AWR's 90/10 Method to the test

[AWR]

I appreciate the thread a great deal. I am going to follow the 90/10 protocol as closely as possible.
I am one of the hobbyists who got into reefing a decade ago, and didn't last 9 months. I had what I thought was a great fish store, but no internet resources to rely on. As I'm going through the resources now available online, I find that the fish store I used taught me almost nothing. They were happy to sell me stuff, but they were so short-sighted that they did nothing to help me succeed.

Recently, I was gifted a Top Fin 36-gallon bowfront tank and decided to give it another try. I started with the BRS 5-minute guide and really got motivated, then I noticed that the guide was nearly 8 years old, so I tried to find more updated information. Unfortunately, I already made some purchases based upon the five-minute guide, including some of the bacteria-in-a-bottle options. I think that money is wasted. I also purchased an Aqua Ready HF-M complete filtration system. Though I'm not going to use this right off the bat following their 90/10 method, I do not consider this a waste of money because Ryan stated that, as needed, some of these elements, like the protein skimmer and the refugium section in this filter, may come in useful later.

What I was surprised to find out while purchasing all the materials needed to get started is that, in the 90/10 method, the aquarium size doesn't change the additional equipment needed by much. I strongly recommend getting the largest tank you can fit and staying within the 90/10 criteria. The cost savings for a smaller tank are not there!

The equipment I purchased, other than the above-mentioned hang-on-the-back filter, is all direct from China on Amazon. Because this particular tank is narrow and tall, I only got one Gyre-type powerhead/wavemaker, Hygger intelligent wave maker. oriented to the back to create the flow Ryan describes in the series. I purchased the Smatfarm 95-watt, XP Aqua sumpless ATO, and the Jecod DP 2 programmable auto-dosing pump. For the tank, I purchased the Aqua Miracle aquarium heater, 300 watts. This heater was only $35 and had an external thermometer setting. And I paired the heater with the ink bird as recommended.

I did after viewing the 5-minute guide, purchase the Caribbean sand 30 lb bag. After viewing SR 90/10, I ordered 20 lb of TBS sand and will use 10 lb of Caribbean Sea sand at the bottom, then top it off with the 20 lb of TBS sand. It was expensive; however, saving money on the direct-from-China stuff made it much more reasonable. I've been waiting a month for it to arrive. It'll be here on Thursday, the 19th of March. Can't wait!

I did buy the white brute trash cans. I found the most reasonable place to get them is Walmart.com, with free shipping to the house and slightly less than competitors in price. I also bought a couple of inexpensive power heads and heaters for each can.

What's going to make the timing challenging with the 90/10 process is the QT process SR created. I bought the 10-gallon tank and the recommended medications; however, the process of adding fish will probably take longer than one fish a week due to the QT process.

Quick note on lighting. Without water, I tuned the light to 0.5 watts per gallon, and then I saw the par meter review Ryan did. It seems like Ryan is a one-person shop, so responses to questions are not exactly quick, but I understand. The question I asked was: does he prefer the 1 watt per-gallon or the per-meter from China? Not hearing back, I split the baby and plan to do both.

 

[AWR]

The Tampa Bay sand arrived on Thursday as advertised it was a well packaged box and heavy duty bucket. Has required the systems for the aquarium was up and running with significantly less than maximum water anticipating the displacement of the sand.

Next I have to do what is extraordinary difficult for me and that is way to week.

 

[AWR]

I used Caribbean Sea sand 10 lb and 20 lb of the Tampa Bay Sand you can see a clear difference. I kind of like it but I don't know how it's going to change. I'll spend the rest of the day cleaning up the wiring making sure everything's working properly

 

[AWR]

I have a question. Do you do a water test before or after a water change?

 

[AWR]

Everything in this display tank is going well, started this week with the 4-hour light profile at 5 watts per gallon. Tonight, I will take a measurement with the direct-from-China PAR meter just to see if it matches the estimate.

I set up the QT tank, and we bought 2 very tiny clown fish on Saturday. Today, being Monday, they seem a little lethargic. I'm worried; make no mistake, the quarantine process is nerve-wracking. The direct-from-China heater I bought with the dial on the top really struggles to maintain a constant temperature in that small space. I'm considering either upgrading to a much better heater for the quarantine tank or buying a second InkBird to manage the QT tank temperature. I'm very tempted to do the 100% water change on day 2 instead of day three. I'm trying not to, we'll see how this evening goes. I am also adding an inexpensive bottle top off to the quarantine tank. I live in a very dry climate, and there is noticeable evaporation



I received a lot of feedback on my question about when to test the water, and I think this thread is spot on. Pick a day and test that day every week. My first water change went flawlessly; however, I do not have any visible signs of life in the tank yet. It's only been one week.

