Oregon Grown Reef
Valuable Member
Before we get started, I like talking about reef tanks. I usually have a lot of dialogue in my posts. Forgive me for rambling. Also, pic heavy of my most recent tank.
I have 2 reef tanks and a reef in waiting (fowlr). I'm using 3 different methods on each. My first one (not by choice, but by lack of knowledge) was a hob tank. I used a HOB skimmer for awhile before it stopped doing what I wanted. I've kind of neglected the tank, but the corals are growing like crazy. I rely solely on corals and water changes to keep nutrients in check. I say that, but I haven't tested anything except salinity in months, so that could be completely wrong. I make changes on this tank based on what everything looks like, and it all looks pretty good. The colors this tank is able to finally pull out of some acros is pretty astounding (at least by my standards). The only reason I can do this is because the tank has been running for about 3.5 years and it's at that point where there's so much life in the tank I can't keep up with the new things I find.
Since I'm only speaking of reef tanks, I'll skip the fowlr details.
For my most recent tank, I'm running a barebottom 40 breeder with a clarisea sk-5000, bubble magus skimmer, and a mix of rock and rubble in a cryptic zone. Since adopting this method, the tank has been thriving. The combination of filtration methods keeps the nitrates and phosphates down to 0. This is usually bad, but I have actually been super excited about that. I've already got a uv sterilizer on the tank from past dinos, so no need to worry about that. I now get to choose exactly what my nitrates and phosphates are. This is a newer tank, so I'm testing it 4 times a week for alk, 3 or 4 times a week for phosphate, and every few days for the nitrates. Once I get the high range nitrate checker from Hanna, that'll be tested the same days as phosphate. I'm keeping nitrates at 4-5 and phosphates at 0.03-0.05. I've never had a tank at these levels before. I cannot believe how much better a tank runs when you're in complete control of the nitrate and phosphate level. You never have to do water changes unless there's a contaminant. Run carbon intermittently to clear the water and remove any toxins from chemical warfare. I have been dosing kalkwasser, and my alk has been at 7.8-8.0 for the last couple of months with swings taking weeks to happen. I've never had corals do as well as these this quickly.
So the question is, what is your favorite reefing method? Are you a gear junkie? High nutrient? Low nutrient? What has worked out best for you? Include as much detail as you'd like as I love to learn.
I have 2 reef tanks and a reef in waiting (fowlr). I'm using 3 different methods on each. My first one (not by choice, but by lack of knowledge) was a hob tank. I used a HOB skimmer for awhile before it stopped doing what I wanted. I've kind of neglected the tank, but the corals are growing like crazy. I rely solely on corals and water changes to keep nutrients in check. I say that, but I haven't tested anything except salinity in months, so that could be completely wrong. I make changes on this tank based on what everything looks like, and it all looks pretty good. The colors this tank is able to finally pull out of some acros is pretty astounding (at least by my standards). The only reason I can do this is because the tank has been running for about 3.5 years and it's at that point where there's so much life in the tank I can't keep up with the new things I find.
Since I'm only speaking of reef tanks, I'll skip the fowlr details.
For my most recent tank, I'm running a barebottom 40 breeder with a clarisea sk-5000, bubble magus skimmer, and a mix of rock and rubble in a cryptic zone. Since adopting this method, the tank has been thriving. The combination of filtration methods keeps the nitrates and phosphates down to 0. This is usually bad, but I have actually been super excited about that. I've already got a uv sterilizer on the tank from past dinos, so no need to worry about that. I now get to choose exactly what my nitrates and phosphates are. This is a newer tank, so I'm testing it 4 times a week for alk, 3 or 4 times a week for phosphate, and every few days for the nitrates. Once I get the high range nitrate checker from Hanna, that'll be tested the same days as phosphate. I'm keeping nitrates at 4-5 and phosphates at 0.03-0.05. I've never had a tank at these levels before. I cannot believe how much better a tank runs when you're in complete control of the nitrate and phosphate level. You never have to do water changes unless there's a contaminant. Run carbon intermittently to clear the water and remove any toxins from chemical warfare. I have been dosing kalkwasser, and my alk has been at 7.8-8.0 for the last couple of months with swings taking weeks to happen. I've never had corals do as well as these this quickly.
So the question is, what is your favorite reefing method? Are you a gear junkie? High nutrient? Low nutrient? What has worked out best for you? Include as much detail as you'd like as I love to learn.
