How to run low maintenance tank?

[BPro32]

I've been out of the hobby about a year, and I plan to get back in within the next 6 months or a year but the only way I'll get back into the hobby is if I can find out a way to make maintenance extremely easy. I don't want to have to lift buckets and pour water into a sump, I want it to be as basic as possible.

What do you do to keep your maintenance easy?

 

[brandon429]

the question is whether or not you have to have fish

if not, there is a way to design a pico reef that is less work than any other tank and you can still keep the same corals and inverts. it also doesn't evaporate like large tanks so you can go days in between topoffs if needed. if you arent in the market for a specialized pico reef then standard reefkeeping rules apply and you can buy automated system$ to do the manual work for you

heres the exact workload of the pico reef in case you wondered

each week change a gallon of water and feed the system right before, dont feed midweek

3 days a week you add a doser

you topoff once or twice a week

thats about it. automation and big filtration is how to get what you want with a bigger setup

 

[BPro32]

Yeah, I would have to have fish. I'm thinking in the range of 30-40 gallons. I don't mind having to do bigger water changes I just want to make them extremely easy. I'm also ok with nothing but soft corals so I hopefully will not need to dose frequently.

 

[mgrmax]

Lately, I have been doing a small water change once a week. It seems to keep my levels in check without dosing. I've streamlined my system down to about 1/2 hour a week by keeping saltwater mixed at all times in a 20 gallon Rubbermaid. I have a pump that pumps the mixed sw straight into the sump.

I also automated my top off. I spent a little more up front on this system but it has paid of dramatically on saving time.

 

[BPro32]

I have an auto top off from autotopoff.com left over from my last system so that will be easy. My biggest issue from last time was that I didn't want to fill up a bucket and wait for the water to heat up and I also didn't want lug a rubbermaid tub around for every water change. Maybe if I get some kind of storage container that can look like furniture and also house a water change container that would solve my issue... Thanks so far, let's keep the creative juices flowing!

 

[mgrmax]

Describe your set up. Where is the tank located etc.

 

[BPro32]

I don't have a tank yet, so I have options, but the last time I had a tank set up it was near the front door, with a small wall in the back and the living room behind the tank. I used to have a really long hose and I would pump water right out of the sump into the front yard where there is a drain. I could have a decorative dresser or other type of stand where I could hide an aquarium to use for water changes behind the wall in the living room as long as the pump is quiet.

 

[tkeracer619]

I could tell you but then I would have to...





stay up later.

Will respond tomorrow and if I don't send me a pm. I spend about 30 minutes a week on the roughly 1000 gallons of water in my house.

This is easier with bigger tanks so keep that in mind.

 

[BPro32]

I could tell you but then I would have to...





stay up later.

Will respond tomorrow and if I don't send me a pm. I spend about 30 minutes a week on the roughly 1000 gallons of water in my house.

This is easier with bigger tanks so keep that in mind.

That sounds awesome, thank you! I've had everything from 10g tanks to 190g and I learned as long as the maintenance is easy, I'll stick with it but I hated mixing and warming up 40g of water for the big water changes so I didn't do them very often and the big tank had to come down.

 

[Reefin' Dude]

use a conical settling tank and have a BB display. use the flow in the display to move all of the detritus into the conical settling tank. then once a week turn the valve on the cone end and release all of the detritus. then put replacement water in.

the less detritus you keep as a pet, the less maintenance you need to do.

G~

 

[Navyblue]

Low maintenance is my motto. These would be the ideals:

- Keep only hardy species
- Keep only non calcium consuming animals
- Reasonable bioload
- Good LS compatibility
- Quarantine all fishes
- Feed only pellets
- Have enough detrivores and scavengers (but not too many)
- Good skimmer
- Good pumps (they can run without regular cleaning)
- Macro algae refugium
- Start with highish Ca, KH, MG, and test them years later
- ATO system
- Autofeeder

The only regular maintenance are:

- Clean glass
- Clear skimmer cup
- Trim macro algae
- Top up water reservoir
- Top up auto feeder

No water testing (I have no detectable N and P), no water changes. I have once run a system like this for years, until a chiller failure cooked my tank. A temperature controller should prevent that. When I rebuild the tank, unfortunately I no longer keep to those rules.

And don't let anything die! If they do, you have to replace them, and it is a lot of work running quarantine/treatment tank.

 

[RonV]

When I installed my tank I wanted it as maintenance free as possible so I cut a hole under the stand and instilled a drain in the floor and connected it to the sewer pipe. I had a extra 3/4 hole drilled in the tank and had a 3/4 ball valve with a hose running to the drain. That is how I drain the tank. To refill the tank I instilled a 65 gal. vat in the utility room and ran a line under the house to the top of the tank. When I installed the vat I put 2 pumps in line with the outputs facing each other. One pumps to the tank and the other sucks back the water in the line. The pump that pumps to the tank is remote controlled using a Penn State Industrial remote control and receiver switch made for dust collectors. The suck back to tank pump I plug into the wall outlet just long enough to suck the water left in the line back to the vat then close the ball valve. I can do a 25 gal water change in 10 to 15 min.

 

[Tradewinds]

use a conical settling tank and have a BB display. use the flow in the display to move all of the detritus into the conical settling tank. then once a week turn the valve on the cone end and release all of the detritus. then put replacement water in.

the less detritus you keep as a pet, the less maintenance you need to do.

G~

I did a (Reef Central) search on conical settling tank and couldn't find much information on the topic. If your running such a system, not just theory, I would be interested in hearing more.