 

[AWR]

SR90/10 Progress Update:


Today marks day 18 in the display tank, and it’s looking absolutely fantastic—truly a joy to see. I did make a mistake, though, and overdosed the calcium carbonate. Fortunately, after a water change in a few days, things should be back on track.


Tonight, Monday the 6th, we’ll perform our third SRQT water change. The first three days of the SRQT were pretty stressful—for the fish, and honestly for me as well. Since then, though, they’ve calmed down and adapted well. One fish keeps doing this quirky dance on top of the hiding spot—super weird but really fun to watch.


Now that I’m more comfortable, the SRQT process feels straightforward—though, of course, it does shift the timing for adding fish to the display. These two clownfish will be the first additions to the display on Saturday. Then, I plan to introduce a purple tang to the SRQT on Sunday, so the third fish will go into the display 15 days later.

 

[AWR]

Quick hit here after the 2nd 6-hour bath, which seems to be quite stressful on the fish, cleaned off one of the hides really well from the QT tank, and put it in the bucket. Giving them a place to hide seems to chill them out a lot faster. And pay close attention to matching the temperature in the bucket to the QT tank.

 

[AWR]

Quarantine Complete and First Fish in the Display
Quarantine wrapped up on Sunday the 12th, and I introduced two clownfish into the display tank. Watching them explore their new environment was a great moment and a real milestone in the process.
One key takeaway so far is that the 90/10 method and the SRQT process really need to be integrated from day one if you want to stay on timeline. Ideally, the same day you fill the tank, you should also purchase your first fish and begin the SRQT process. That synchronization is critical.
Another important consideration is your initial fish selection. Starting with a utilitarian fish—something that actively manages algae—can make a big difference early on. I chose to begin with clownfish, which are fantastic, but that decision has effectively put me about two weeks behind on introducing an algae-management fish. As a result, I’m beginning to see some algae development, though it’s still minimal at this stage.
On the positive side, the copepods arrived on schedule and were added to the system without issue. Overall, things are progressing very well, even with the delayed addition of a utilitarian species.
Lighting has now been increased to the full target of one watt per gallon. I also used the Dano PAR meter (the same one Ryan reviewed) and found it to be surprisingly accurate after applying a correction factor of 1.35. I’ve included a photo of the tank along with the PAR readings after adjustment.
For spectrum, I followed the 90/20 recommendation: approximately 75% in the blue range, minimal green and red (around 1%), and then brought intensity up to one watt per gallon using white light split between two different white spectrums.
At this point, the system is stabilizing nicely, and it’s exciting to see everything beginning to come together.

 

[AWR]

The clean-up crew arrived on the afternoon of the 15th—about ten snails and seven crabs in total. One thing immediately caught my attention: several of the snails arrived with visible algae on their shells. The vendor noted that all of their clean-up crews are quarantined, but as someone new to the hobby, I couldn’t help but wonder—is that normal?

Once introduced to the tank, the snails became active much faster than I expected. Within a short time, they were moving across the glass, rocks, and sand, getting to work. The crabs, on the other hand, were slower to respond initially, but once they got going, they made their presence known. They spread out everywhere—across the substrate, climbing over rockwork, and even picking at the algae growing on the snails’ shells.

Interestingly, the fish seemed completely unfazed by the new additions, showing little to no reaction.

That first night, though, gave me some concern. As the lights went down, the tank appeared almost motionless. Between the stillness and the fact that I knew I had lost a few snails, I started to worry that something was wrong. It’s a bit unsettling to see everything so quiet when you’re expecting constant activity.

By morning, however, the results spoke for themselves.

Virtually all of the visible algae was gone—cleared from the rocks, sand, and even the glass. While some algae remained on the shells of the incoming snails, it was obvious it had been grazed down significantly.

For a first experience with a clean-up crew, it was both nerve-wracking and impressive. The overnight transformation made it clear just how effective these animals can be when they settle in and get to work.

