The Dirty SPS Tank Club
- Thread starter Alex T.
- Start date
Bratyboy2
New member
Lol I can't help to agree!
Alex T.
Active member
Club membership is based on parameters. Imagine what they'd read if I didn't do it? Plus, it's my club! I make the rules...:lolspin:
See above.
If I didn't stir the sand bed and blow the rocks off as violently as I do, there wouldn't be that much getting past my filter sock either. I got the idea after watching a how to video from vivid aquariums on Youtube on how they maintain their huge mixed reef store display. I've been doing it ever since and it works very well. Before doing it I wouldn't need to change the filter sock that often, but it's much easier to shop vac the sump than to root around in the display with a siphon tube trying not to knock things over. As for the gobies, I always thought they were jumpers, and my Leopard Wrasse has a fondness for kicking around in the sand a few times per day which makes the water a little cloudy for a while; so right now him and the large Nassarius snails are helping to accomplish this for me . I want to add more fish, but my Achilles tang has become very aggressive, and a newcomer is sure to be harassed or much worse. I set up the tank to accommodate this beautiful fish, and want to stay true to my original plan. I may add some Anthias in the next few months, but that may be it for this tank.
Lastly, a couple hours after an induced sand storm my skimmer pulls some foul stuff out of the water that otherwise would have been left to accumulate in the display. It's really how much I feed that keeps my nitrates and phosphates elevated, but right now everything's right where I want it.
Alex T.
Active member
For your sake I hope you do. The whole process of stirring the sand and blowing off the rocks takes less than 5 minutes. You probably spend more time than that here on RC each day. Vacuuming the sump is done in about the same amount of time during a water change.
afernandez
Never Quit!!
Hahaha I also shoppvac my sump every other w/c so
I would say every 2weeks -/+ and it works really well!
And I also wipe it & scrub it
(and yes every time I wipe my front glass I wipe my sump)
Not OCD at all I think it should be implemented more... It's part of weekly maintenance usually have to do my wc Sunday morning before my wife & daughter wakes up
I would say every 2weeks -/+ and it works really well!
And I also wipe it & scrub it
(and yes every time I wipe my front glass I wipe my sump)
Not OCD at all I think it should be implemented more... It's part of weekly maintenance usually have to do my wc Sunday morning before my wife & daughter wakes up
Alex T.
Active member
Lol currently working 2 jobs...have not been home since 7 this morning and won't be home till 11...but I see your point but I'm on my phone doing all this lol
I hear ya. I consider it no different a task than feeding the fish.
Hahaha I also shoppvac my sump every other w/c so
I would say every 2weeks -/+ and it works really well!
And I also wipe it & scrub it
(and yes every time I wipe my front glass I wipe my sump)
Not OCD at all I think it should be implemented more... It's part of weekly maintenance usually have to do my wc Sunday morning before my wife & daughter wakes up
You sound exactly like me. My water changes are Sunday morning after I walk my dogs. I make a cup 'o joe as the sun's coming up and start cleaning the tank. Usually I'm watching tv by the time my wife and 2 daughters are rolling out of bed. I don't need my wife complaining any more than she already does about my time with the tank. She sarcastically asks in a childish voice if I'm talking to all my little reefer friends whenever she sees me on my laptop...:lmao:
Alex T.
Active member
That's a club all in itself!
Arkayology
Active member
We've all drank the koolaid :beer:
biggles
Premium Member
Sump has a skimmer and live rock and lately i run half a cup of GFO in a bag about 2 weeks each month. The sump is not cleaned just because i can't be stuffed doing it and i've done 3 water changes in the 10.5 months since starting the tank. Everything is wild collected.
There's a myriad of ways to run an SPS tank and mine is targeted towards those who suffer from congenital laziness and a distinct lack of funds......... :worried:
There's a myriad of ways to run an SPS tank and mine is targeted towards those who suffer from congenital laziness and a distinct lack of funds......... :worried:
Reef or Die
New member
Wow biggles... For what you claim to be a low maintenance tank it is quite impressive. Nice job!!! What model skimmer are you using? Also, do you dose 2 part for ca and alk?
biggles
Premium Member
Hi mate, i use a Deltec SC1455 which is rated for at least twice my total water volume. I only run such a largely over rated skimmer because i feed a lot each day. I have live rock in the sump as well purely for filtration. I have used a turkey baster in the sump about 6 times to stir anything up which usually creates a filthy display but the acros PE goes nuts when the water clouds up so i also throw some reef roids in at the same time.
I dose bi carb soda from the supermarket, SPA water hardener (calcium chloride) from the pool shop and Seachem magnesium. I also keep potassium at 400 since seeing first hand the difference raising it from 300 has made in just 2 weeks to both colors and growth.
I think using all quality fresh live rock allows one to achieve what most call 'tank maturity' much sooner than when starting with sterile dry rock and my sump and display have healthy populations of pods and mysis, i don't use socks etc. I always like to have a small amount of algae visible at all times but nothing that the snails can't sort out in a day or two.
Alex T.
Active member
Very nice. You found out what works and run with it. Mind my asking what your alkalinity, photoperiod, nitrate and phosphate readings are?
sanchoy
New member
From my experience, most Aquacultured corals performed better with dirty tanks and most pieces thrived such as my (Red planet, Blue Torts, Montiporas, Digitatas, Milliporas (rose,Blue,Metallic, Bubblegum).
While other species such as (echinatas, deep water, Lokinas) looked worse and performed better under ULNS.
some pieces bloomed, while others stunted and RTN.
Alex T.
Active member
This is interesting. I do have 99% aquacultured corals, but my blue tort was mounted to a cement base so I'm assuming it was mariculture. It's doing well, but not as well as the others in growth. I can't speak for any wild echinata corals, as I only have the Hawkins Blue right now.
Thanks for posting. Anybody else observed this?
Coral Head
New member
AquaC EV-180 Protein Skimmer. TWV of 80 gallons.
