Lets put the Serious Reefs' 90/10 Method to the test

[DavidA]

Hello Everyone and Welcome!

I'm sure some of you know already but for those of you that don't here is a little introduction about where this comes from. Ryan Batcheller founder and former owner of Bulk Reef Supply started a new venture called Serious Reefs. Personally, I love what Ryan has done and continues to do for our hobby. I've been watching his videos since Ryan put out the first build series titled "How to set up a saltwater aquarium" where he and Reed set up a 40 gallon breeder. It's crazy to think that was 14 years ago! To put that into perspective, I'm currently 30 years old which means I've been watching Ryan for almost half of my life! Though, I will mention I've only had a saltwater aquarium for about the last 5 of those years. I spent nearly 10 years dreaming of the day where I could have my very own saltwater aquarium. Its safe to say, I'm now a life time reefer but maybe not what most would consider a pro reefer yet. I've been a member of the Serious Reefs Patreon page for some time now and I really enjoy what Ryan is doing. There is a ton of great information, discussions, and experiments that anyone can tell Ryan puts his heart into. One such topic of content is a guide to reef keeping that Ryan has called the 90/10 method.

To quote Serious Reefs:

"Serious Reefs developed the 90/10 Method to give nearly everyone a straightforward path to a beautiful reef tank with minimal effort. The idea is simple: choose the highest-success option at every decision point so that 90 percent of people reach the finish line, and do it using roughly 10 percent of the effort and complexity typical of hobbyist approaches."

I had a crazy thought a few weeks ago, with how popular Ryan's previous build guides/series have been I don't think anyone has tried and recorded their journey following along with Ryan's methods. I'm sure part of that was driven by product influence, where not everyone agrees with or sees why certain products are used. I'm sure another part is because there was never really any "options" where reefers could build their own requirements or wants into the methods. In Ryan's new journey, he makes it a point that no products are sponsored or hold any obligation to be used. Ryan uses a product that simply works and follows the 90/10 rule of thumb, even favoring some budget friendly choices along the way. Ryan also points out areas where there are options or choices for the reefer to make for themselves, referring to these as "audibles."

In short, I love it. I think Ryan is going to once again take the culmination of what our community has learned over the years and put it into an interesting and digestable format that when followed will produce results anyone can be proud of. I also believe along the way Ryan will challenge and test our preconceived notions and methods within the hobby. I'm excited to follow his journey, but like many others, I also want to know if it works for us average reefers without years and years of experience. So lets put Ryan's 90/10 method to the test!!

*please forgive me, I'm going to be doing a lot of copy and pasting from the Serious Reefs website to save a lot of typing.*



I will be make decisions and sticking to the following;

Core Principles of the 90/10 Method​

• Ease over complexity: Favor systems and choices that are easy to maintain.
• Highest probability choices: At every turn pick the option most likely to succeed for a wide range of people.
• Minimal gear, maximal results: Use only what’s necessary and reliable.
• Predictable inputs: Start with clean, controllable source water and predictable salts.
• Weekly testing and small, consistent actions: Dilution first, consistent water changes, and weekly checks trump complicated chemistry juggling.

I am going to format my thread here to follow the build series in order as Ryan ordered his video series.
MY 90/10 Method will be as follows.

Tank Type:
The tank will be the 90/10 Method's recommended Softie/LPS tank.
Tank Size:
I will be using a standard 40 breeder aquarium. This falls within the 90/10's 35-75 gallon recommendation for tank size. I also believe this
Source Water:
I have a BRS 7 stage 150gpd RO/DI system paired with a Aquatic Life Smart Buddy booster pump. For a water mixing bin, Ryan recommends a 'white' brute trash can. This is where I'm going to call my first audible. I already have a 32 gallon gray brute mixing station set up. I'd love to buy $300 worth of white brute cans, but I, and I'm sure many others cannot justify that cost. This does not mean, I'm going to ignore Ryan's reasoning for the white brute cans though. Ryan's whole point of the white brutes is to ensure you can spot any purity issues with your fresh saltwater. I think a white 5 gallon bucket for my water changes will do a close enough job of allowing me to spot any issues with my salt mix that Ryan's thought process will still align with my audible. I will combine this with using good quality salt, to ensure minimal contaminants and also minimal crud deposits on the mixing bin. I will be using Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt as recommended by the 90/10 method. I must admit, I'm a bit nervous to switch back to this salt as I was one of the reefers that had an issue with their Turkey batch that ended up wiping out most of my corals. I know that is an issue of the past though, so I am willing to give it a try.

