Time needed for a sps tank...
- Thread starter david76
- Start date
NaturalReef
Member
Hi David,
In my opinion, it depends on the size of tank, how many sps, and how much automation(ato,dosing pumps). I use Neptune Apex to keep me informed of trends and I dose accordingly. Alkalinity,calcium and magnesium are what I test for and I spend a hour a week to make sure levels are correct and sps color,polyp extension, general health are good. Soft corals were much more forgiving with tank parameters being off whereas sps will show you rather quickly they aren't happy. Hope that helps!
In my opinion, it depends on the size of tank, how many sps, and how much automation(ato,dosing pumps). I use Neptune Apex to keep me informed of trends and I dose accordingly. Alkalinity,calcium and magnesium are what I test for and I spend a hour a week to make sure levels are correct and sps color,polyp extension, general health are good. Soft corals were much more forgiving with tank parameters being off whereas sps will show you rather quickly they aren't happy. Hope that helps!
Spslvr
New member
If you ask my wife she will tell you I spend to much time, if you ask me ill say a couple hours a week, it all depends on the type of reefer you are, some like to be very hands on while others like to plug everything into a computer and set n forget, me personally I love tinkering so im always in the tank......always!!! lol
Thanks a lot mates. Now i have a mixed one. But the idea is to set up dominated acropora tank. But I have 2 little boys [emoji28] (2 and 5 y.o) and my wife also says I spend too much time [emoji33] I have the feeling to change but i really don,t know if it is a good moment. Maybe the solution is to expend money in automation...i will look for information about apex...thanks again!
Dugless
New member
I think automation is another tool to achieve the stability needed for SPS. However, I don't think it is a replacement for good husbandry. I have many items on my setup that are automated, but I still feel water changes, wiping walls, feeding, emptying skimmate, mixing and other miscellaneous items will require time. Unfortunately a successful aquarium is not set and forget.
russ265
New member
depends the size of the tank. 15% water change for me is the same as someone's entire tank and takes about 3 hours doing so and that is with a booster pump on the rodi unit.
if you have a 55 gallon. no issues. water change will do it's work. you start getting 80-125+ and dosers, reactors and such will be needed to keep your sanity.
i also agree automation is not a substitution for good husbandry. know thy tank, because it will throw you a curve ball every now and then to see if you are watching.
my .02
if you have a 55 gallon. no issues. water change will do it's work. you start getting 80-125+ and dosers, reactors and such will be needed to keep your sanity.
i also agree automation is not a substitution for good husbandry. know thy tank, because it will throw you a curve ball every now and then to see if you are watching.
my .02
Wazzel
New member
If you automate top off, dosing and lights not much per day. I spend maybe 15 minutes on the tank most days. On maintenance day an hour or so doing the water change, mixing two part, testing, etc.. When I have to rescale or really clean something longer, but that is not every week. That does not include the offline stuff like making water and what not.
I have a 250; on normal weeks I spend 30-60 minutes a week on the tank. This includes a small water change, cleaning the glass a couple times, feeding, and checking the Alk (sometimes Nitrate, CA, or MG).
The bigger challenges are the unexpected issues/upgrades, and your dedication to fix them the right way. Some examples: main pump dies, setting up and tuning CA reactor, treating a sick fish/coral, treating pests (red bugs - ok, nudis - rip...).
The bigger challenges are the unexpected issues/upgrades, and your dedication to fix them the right way. Some examples: main pump dies, setting up and tuning CA reactor, treating a sick fish/coral, treating pests (red bugs - ok, nudis - rip...).
Reef Frog
New member
In my 65 gallon mixed reef, daily chores take only moments really, just feeding and a quick check of equipment. Maybe another 5 minutes every 3rd day to clean the glass.
The weekly maintenence is pretty easy too. Maybe zap some aptasia, feed some corals, pluck a sprig of algae, change a filter pad. With experience & preparation, water changes, testing, refilling 2 part solution, top off water & say GFO can be done in an hour if need be.
Major maintenance can take a few hours - cleaning pumps & skimmers, moving and/or fragging some corals - but this is only done a few times a year.
This is for an established tank. The Reaearch --> Building --> Learning --> Stocking --> Problem Solving in the early years can use up much more time.
