How much time do you spend on your reef tank?

[CoastieFlo]

Hello reefers, so I have a Red Sea Max E-170 (about 40 gallons worth) and it felt like a full on job today. From making just 10 gallons of RODI to mixing the salt, testing, waiting on it to heat, changing water, putting things up and feeding took me a lot longer than I wanted and it wasn't even a detailed maintenance day. Wouldn't say I would give it up because I love this hobby but curious to see what others do for the love of their tank...I'm probably at least 6 hours every week!

 

[Timfish]

Most of my tanks get less than an hour a week.

 

[MNFish]

Does starring at it for hours count as the time. I probably spend a couple hours a day between 3 tanks but I can do water changes in all 3 in under 30 minutes. So really could get by on about 2 or 3 hours a week....

 

[CanuckReefer]

I am about 20-30 mins every 3 days....90 gallon. The older the tank gets, the less 'work' i put in, the more research....25 years or so in, same size tank the entire journey.

 

[Jedi1199]

Hello reefers, so I have a Red Sea Max E-170 (about 40 gallons worth) and it felt like a full on job today. From making just 10 gallons of RODI to mixing the salt, testing, waiting on it to heat, changing water, putting things up and feeding took me a lot longer than I wanted and it wasn't even a detailed maintenance day. Wouldn't say I would give it up because I love this hobby but curious to see what others do for the love of their tank...I'm probably at least 6 hours every week!

Here is a simple hack... When making your water, boil about 6 cups of RODI water (NOT mixed salt water!!) to bring up about 5g of water to temp. You should be just about right in about 15 mins.

If you have the space, what I do is keep several Brute cans of water on hand at all times. 1 can is cold fresh water, 1 is fresh at tank temp, and 1 is mixed at tank temp. The mixed can is also on wheels for easy movement from the water station to the tanks.

I use several digital readout aquarium heaters and an inexpensive digital kitchen thermometer to ensure all temps are consistent.

This may sound overkill but for me, I have found it necessary. My 55g does not have a sump so I don't have a good place to put a sensor for an ATO. Therefore I do my top-offs by hand every few days. This is usually a gallon or so of fresh water. It is MUCH easier to simply grab a couple pitchers of water that is already at temp and pour it in than to fiddle with getting cold water to the correct temp. It also makes mixing new SW easier as I don't have to wait for the water to warm up to use it if I should need more than what I keep on hand.

 

[Quietman]

Starting out...hours. Getting a good rodi/saltwater routine and storage helps. But getting new corals, new fish, new gear all adds to time. Then as I got used to it I probably spent too little time. Now it's about an hour to hour and a half a week. Mostly cleaning and WC, fill the water tanks, sample and feeding.

 

[CanuckReefer]

And I will add....this is NO recommendation. But I don't heat my fresh mix water, for change as I do about 2.5% weekly in a 90 gallon, so the temp swing is negligible. Nor do I mix it with powerhead, I stir it, it sits for 10 mins, stir again and in it goes. Somebody gonna come yell at me now lol....but, it has always worked for my situation. My top off of RODI is also straight in all of it, bout a 1/2 gallon or so twice a week. Oh my goodness the horror lol! In saying all this at 40 gallon, depending on how much you change, well....stay the course lol

 

[MNFish]

And I will add....this is NO recommendation. But I don't heat my fresh mix water, for change as I do about 2.5% weekly in a 90 gallon, so the temp swing is negligible. Nor do I mix it with powerhead, I stir it, it sits for 10 mins, stir again and in it goes. Somebody gonna come yell at me now lol....but, it has always worked for my situation. My top off of RODI is also straight in all of it, bout a 1/2 gallon or so twice a week. Oh my goodness the horror lol!

People are too serious, I mean how do you tell someone who does something that works for them and has worked for a long time that they are doing it wrong.... but people do haha

 

[CanuckReefer]

People are too serious, I mean how do you tell someone who does something that works for them and has worked for a long time that they are doing it wrong.... but people do haha

No joke lol.... been chucking unheated no powerhead mix water in there for years, then I read all these posts about mixing and just go stand in the corner like an admonished child lol.