 

[AWR]

We’ve just crossed day 28, and the long-awaited cleanup crew has finally made it into the tank. The shipment included ten red/leg hermit crabs, ten astrea snails, and ten nassarius snails, all ordered online from a vendor that advertises pre-quarantined livestock.


The first few days, however, were rough. While most of the astrea snails are still going strong, about half of the nassarius didn’t make it—either dying off early or falling victim to the crabs. One crab was also lost, likely due to aggression within the group. crabs are opportunistic and will eat just about anything, including dead snails and even each other.


This experience raises some questions about quarantine practices for cleanup crews. A lot of guidance online recommends up to 11 weeks of quarantine, which feels excessive for many home aquarists. At this point, I’m not convinced that’s a practical route, but it’s hard to ignore the potential trade-offs.


Four days after introducing the crew—and after the initial die-off—the tank has a noticeable amount of suspended debris. Even following a water change, particles are still floating in the water column. Water chemistry remains solid, so this appears to be more of a mechanical filtration issue than a biological one. Running a sumpless system with an auto top-off means there’s no real skimming happening outside of water changes, which likely contributes to the lingering debris.


I’m hoping things settle out naturally over the next week, but if not, I may need to explore options to improve clarity. If you’re running a similar setup and have found effective ways to deal with suspended particulates, I’d be interested to hear what’s worked.


On another note, I recently added a glass top to the aquarium. While it helps with evaporation and containment, it had a noticeable impact on PAR levels. The readings dropped significantly compared to running open-top, though they’re still within an acceptable range for now. The trade-off is cost—this glass lid was about $100, while a mesh top (which I’d prefer for better light transmission and gas exchange) would have been closer to $230.


Visually, the tank still looks bright, but PAR doesn’t always align with perception. I’m debating whether to increase light output to compensate for the reduction caused by the glass. I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on how much adjustment—if any—you would make to your lighting.

 

[AWR]

Old readings

 

[Winters]

This was well done thread AWR. Also doing the 90/10 method I am currently on week 3 heading into week 4. I purchased some ORA clowns and added them at the start of week 3. I got lucky my local shop had a tomini tang that they have had in medicated water for 2.5 weeks already. I was allowed to purchase and will be picking up next wednesday. I am showing no signs of algae and just a small amount of bio film on the glass. Ammonia was zero nitirite was zero and I am showing about 5 or less really hard to tell with my kit for nitrate. I did notice on your march 30th post you said 5 watts per gallon was that a typo? Also are you running the hob filter? only wondering since you mentioned the film on top. Did you notice any impact on ph with your glass top? In my head i never really like inhibiting gas exchange with the water but maybe im completely wrong

 

[AWR]

Here’s a polished version of your blog post that keeps your voice but tightens the flow and clarity:

---

Day 41 – Progress, Patience, and a Few Lessons Learned​

Right now, the only filtration I’m running is a sumpless auto top-off system with an overflow box inside the tank. I’m still getting some surface skimming, but I haven’t fully decided how I want to handle that long term.


Last week, I saw a spike in phosphates up to 2.2. After a water change, those levels came back down into a normal range by Friday. As of yesterday (the 28th), water test results were:

• Ammonia: 0
• Calcium: 480
• KH: 8
• Magnesium: 1295
• Nitrate/Nitrite: 0
• pH: 8.0
• Phosphates: 0.04

Overall, things are looking really solid.


The only nuisance right now is some hair algae on the glass. I scraped it off the front panel, and the snails are working on the back. I’m also seeing some bright green carpet algae starting to form on the rocks, but nothing on the sand at this point.


The tangs are scheduled to arrive on the 7th, and honestly, my biggest regret so far is not adding them earlier in the process. That said, I just passed Day 41, and I’m really happy with the progress. This process definitely demands more patience than I naturally have—but it’s paying off.


Lighting has gone through a few phases:

• Started at 5 watts per gallon for 4 hours/day
• Increased to 5 watts per gallon for 12 hours/day
• Then adjusted to 1 watt per gallon for 10 hours/day, including sunrise, sunset, and moonlight cycles

After adding a glass top, my auto top-off usage dropped to almost nothing, which was great—but it also reduced PAR more than expected. To compensate, I increased light intensity by about 25%.


Thanks for following along—it really means a lot to get feedback and share the journey.

