Comparing notes and habits for nanos

[kabal2]

I found this thread in the forum for large tanks http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=863937 , but we are nanos and I though the idea that dgasmd had was a great idea of sharing our habits and notes, so here we go

I have a 29g 90% sps

How often do you change water and what % of the total system? I change 4g weekly that is a bit over 10% of my total system.

What salt do you use and why? I use reef crystals, that's the one I start using and never had a problem with it

What type of carbon do you use and why? Marineland, I never study carbon to deeply and that's the easiest to find

Do you use a PO4 removing media? Why and how much? I use Phosban 100gr and change it every 6 weeks. No difference in performance compared to Rowaphos

How often do you feed and why/what? I feed every third day. I feed formula 1, and cyclopeeze once per week. I was feeding multiple times per day and all I got was a bunch of unwanted algae.

How often do you clean your glass? A few times a week, close to every day when I'm looking at my tank and once a month a razor blade for the stubborn stuff.

How often do you clean the skimmer cup? every week when I empty my collection cup.

Do you dose anything else? I dose Kent 2 part for my kalk and calcium, strodium* once every 2 weeks and mag once a week or as need it

What type of Ca reactor media do you use? no Ca reactor yet, but working in make something like the cleartides have

Do you buy most of your supplies online or locally? I get my stuff for my lfs, and the guys from the club, and just a few things online

If you are barebottom, how often do you vaccum the bottom? Realistically, about once a month, that's a pita

Do you clean your equipment and plumbing? How often? I clean the power heads once a month, and once a year the return pump and the pump for the skimmer. (never had a skimmer for more than 4 months"

How do you replace Ca/ALK? dose Kent 2 part calc and alk, and I have a kalk reactor

How often do you calibrate your controller/monitor probes?, once every 2 months or when I see my ph is out of wack

now your turn

 

[slapshot16]

10 Gallon Nano.

3 gallons every 2 weeks. Scrape glass once per week.

Dose zoo max every 3 days. Feed fish every day. Alternate between Pelets, flake, brine, plankton.

Plan: Add a skimmer. Start B-onic 2 part system.



I add calcium supplement as needed.

Thinking of switching to reef crystals. I currently use instant ocean. I test for nitrates every 2 weeks before the water change. Top-off every other day or so.

 

[DarkXerox]

29G 70% SPS 15% LPS 15% softie. 2 bartlett's anthias, 2 Percula clowns, 2 chromis, and a rainford's gobi. Tank has been running since Feb and has undergone a Dorm-->Home move in the last month (only lost 1 dendro polyp).

Very high flow, 450gph return, and two Seio 820s. Lighting in sig.

I do about 3-4 gallons per week of natural sea water (about 10%). I prefer NSW since I dont have to mix anything.

I use carbon in a little bag, Black Diamond from marineland since it was on sale. No PO4 media at all but I have a chaeto chamber in the sump set to a reverse cycle and I dose iron.

I feed twice a day, alternate brine w/ selcon, cyclopeeze, formula 1 flakes/frozen, mysis, etc.

I have to clean the acrylic about 2-3 times a week with a nimble magnet, but only spots here and there where film algae forms (it doesn't like the high flow). On the rounded edges, I use an algae pad when I do waterchanges.

Skimmer cup gets cleaned during waterchanges. I dose kalk, CaCl2, and CaCO3 to balance out levels. I'm going to get some magnesuim hexahydrate and epsom salts in a week then switch to Randy's mix. But no reactor and don't plan on it.

Have about a 2 inch sandbed, I might add more later on.

I clean out the skimmer once every 3 months or so since the venturi intake gets clogged.

I test bi monthly for Ca, Alk, and Mag. Salinity gets checked after each waterchange.

 

[LBCBJ]

18g clam/sps

How often do you change water and what % of the total system? I change 2g weekly or 12%

What salt do you use and why? The best reef salt on the market/most expensive. Period

What type of carbon do you use and why? Rowa, best on the market, lowest PO4

Do you use a PO4 removing media? Why and how much? Rowa

How often do you feed and why/what? Fish every day, DT's 1/2 tsp. 3 times per week

How often do you clean your glass? 1 every other week

How often do you clean the skimmer cup? every week when I empty my collection cup.

Do you dose anything else? C-Balance, Tropic Marin mag

Do you buy most of your supplies online or locally? Online, until I found Atlantis Aquariums in Richmond, VA (carry top-of-the-line you can't find anywhere else, like TM)

 

[kabal2]

guys thank you for play, that way we can see our methods and little tricks we have
thank you again

 

[nanomilk]

How often do you change water and what % of the total system? Between about 25% and 35% weekly. This equates to about 7 gallons on average for a 24 gallon tank. Depending on how much water I brought home. I only use Natural Sea Water.

What salt do you use and why? Never use mixed water. Only use natural.

What type of carbon do you use and why? Not sure of the brand. Only used carbon in the tank once. Just got whatever the LFS had available

Do you use a PO4 removing media? No.

How often do you feed and why/what? I feed frozen brine daily although I will sometimes skip a day or two. Occasionally I will feed a puply mixture of shrimp, squid, fish and any other marine I buy cheaply which get fed on a weekly basis to some corals.

How often do you clean your glass? Whenever the glass looks dirty. No more than once every two days. No less than once a week.

How often do you clean the skimmer cup? System is running skimmerless.

Do you dose anything else? I don't believe in dosing. All elements I believe are replaced by the NSW change every week.

What type of Ca reactor media do you use? Don't use a ca reactor.

Do you buy most of your supplies online or locally? Mainly locally. Although I have ordered things online but will always pick them up in person.

Do you clean your equipment and plumbing? Cleaned the powerhead once since setting up the tank 3 months ago.

How do you replace Ca/ALK? Havent needed to dose yet.

How often do you calibrate your controller/monitor probes? Havent needed to calibrate yet.

 

[flipteg]

tank: 30 gallon Oceanic Cube...

>8 months since set up...

50% soft corals

25% LPS

25% SPS

2 clams, percula clownfish, hi-fin goby, red head goby, and green-banded goby and some shrimps...

How often do you change water and what % of the total system? i try to do a 5 gallon water change every week, but really the last time i did a water change is more than 5 weeks ago...

What salt do you use and why? i don't know... i buy filtered saltwater from the store...

What type of carbon do you use and why? Marineland

Do you use a PO4 removing media? Rowaphos

How often do you feed and why/what? i feed the fishes once every 2 days... i feed the corals once every 2 weeks, every alternate Wednesday...

How often do you clean your glass? everytime i sit to watch the tank and notice that it's dirty...

How often do you clean the skimmer cup? about every 3-4 days...

Do you dose anything else? C-Balance and Kent iron...

What type of Ca reactor media do you use? no reactor

Do you buy most of your supplies online or locally? i've bought everything locally so far...

Do you clean your equipment and plumbing? not really...

How do you replace Ca/ALK? C-balance... although i use Turbo Calcium to boost my calcium up after water change...

How often do you calibrate your controller/monitor probes? my tank don't use any of those...

adding:
parameters?
salinity 1.025
temperature 78-80F (sometimes much warmer during one of those really humid summer days...)
calcium 435ppm
alkalinity 9dKH
nitrate <0.2mg/l
phosphate never tested
magnesium never tested

 

[kabal2]

any1 else want to share notes???