 

[Jedi1199]

And I will add....this is NO recommendation. But I don't heat my fresh mix water, for change as I do about 2.5% weekly in a 90 gallon, so the temp swing is negligible. Nor do I mix it with powerhead, I stir it, it sits for 10 mins, stir again and in it goes. Somebody gonna come yell at me now lol....but, it has always worked for my situation. My top off of RODI is also straight in all of it, bout a 1/2 gallon or so twice a week. Oh my goodness the horror lol! In saying all this at 40 gallon, depending on how much you change, well....stay the course lol

WHAT? ARE YOU INSANE??!! OMG THIS GUY IS NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES AT ALL!!! HOW IS HE EVEN KEEPING A REEF TANK ALIVE??

Hahahahahaha!!

I could probably get away with that myself as 1 gallon to the 55 is "probably" ok. Since I have the room for it, I prefer the safer route though. My ATO containers are not heated at all and I have never had an issue in either the 32 or the 180. Heck, the temp swing from the heater thermostat is probably wider than the top off would be.

 

[Jedi1199]

No joke lol.... been chucking unheated no powerhead mix water in there for years, then I read all these posts about mixing and just go stand in the corner like an admonished child lol.

Canuck, I think you and I are both cut from the same cloth. I see all these posts saying you absolutely have to do this or the world will end, the stars will fall and your house payment will go up and property value will drop!! I just sit back and think to myself.. My tank looks fabulous.. I must be doing something completely wrong... lol

 

[CanuckReefer]

WHAT? ARE YOU INSANE??!! OMG THIS GUY IS NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES AT ALL!!! HOW IS HE EVEN KEEPING A REEF TANK ALIVE??

Hahahahahaha!!

I could probably get away with that myself as 1 gallon to the 55 is "probably" ok. Since I have the room for it, I prefer the safer route though. My ATO containers are not heated at all and I have never had an issue in either the 32 or the 180. Heck, the temp swing from the heater thermostat is probably wider than the top off would be.

Oh for sure! Long as its mixed and dissolved well, especially the 180.... you just gave the inhabitants the ocean thermocline they were wondering where it went lol.... seriously, though for a second ( hard for me lol) , with a 90 gallon, changing 2.5% a week equals a small container every three / four days? The corals don't even notice it. Never had a bad reaction. If I were dumping 10% or more no matter the volume? Ya, I'd bring it to temp.

 

[Tamberav]

Not much... I stopped testing everything but alk and change 10g of water every 3 months. The 2 part is on a doser and feeding the fish takes a minute. Not sure what else there is to do? I guess top off the ATO with RODI but I can run a hose from the RODI unit to the container and set a alarm.

 

[CanuckReefer]

Canuck, I think you and I are both cut from the same cloth. I see all these posts saying you absolutely have to do this or the world will end, the stars will fall and your house payment will go up and property value will drop!! I just sit back and think to myself.. My tank looks fabulous.. I must be doing something completely wrong... lol

We are.... you drive trucks , and I play around with electricity....equally hairy, equally intriguing, equally in a land of bliss.... when 'stuff ' hits the fan, what do you do about it? Gonna change it? No. Roll with it, ya.... make the best of a bad situation, and rise up again. Had a mini crash about 12 years ago, lost all but my fish, they rode it out... I was very happy to have my fish left....on we went, they are all still here.

 

[CanuckReefer]

Not much... I stopped testing everything but alk and change 10g of water every 3 months. The 2 part is on a doser and feeding the fish takes a minute. Not sure what else there is to do? I guess top off the ATO with RODI but I can run a hose from the RODI unit to the container and set a alarm.

Follow you often Tamberav, always some great advice.... so curious the 10% you do all at once every 3 months or gradually in between?

 

[Gtinnel]

No where near as much as I spend on this forum.

