had issues programming it Software mostly, not the lights fault. But fine tuning them.

I have used different pre-programmed ecotech layouts. I've used 3 in total in the space of a year +. But it maybe better that I use T5's.

Let others figure the settings out. I currently solved the programming/ software issue and I am able to change the program easy as pie. So that's no longer an issue. I have one of the companies layouts and at 50% over a 4 week ramp up period to 70%.

I only have zoas so the lighting is not a worry. With 20% water changes for the last 6 weeks and a complete removal of rocks and cleaning of tank last week things are looking good. 6 weeks ago I took out all my ceramic media and just replaced it last weekend as well in filter bags. Have some new filter socks to help keep the skimmer clean. Think issue with particulates getting in the skimmer either from return or stored up by top-ups or flow over the once dirt media.

 

[Luke.]

My issue was always top off water I was dumb and let my solinity go from 1.024 - 1.029 and would stress everything out I'm not to sure how powerful your lights are but mine are never past 70% and I have a bit of everything almost , and I find anything higher started almost to bleach , if it's zoos you. could use less light imo but I'm glad you got that figured out sounded like a pain in the rear !

 

[AdInfinitum]

Things that stand out that you have mentioned...
I feed 4 times per day smaller quantities.
I would never remove and clean all my rock...the tank becomes more stable as it matures...major disruptions like that just turn back the clock...free more silicates etc. etc.
Where my preference is for t5/led hybrid, my frag tank is growing everything from Mushrooms and Zoas to Chalice and a variety of SPS using just a cheap China box LED.

 

[Joshbrookkate]

Great thread! Thanks, everyone, for contributing....

 

[Nonuser]

Things that stand out that you have mentioned...
I feed 4 times per day smaller quantities.
I would never remove and clean all my rock...the tank becomes more stable as it matures...major disruptions like that just turn back the clock...free more silicates etc. etc.
Where my preference is for t5/led hybrid, my frag tank is growing everything from Mushrooms and Zoas to Chalice and a variety of SPS using just a cheap China box LED.

I would have never taken the rocks out. But all coral was gone. I didn't really clean the rocks but I did remove then and then clean the bottom of the tank because I have no sand, so I removed all the rock and placed it in buckets while doing the usual 20 gallon WC. I did it to get all the ditrius and dead snail shells and a few dropped frags that were impossible to get and then rework the rocks. I had to much rock in the tank and then reposition everything a little better and to make the flow work. I have a power heads on either side of the tank on the back wall.

Feeding 4 times a day would require a automatic feeder. Not losing fish from starvation and the corals are long gone. I feed a nickel to quarter size piece of larrys reef frenzy every other day. Turn of the pump for feeding and broad cast feed that amount over 4 hours. The clowns do tend to swim/ jump into the cup I feed with.

 

[AdInfinitum]

IMO... Bare bottom is a viable option for ULN hardcore SPS tanks but a tank with substrate and the resulting bacteria and food web are lower maintenance and much more forgiving as the sanded helps buffer the tank against swings and changes.

 

[Nonuser]

IMO... Bare bottom is a viable option for ULN hardcore SPS tanks but a tank with substrate and the resulting bacteria and food web are lower maintenance and much more forgiving as the sanded helps buffer the tank against swings and changes.

I have definitely had less success with the bare bottom. I'm thinking about adding substrate. What you say makes perfect sense.

Sometimes I forget, but thank you all for the help.