75G Reef - no skimmer, dosing, wc! Not necessary here

[VintageReefer]

My ca is 446 and Alk 7.3
Nitrate typically are 0-5
Phosphate .02-.05

I use Hanna digital testers for everything

And when I do fw top offs I add All for Reef which is a balanced blend of calcium Alk, magnesium and trace elements all in one product

It doesn’t make large corrections if one thing is out of whack, but if you get everything right and add regularly it will replenish them equally and help you maintain stability

 

[VintageReefer]

I’ve had many fish in this tank in the past and they have chased each other, nipped corals, mysteriously died, or who knows what. I decided to keep a few peaceful fish only to keep some movement and bio load to feed the corals. I also picked cardinal fish because they shoal together as a group and don’t fight with each other.

 

[VintageReefer]

Two new corals are done acclimating and moved to the display. Waiting on them to open

This…is also not the only reef tank I’m presently keeping…. but that might get its own thread

 

[MnFish1]

Two new corals are done acclimating and moved to the display. Waiting on them to open

This…is also not the only reef tank I’m presently keeping…. but that might get its own thread

Curious. How is the other one doing?

 

[MnFish1]

My ca is 446 and Alk 7.3
Nitrate typically are 0-5
Phosphate .02-.05

I use Hanna digital testers for everything

And when I do fw top offs I add All for Reef which is a balanced blend of calcium Alk, magnesium and trace elements all in one product

It doesn’t make large corrections if one thing is out of whack, but if you get everything right and add regularly it will replenish them equally and help you maintain stability

Many people dose constantly - as compared to once/week - this helps maintain stability. I think your tank seems a bit unstable...?

 

[VintageReefer]

My corals have been thriving for 2-3 years. This tank has been running in its current location for 8+ years. My numbers are consistent regardless of when I’ve tested in the last 2 years.

All for reef isn’t concentrated. It’s very small amounts. I’m adding like a capful a week if that

The tank is well established and extremely stable thanks to rock that’s been in use for 15 years. This sand has been in for over 8 years.

I spiked phosphates from .03 to .34 when I spilled aminos one time. It was back down to .01 in 3 days with no corrective action needed from me.

People who dose daily have a need - high consumption. This tank does not have that requirement

 

[VintageReefer]

Also those dosing daily probably have more variation in a day or two than I do in a week

Dose based on your needs. weekly micro dosing does not by any means mean anything is unstable. It’s just my situation and setup is different than others. And the whole point of this tank and thread is to show what a successful low maintenance reef can look like if it’s planned and thought out

 

[MnFish1]

I wasn't disagreeing with you - only requesting more information. You basically have close to 0 bioload - and it's expected that you would not need much in the way of water changes. I would suggest - that perhaps with them, your corals might be better/faster growing.

 

[InsaneClownFish]

Phenomenal!

 

[VintageReefer]

Curious. How is the other one doing?

How is my other tank doing?

It’s a Waterbox peninsula mini 15g that I setup 1 year ago. It’s not a maintenance free tank. Corals are in place and growing but need to wait it out and give them time. It requires water changes currently. Aside from some dirty glass (my mag float got crusty and stopped helping, new scraper on the way) the tank is doing great. Being a nano I don’t like changing / adding too much at once. Just giving this tank time it needs for things to fill in.

My anemone sat in place for 2 months, opened daily, target fed. Then decided he would wander around daily for about 6 months before picking this spot. Worst purchase ever for a nano. I think it’s beautiful and healthy but in retrospect I would have skipped this guy

 

[VintageReefer]

I wasn't disagreeing with you - only requesting more information. You basically have close to 0 bioload - and it's expected that you would not need much in the way of water changes. I would suggest - that perhaps with them, your corals might be better/faster growing.

I only have 4 fish for consistent daily bioload but…have you ever fed aminos or reef roids…that’s like having a tank full of fish. Many of these corals I target feed, or I broadcast feed amino acids. It causes its own bio load and temp spikes that self resolve in a day or two. But also sometimes I’ll go a week or more with no target feeding, and I’ll just feed the fish. No issues either way, the tank is always happy and stable

 

[VintageReefer]

One new frag is fully opened in the main tank. It’s a baby, I’m looking forward to it growing in!

And it is…a Mint Green Skittles Torch!

 

[VintageReefer]

Randomly decided to test parameters today
Last test was March 26:
calcium 442
Alk 7.3
nitrate 6.4
Phosphate - .05
Salinity - 1.027

New test results today
calcium 474
Alk 7.1
nitrate 1.1
Phosphate - .02
Salinity - 1.026

I would say things are pretty stable. My Alk is a little low but it’s stable and this is where the tank naturally wants to be

 

[VintageReefer]

Over the last week I have raised nitrate to 2.5 and alkalinity to 9
No harm in any way to the tank as it was done slowly


Last weeks additions - one didn’t make it from shipping stress. The other is the baby skittles torch who arrived puny but healthy and it is already growing and looking better

New arrival today…any guesses what’s in the bucket ?

 

[zalick]

Thank you! I have bought into the gear hype and definitely see the need for things to be done differently in other situations, I’ve grown out sps colonies from 1” nubs and had dosers and other gear that was crucial for success. But the whole point of this was to have more time for myself and less stress from my hobby.

Thanks for sharing! I’ve been reefing since mid 90s. Gone through all variations of the addiction and have an attic full of gear and lightning etc. Do to life and moving, I’m downgrading my 300g w/ 100g sump, to a custom 60g AIO. I plan to follow the same philosophy as you outlined here. It’s in my home office so low maintenance and I get to enjoy it.

 

[VintageReefer]

I’m converting my office 15g nano to this methodology now

 

[MnFish1]

I only have 4 fish for consistent daily bioload but…have you ever fed aminos or reef roids…that’s like having a tank full of fish. Many of these corals I target feed, or I broadcast feed amino acids. It causes its own bio load and temp spikes that self resolve in a day or two. But also sometimes I’ll go a week or more with no target feeding, and I’ll just feed the fish. No issues either way, the tank is always happy and stable

Well - I guess I would say 'not quite'. If most of the 'food' is going into the coral, the waste products - including ammonia and PO4 are being removed/recycled by Zooxanthellae. Amino acids do not contain phosphorous, and are probably being taken up by the corals as they are added (which is why the corals are growing). If you had a higher fish bioload, it's likely that your waste products would need more exportation, and more frequent testing (like every other tank). However, I agree with you - sometimes the less you do, the better you do.

"These polyps are withdrawn during the day, opening up at night to feed on zooplankton. During the day, the symbiotic algae located in the coral tissues, carry out photosynthesis. The algae release some of the compounds produced via photosynthesis to the host, while receiving nutrients from the coral in the form of waste products including ammonia and phosphates. Both symbiont and host benefit in this mutualistic association."