When I first read the question I expected my answer to be a lot, but when I started thinking about it most of my tank is automated. I have to fill and mix salt into my mixing station twice a month, I have to occasionally mix up and top off dosing containers but that's only about once a month, I feed a cube of frozen food on most days, a few times a week I'll run the magnet scraper across the glass, I have to empty my skimmer container every few weeks, and the occasional cleaning of pumps/powerheads. I'm sure I'm forgetting something but that's about it.

I'm probably less than an hour a week. I just realized I am finally at the point with this tank that I spend more time looking at it than working on it.

 

[CanuckReefer]

No where near as much as I spend on this forum.

When I first read the question I expected my answer to be a lot, but when I started thinking about it most of my tank is automated. I have to fill and mix salt into my mixing station twice a month, I have to occasionally mix up and top off dosing containers but that's only about once a month, I feed a cube of frozen food on most days, a few times a week I'll run the magnet scraper across the glass, I have to empty my skimmer container every few weeks, and the occasional cleaning of pumps/powerheads. I'm sure I'm forgetting something but that's about it.

I'm probably less than an hour a week. I just realized I am finally at the point with this tank that I spend more time looking at it than working on it.

Congrats on this realization! It's pretty sweet isnt it! Took a long time , but I guess we both there! How many years? 25 here, but it was only the last 5-10 or so that I really noticed less work involved. Definitely the last 5 years....

 

[Jedi1199]

We are.... you drive trucks , and I play around with electricity....equally hairy, equally intriguing, equally in a land of bliss.... when 'stuff ' hits the fan, what do you do about it? Gonna change it? No. Roll with it, ya.... make the best of a bad situation, and rise up again. Had a mini crash about 12 years ago, lost all but my fish, they rode it out... I was very happy to have my fish left....on we went, they are all still here.

Wow.. you remember I'm a driver? I drove long haul for 15 years, till last year, when I got my current job. I am actually a "Yard Dog" now. I run a hosteling truck and move trailers around the yard to be loaded/unloaded... (I work at the largest Safeway DC in the US). Love the 3 days off every week.

So back to the point.. my tank maintenance takes me probably around 4 hours per week. 3 tanks, 32, 55 and 180. The 180 is a fish only tank and requires almost zero attention other than a quick rinse of the filter pads once a week, and a rinse out of the skimmer cup.

The 55, is much ore time consuming. Not because it is more complex, but actually the reverse! This tank runs on the most basic equipment around. A canister filter, a small HOB skimmer and.. hmm well, nothing else. The canister filter takes by far the most time of anything to clean. probably a good half hour there.

The 32 is an AIO bio-cube.. A simple water change and rinse of the mechanical filter pads and done.

 

[CanuckReefer]

Wow.. you remember I'm a driver? I drove long haul for 15 years, till last year, when I got my current job. I am actually a "Yard Dog" now. I run a hosteling truck and move trailers around the yard to be loaded/unloaded... (I work at the largest Safeway DC in the US). Love the 3 days off every week.

So back to the point.. my tank maintenance takes me probably around 4 hours per week. 3 tanks, 32, 55 and 180. The 180 is a fish only tank and requires almost zero attention other than a quick rinse of the filter pads once a week, and a rinse out of the skimmer cup.

The 55, is much ore time consuming. Not because it is more complex, but actually the reverse! This tank runs on the most basic equipment around. A canister filter, a small HOB skimmer and.. hmm well, nothing else. The canister filter takes by far the most time of anything to clean. probably a good half hour there.

The 32 is an AIO bio-cube.. A simple water change and rinse of the mechanical filter pads and done.

Ya man re: the trucks ...I pay attention, to the important posters lol. ....so you home more often than not now. This is good, for the Jedi Reef!

 

[Jedi1199]

Home every night now... but usually only for 4 or 5 hours.. Fri, Sat, and Sun off right now. It is almost bid change again (every 6 months) so my days off will most likely change to Mon, Tue, Wed in August. I could bid for a 5/10 shift.. but I like my 3 day weekends so I will stay with my 4/15 shift.