Just a few tips and tricks for those new to SPS and reefing....
- Thread starter SunnyX
- Start date
macreefster
New member
i feed often, about 5 times a day, but in very little amounts. the food is consumed in about thirty seconds. it probably still adds up to about 4 frozen cube sized portions a day. maybe i should cut back some? i thought one of the advantages of vodka dosing was to be able to feed the fish more. my nitrates are constant at about 2ppm and i cant get a phosphate reading on my elos test kit. i don't have any nuisance algae either so i would assume my nutrients are quite low. oh yeah, i lost a good sized blue tube sponge colony since dosing the vodka so i've started feeding the tank rotifeast so as not to starve out the remaining blue tube sponge and the coco worm.
maybe after easter weekend we can get together sonny as i'd love to not only see your system in person, but have you review my system.
maybe after easter weekend we can get together sonny as i'd love to not only see your system in person, but have you review my system.
cwegescheide
YOU have been ignored!
HUH???? First paragraph you say you cannot use P04 remover and the second you say you use phosban? Your running something like Zeovit? I'm pretty sure they do not reccomend using any P04 remover at all.
cwegescheide
YOU have been ignored!
Ahhh ok I missed that lol
Reefer08
New member
Great thread!! Finally someone created something like this! Ill post a few of my tips and tricks that have helped me out although they are very basic and simple 
- Invest in a quality controller! Ive had way too many heater malfunctions (heater won't turn off or simply wont turn on!) and now its nice to have a piece of mind that my controller will turn on the heater or Fans for chilling.
- Change your filter socks as often as possible! I bleach mine and let them completely dry everytime I wash then in the washing machine. Its also good to buy several so you can rotate them!
- Let your skimmer overflow for about 2 or 3 seconds, this will clean your neck a little.
- If you skim wet, test your salinity frequently.
- ATO is the best investment! Stable salinity is a must! Buy quality ATO with a failsafe! The last thing you want is a stuck float valve with no failsafe to turn it off.
- Always have fresh saltwater and Ro/di water on hand! You never know when an accident might happen.
- Try to limit the amount of times you put your hand in your tank! Im very guilty of this! My gf thinks I pet my corals!! lol
- Keep all power cables as neat as possible, ZIP TIE everything! Label them also to know what your unplugging while doing maintenence!
- Properly acclimate your sps, starting them off on the floor. Too little light is always better than too much light.
- Invest in some type of automated Calcium/alkalinity device.
- Buy quality equipment! Cheap equipment will cost you double in the future, do it right the first time.
- If you don't have good equipment, do buy LE corals. Invest in equipment since thats more important. I can make a cheap sps coral look nicer in a system with good equipment vs an LE in a system with cheap equipment.
- Weekly water changes of only 10 percent or 15 percent maximum. Huge water changes are too stressful for sps.
- If your doing kalkwasser watch your PH!!! Drip it slowly or get an ato thats very sensitive to evaporation.
- Invest in a quality controller! Ive had way too many heater malfunctions (heater won't turn off or simply wont turn on!) and now its nice to have a piece of mind that my controller will turn on the heater or Fans for chilling.
- Change your filter socks as often as possible! I bleach mine and let them completely dry everytime I wash then in the washing machine. Its also good to buy several so you can rotate them!
- Let your skimmer overflow for about 2 or 3 seconds, this will clean your neck a little.
- If you skim wet, test your salinity frequently.
- ATO is the best investment! Stable salinity is a must! Buy quality ATO with a failsafe! The last thing you want is a stuck float valve with no failsafe to turn it off.
- Always have fresh saltwater and Ro/di water on hand! You never know when an accident might happen.
- Try to limit the amount of times you put your hand in your tank! Im very guilty of this! My gf thinks I pet my corals!! lol
- Keep all power cables as neat as possible, ZIP TIE everything! Label them also to know what your unplugging while doing maintenence!
- Properly acclimate your sps, starting them off on the floor. Too little light is always better than too much light.