Substrate:
The 90/10 method recommends actual live sand to increase micro biome. It is recommended if not 100% live sand to mix some the live sand with "kind of live sand" for an introduction of that micro biome to the tank. I have looked into TBS live sand and I'm willing to risk any potential pests, but I cannot justify the cost. For 15 lbs of live sand it costs $135 for the sand and $58 for shipping for a total of $192. Lets say I just want to add a little live sand. The smallest/cheapest package is $63 that gets you 2lbs of sand and 4 lbs of live rubble/rock. That is still $121 (shipped) for 2 lbs of sand as the 90/10 method doesn't recommend using actual live rock due to the potential of introducing pests. With pricing like this, I feel that we are driving new reefers or even budget minded reefers away. So this is where I will call my second audible. I choose to do this for two reasons. 1) I can't justify spending that much money on sand, or micro biome if you put it that way. 2) I don't think there are many people who WOULD spend that much money on sand. For every 10 reefers that follow the 90/10 method, I just can't see more than 1 or 2 of them actually following through with this part of the method. That being said, I understand why Ryan chose live sand for this method and am a bit conflicted by choosing not to follow this recommendation because I do view it as going against one of the core beliefs. Referring back to the core belief

• Highest probability choices: At every turn pick the option most likely to succeed for a wide range of people.

So all of that said I feel a bit obligated to try and share my experience without the true live sand part. I will be using 1 40lb bag of Ocean Direct "kind of alive" sand. I will plan on taking extra time for the biome to cycle, and will seed the aquarium with pods. I think this is a more budget orientated path that most reefers would take but also achieve similar long term results.

Rock:
I am going to follow the 90/10 method to a 'T' here, so to quote;

For rockwork we prefer a functional dry aquascape. We keep the rock away from the back glass, build smaller functional structures instead of one large stack, and use epoxy and super glue to make everything stable yet movable. This approach offers several advantages:

• Cleanability: individual pieces can be cleaned and siphoned behind—no long-term detritus traps.
• Better swim paths: moving rock off the back and forward increases linear swim distance which can let smaller tanks comfortably house active fish like tangs.
• Portability: modular pieces are easier to disassemble, transport, or temporarily containerize for relocation or large maintenance tasks.
• Reduced nuisance growth: dry rock limits introduction of surface photosynthetics compared to wet ocean live rock that often arrives with a variety of algae.

Dilution over filtration:
I will follow the recommended 10% weekly water changes. The nice thing about a tank this size, I only have to change 4 gallons a week! No skimmer, no mechanical filtration. I will be running a Seachem Tidal 35 on the tank only for surface skimming and to have an area to run carbon and GFO media.

Control phosphate:
I will follow the recommended target range of phosphate that is 0.05 to 0.1 ppm. I will be using the recommended Hanna Low Range Phosphate checker along with GFO or a GFO like resin product to control high phosphate levels.

Softy and LPS flow:
I will do my best to create the recommended shifting currents as opposed to chaotic and random flow. I plan on using two gyre wavemakers to achieve this.
Maintain temperature:
I will be using a titanium heating element that is controlled by an Inkbird temperature controller.
Lighting, estimate don’t guess:
For lighting I will be using a Kessil AP700 that I have laying around, using a cheap killawatt meter to tune the light to the recommended 1 to 1.5 watts per gallon favoring a 75% blue/violet, 25% white color balance. If you haven't heard of or seen Ryan's experiment where he tunes a bunch of different LED lights using a killawatt meter that alone is a reason to try Serious Reefs patreon for a month.

Chemistry:
I will be using BRS bulk 2-part to maintain Major Elements. I will be using water changes and Tropic Marin A- and K+ to maintain trace elements. I will follow the 90/10 method's recommendation of dosing manually but automating dosing with a doser once elements stabilize in consumption.

Evaporation:
The 90/10 method recommends starting day 1 with an auto top off and I will do just that. I think there might be a challenge with running an ATO in the display but I have a few ideas to help maintain stable salinity. I will be using a DFC ato from amazon, but my ATO container will not be very large so that in the event of a malfunction no serious harm would follow.

Testing:
I will follow the recommended guidelines. To quote;

• Test weekly for nitrate, phosphate, calcium, alkalinity, and salinity. These are the bedrock of reef water chemistry.
• Magnesium is less volatile; monthly testing is usually adequate after an initial settling period.
• ICP tests are useful occasionally as a comprehensive audit of trace and major elements.

Target ranges to aim for:

• Calcium ~430 ppm ±20 (so roughly 410–450 ppm).
• Alkalinity ~9 dKH ±1.
• Magnesium ~1350 ppm ±50.
• Salinity 35 ppt ±1 (act sooner if you drift more than 1 ppt).
• Nitrates 2 - 20 ppm The 90/10 sweet spot is to target the low end and act to trend back if you drift upward: feed less, improve filtration, or increase water change frequency.
• Phosphates 0.05 - 0.1 ppm using GFO media to maintain levels
• Clear Blue Water is an easy visual test: do water changes into a white bucket and the water should be crystal blue. If it’s yellow or dingy, increase water changes or use activated carbon.

Utilitarians:
Instead of trying to eliminate every organism that might appear, the 90/10 method builds a community that keeps nuisances in check. To achieve this, I will be utilizing a well thought out stocking list of inhabitants.

