Fess Up - Time to Confess your Sins

[redfishbluefish]

I probably should have titled this “Do as I say, and not as I do.” What things do you do that you shouldn’t be doing? I’ll start with two of mine:

1. Testing alkalinity and calcium. I dose two-part with dosing pumps and don’t have one of those fancy-pants auto tester/doser. If I wish to know my levels I need to take out the test kits and measure. When I first started, like a good little boy, I tested with great frequency. As time passed, and little to nothing changed, time between testing kept on stretching longer and longer. Now I only test if something isn’t looking good…..months (and it might actually be a year since I’ve last tested). Don’t tell anybody.

1. Water Changes. Originally did 10% water changes every week. After 5 or so years I switched to 20-25% twice a month….much more manageable. Recently, in part from being lazy, I’ll do maybe only one 20-25% change per month….and here’s the kicker….my tank has never looked better.

I will repeat what I originally said, especially for newbies….Do as I say, no as I do.

 

[kitti-fish]

I sometimes dip my coral and sometimes..I don’t

 

[Macropharyngodon]

I sometimes dip my coral and sometimes..I don’t

Incoming bobbit worm for that.

 

[t5Nitro]

I'm keeping that nice ratio of nitrate to phosphate, with ~100 of nitrates and 1.1 of phosphate.

Maybe it doesn't matter?

 

[FrugalReeferJon]

I’m currently battling some mild hair algae and in addition to the usual lowering nutrients, feeding less, less light, CUC, etc, I’m using . . . . . . . Algaefix.

 

[kitti-fish]

Incoming bobbit worm for that.

Who’s says I don’t already have one he’s sneaky and he’s small and I cannot catch him but he lingers

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Definitely was using chemicals like neo nitrate and phosphate to raise my parameters, rather than simply feeding more or properly testing my tank.

 

[Waters]

I do everything 100% by the book lol....unless you count using dry rock to start your tanks.

 

[Mike.]

I dont test levels, I just dose AFR
I dont quarantine
I dont do water changes but I have an ATO with fresh RO

;)

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

I never did a water change one time on my 40 oz pico tank... I also only checked salinity maybe 3-4 times. Topping off every 2-3 days was the extent of maintnence.

That little tank was a magical paradise of all kinds of little goodies that thrived for almost 2 years, until I tore it down (if you can tear down a 40 oz tank?) because of a move. Would I do that again? No, probably not. But did it work out for that tank? Oh yes!

 

[Kooma]

I probably should have titled this “Do as I say, and not as I do.” What things do you do that you shouldn’t be doing? I’ll start with two of mine:

1. Testing alkalinity and calcium. I dose two-part with dosing pumps and don’t have one of those fancy-pants auto tester/doser. If I wish to know my levels I need to take out the test kits and measure. When I first started, like a good little boy, I tested with great frequency. As time passed, and little to nothing changed, time between testing kept on stretching longer and longer. Now I only test if something isn’t looking good…..months (and it might actually be a year since I’ve last tested). Don’t tell anybody.
2. Water Changes. Originally did 10% water changes every week. After 5 or so years I switched to 20-25% twice a month….much more manageable. Recently, in part from being lazy, I’ll do maybe only one 20-25% change per month….and here’s the kicker….my tank has never looked better.

I will repeat what I originally said, especially for newbies….Do as I say, no as I do.

I’m terrible for water changes. I don’t do it unless I notice something isn’t happy. Could be 6 months between changes.

I don’t test as frequently as I should. I’m the same, nothing has changed, I might not test for 3-6 months.

I should do most husbandry to keep things in check honestly.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

Definitely was using chemicals like neo nitrate and phosphate to raise my parameters, rather than simply feeding more or properly testing my tank.

What's wrong with that? I can't keep my nutrients elevated above zero unless I dose both. That's even with 7 times/day autofeeding.

I guess my reefing sin is that I haven't done a water change in over a year...but I also use RMS so I guess that atones.

 

[vlangel]

Hhm, I dose AFR blind (meaning I don't test for calcium, Alkalinity or magnesium) because I hate to test. I can hear the gasps of horror! LOL In my defense my tank is predominantly a softie/macroalgae display so it doesnt use much of those elements. I use AFR because I also use regular IO salt which is low in the big three and I do have a few big LPS colonies and some calcareous macros that need some calcium. I figure if I am not growing much coraline algae that my numbers are not overly high ( an unlike a lot of reef keepers, I prefer not to have a lot of coraline algae that needs scraped off the glass or removed from the wavemakers.

 

[Reefer Matt]

As far as my tanks. I keep up on maintaining all six of them. I change at least 160 gallons of water a month, and clean filter socks and skimmers (every tank is separate) every three days. Testing is done as required. You could say it is another job for me, because that’s true. I have a reefing side biz, but am still a hobbyist.

What I don’t do is share enough of my knowledge and experience with others. Sometimes I think I don’t have more to say than most Reefers already know.

 

[fish_collector]

I add salt to the overflow to raise salinity.

I dropped some frozen mysis on the floor and let my dog clean it up.

I took some rocks out of the tank so I could catch a pajama cardinal with a cloudy eye, and in doing so killed another fish that was in the rocks hiding.

I bought another angel to go into the tank that already has 2. They’ll have to work it out themselves.

And all of this just this week too