Greatest improvment on tank

9501gle

New member
OK so I,ve just kickstarted the ole tank up again. Running 3 weeks now. I'm looking for ideas, old or new. What have you done to your tank that u would consider to be the greatest improvement. I,m mainly looking for husbandry methods or dosing techniques. I know this is a broad spectrum and all comments welcome. Before and after pics would be awsome too so feel free to postem up.
 
Tunze Osmolator ATO and a pair of MP40wes. This may look like I'm just posting equipment, but these additions helped my tank out dramatically. The ATO with kalkwasser helps keep my ph up and the mp40wes set on nutrient transport mode helps keep the detritus kicked up in the water column where it can make its way to the sump.
I hope I'm on the right track answering your question.
 
The best thing I did for my tank was left it alone. I quit screwing with the sand and rocks and let them be. I still do the needed water changes, but I don't move things around at all anymore.... unless a new coral needs a home.
 
I am kinda in the same boat. Just got serious again about the hobby and upgraded everything. MH to T-5 (if i would have waited a little longer may have gone to LED), went to better skimmer, better powerheads with wave maker, no wet dry all live rock, better return pump, sump serperated with heigth staggered baffles, led light in sump for Cheato, auto water top off new, all new filters for water filter system and new bowfront tank and stand.

The point of all this is, with all these upgrades the one that stands out the most is the water top off system. I bought a perastolic pump in combination with an electronic timer and float swith to replace evaporated water (RODI of course) with kalk. Seems fairly geekish to me but that is friggen awesome to me. But let me tell you, life is so much easier. I just have a seperate tank with mixed top off water and the worst chore of maintaining a tank is over. I have it set to add water for fifteen minutes every hour at night until the float swith is happy. Tank is new but happy and I only have to add top off water once every 3 weeks and monthly water changes.

Good luck with the new tank!!
 
Dosing pumps. Prior to this, I would dose 2-part manually. It was a bit tedious and parameters (pH especially) would fluctuate quite a bit. The pumps with reservoirs make it easier on me and my livestock.
 
Great info everyone. Keep it coming. I'm definatly gonna get some powerheads this time. Havent decided on which kind yet. And the ATO is also on my gotta get list.
 
properly cycling the tank... essentially your looking at a 3 month process to allow the bacteria to 'clean' the rocks of any bound up nutrients before adding anything to the tank. The results...strong bacteria denitrification, much less bacterial activity(bacterial counts support the life in my tank vs consume nutrients/death in rocks and keep phosphate/nitrate under control).
Great protein skimmer. Nothing keeps a tank pristine better than a good size skimmer paired with a UV... It is great not being a slave to carbon/gfo/ filter socks and large water changes.
 
ATO plus in-line kalkwasser reactor. Not only does this take care of my most common chore (top-off) it helps keep alk and pH solid. Hands down this has been my biggest effort saver.
 
Save yourself money for power heads and get a wave maker from ecotech. I know there are others but from what I've read these are amazing,nthiswill be my next upgrade. I need power heads also mine are good but the bigger one itsn the greatest shape.im just going to save money and get 1 of the wave makers , also save on outlets.
 
Probably my avast ATO and the addition of kalk into my top off reservoir. You never really know how much time and effort is involved in doing top offs everyday until you don't have to do them anymore. Can't believe I did it manually for 5 years..
 
I'd say my new avast cs1 protein skimmer, totally cleared up my water in 3 days! So my vote is on a good high quality skimmer
 
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