How to achieve STABILITY?

[LavenderTi]

You will learn.
I kept a journal for years.
I could easily look back at all the things I did. It helped.
I've always gone excruciatingly slow.
A few things I reef by are:
1. Be patient.
2. Don't freak out.
3. Do only one thing at a time.
Find a mentor, whether on here or close by. Someone you can trust and talk to.
Don't try to achieve someone else's tank, just achieve your own.
Don't know if that helps or not because it's a rather hard question to answer.
Joel

This is how I’ve gotten to stability.

Patience- don’t change too much too quickly. Part of learning is knowing when to act. Salinity too high, gradually change over a week or two. Spot an aptasia, zap just the one.

Observe-When you don’t change too much and too soon, you can observe your tank and how it responds to certain events.

Another is do things consistently. Try to feed similar amounts, do WC on a schedule and the same amount each time, etc.

 

[Fenral]

If I keep my 25g AIO cycling long enough will I create live rock of that quality or no

Short answer is no - maybe if it was hooked in to a really big system what ancient and massive diversity in it (Like say the national aquarium)

 

[backbayreef]

Are y’all really over $1k a month? I’m at about $200+ with my 25 AIO so I guess I see it

Well — my wife ain’t on this site so guess you can do the math: 450g (new, empty), 93g mixed shallow, 150g SPS-packed, and 175g & 20g hospital tanks. If you add utility costs, continuous hunt for medium-sized angels & tangs, rare torches & SPS, and more equipment for the 450g — I suspect I’m easily overbudget! This doesn’t factor in the cost of the new tank and its equipment. I would rather not amortize that cost… so yes, easily.

 

[backbayreef]

Yeh, i was just on their site(like right now debating) - that's more Aquacultured then actual live rock I thought

All my live rocks have been free — just get them from another tank’s sump! I can literally build another 300g with live rocks as we speak! :)

 

[EliMelly]

All my live rocks have been free — just get them from another tank’s sump! I can literally build another 300g with live rocks as we speak! :)

that’s great! I have some live rock if you want I can give you a piece to seed your tank. Got it from TBS originally.

 

[00W]

i got my rock from live rock and reef. its nice stuff if you dont mind puting up with the guy on the phone :grimacing-face: following your qustion. ive been wondering the same thing:smiling-face:

Some of my rock is over 20 years old.
My tank's about 10.
I have always started with mature live rock, most of which I scout out on craigslist or Facebook.
Lots of people move /break down tanks and want stuff gone.
As far as how long does it take, I have no real answer for that.

 

[Fenral]

Well — my wife ain’t on this site so guess you can do the math: 450g (new, empty), 93g mixed shallow, 150g SPS-packed, and 175g & 20g hospital tanks. If you add utility costs, continuous hunt for medium-sized angels & tangs, rare torches & SPS, and more equipment for the 450g — I suspect I’m easily overbudget! This doesn’t factor in the cost of the new tank and its equipment. I would rather not amortize that cost… so yes, easily.

As I warned (@pwfess ), the wives talk, and ears are everywhere.
Also there is a thread/confessional about this topic somewhere else ;)

 

[TokioSuperGrip]

Well — my wife ain’t on this site so guess you can do the math: 450g (new, empty), 93g mixed shallow, 150g SPS-packed, and 175g & 20g hospital tanks. If you add utility costs, continuous hunt for medium-sized angels & tangs, rare torches & SPS, and more equipment for the 450g — I suspect I’m easily overbudget! This doesn’t factor in the cost of the new tank and its equipment. I would rather not amortize that cost… so yes, easily.

Nice. Well worth it, spend it if you got it

 

[pwfess]

As I warned (@pwfess ), the wives talk, and ears are everywhere.
Also there is a thread/confessional about this topic somewhere else ;)

I gotta slow my comments down if the ears are everywhere…I don’t want to self incriminate

 

[jabberwock]

Yeh, i was just on their site(like right now debating) - that's more Aquacultured then actual live rock I thought

No, they have a bottoms lease off the Gulf coast where they deposit quarried rock and then let it sit for a long time. Then they harvest it. It is Mariculture. The amount of biodiversity that the end product holds is stunning.

