Anyone still keeping it simple?

Nanook

Ancient Eskimo Legend
Staff member
RC Mod
I read so many posts of folks having problems with acropora and the common theme seems to be they can't stop dosing this, testing that, or trying this/that. The tanks that just grow SPS colonies seem to be the ones that abide by the basics of good husbandry. I've had my share of ups and downs over the years, but I've managed to grow 4 or 5 tanks of frags to colonies by keeping it simple, no fancy additives (I'm too dumb to use them anyway).

My basics are DSB, skimmer, calcium reactor, water changes, lots of flow and lots of full spectrum light, then just letting it ride. I do limit feedings and stock fish appropriately so I'm not fighting excess nutrients.

Have we gone too far in over complicating things?
 
I do, but i've also found keeping it simple causes more work. Less methods of keeping nutrients out means more water changes.
 
Mine is simpler than that! Geo calcium reactor, LEDs, some rock, almost no sand bed (seems to just be a nutrient sink after a few years), infrequent water changes with Reef Crystals, and pretty decent flow from Vortechs and Gyres. I have a refugium but it is <5% of total system volume.

The only testing I do on a somewhat regular basis is KH (once or twice/wk). Calcium and Mg are maybe 1x/mo. I've never monitored NO3 or PO4.

I made a few changes in the past year. Swapped out my EV-180 with a Deltec skimmer when my system volume exceeded 300 gallons. Started feeding Reef Roids 2-3x/week. Started dosing Lugol's 2-3x/week.

There really isn't much to SPS beyond light, flow, and stable KH. With a good calcium reactor the KH stability is in lock step with Ca and Mg, so it is hard to screw up. Good Rx media is essential, either TLF Reborn or the Tropic Eden stuff, as is stable CO2 metering with a Carbon Doser.

The system has been running in one configuration or another since 2006.
 
Yes that's my kind of reefkeeping. Just adding a few DSR supplements such as ca and kh, no waterchanges, no reactors. Just a big skimmer, a filter bag and lots of flow and lightning. It keeps growing over here [emoji1]

Greetings Thijs
 
Sand, pacific live rock, skimmer, CaRx, wavemaker and flow pumps, heaters on a Ranco/Medusa, Metal Halides and water changes. Sometimes a frag tank or fuge. What else is there?

Pay attention to who does what and how their results are. Some of the best tanks out there are pretty simple.

"We" have not gone too far, but some people have. My anecdotal observation is that they are usually newer folks that want a tank like Copps in like 9 months... or have watched too many BRS videos and not read enough RHF articles.
 
As descibed in post #4

2d9d72304eee7ec16ed1bce0fdb366d0.jpg
 
I keep my tank pretty simple. I dose 2 part, oversized skimmer, good light and flow, and weekly water changes.
 
i have always used ca reactor, mht5, big skimmer and dsb/fuge and water changes ... and had great success, in the past.
for the life of me, i tried this on my current tank and just couldn't make it work..
the only difference, now is that i removed the dsb/fuge and have recently employed prodibio bacteria and trace mineral supplements and i am having much better growth.
I have no idea why i can't make it work without dosing a mineral supplement, now..
but I am always interested to see some good ol' KISS tanks.
 
I keep my tank pretty simple. I dose 2 part, oversized skimmer, good light and flow, and weekly water changes.

well, if there were ever a testament to supreme success while keeping it simple, it would be your tank, Conner!
 
I like simplicity!.

2 part dosing, weekly supplement of traces, amino, K, iodide, iron & strontium.

100% on bacteria driven system. Daily top off (1.5 lire RODI).

No water changes for me (more than 3 years).

Sight_2017_05_05_054204_378_zpsiedt9mwu.jpg
 
Hi guys who keep simple,

Let's see your tanks and acroporids please.

Thanks in anticipation.

+1...

I never try to link my tank equipment/cost/treatment to "simple", but got to be "smart" in operation, which end of "simple" in mind.

"Smart" will allow me travel all over the world without worry tank went bad, and able to remotely de-risk when necessary.


here is my tank....
33837278390_28caaf1641_c.jpg


If you are further interested, you can find my article in Q2 2017 Reef Hobbyist Magazine, the article title is "a control freak guide to reefing"
 
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I have a relatively simple tank. For filtration I have a big skimmer, lots of flow and weekly water changes. To keep Ca and Alk in balance I run a kalk stirrer through my ATO system and have a doser for two part. Lighting is LED so kind of high tech.

IMG_1067-L.jpg


image-L.jpg
 
I think therman and jda should share their current tanks :). This thread could help a lot of people get back to the basics if experienced reefers share their tanks here.
 
I have a relatively simple tank. For filtration I have a big skimmer, lots of flow and weekly water changes. To keep Ca and Alk in balance I run a kalk stirrer through my ATO system and have a doser for two part. Lighting is LED so kind of high tech.

IMG_1067-L.jpg


image-L.jpg

Nothing but skimmer for filtration? You have almost no rock on your display and you are not using matrix/siporax/marinepure. What are your NO3/PO4 levels? I'd like my sump to be as clean and "empty" as yours is.
 
Nothing but skimmer for filtration? You have almost no rock on your display and you are not using matrix/siporax/marinepure. What are your NO3/PO4 levels? I'd like my sump to be as clean and "empty" as yours is.

What you see is what I got and nothing else. Honestly, I do not monitor those. My sump is not so clean anymore. That shot is from not long after I set up the tank.
 
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