What are your some work smarter not harder tips?

[Snuggs]

Place clear tape over the printed lines and numbers on test syringes so they don’t wear off from use

Clear nail polish!

 

[Scorpius]

Upbuy on lighting. You might go sps some day and having to buy lighting again can kill your bank account.
Same with flow. Go with those MP-40's instead of the MP-10's because if you get a bigger tank then you don't have to buy new wave makers.

 

[JGT]

Basement fish room with slop sink, saltwater/RODI mixing station, ATO/AWC and for me my lighting. I have 8 radions installed on an 80/20 frame. I attached this via SS cables to a tubular motor. I can raise and lower my lights with my phone or iPad so I can get into the tank to do maintenance.

 

[amoore311]

Excuse my silly question but, what is a utility pump? I have a pretty good Tunze return pump that i use to fill my aquarium with new water. Is the pump you have and mine the same thing?

Do you have any recommendations for good quality tubing? Maybe silicone would be good(?) but i think it’s expensive.

My hose, or what ever it’s called is clear but now i think i may have to change it because it’s stiff and a bit crappy to work with.

A utility pump is just any pump you are using for maintenance. Something like the Kedsum from Amazon.

the overarching point there was to say, buy a big pump to pump water back into the tank. If you try and pump 25 gallons back in with a maxijet, that’s gonna be 10-15 minutes.

Using something like a small Jebao return pump and 1” tubing, 25 gallons is back in the tank in a minute or two.

Best tubing is silicone, brs has it…. But yeah it’s expensive.

the hose that comes with the python brand water change siphon is pretty good too.

 

[Mindblock769]

Bump for more neat ideas

 

[Pico bam]

All I got is auto water changes and a float valve on on ro container so you don't flood everything. Also a brute trash can on wheels. Siphon water from display into filter sock in sump to clean up detritus. Have a sink close to sump/tank. Doors on the sides of the stand not just in the front. For accessibility, ‍

 

[outhouse]

having A sump the same size as your water changes is nice with an ATO kalk reactor and a Ca reactor. 100g water changes takes me literally 10 minutes. My sump plumbed to drain on lawn. All automatically fed from ro/di on timer

 

[dlockert]

Get your tank balanced so you don't need to do water changes very often. I run a 90 corner with mostly softies and euphyllia and I don't overstock it. This tank is on 1 FX6 canister and is about 8 months old. I do have to pull the filters out and clean them once in a while but that only takes about 10 minutes. Otherwise, dose some 2 part and phyto regularly. Water changes maybe once every couple of months or so. I'm not any good at taking pics of my tank but here's a recent shot. Seems happy enough.

 

[SPS2020]

I love these battery powered fuel pumps for cleaning the refugium! Amazon sells them, but I can never get their links to show up here. Sometimes algae or a cerith snail will get jammed in the impeller, but you can use a knife edge (carefully) to pop off the end near the impeller and clean it out. Syphon starts automagically!

TERA PUMP 2.5 GPM 2AA Battery Powered Fuel Transfer Pump with Auto-Stop TRHA03 - The Home Depot

The TeraPump TRHA03 is a battery powered fuel transfer pump with auto-stop which effortlessly transfers fuel to cars, boats, mowers and many more. Portable and lightweight, the TRHA03 is great for small,

www.homedepot.com

 

[Fishinabarrel]

I love these battery powered fuel pumps for cleaning the refugium! Amazon sells them, but I can never get their links to show up here. Sometimes algae or a cerith snail will get jammed in the impeller, but you can use a knife edge (carefully) to pop off the end near the impeller and clean it out. Syphon starts automagically!

TERA PUMP 2.5 GPM 2AA Battery Powered Fuel Transfer Pump with Auto-Stop TRHA03 - The Home Depot

The TeraPump TRHA03 is a battery powered fuel transfer pump with auto-stop which effortlessly transfers fuel to cars, boats, mowers and many more. Portable and lightweight, the TRHA03 is great for small,

www.homedepot.com

The Harbor freight version of this is like $9. I bought 2. One already is a bit flaky though after 7 months. So maybe not the best path to follow.

 

[MichaelReefer]

Neptune Apex for monitoring base parameters, testing, dosing, auto-feeding and remote operation. That saves half my time; the rest is spent feeding and watching my fish.

Have to agree. I was VERY skeptical about Apex and always said it was a waste. Then I got one.... It made my tank 100x easier to maintain. Automation is king now. I work 11 hour days, five days a week...Have a fiance and a dog and a house I bought. So I dont have as much time anymore to sit there and test all week. This saves me SO MUCH TIME.

 

[costaricareef]

1) Apex or other controller;
2) AWC;
3) Fleece Roller;
4) Water from small daily water changes goes into Coral QT, so it gets huge water changes every week automatically;
5) Trident for testing and CaRx for dosing Alk, Ca and Mg;
6) Automatic feeder.

This results in very little maintenance. Of course, I always end up doing a lot of stuff anyway.

 

[DH78]

My advice would be to not skip or put off maintenance tasks. Either it will take you twice as long when you finally do it or your tank may get out of balance and you just created a lot more work that keeps you from enjoying the aquarium.

 

[Rob K]

having A sump the same size as your water changes is nice with an ATO kalk reactor and a Ca reactor. 100g water changes takes me literally 10 minutes. My sump plumbed to drain on lawn. All automatically fed from ro/di on timer

Have you had any problems with the saltwater that drains on the lawn killing or inhibiting grass or plants?

 

[Zach B]

Mine would have to be ATO and AWC. Changes the game big time

 

[BrandonS]

python water changer to take water out of the tank without buckets.

garden hose quick connects (plastic ones).

Cheap utility pump to transfer water into the tank from my mixing barrel.

RO/DI system plumbed with a float valve into ATO resevoir, When i notice it low I just turn on the water to the RO/DI filter and come back after it's full. Doesn't need to be on all the time.

 

[ReefRondo]

Have you had any problems with the saltwater that drains on the lawn killing or inhibiting grass or plants?

Will 100% kill your grass trust me.

 

[bestfishes]

I agree with all that called out Apex and the DOS system. I recently drilled a hole in my wall so I could run tubing from the basement into the garage water station. Now I never lift a bucket to do a water change. its all automated. ATO also a great time saver and stability device once set up and running right.

 

[Mjl714]

Keep it simple.

-max saturation kalk dosed via quality dosing pump. No 1 part… no 2 part…. Nothing but kalk and water changes until your system is pulling more than what kalk can replenish.

-run cotton floss in cups instead of socks. It’s cheap, biodegradeable, and a heck of a lot easier to toss and replace a handful of floss than do fishtank laundry.

-spend some money on your water change set up. A brute can, decent sized utility pump, and a nice coil of quality tubing is going to make water changes quick and easy.

I would add the brute wheel base for obvious reasons.

 

[Rob K]

Will 100% kill your grass trust me.

Free herbicide...