What's your MAINTENANCE routine?

[samnaz]

How is your floss/pad set up? Im in the process of switching to filter pads instead of floss, but I find that floss is somewhat easier to remove from the sump than the pads because pads will leak a bunch of stuff... do you separate them? are they touching? just looking for someone else' advice thanks!

I use an aquaclear 70 hob filter with an intank media basket. Probably not helpful advice if you’re using a sump...

 

[Hermie]

I use an aquaclear 70 hob filter with an intank media basket. Probably not helpful advice if you’re using a sump...

Nah I appreciate the reply back.

So you run the floss under the filter pad? since the HOB flows from the bottom up? And move the pad to get to the floss daily?

 

[BobT]

Weekly 10% water change, new floss every 3 days (replaced filer bags with media cups for floss), clean skimmer cup when replacing floss (skimmer in the way so I need to remove cup anyway), gravel vac once per month, rotate chaeto daily, test parameters weekly w/hanna checkers, kalkwasser in ATO tank, clean glass as needed, soak and clean powerheads every other month (just put in bucket of citric acid and let run overnight), make 40 gallons RODI and saltwater twice per month. 99% of the time I enjoy the maintenance duties

 

[TN_Huskymama]

10% water change every two to three weeks using store bought ocean water.
Canister cleaned every two to three weeks. I have bioballs in my canister along with carbon and filter pad. Not a lot of fish so it doesn’t get terribly soiled that fast.
Clean glass of HOB refugium once a month.
Water parameter checks weekly.
Clean back glass once a week.
Empty HOB skimmer once a week or more if needed. Usually when it gets half full. I can remember what brand it is but if I don’t adjust the red knobs just right it will fill too fast with water.

I seem to lose a gallon of water a day on evaporation though so I am topping off manually every other day. What a pain! I am hoping to add an autotopoff system once I get my sump setup, but I will still have to fill that frequently too so I am not sure if it’s worth purchasing? The tank is not close to a water source.

 

[BirdGuy21]

I do a weekly five gallon water change, siphon out the back AIO chambers every other week. Change out filter floss every three days.

 

[Tankkeepers]

How is your floss/pad set up? Im in the process of switching to filter pads instead of floss, but I find that floss is somewhat easier to remove from the sump than the pads because pads will leak a bunch of stuff... do you separate them? are they touching? just looking for someone else' advice thanks!

I use both pads and floss pads first then the floss on top to keep the pads from clogging and then I remove everything at the same time folding the pad in a biat like shape as I remove it

 

[Rich Klein]

• Daily visual inspection of ATO container, skimmer, CO2 scrubber, filter socks, glass....(fill, drain, swap, clean.. as needed)
• 3X daily feedings of LRS Reef Frenzy
• 2X daily Seaweed sheets
• 1X daily dosing of AB+ for corals and ChaetoGro for refugium
• Weekly ~ 10% water changes with sand vac / water removal - keeping detritus from building-up.
• Swap power heads and return pump every 2 months with spares
• Swap Skimmer and heater elements every 4 months with spares
• Swap Calcium Reactor every 6 months with spare

In summary: Not for the faint of heart ;-)

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

I haven’t done a water change in at least two months. Like seriously, atm I don’t need it. My nitrates and phosphates aren’t going up (0s all around) and the algae levels are meh (crab and snail food). I generally feed twice per day, Omega One Pellets in the morning and Marine Cuisine at night. I do over feed some, but I have hundreds of feather worms and clams to worry about. The three peppermint shrimp and various crabs, snails, and bristle worms get the rest. Lights on at 8:30 AM and off at 8:30 PM (I think?) Glass scraping and cleaning filters/me as needed. I usually run some carbon or a tiny bit of ChemiPure and started with filter floss again. Detritus gets blown by the baster once in a while, just for the filter feeders. I will also be getting and maintaining a phytoplankton culture soon (just waiting for Amazon)! Here’s a pic of my pride and joy:

 

[arussellnsg]

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.

I'm the same way! Last time I did a water change, like 5 months ago, I lost 2 fish, this was before any coral. My fish now and my coral now are doing so good, I did break down and got a quality RODI system professionally installed and doing the ATO. I also look at my ACAN to tell me if my parameters are off

 

[KingTideCorals]

I'm the same way! Last time I did a water change, like 5 months ago, I lost 2 fish, this was before any coral. My fish now and my coral now are doing so good, I did break down and got a quality RODI system professionally installed and doing the ATO. I also look at my ACAN to tell me if my parameters are off

Sometimes using your tank inhabitants to tell you whats going on is the best way to go!