Anyone else run a tank like this...?

[gabrielpnt]

So I’ve been in the hobby now for about 3 years and have had a lot of success but wanted to see who else runs a tank this way and if there is anything I can tweak to improve. Suggestions or critique welcomed.

I have a mostly SPS dominated tank but is truly a mixed Reef.

I’m averaging a 5 gallon water change every 2-3 months. Use to change more often but tank needed more nutrients so extended interval and saw improvement in growth and colors of coral.

I feed pellets daily, frozen about 2-3 times a week, a nori a couple days a week. This keeps fish fat and happy but tank consumes nutrients like it’s on steroids so need to dose nitrates often and phosphates occasionally.

My best colors and growth have been when my skimmer accidentally over flows and dumps all the waste into the tank. This has happened a handful of times and I catch it right after it happens but usually just clean up the mess, re-engage the skimmer, and let it ride.

Equipment:
90 gallon standard tank
Eshopps sump and skimmer
BRS dual media reactor (only run one chamber with carbon)
Ecotech MP40 power head
Jabao power head

Lighting:
2 XR15 pro gen 4 w/ diffusers (AB+ program at 96%)
1 T5 bulb (ATI Blue +)

Livestock:
Powder blue tang
One spot foxface
Malanarus wrasse
Radiant wrasse
Maroon clown
Light big maroon clown
4 stripe damsel
Coral banded shrimp
Skunk cleaner shrimp
Fire red shrimp
Assortment of snails

Dosing
-kalk in ato (4-5 teaspoons in 5 gallon bucket)-last about a week
-b-ionic 2-part (daily about 10-15ml each)
-seachem Trace (about twice a week)
-acropower (once a week)
-Brightwells phosphate and nitrate supplement to maintain nutrient level.

Parameters:
Dkh: 7.5-8
calcium: 450ish
Mg: 1300
Temp: between 77-78
Nitrate: 2-3ppm (frequent dosing required to maintain)
Phosphate: .03-.05 ( dose phosphate weekly to maintain)

Recent video...

 

[Eagle_Steve]

I have a 90 similar to how you are doing things, except it has not had a water change in over a year and just recently had a JBJ 45 connected to the sump it uses. It is also a beast at killing nitrates. I have sodium nitrate in my ATO and at one point had my dosing pump to provide extra. I was able to kill the dosing pump doing nitrates when I decided to run my skimmer for 12 hours a day. I am thinking of only running it 6 and seeing what happens. As for the PO4, I have to dose it as well. That is done by a dosing pump and I try to keep mine at about .06.

My tank does not have as much SPS as yours does, in terms of colony size, but it now has 20 or so frag sized pieces and all are growing like mad. Also, my bioload is a lot larger right now, due to getting things ready for putting a bigger tank where a smaller tank used to be.

To keep it short. I have 6 wrasses, 10 anthias, 2 clarkiis, fiji foxface, normal foxface, 13 different blennies, 3 firefish, 2 coral crouchers, yellow eye kole tang, 2x mandarins, a few gobies and of course some crabs and snails. My largest bioload comes from the big nems in the tank. 2x haddonis that are feed twice a week and 20 or so bubble tips (no idea as they make a huge cluster) that get fed twice a week. (someone is going to call the fish police on me for this) With all of this I still struggle to keep nutrients detectable, so feel your pain on dosing. But at least it is better than both through the roof lol.

As for suggestions.....

If it works and things are doing well, do not change anything. Different things work for different tanks and no 2 are the same.

I take that back for suggestions lol. If you are having to dose PO4 and NO3 regularly, you may want to look into the link below. I prefer sodium nitrate and trisodium phosphate, as I have to dose so much. Was doing the potassium version of nitrate and it got a little high on a few ICP tests.

http://www.loudwolf.com/store/

 

[cvrle1]

If it works for you, thats all it matters :)

Thats beauty of reefing, there are many ways to get to the same end result. Some people are really hands on, and tinker every day. Some have automation and controllers galore to do that for them. Others leave it be and dont even quarantine, dose, or do water changes. In the end they all have amazing aquariums, even though their ways are completely different from one another.

Well done to you

 

[Journeyman]

I'm pretty similar and even lower maintenance. I also have an SPS dominant mixed reef.

I had a 34g for 4 years and upgraded it last year to a 60g. I transferred the water and rocks from my 34g so there was very minimal new tank issues.

My filtration is a skimmer, chaeto in fuge, and a diy ats. I feed Frozen rods food daily. And almost never do water changes. I'm way over stocked with fish.

2 black clowns
Firefish
Mystery wrasse
Melanarus wrasse
Moyeri leopard wrasse
Pink streaked wrasse
Starry blenny
Engineer goby
Dwarf lionfish

Possibly a diamond goby, but I don't know if the lionfish ate him or not...

And the cleanup crew.