 

[AWR]

Over the last few days this I assume is some type of carpet algae has developed on the rock. Can anybody confirm if that's what it is?

 

[AWR]

Here’s a polished version for your blog post:

---

I just passed the 50-day mark and I’m quickly approaching Week 8 with the tank. Today is an exciting day because I have a Yellow Tang and a Two-Spot Tang arriving, and I’m really looking forward to getting them settled in.


As for the color changes on the rock, I’m chalking that up to new-guy naivete. I started the tank with white dry Marco rock, and for some reason I never really stopped to think about the fact that it wouldn’t stay white for very long. What I’ve learned is that the rock goes through several different color phases as the tank matures, and those changing colors are actually signs of a healthy, developing system.


Overall, the water quality has been very solid. Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate have all consistently tested at zero. I know that with a heavier bioload things will eventually change a bit, but so far the tank has been handling things well.


About nine days ago I did experience a phosphate spike up to 0.22, which I believe was caused by a few snails dying off. By yesterday, phosphate had already dropped back down to zero. Every now and then I’ll notice a little bit of hair algae popping up, but the cleanup crew makes quick work of it.


Like Ryan has said before, the tank really seems to be handling most of its own issues naturally, which is teaching me patience more than anything else. My wife keeps reminding me to resist the urge to constantly “fix” things, and honestly, she’s probably right.

---

 

[AWR]

The first two clownfish I did the SR quarantine regiment. My regret is I didn't start with utilitarian fish which put me behind on some of the algae keep up. So to try to catch up I purchased these two tangs from a online vendor who quarantines very similar to the SR QT . I'm not mentioning their name yet until I can review how happy I am with their work. So what's the fish arrive and survive for a while I'll do a review on the vendor I used

 

[Kodski]

Looks like you're well on your way! I experienced many of the algae blooms you're also experiencing. Like you said though, they went away without any input from me. I just kept to the normal water changes and feeding. That green algae on the rocks doesn't look like a turf but more of a diatom algae. In time, that too will go away. That type of algae does seem a bit more correlated to amphipod population. I saw a major decrease in the diatom algae in my tank once I added a bottle of pods.

I will say, two tangs in that size of tank is a bit of a risky move. Lets hope they are tiny little guys. If they don't work out, I would recommend an algae blenny, aka sailfin blenny as an alternative fish. That would be a great utilitarian fish but also wouldn't outgrow the tank.

 

[AWR]

Thanks for the advice it is always appreciated! The reason I went with the two tangs, and it is a small 36 gallon bow front, is because I've already started planning my next much larger tank. I did request the smallest fish possible and they accommodated. Put your absolutely right You're going to outgrow this tank soon probably sooner than I expect. That'll give me the excuse to give my wife on why I need to upgrade sooner rather than later.

 

[AWR]

For several weeks, I was chasing elevated phosphate levels in my reef tank during my weekly water testing routine. I test every Tuesday and perform a water change every Friday. By Tuesday, phosphate levels would consistently climb, at times reaching as high as 2.2 ppm. After the Friday water change, the levels would temporarily drop, only for the cycle to repeat the following week. At the same time, I noticed a substantial buildup of organic film and debris accumulating on the surface of the water.


It became increasingly clear that the sumpless auto top-off configuration commonly recommended by the “90/10 process” was not providing adequate surface skimming. I cleaned the filter repeatedly and even experimented with different filter media, switching from coarse sponge material to finer filtration pads, but the surface film never completely disappeared. In fact, the buildup gradually became worse over time. After researching various options, I found the Aquatop Aquarium Surface Skimmer, which appeared to be an excellent solution at around $22 on Amazon. However, being a tight-wad, I picked up a basic surface skimmer from Petco for approximately $14 with the intention of returning it if performance was poor.


To my surprise, the inexpensive skimmer performed exceptionally well. Within about 10 minutes, I noticed a considerable improvement in surface clarity, and within an hour, the water surface was completely clean. Overall, water quality also appeared noticeably improved. More importantly, after operating the surface skimmer for several days, phosphate levels dropped dramatically. My final phosphate test before the next scheduled water change measured only 0.03 ppm. Based on my research, it appears the excessive surface film was limiting proper gas exchange and trapping dissolved organic material at the surface, contributing to the persistent phosphate issue. I was pleasantly surprised that such an inexpensive solution turned out to be both effective and practical.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!