But if you're truly strapped for time and/or cash, are probably going to move in a few years and have a spouse who isn't in favor of the idea, a full blown reef aquarium may not be a positive thing for family life. But you'll have something to look forward to in middle age !!
The weekly maintenence is pretty easy too. Maybe zap some aptasia, feed some corals, pluck a sprig of algae, change a filter pad. With experience & preparation, water changes, testing, refilling 2 part solution, top off water & say GFO can be done in an hour if need be.
Major maintenance can take a few hours - cleaning pumps & skimmers, moving and/or fragging some corals - but this is only done a few times a year.
This is for an established tank. The Reaearch --> Building --> Learning --> Stocking --> Problem Solving in the early years can use up much more time.
But if you're truly strapped for time and/or cash, are probably going to move in a few years and have a spouse who isn't in favor of the idea, a full blown reef aquarium may not be a positive thing for family life. But you'll have something to look forward to in middle age !!
Dugless
New member
I think expectations of what you want from your tank will also dictate how much time is needed. If you're super picky like me and are trying to create a show quality reef than it is going to require more time invested. In order to achieve the stable parameters most SPS require you will need time to interact with the tank daily. I think I spend at least 10 minutes a day just observing and feeding the tank. A lot is gleaned by looking at the tank and learning to discern what looks normal/healthy and what doesn't.
Routine water changes are the cornerstone of a successful reef tank. Are you going to have the time to do these, and the dedication to keep up on performing them? Will you have the budget to keep up with the salt, bulbs, RO filters, additional additives? This hobby can get expensive quickly. With SPS, beautiful colonies can take years of dedication to grow, but just a few days for all that hard work to be lost. The room for error is much smaller with an SPS dominant setup and the growth rate can be painfully slow.
If you're wanting to challenge yourself with SPS, transition yourself with a handful of frags and see how they do for the next 6 months. If they thrive and you continue seeing yourself enjoying the added effort then continue in that direction. If not, then it might be better to continue with a mixed reef.
Routine water changes are the cornerstone of a successful reef tank. Are you going to have the time to do these, and the dedication to keep up on performing them? Will you have the budget to keep up with the salt, bulbs, RO filters, additional additives? This hobby can get expensive quickly. With SPS, beautiful colonies can take years of dedication to grow, but just a few days for all that hard work to be lost. The room for error is much smaller with an SPS dominant setup and the growth rate can be painfully slow.
If you're wanting to challenge yourself with SPS, transition yourself with a handful of frags and see how they do for the next 6 months. If they thrive and you continue seeing yourself enjoying the added effort then continue in that direction. If not, then it might be better to continue with a mixed reef.
shih87
New member
Man.... My wife and yours must be a twin.... Hahaha..
Indeed my feeling of effort/time on reef tank, but you describe much better than I.
I have a 5 year old, a 3 year old and a 3rd daughter due in about a month. So I feel your pain. My solution for spending lots of time on the tanks I've had are to get them involved. We stare at the fish together, the kids help me feed them, they help with most of the easier chores. They like fish so much that they asked for a tank in their room this summer. Now they have a 5 gallon nano tank stocked with neon tetra's that they watch over.
Making it a family activity instead of just yours goes a long way in getting your wife to agree to the long hours you sometimes spend working on a tank.
Making it a family activity instead of just yours goes a long way in getting your wife to agree to the long hours you sometimes spend working on a tank.
Bpb
New member
I'm sure most of us spend way more time reading on reef central or our local reef forums than we do actually physically working on the tank. I know I do anyway. Fish feeding daily (takes less time than feeding the cats), and just a glance at the basics (are the powerheads working? Is my topoff bucket empty? Is the skimmer full? ATO not timed out or stuck, ect). Those daily things honestly take seconds. Less than 1 minute. Every month or two I'll pull the powerheads and vinegar soak/scrub them, can take care of other chores around the house while they soak, the physical cleaning takes maybe 10 minutes, same with skimmer cleaning every few months. Brief alk check every now and again. Takes 5 minutes
It's a lot more work up front to automate everything. The amount of daily time spent working on the tank is insignificant though. I spend way more time observing and enjoying.
It's a lot more work up front to automate everything. The amount of daily time spent working on the tank is insignificant though. I spend way more time observing and enjoying.
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