- Invest in some type of automated Calcium/alkalinity device.
- Buy quality equipment! Cheap equipment will cost you double in the future, do it right the first time.
- If you don't have good equipment, do buy LE corals. Invest in equipment since thats more important. I can make a cheap sps coral look nicer in a system with good equipment vs an LE in a system with cheap equipment.
- Weekly water changes of only 10 percent or 15 percent maximum. Huge water changes are too stressful for sps.
- If your doing kalkwasser watch your PH!!! Drip it slowly or get an ato thats very sensitive to evaporation.
Reefer08
New member
- Always use 0 TDS and nothing else.
- Always use a good quality salt. Ive read about cheap salt containing phosphates and either high alkalinity or super low. I personally like D&D.
- Only take advice from people who have successful reef tanks! Too many people try to give their opinion and they don't have a nice tank to back it up!
- Never trust your lfs opinion if he doesn't have a nice display tank and everything is half dying!
- Always use a good quality salt. Ive read about cheap salt containing phosphates and either high alkalinity or super low. I personally like D&D.
- Only take advice from people who have successful reef tanks! Too many people try to give their opinion and they don't have a nice tank to back it up!
- Never trust your lfs opinion if he doesn't have a nice display tank and everything is half dying!
60Cubed
Premium Member
I second that!
Also I always write down the day I introduce a new bulb. Too many people fail to remember the actual date they added a particular light bulb. Then the lights get older and older.
How many times have you heard "My lights are about...um...6 months maybe 7 months." and in reality they are over a year! And you wonder why your tank looks like crap!
60Cubed
Premium Member
Both these statements are sooo true! The wife thing is right on!
I learned that trick along time ago. You should tell her that you have to have it for a specific reason. And that the tank cannot be without it. Explain to her how much money you have invested already and that it would be in vein if it all died because of lack of this one piece of equipment! But it isn't your last piece. Especially if you are an equipment junkie like me!
boret
Premium Member
This is a list from my local reef club. When I started it provided me with great ideas.
1. First Get A Turkey Baster!!!! If you don't already use one, get a clean new TB; Jack of All Reef Tools! Blows detritus off rocks; sucks up unwanted "stuff"; use it to target feed corals; and the list goes on.
2. Dog toothbrushes are a reefers second best friend (see above for the first). Get the kind with a large and small end are the best, 2 in 1.
3. Want to vacuum the tank without having to do a water change?? Just get some 3/8" flex tubing....or whatever size you want and put a fine mesh bag or a nylon on the end of it and rubber band/tie it on. Then stick the end w/ the bag into your sump. Start the siphon as mentioned below and vacuum away! The bag will filter all detritus /flatworms/ valonia/ whatever and let the water pass right thru.
4. Start your siphons by placing the submerged end of the hose in front of a power-head.
5. Vinegar is good for soaking pump/power-head impellers--it dissolves the CaCO3 that tends to build up on the internals.
6. If you have a venturi skimmer, drop the air tube into a cup of hot RO/DI water once a week to get rid of any salt creep into the venturi (remove the air line muffler if equipped).
7. I stick a scotch pad (synthetic 0000 steel wool) between my magnets (on the inside of the tank) which I rinse out frequently when cleaning my GLASS TANK.
8. The life of wooden air diffusers can be extended by heating them up in the microwave for 3-5 minutes. So when its time to change the diffuser,, pop it in the microwave and you'll be able to use it again.
9. You can make spray bars out of PVC instead of buying return nozzles.
10. Have clams for dinner. Wash shells, and use them to cover annoying algae patches on you rock...after a week or two the algae will be dead and gone for lack of light.
11. When catching a fish out of a tank use a rose vase. One of the big one's, for dozen roses, which has a large opening curves down for the neck, and then open back up. Put in a piece of food and set the vase on the side at the bottom of the tank. The curve in the neck will stop the food from floating out. Once the fish is in put your hand over the opening and pull it out. Most fish swim away from your hand so even if you are not fast enough to cover it they will probably stay in.
