Must Have's for a successful reef tank

Nosaj82 · Mar 19, 2017

Wondering what the "MUST HAVES" are for a successful saltwater reef tank at minimum.

I know you can get real fancy and buy a ton of cool equipment but wondering what the bare bone requirements are.

I feel like I am missing something and am having a hard time getting a straight answer out of LFS

Currently I am running

45g bow front
Live rock
Fluval 306 canister filter
2 overhead filters. Came stock with the tank.
2 power heads
Light (Can't remember the brand but I know it's what I need)
1 heater
3 fish
2 coral
2 emerald crabs
1 Star fish

Xmoji · Mar 19, 2017

Good consistent husbandry. A lot of ppl are going to tell you that you can't run a successful Reef with a canister filter but that is not true. As long as you clean the canister on a regular basis (bi-weekly for me) and do water changes you will be successful.

Nosaj82 · Mar 19, 2017

Thank you.

happyhourhero · Mar 19, 2017

Refractometer, quality test kits, rodi, light timers, buckets, vinegar, protein skimmer, patience, a routine, bayer complete insect killer, lights, a sump, an algae scrubber, salt mix, 2 part dosing components.

That's what it takes for me to run a reef successfully.

Bronc · Mar 19, 2017

STABILITY!

Best Fish-Jake · Mar 19, 2017

It's whatever works best for you. If you make it inconvenient for yourself to maintain the tank, you'll be less likely to. You'll definetly want to do research on anything you put in the tank (whether that be anything from fish to inverts) and quarantine all new fish.

You can get away with setting up a ~15gal tank with a hob filter and an airstone for any new arrivals. Typically you'll want to monitor the new fish for 2 weeks and if it's eating well and shows no Ill signs, place it in the dt! If it does start showing signs of anything, you can treat appropriately and not have to worry about your dt getting infected.

Regarding new corals, if you can't 100% trust your LFS, i'd dip any new pieces.

These are just a few pointers that may make the difference between a thriving tank, and a hassle. there are many different ways to go about mantaining a successful reef, your success is going to be based on what works best for you.

TUSI · Mar 19, 2017

Decipline and patience for success

5altkreep · Mar 19, 2017

A quality auto top off system! It will go a long way towards stability, and topping off manually gets old real quick.

Wiz · Mar 19, 2017

Just determination and dedication. I see all kinds of successful tanks. Some in a jar with nothing all the way to high tech set it and forget it. The only thing that is mandatory is knowledge. Ie.. test kits, temp probe.

jlear3 · Mar 20, 2017

Agreed with ATO just got the tunze nano very satisfied

chefjpaul · Mar 20, 2017

Rodi & ATO

Griff · Mar 20, 2017

A credit card with a high limit

Finatik · Mar 20, 2017

Best Fish-Jake said:
Regarding new corals, if you can't 100% trust your LFS, i'd dip any new pieces.

Dip them in what ?

smokin'reefer · Mar 20, 2017

I've said it before, paper towels. When I run out I freak out.

Maritimer · Mar 20, 2017

Finatik said:
Dip them in what ?

Bayer Complete insecticide, or any of the purpose-made coral dips.

Anything that'll take out any of the more unpleasant hitchhikers that can enter your tank by riding in on a frag or plug. Red bugs. Acro-eating flatworms. Zoanthid or Montipora-eating nudibranchs. Pycnogonid sea-spiders. All the host of things you don't want snacking on your corals.

~Bruce

ahiggins · Mar 20, 2017

A lot of people will tell you that you need a protein skimmer and auto top off but you can run without.
If you're planning on overstocking or feeding corals/fish heavily, you'll want a protein skimmer.
I run two tanks with (overstocked and feeding frags), one without (bare min stock and big water changes).
If you're willing to top off with fresh rodi every day/every other day, you don't need an ato. I don't have one. I imagine it would make life easier if you have a bigger tank but I've seen a lot of malfunctions with them so I don't have one.
My advice would be to start with where you are. A filter (I do hang on back) and a good light. Monitor your water with quality tests (I use salifert but I've heard Red Sea is also good). If you're seeing your nitrate raise consistently even with weekly water changes, you'll want to invest in a protein skimmer or refugium.
Every tank is different so what we use, may not work for you.
I also don't dose any tanks that I have with 2 part. Others do.

Skydvr · Mar 20, 2017

@ahiggins pretty much covered most of what I was going to say.

Most will insist a reef tank is not possible without a skimmer, but you can offset that with consistent frequent water changes (more cost effective than a skimmer on smaller tanks). I also prefer keeping a lot of live foods in the water column (mostly phytoplankton) so constant skimming would be counter productive by stripping food from the water column.
ATO was a necessity for me as I really needed to top of my pico twice a day to keep things stable. I couldn't go more than a day without topping off.

Being able to maintain stable parameters and performing maintenance consistantly are among the biggest factors of keeping a successful reef tank. Good flow to help the corals clear mucous and ditritus as well as providing good oxygen exchange is pretty important as well.

If something works for somebody, that tends to be the only way but there are plenty of tanks that deviate from the accepted norms that still do quite well long term.

Quarantine is definately something that should happen, but admittedly I don't do. I do however thoroughly inspect new frags with a magnifying glass and dip if I find anything questionable after mechanically removing what I can. Not something that works with fish, but I don't really have tanks that are large enough for fish.

Tautog · Mar 20, 2017

Spend $1.00 for a notebook, get the one that the pages won't tear out easy.
Log everything in for everyday as best you can. When stuff happens, others can help if you can remember the details

Sm51498 · Mar 20, 2017

The only things you really need are saltwater and gas exchange.

It is amazing what people do with vase reefs. Those are hyper low tech, if you did one with nps corals you don't even need a light.