What do you consider to be general husbandry/maintenance for a reef?

[soggytees Verified Sponsor]

What would you say are the basic husbandry/maintenance habits for effective reef-keeping? Post up what you consider to be essential! If you're helping someone who is getting started in the hobby, what are the basics you're trying to be sure they know and do?

 

[AdamNC]

Here's the basics that I do and have it set up to remind me on aquaticlog.com
The best advise is to use a program like here or write everything down so you do not forget. Mind you this is also for an sps tank but imo there is no such thing as basic, everything must be kept up to par or disaster happens whether it's an sps or fish only tank.

Day to day routine:

Daily
Dose 4 drops of Kent Marine Iodide
Dose 7 ml of Distilled White Vinegar 5%
Dose 1.5 g of Seachem Reef Builder
Feed 1 cap of Area 51 Phytoplankton
Measure Alkalinity

Weekly
Dose 1 cap of AquaVitro Fuel, once a week
Dose 5 ml of Red Sea Reef Foundation Part A, twice a week
Dose 2 ml of Red Sea Reef Energy, 4 times a week
Feed 1 drop of Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef, 5 times a week
Feed 3 pieces of Pro Salt Krill, once a week
Feed 1.5 oz of San Francisco Bay Marine Cuisine, twice a week
Feed 1 drop of Reef Chili, twice a week
Clean sediment off rocks with turkey baster, twice a week
Measure Salinity
Measure pH
Measure Ammonia
Measure Phosphate
Measure Nitrate
Measure Magnesium
Measure Calcium

Every 2 weeks
Change 5 gal of water

Monthly
Replace Carbon
Clean Light fixture

Every 3 months
Clean Powerheads

Yearly
Clean Skimmer body and pump

 

[fagundespavinp3]

Day to day Checks for me have been

Daily / Bi-Daily

1) Easy Look at the tank see if anything looks out of place corals knocked, over fish swimming strange, algea starting on a spot, whats the glass look like, are all the inhabitants still there?
2) about every 2-3 days change out filter sock.
3) Check to see if skimmer is functioning properly
4) How is you water top off
5) Check Salinity about every 1-2 day depending on your system if you have a monitor what's it saying.
6) Check Alk 1-2 days dose as needed
7) Feed fish or corals what their diet requires
8)Scrub Glass if needed (if all is in Check shouldn't have to do this very often)


Weekly/Biweekly


1)Pull Skimmer cup, Clean well replace back on skimmer re-adjust flow
2)test your basics to know what amount to water change. (Ammo,Nitrite,Nitrate,Phos,Cal,Mag,Alk,Ph,Salinity,Temp)
3)Clean Glass well
4)Change Filter Sock
5)do 10-15% water change maybe more depending on Test levels.