My zero maintenance, under equipped 150 experiment

[emoutz]

After keeping marine and freshwater fish for many years, I am utterly in love with reefs. However, the time, equipment, money, and upkeep they require are too much for me. Therefore, I have decided to take the equipment I already own and attempt to piece together a reef system that will require minimal maintenance but still keep me smiling.

The challenge I am setting for myself is a tank that can survive without water changes for 6 months, is topped off with tap water, and that will support softies, fish and inverts. I the past, I had a 90 gallon tank that survived with little more than this level of care for some time (until a tanksitting friend trashed it).

The equipment I am working with is:

150 g rr tank w/ 30 gallon sump
8x54 t5 lights with icecap reflectors and ballasts
mag (24 I think) return pump
2 tunze 6100s
1 vortec
ebo heaters
old euroreef skimmer suitable for a 125
1 media reactor (for possible carbon in an emergency)

My tap water is well water in Boulder county. I've had it tested for everything within reason and it is clean, free of nitrates and nitrites, and naturally alkaline (ph = 8).

This tank should have too little light, too little flow, and be miserable with my tap water.

I am testing plumbing tonight and will follow up as the project develops. I still might bail, but for now it is full steam ahead. I'll be looking for sand and LR soon.

 

[Tyronius]

Very interesting, looking forward to following the thread. Oh, and good luck!

 

[Dave & Monica]

I've heard of others who don't do water changes. Sounds tempting. I once went almost two months without a water change but things weren't looking good at that point. My corals really respond to water changes. Good luck...

 

[emoutz]

Update:

Tank is filled with sump and all pumps operational. Fixed a small leaks around one bulkhead (using the time tested "bury it in silicon" method after several attempts at the "right way"). Going to test the plumbing over the weekend, let temps stablize, and then look at add sand and LR.

So if anyone is breaking down their tank and wants to get rid of some sand and LR cheap, let me know .

 

[wirick181]

sounds interesting i will keep up on this thread

 

[zombiereef]

it will work. I'm not worried. put a deep sand bed area in your sump/fuge and you will be golden. i have a 12x12x8" deep sand bed in my 30g fuge and it works wonders for my tank. zero nitrates-ever.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

After keeping marine and freshwater fish for many years, I am utterly in love with reefs. However, the time, equipment, money, and upkeep they require are too much for me. Therefore, I have decided to take the equipment I already own and attempt to piece together a reef system that will require minimal maintenance but still keep me smiling.

The challenge I am setting for myself is a tank that can survive without water changes for 6 months, is topped off with tap water, and that will support softies, fish and inverts. I the past, I had a 90 gallon tank that survived with little more than this level of care for some time (until a tanksitting friend trashed it).

The equipment I am working with is:

150 g rr tank w/ 30 gallon sump
8x54 t5 lights with icecap reflectors and ballasts
mag (24 I think) return pump
2 tunze 6100s
1 vortec
ebo heaters
old euroreef skimmer suitable for a 125
1 media reactor (for possible carbon in an emergency)

My tap water is well water in Boulder county. I've had it tested for everything within reason and it is clean, free of nitrates and nitrites, and naturally alkaline (ph = 8).

This tank should have too little light, too little flow, and be miserable with my tap water.

I am testing plumbing tonight and will follow up as the project develops. I still might bail, but for now it is full steam ahead. I'll be looking for sand and LR soon.

I ran my 125 reef in montana off a community well and it did great. The guy that tended the well gave me the lab report numbers and it was good stuff, filtered up through limestone at some point, my calcium levers hung over 500 without dosing.

As far as your premise that you have too little flow and light I don't think so. A vortec and 2 Tunze's will give some kicking flow and an 8x54 watt Ice Cap T5 system will give you enough light to raise most critters properly place.

There was a guy from another board that did this type on an experiment on a 55. He used egg crate to create a refugium in the rear of the tank. He went a year with no water changes or feeding and he had a few fish in the tank, as I remember it included a yellow tang. I tried to dig up the thread and can't find it now.