What's your MAINTENANCE routine?

KingTideCorals · Oct 5, 2020

After I finished this weeks upload for my channel I thought to myself..

"Well this would be a good question to ask on Reef2Reef..

SO.. here I am! Asking YOU! What is your normal maintenance schedule? Are you fairly hands on or hands off? Weekly water changes?..Biweekly? Let me know what you all are up to with your reef tanks when it comes to maintenance! Or are you on the other side of the spectrum and on the total hands off low maintenance schedule? Regardless I am interested to know from you all!

Wanted to share with you all my maintenance routine and ask you all for what yours is! Cheers and happy reefing all! Hope you get the chance to check out my YouTube channel and tell me what you think!

Everything Aquatics · Oct 5, 2020

ReeferBlaine said:
After I finished this weeks upload for my channel I thought to myself..

"Well this would be a good question to ask on Reef2Reef..

SO.. here I am! Asking YOU! What is your normal maintenance schedule? Are you fairly hands on or hands off? Weekly water changes?..Biweekly? Let me know what you all are up to with your reef tanks when it comes to maintenance! Or are you on the other side of the spectrum and on the total hands off low maintenance schedule? Regardless I am interested to know from you all!

Wanted to share with you all my maintenance routine and ask you all for what yours is! Cheers and happy reefing all! Hope you get the chance to check out my YouTube channel and tell me what you think!

I do weekly 20 percent water changes, change filter floss and clean skimmer

KenRexford · Oct 5, 2020

Regular cleaning of equipment but almost no water changes. Monitor calcium/alc and quarterly triton tests, adjusting for whatever Red Sea abcd missed.

samnaz · Oct 5, 2020

I change filter floss every day, filter pad once a week, water change... whenever I feel like it, maybe once a month lol.

KingTideCorals · Oct 5, 2020

Everything Aquatics said:
I do weekly 20 percent water changes, change filter floss and clean skimmer

Always good to have a weekly routine! Helps a lot!

KingTideCorals · Oct 5, 2020

samnaz said:
I change filter floss every day, filter pad once a week, water change... whenever I feel like it, maybe once a month lol.

Filter floss every day! Look at you worker bee! I know how it is though and that is a smart thing to do!

May try that out...

KingTideCorals · Oct 5, 2020

KenRexford said:
Regular cleaning of equipment but almost no water changes. Monitor calcium/alc and quarterly triton tests, adjusting for whatever Red Sea abcd missed.

Right on nice, how has the no water changes been treating you?

samnaz · Oct 5, 2020

ReeferBlaine said:
Filter floss every day! Look at you worker bee! I know how it is though and that is a smart thing to do!

May try that out...

I just keep a little bin right next to the filter so it takes all of about 2 seconds to change. Plus I top off manually so I’m around the tank daily anyway! Ps I’m watching a will ferrell movie right now weird!

KingTideCorals · Oct 5, 2020

samnaz said:
I just keep a little bin right next to the filter so it takes all of about 2 seconds to change. Plus I top off manually so I’m around the tank daily anyway! Ps I’m watching a will ferrell movie right now weird!

NO WAY how funny!!

Hes the man! Like the idea of the ready to go filter floss on the side too! Manual top off? NO thanks LOL!

samnaz · Oct 5, 2020

ReeferBlaine said:
NO WAY how funny!!

Hes the man! Like the idea of the ready to go filter floss on the side too! Manual top off? NO thanks LOL!

I know I saw your vid for the mini complete... you’re like I need an ato for this I’m like he can’t top off 2 ounces of water a day? lol come on so easy.

KingTideCorals · Oct 5, 2020

samnaz said:
I know I saw your vid for the mini complete... you’re like I need an ato for this I’m like he can’t top off 2 ounces of water a day? lol come on so easy.

LOLOL its true... I could... but I am just trying to make that thing absolutely hands off..

LOL youre right tho..

KenRexford · Oct 6, 2020

ReeferBlaine said:
Right on nice, how has the no water changes been treating you?

I thought about this a lot, and water changes scare me now. I am more worried about salinity not exactly the same, temperature not the same, and dumping water in and stirring up the tank. Seems traumatic. So, I usually just clean the sand bed with water into a sock back into sump. Maybe 10% change semi-annually because I feel guilty. Tank is fantastic. Never better.

wonroc · Oct 6, 2020

I never just dump water in the tank or mix around really anything. During water change i deposit the new water in the rear area of the AIO. If you have a fuge you can deposit their. Never just pour into main tank. If you check salinity before and after, and of new water, its easy. I change the floss every 2 weeks and its just starting to brown.

KingTideCorals · Oct 6, 2020

wonroc said:
I never just dump water in the tank or mix around really anything. During water change i deposit the new water in the rear area of the AIO. If you have a fuge you can deposit their. Never just pour into main tank. If you check salinity before and after, and of new water, its easy. I change the floss every 2 weeks and its just starting to brown.

Good to have a routine and have things you know you need to do whenever it comes to that day!

Appreciate your input on the thread!!

Paul B · Oct 6, 2020

Every morning I feel the glass to test the temp. I clean the glass if I want to see the fish, usually every two days and I change some water maybe 5 times a year if I feel like going to the sea to get water. Every few days i throw in some calcium and alk and every couple of weeks I test for that.

Oh yeah, I feed them.

KingTideCorals · Oct 6, 2020

Paul B said:
Every morning I feel the glass to test the temp. I clean the glass if I want to see the fish, usually every two days and I change some water maybe 5 times a year if I feel like going to the sea to get water. Every few days i throw in some calcium and alk and every couple of weeks I test for that.

Oh yeah, I feed them.

SO happy to see you roll across my thread @Paul B !

Also jealous of the ability to just snag some water! I do not trust the Puget Sound for my life LOL

Appreciate you letting me know how you make that awesome reef of yours tick! Also dang fish! Being so NEEDY! LOL

Paul B · Oct 6, 2020

I have only had the ability to "snag" water so close for the last 3 years. Before that I had to take an hour ride to get it so for 95% of the time I had to use fake water.

KingTideCorals · Oct 6, 2020

Paul B said:
I have only had the ability to "snag" water so close for the last 3 years. Before that I had to take an hour ride to get it so for 95% of the time I had to use fake water.

FAKE WATER! MY HEART HURTS FROM THE TRUTH!

4tanks · Oct 6, 2020

I do 10 percent weekly water change I run a 100g on a huge canister so that gets a weekly clean keeps nitrates at about 15
Takes about 1hour on a Saturday morning and I look forward to doing it does anybody else enjoy the maintence and cleaning

DazAquariums · Oct 6, 2020

Daily 1gallon auto water change, twice weekly filter sock changes, monthly pump checks and possible cleaning. I also like to calibrate my doser monthly as well. Clean the glass as needed, as well as skimmer cleaning when needed. Every so often I’ll turn on a carbon reactor.