New tank - advise needed to make it low maintenance.

[Ardeus]

I ordered a 166 gallon tank (55x35x20) and for the first time I will be having a sump.



I managed to avoid it since I first set a reef tank back in 2006.

I currently have a 36x36x20 tank and although it has a simple maintenance, I want to try to make it even more low maintenance.

I dose Kalk, trace elements, do a water change every 10 days.

This time to make the glass easier to clean, I won't have any rock near the glass.

The layout will be the same I have now with 3 islands: 1 with BTA's, 1 with a magnifica and 1 with assorted corals.

I don't like cleaning pumps so my plan is to have just the return pump and a gyre type pump: Jebao DCP-10000 and Jebao CP-150.

Question: Since the return pump is a bit overkill for this tank, can I use the return pump as a wave maker? The controller allows it.

I am designing the sump, but it's the first time I am putting some thought into the subject. Does this seem right?

The sump will have the skimmer, heater, GAC, purigen and a refugium dedicated to the job of producing pods and growing chaeto. I don't need GFO because the nems suck all the phosphate out.

I am not planning on using any mechanical filtration.

I will have 3 containers (10 gallons each) under the tank: kalkwasser, saltwater and wastewater. The idea is to automate all the dosing (kalkwasser and trace elements) and water changes.

The autofeeder feeds the tank 4 times/day and I will try to schedule the return pump to stop while feeding.

Can someone give me some practical advise on how to make the maintenance easier and avoid problems?

How to prevent the return pump from siphoning the water out of the tank when the pump is off?

 

[GoVols]

I'll start it off...

Buy one of these:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/python-no-spill-water-change-system.html

If you just use the end of the hose, it will keep your sump squeaking clean, during an water change.

 

[Ardeus]

Thanks, I already have a similar syphon and it helps a lot because I am still doing the water changes by hand.

I plan to use the dosing pump as an automatic water change system, removing about a gallon of tank water to the waste container and putting new water in.

I will continue to do the major maintenance tasks every 10 days:

- Deep cleaning the glass and sump;
- Make about 100 liters of rodi water;
- Mix 70 liters of saltwater;
- Make 30 liters of Kalkwasser;
- Empty the 70 liters container with waste water.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

low maintenance??

convert it to fresh water

 

[Ardeus]

I have been telling myself that this will be my last tank, no more tanks after this one. So I want this one to be as enjoyable as possible.

A couple of years ago I managed to get rid of a tank with over 300 fish from Lake Tanganyika. Not a nice tank to watch.

Right now I have:

- 3 ocellaris
- 3 threadfin cardinals
- 2 banggai cardinals
- 2 yellow assessors
- 2 flame angels
- 1 diamond goby
- 1 tomini tang

The reason I am upgrading the tank is because I feel sorry for the fish. They live in a 36x36x20 cube with over 30 anemones, not a fish friendly environment. They need more space, that's the reason the new tank has an extra 20 inches in length.

The only fish I plan to add are 2 more threadfin cardinals and another diamond goby.

The 3 clowns live in a magnifica so there's a big island filled with BTA's that no one wants. My (impossible) dream is to have a couple of tomato clowns in there too.

 

[symon_say]

Triton system, maybe...

 

[Ardeus]

Right now I am doing a couple of ICP tests per year.

My goal with these tests is not to find out how much to dose anything, but to get a chemical overview of the tank and find out if there's something way off before it manifests in the tank.

I understand how the triton method works but I think it's risky to be dependent on a single company long term.

One of the things I am trying to do to keep the tank low maintenance is to avoid a high calcium/alkalinity consumption and keeping the fish stock on the low side, with mainly small fish.

 

[jda]

CaRx for carbonate and alk is the lowest maintenance and can go months and months without needing anything/much.

Change some water... this is easier and cheaper than doing something like Trion or DSR, which can be fine, but are more work and can cost more. I change water becuase I am lazy... $8 for 50 gallons of fresh IO and a few minutes to mix it and then a few minutes a few days later to change it out... way better than multiple tests. All that I test is alk every few days, and then salinity every few weeks. People think that not changing water makes a tank easier... while this can be true if you are just lazy, but if you do a good job, then it is often more work. If you really do not want to change any water, then check out DSR... you can use whatever elements that you want (they are not selling anything).

You can drill a hole right below the water line in your return that will break the siphon if the power goes out.

 

[Ardeus]

My maintenance schedule right now is:

Daily: Feed frozen food around dinner time

Twice a week: Clean the glass

Every 10 days:

- Make rodi water for the 10 gallon kalk container and add kalk and vinegar;
- Scrape difficult algae off the glass;
- Do a 10% water change.

The reason why I started a reef tank 12 years ago was because I came accross a small tank that only had a circulation pump, heater, a single T8 tube and live rock.

I stayed away from sumps until now because it meant that I would have room to make the system grow more and more complicated.

It worked for many years, but I now have loads of stuff hanging on the back glass and their respective power cords and power supplies behind. Not a nice view.

I want to at least avoid having more maintenance work than I already have with a sumpless tank.

A Calcium reactor is completely uncharted territory for me and I understand they require a great deal of tweaking. I will look into it a bit further down the line. Right now this change to a tank with double the volume of water and a sump is scary enough.

Thanks for the tip about the little hole in the return pipe!