12. Place rubber matting underneath all of your equipment. It comes in 4 foot wide rolls at most hardware stores and is indispensable. It protects the floor beneath and helps isolate vibration. Its grooved surface helps control spills. You can curl it wherever it meets a wall to keep water from leaking out.
13. Save all the disposable plastic containers you get, eventually you'll find a reef use for them.
14. Put a piece of aluminum foil on top of your tank over your overflow to block light, keeps nuisance algae from growing in there and you don't have to clean gunk out of the overflow teeth.
15. If you have a deep tank, invest in a small step ladder. (2 or 3 steps) Instead of having a chair around, use the ladder to access your tank.
16. Finally, and this has been said before, keep a journal!! It doesn't have to be fancy or completely detailed, but one needs to record actions, observations, and perceived results. Water changes, livestock additions (or losses), bulb changes, etc, this things are forgotten and overlooked until something comes up, and then it's too late.
1. First Get A Turkey Baster!!!! If you don't already use one, get a clean new TB; Jack of All Reef Tools! Blows detritus off rocks; sucks up unwanted "stuff"; use it to target feed corals; and the list goes on.
2. Dog toothbrushes are a reefers second best friend (see above for the first). Get the kind with a large and small end are the best, 2 in 1.
3. Want to vacuum the tank without having to do a water change?? Just get some 3/8" flex tubing....or whatever size you want and put a fine mesh bag or a nylon on the end of it and rubber band/tie it on. Then stick the end w/ the bag into your sump. Start the siphon as mentioned below and vacuum away! The bag will filter all detritus /flatworms/ valonia/ whatever and let the water pass right thru.
4. Start your siphons by placing the submerged end of the hose in front of a power-head.
5. Vinegar is good for soaking pump/power-head impellers--it dissolves the CaCO3 that tends to build up on the internals.
6. If you have a venturi skimmer, drop the air tube into a cup of hot RO/DI water once a week to get rid of any salt creep into the venturi (remove the air line muffler if equipped).
7. I stick a scotch pad (synthetic 0000 steel wool) between my magnets (on the inside of the tank) which I rinse out frequently when cleaning my GLASS TANK.
8. The life of wooden air diffusers can be extended by heating them up in the microwave for 3-5 minutes. So when its time to change the diffuser,, pop it in the microwave and you'll be able to use it again.
9. You can make spray bars out of PVC instead of buying return nozzles.
10. Have clams for dinner. Wash shells, and use them to cover annoying algae patches on you rock...after a week or two the algae will be dead and gone for lack of light.
11. When catching a fish out of a tank use a rose vase. One of the big one's, for dozen roses, which has a large opening curves down for the neck, and then open back up. Put in a piece of food and set the vase on the side at the bottom of the tank. The curve in the neck will stop the food from floating out. Once the fish is in put your hand over the opening and pull it out. Most fish swim away from your hand so even if you are not fast enough to cover it they will probably stay in.
12. Place rubber matting underneath all of your equipment. It comes in 4 foot wide rolls at most hardware stores and is indispensable. It protects the floor beneath and helps isolate vibration. Its grooved surface helps control spills. You can curl it wherever it meets a wall to keep water from leaking out.
13. Save all the disposable plastic containers you get, eventually you'll find a reef use for them.
14. Put a piece of aluminum foil on top of your tank over your overflow to block light, keeps nuisance algae from growing in there and you don't have to clean gunk out of the overflow teeth.
15. If you have a deep tank, invest in a small step ladder. (2 or 3 steps) Instead of having a chair around, use the ladder to access your tank.
16. Finally, and this has been said before, keep a journal!! It doesn't have to be fancy or completely detailed, but one needs to record actions, observations, and perceived results. Water changes, livestock additions (or losses), bulb changes, etc, this things are forgotten and overlooked until something comes up, and then it's too late.
macreefster
New member
this may sound like a stupid question, but what is cooking rock and why would it be done? in all the years i've had reefs i've always bought cured rock and have never done anything with it.
