BTA Water Parameters

[Letterkenny]

Alright all - what are the key parameters that I need to worry about for a BTA?

Background - I have a new tank coming that will be my main DT that I will more meticulously watch parameters via an Apex and Trident and dose automatically with the DOS. That leaves me with my existing 45g that the wife doesn’t want in the living room with two tanks and I’m hesitant to sell given it’s just about a year old with some good equipment (wish she would have let me get the 130g the first time around!). I am considering putting this tank in my office upstairs but I ultimately know I won’t have the capacity to keep checking parameters on both tanks and making sure calc, alk, mag, etc are all constantly stable. I’d like to make the office tank a nem only with just a pair of clowns (maybe a watchman goby pistol pair but the nems might eat it). Ideally, I would like to not dose the tank and limit water changes and just have a large ATO reservoir (upstairs office) and keep running the skimmer and add in biopellets if needed to keep nitrates down. I know nems are less sensitive to the big three than corals so curious if this is doable? If not, any other ULM ideas I could try instead of selling it?

 

[hmmmmm]

The dos van get very far with a small line, small enough to fit through cable ducts, so get another one, and just auto water change with the DT. Never look at it again, the parameters for the second tank I mean, definitely look at the second tank ;Smuggrin

 

[rkpetersen]

You could definitely do a BTA and a few fish in a tank that size. Alk, calcium, and magnesium aren't really that important to anemones, as they don't have calcium carbonate skeletons. As long as the tank is understocked and underfed, nitrate and phosphate shouldn't be a problem either. Minimal water changes or AWC as mentioned already. You'll need decent light. The only real caveat is that sometimes (often?) anemones don't do well in new tanks, even if fully cycled and all measurable parameters in the green. It's unclear why, but this has been observed over and over.

 

[Letterkenny]

You could definitely do a BTA and a few fish in a tank that size. Alk, calcium, and magnesium aren't really that important to anemones, as they don't have calcium carbonate skeletons. As long as the tank is understocked and underfed, nitrate and phosphate shouldn't be a problem either. Minimal water changes or AWC as mentioned already. You'll need decent light. The only real caveat is that sometimes (often?) anemones don't do well in new tanks, even if fully cycled and all measurable parameters in the green. It's unclear why, but this has been observed over and over.

It would be a bit hard to set up AWCs given where the tank is and the DT will likely see the Triton Other Methods since I have an algae reactor. I was thinking it’s possible since they don’t care as much about the big three as you mentioned. It’s not a new tank, been up for some time and, as stated, would just have a clownfish pair in it and would want to get a black widow BTA eventually. Hydra 26HD is the light so lighting is fine and would get a 3D printed cover for the MP10 for the nem guard. The title of the post makes it a bit deceiving. The tank has been around and strong bio filter and Nitrates stay relatively low (10ppm usually) with moderate feeding and water changes every other week or so and nems like some nitrates from what I have read. I just want to see if I can get away with no dosing and minimal water changes to keep it more low maintenance.