Which method do you use for your SPS tanks

themcnertney · Jun 28, 2017

Ty Hamatake said:
Ah, you didn't mention the KISS method. I use this one because I am not smart enough to use the others

Well said.
I don't dose. I don't feed my sps. I just religiously do weekly water changes with a good brand salt. Good lighting really helps.

Ty Hamatake · Jun 28, 2017

Dan McNertney said:
Well said.
I don't dose. I don't feed my sps. I just religiously do weekly water changes with a good brand salt. Good lighting really helps.

In reality I guess I don't keep it as simple as I could. I dose limewater through my ATO and run a CO2 scrubber, but I still feel that is relatively simple

Coronus · Jun 28, 2017

I use the skimmer, feed your fish, dosing pumps, and water change method. Period! Thats it.

siggy · Jun 29, 2017

pirate2876 said:
That sounds like that method failed

Actually it's working quite well I'm seeing growth and good coloration that only happens in a stable environment.... Wait are we Talking 5% Water changes every 5 days ? that's the rhythm I was referring to.............. NOW about that hair cut .

Greybeard · Jun 29, 2017

You missed one... the Berlin method. Virtually _every_ modern reefkeeper runs some variant of this... including all of those 'systems' referred to above. Live rock bio filter and a skimmer, it's not a new idea. Prior to the Berlin system, undergravel filters ruled the world. I seriously doubt there are many marine aquariums using this 'method' these days

Most 'systems' until a few years ago, struggled to maintain low nutrients. Carbon dosing (Red Sea NoPox, Vodka/Sugar/Vinegar, Bio-pellets, one of those little blue bottles has some form of carbon, I'm certain) allows us to supercharge the bacteria population by feeding it. Phosphate removers have come a long way in the last decade. Skimmers have gotten way better (my first was powered by a wooden air stone). The original Berlin system called for a boatload of live rock... most of us don't want a big rock wall anymore, so we substitute other forms of bio growth media... MarinePure, Siporax, Matrix, etc. With these advances in tools and techniques, we've gotten to the point that some folks are DOSING PO4 and Nitrate

These 'systems' all try and lay out a path... with or without sales benefits for the system creator, for folks that don't necessarily grasp all of the finer points of marine aquarium husbandry. They all make sense, I'm sure they all work, with the one caveat... your tank is not like everyone else's tank, and each one is going to need to be treated a little differently.

My new tank is going Triton. Why? A large macro algae refugeum, a good skimmer, a well balanced additive system, best of class testing... it makes sense to me. Add in the attraction of virtually no water changes, and, well... sounds great to me. Will it work? Probably. I've been at this a long time (in and out since 1984), and I've been fairly successful, no matter the 'system' I was using. The KISS folks above have it right... good basic husbandry practices and an understanding of how our tanks work goes a long way.

dankreef · Jun 29, 2017

Reefcowboy said:
My issues with Zeovit and Triton are only that we keep adding products without knowing what they are. Obviously these companies wont quite give us all their secrets, but I wonder if all dosed is indeed really needed.

I see beautiful Zeovit coloration tanks online, but see more common results from users at forums. Im far saying they dont work, but just think one can get the same results doing basic water changes.

I also see users claiming they know exactly why their tanks crashed while using these systems, I tend to think dosing trace elements never really end well. Soon or later algae blooms, refugiums "crash" and other unsuspected issues come up.

A friend of mine has a 500 gal loaded with sps growing out of the water and colored like ive never seen any tank. He hasnt changed the water for 3-4 months now. He hasnt "had time" but will do sometime soon lol. He has a calcium reactor and runs GFO, period. That is a statement to me

Ya that's pretty much how I'm at too. 600 gallon w. Ca reactor no water changes for 6 months or trace added sps so far looking great. I used to do wc religiously every week on my other tanks. Totally not needed. No skimmer either. I think WC actually lead to instability personally. If your changing your parameters by 20% or whatever you do at a time. I just ordered a triton test out of curiosity of my trace elements so we shall see. If stuff is lacking I will add specific trace elements.