 

[coralsnaked]

Lots and lots of high quality rock makes for the most low maintance reef possible. If you use high quality deepwater tonga rock or the likes in an amount of approaching 2 lbs per gallon of water you will do very little maintance and very few water changes if you stick to a regimented dosing schedule. Personally I prefer dosing elements than replacing water. Doesn't hurt to boost filtration and oxygenation with a quality skimmer designed for nearly twice the capacity needed.

Merry Skerry

 

[potterjon]

Auto top off with kalk for sure. It will enable you to keep some hard corals and clams. A vat with new saltwater and a pump on a remote switch with a line to your tank. Drop another pump in the tank with line attached to a pump to pump water out the window for water changes. pump out water from display until you hit the line on your tank for percentage of water change. Mark your tank at %10 %15 and %20.
After you are done pumping water out of your display. Turn on remote switch to vat with saltwater. Fill to the line.

 

[BPro32]

use a conical settling tank and have a BB display. use the flow in the display to move all of the detritus into the conical settling tank. then once a week turn the valve on the cone end and release all of the detritus. then put replacement water in.

the less detritus you keep as a pet, the less maintenance you need to do.

G~

This sounds great could you explain more what a conical settling tank is? I have always had issues with detritus in the sump and would love to have a way to easily get rid of it.

 

[Reefin' Dude]

I did a (Reef Central) search on conical settling tank and couldn't find much information on the topic. If your running such a system, not just theory, I would be interested in hearing more.

This sounds great could you explain more what a conical settling tank is? I have always had issues with detritus in the sump and would love to have a way to easily get rid of it.

here is a picture of my conical settling tank. i was not able to integrate it into my system before i was kicked out of the house by the cheating home wrecker. another member on another forum did integrate one into their system and the only complaint they had is that the detritus sticks a little to the HDPE sides of the tank, but a simple whack with a rubber mallet fixes that.

the concept is no different than using a cesspool (sorry refugium). slow the flow down as much as possible and let the detritus accumulate in an easy to clean area instead of in hard to reach areas. i was/am going to plumb the tank directly after the drain and before the sump. i have not decided if i am going to plumb the UV before or after the settling tank, probably before. instead of using a siphon, just turn the valve on the cone end. instant nutrient removal.

i plan on putting a flow break in the tank where the conical part starts. the water will go into the tank below the flow break and exit as high up and in the middle of the tank as possible.

keeping SPS is wicked easy and very low maintenance. the only thing that makes keeping SPS difficult is keeping the phosphates out. if you remove all detritus, then the SPS grow like bonkers. they come from an oligotrophic environment. keeping poo as a pet is not what they need. with 100x flow in the display, BB, multiple CLS behind the LR structure and a flow through the sump that matched the processing ability of my skimmer, i would only spend 30min a week doing all maintenance. i would not have to put my hands in the display at all except once a month to clean the sand out that had formed from bacterial action in the LR. water changes and kalk maintained all levels even with 7 clams and plenty of SPS frags and colonies. two of the clams were over 5" long. the matched flow in the sump allowed all detritus collect there. a quick 5 minutes with the siphon and 5-10g of new ASW was all that was needed to do 90% of the maintenance.

G~

 

[BPro32]

here is a picture of my conical settling tank. i was not able to integrate it into my system before i was kicked out of the house by the cheating home wrecker. another member on another forum did integrate one into their system and the only complaint they had is that the detritus sticks a little to the HDPE sides of the tank, but a simple whack with a rubber mallet fixes that.

the concept is no different than using a cesspool (sorry refugium). slow the flow down as much as possible and let the detritus accumulate in an easy to clean area instead of in hard to reach areas. i was/am going to plumb the tank directly after the drain and before the sump. i have not decided if i am going to plumb the UV before or after the settling tank, probably before. instead of using a siphon, just turn the valve on the cone end. instant nutrient removal.

i plan on putting a flow break in the tank where the conical part starts. the water will go into the tank below the flow break and exit as high up and in the middle of the tank as possible.

keeping SPS is wicked easy and very low maintenance. the only thing that makes keeping SPS difficult is keeping the phosphates out. if you remove all detritus, then the SPS grow like bonkers. they come from an oligotrophic environment. keeping poo as a pet is not what they need. with 100x flow in the display, BB, multiple CLS behind the LR structure and a flow through the sump that matched the processing ability of my skimmer, i would only spend 30min a week doing all maintenance. i would not have to put my hands in the display at all except once a month to clean the sand out that had formed from bacterial action in the LR. water changes and kalk maintained all levels even with 7 clams and plenty of SPS frags and colonies. two of the clams were over 5" long. the matched flow in the sump allowed all detritus collect there. a quick 5 minutes with the siphon and 5-10g of new ASW was all that was needed to do 90% of the maintenance.

G~

Sounds pretty cool. Would a soda bottle work for a nano? lol

 

[grcforce327]

Move to a clean coast on the waterfront, and plumb the ocean water in and out.

 

[Breadman03]

Here is a link to a store that has a pretty big variety of tanks. For my dream tank, I would like to incorporate one of these by having a beananimal drain into a small chamber that would then flow into a full drain conical tank for settling.from there, it would travel to either a skimmer or ATS before being pumped back to the tank. Water changes would be very easy as long as it is positioned near or plumbed to a drain.

http://www.plastic-mart.com/product/3574/35-gallon-full-drain-inductor-tanks-with-poly-legs-ibfd35-set