I only dose kalk in my top off. 3-4 teaspoons in a 12 gallon petfood container every other week.

My alk is at 8.4 and calcium is at 420.

I don't bother testing nitrates or phosphates any more. I would guess that they are way higher than pundits recommend and it would stress me out and likely I would mess up my tank chasing numbers if I did.

Here's some pics. Acros are all growing from frags, but you can see the color and encrusting.

Of course, the montis are growing like weeds. Those seasons greetings you see at the bottom are probably each 7" across. They came from a single 1 inch frag a couple years back.

I think the only big difference between our tanks is my diy ats. I'm a big fan. I just put some roughed up screen in my sump with a bubble wand underneath and viola, cheap upflow ats! With cheap grow light on the sides.

 

[gabrielpnt]

I'm pretty similar and even lower maintenance. I also have an SPS dominant mixed reef.

I had a 34g for 4 years and upgraded it last year to a 60g. I transferred the water and rocks from my 34g so there was very minimal new tank issues.

My filtration is a skimmer, chaeto in fuge, and a diy ats. I feed Frozen rods food daily. And almost never do water changes. I'm way over stocked with fish.

2 black clowns
Firefish
Mystery wrasse
Melanarus wrasse
Moyeri leopard wrasse
Pink streaked wrasse
Starry blenny
Engineer goby
Dwarf lionfish

Possibly a diamond goby, but I don't know if the lionfish ate him or not...

And the cleanup crew.

I only dose kalk in my top off. 3-4 teaspoons in a 12 gallon petfood container every other week.

My alk is at 8.4 and calcium is at 420.

I don't bother testing nitrates or phosphates any more. I would guess that they are way higher than pundits recommend and it would stress me out and likely I would mess up my tank chasing numbers if I did.

Here's some pics. Acros are all growing from frags, but you can see the color and encrusting.

Of course, the montis are growing like weeds. Those seasons greetings you see at the bottom are probably each 7" across. They came from a single 1 inch frag a couple years back.

I think the only big difference between our tanks is my diy ats. I'm a big fan. I just put some roughed up screen in my sump with a bubble wand underneath and viola, cheap upflow ats! With cheap grow light on the sides.

Nice! Do you have any pics of your DIY ATS?

 

[gabrielpnt]

I have a 90 similar to how you are doing things, except it has not had a water change in over a year and just recently had a JBJ 45 connected to the sump it uses. It is also a beast at killing nitrates. I have sodium nitrate in my ATO and at one point had my dosing pump to provide extra. I was able to kill the dosing pump doing nitrates when I decided to run my skimmer for 12 hours a day. I am thinking of only running it 6 and seeing what happens. As for the PO4, I have to dose it as well. That is done by a dosing pump and I try to keep mine at about .06.

My tank does not have as much SPS as yours does, in terms of colony size, but it now has 20 or so frag sized pieces and all are growing like mad. Also, my bioload is a lot larger right now, due to getting things ready for putting a bigger tank where a smaller tank used to be.

To keep it short. I have 6 wrasses, 10 anthias, 2 clarkiis, fiji foxface, normal foxface, 13 different blennies, 3 firefish, 2 coral crouchers, yellow eye kole tang, 2x mandarins, a few gobies and of course some crabs and snails. My largest bioload comes from the big nems in the tank. 2x haddonis that are feed twice a week and 20 or so bubble tips (no idea as they make a huge cluster) that get fed twice a week. (someone is going to call the fish police on me for this) With all of this I still struggle to keep nutrients detectable, so feel your pain on dosing. But at least it is better than both through the roof lol.

As for suggestions.....

If it works and things are doing well, do not change anything. Different things work for different tanks and no 2 are the same.

I take that back for suggestions lol. If you are having to dose PO4 and NO3 regularly, you may want to look into the link below. I prefer sodium nitrate and trisodium phosphate, as I have to dose so much. Was doing the potassium version of nitrate and it got a little high on a few ICP tests.

http://www.loudwolf.com/store/

Thanks for sharing...any pics?

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Thanks for sharing...any pics?

I will snag you a full tank shot when I get home. I do have an older full tank shot, but it is before the 45 was also sharing the same sump. So here it is and some area pics.

Old FTS before another 90gs inhabitants were moved over to this tank for temporary housing lol.

Newer Area shots.(crappy photos with my phone lol) Rescue clam below now has a fully healed inlet. woohoo.

 

[Journeyman]

Nice! Do you have any pics of your DIY ATS?

So it's kind of hard to see. But it's just the screen on the side of the tank. Under it is just some airline tubing making a bubble curtain. I have the same setup on the other side.

Super easy and cheap to make.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Alrighty, so here is the pic of the full setup, minus the sump. The Akita we are fostering was asleep in front of the doors, so not gonna bother her as she has finally stopped shaking and is sleeping comfortably.

I kicked the whites up some, but not quite enough, so excuse all the blue.