 

[JoJosReef]

Real Ocean Live Rock for the win!

Does such a thing exist anymore for real... The last time I saw such stuff was, oh, 16 years ago lol...

Yeh, i was just on their site(like right now debating) - that's more Aquacultured then actual live rock I thought

It's not coral skeletons, no, but those rocks bake in the ocean for long enough that they come out with all the goodness.

Now, I have old, old Marshall Islands and Fiji reef rocks that were dried out and the resurrected with my TBS rocks, and those rocks are AWESOME.

To me that was the key to stability almost instantly. That plus Fiji Mud. Super biome. Everything in the tank working hard. Everything stable as can be as long as I keep adding what's needed to fuel them... Until I don't and then things go sideways like they are right now. I guess stability depends on me :)

 

[Fenral]

No, they have a bottoms lease off the Gulf coast where they deposit quarried rock and then let it sit for a long time. Then they harvest it. It is Mariculture. The amount of biodiversity that the end product holds is stunning.

I will probably regret it… orders rubble for new sump…*Edit: Or I won't cause everything is out of stock*

 

[jabberwock]

I will probably regret it… orders rubble for new sump…*Edit: Or I won't cause everything is out of stock*

A couple of recent hurricanes have likely effected diving operations...

 

[Fenral]

A couple of recent hurricanes have likely effected diving operations...

That is likely true - as my mom has still not been able to return home...

 

[JayM]

My tank is just over a year old, and I think I’ve finally hit “stable”. I spent the first few months chasing numbers and as a result had significant parameter swings from week to week which resulted in unhappy inhabitants. I knew my feeding, maintenance and dosing were all acceptable, so I finally stopped worrying and let the tank do what it’s gonna do.

Over the past 6 months or so:

Nitrate has slowly risen to 40-45 and stayed there. Everything is happy

Phosphate has leveled out at .07-.08 and stayed there. Everything is happy.

Trace elements have always been pretty good. Calcium mid to high 400’s, Alk mid 8’ to mid 9’s. I don’t check Mag often, but when I do it’s typically 1450 +/-.

As long as everything stays happy and looks good, those are “my” numbers and I’ll keep them there.

 

[Peair]

While this seems like a silly question, I was thinking today I don't really know how to do it. I frequently struggle with keeping parameters in the same range, keeping away Green Hair algae or other algae. or even keep some corals alive

What are some tips you would give somebody to achieve stability?

Try and not make so many changes, that's why I don't test my water everyday anymore, if one perimeter was off I use go right away and make a change to fit it, don't do that, try and make everything steady, now I have to do water changes, for it just seems to make my tanks run better with fewer problems.

 

[backbayreef]

that’s great! I have some live rock if you want I can give you a piece to seed your tank. Got it from TBS originally.

Thanks — I’m not the one with a LR shortage, actually. In fact, I’ve got too many rocks in my 450g that I had to bleach them for storage! lol

 

[Happy Clam]

Do you remember what you had for dinner on the 29th of November? Good, neither do I, writing down everything on an excel spreadsheet will help explain a lot. From food to lighting times you can adjust (tweak) your very own unique system. Please give it a try.

 

[backbayreef]

I use a Trident and don’t usually look that far back — just focusing on last week’s trend graph is more than enough. When I need to tweak something like the CaRx’s CO2 rate, I just change it and wait 24-48 hours to stabilize by watching pH inside the reactor. Only change one thing at a time.

 

[GARRIGA]

Zero water changes and repeating same everyday. Life doesn’t change overnight therefore same input of nutrients daily means one should have same output daily. Consumption of elements aren’t expected to change either assuming all parameters such as lighting intensity or duration isn’t altered, for example.

In other words. Perhaps no tinkering and let the tank find it’s own balance.

As for WC, if done then perhaps same amount every same number of days with same parameters.

Certain variables can’t be controlled such as how much co2 in room which will likely affect pH or if one overfed today or next or if one pruned that Fuge more than usual.

Therefore stability becomes an acceptable range vs absolute nirvana and happy life good enough. It’s living art. Not a science project how I see it.