• Algae I'm unsure of how I feel about even a small tang in a 40 breeder, for that reason I'm leaning towards going with a lawnmower aka algae blenny for general algae grazing. I will also be adding an assortment of snails favoring stomatella snails in general. I will likely add a few emerald crabs into the mix to round out algae control.
• Cyano, Dinos, Diatoms As mentioned earlier in the substrate section, I plan on adding assorted pods to the tank.
• Control Pest Anemones This is a battle I fight in my main display tank with aptasia, so I will be making a serious point to limit any pests coming into the tank but also take preventative measures. I wish a copperband would work in a 40 gallon tank, but again more than likely the tank isn't large enough. I will likely turn towards peppermint shrimp or an aptasia eating file fish.
• Small coral and fish predators I plan on stocking the tank with a yellow banded possum wrasse and potentially a talbots damsel or two for flatworm and nudibranch control.
• Keep Sand Clean I will be adding one or two of my favorite invert, a fighting conch once there is an established food base in the sand. I would also like to add a sand starfish and sand sifting gobies, but have heard that they are not viable to keep long term. I will research this more to make an educated decision. If I cannot add those animals, I will add in Nassarius snails to aid the conch in keeping the sand clean.

Ryan, if you ever see this, I want to thank you for what you do to push this community and hobby forward. Many of us, including myself, look up to you as a mentor.




I plan on documenting everything thoroughly and as consistently as I possibly can. Over the next day or two, I plan on putting together a finalized equipment list as well as a proposed stocking list for the tank. I'll be posting progress as I make it, large or small. Throughout this build, I encourage (friendly) discussion about this method and my "audibles" as well as look forward to your thoughts!

With that being said, lets begin!

Following. Love how you tied it to Ryan’s concepts.

 

[unchainedcoot]

Let me ask you all a question. Let’s call it the question of the week.

At what point is budget more or less of a priority over chance of success?

I’m beginning to question the decision to not use live sand. I firmly believe it’s a price many are not willing to pay, but I also firmly believe that it will greatly increase chances of success across the board for most reefers.

Aside from those two reasons I also feel like I’m cutting the 90/10 method short by removing a minor component of the method. Can it really be considered the same method at that point?

I’d love to hear all of your thoughts and opinions on this!

I think it would be the hardest thing to work around. For my two cents there is no substitute for that ocean grown biome

 

[X-37B]

Let me ask you all a question. Let’s call it the question of the week.

At what point is budget more or less of a priority over chance of success?

I’m beginning to question the decision to not use live sand. I firmly believe it’s a price many are not willing to pay, but I also firmly believe that it will greatly increase chances of success across the board for most reefers.

Aside from those two reasons I also feel like I’m cutting the 90/10 method short by removing a minor component of the method. Can it really be considered the same method at that point?

I’d love to hear all of your thoughts and opinions on this!

First you don't need sand to be successful. I run both in different systems.
All live rock will give you a system that is ready for coral in a few weeks.
No issues with uglies and your system will be way ahead of dead rock starts.
I use live rock with store bought sand. This way I get the grain size I want for the system.
Also with all live and no sand you will, over time, have sand under the rocks from all the boring creatures in the rock.
Here is my 15 at 9 months.
Fine sand and 20lbs live rock.
And my 150 BB at 1.5 years.

 

[Kodski]

First you don't need sand to be successful. I run both in different systems.
All live rock will give you a system that is ready for coral in a few weeks.
No issues with uglies and your system will be way ahead of dead rock starts.
I use live rock with store bought sand. This way I get the grain size I want for the system.
Also with all live and no sand you will, over time, have sand under the rocks from all the boring creatures in the rock.
Here is my 15 at 9 months.
Fine sand and 20lbs live rock.
And my 150 BB at 1.5 years.

I agree my 80 gallon is bare bottom! However, that is not what I’m asking or trying to prove/test. I’m going to quote Ryan here;

“ Serious Reefs developed the 90/10 Method to give nearly everyone a straightforward path to a beautiful reef tank with minimal effort. The idea is simple: choose the highest-success option at every decision point so that 90 percent of people reach the finish line, and do it using roughly 10 percent of the effort and complexity typical of hobbyist approaches.

That means we pick tank types, equipment, and techniques that tolerate beginner mistakes, reduce guesswork, and make maintenance straightforward. We also build in smart audibles—intentional alternatives that lower or raise success probability—so you can make informed decisions rather than random coin flips.“

Without a doubt, a bare bottom take is doable however I would not agree that it fits well within the above criteria for this specific situation. It’s certainly not something I would have someone who’s brand new to reefing try and expect a successful experience.

The method specifically calls for live sand over live rock to reduce the chances of unwanted pests, slimes and algae. Ryan does specifically say that if your goal is a bare bottom SPS tank live rock would be a better choice.

 

[X-37B]

I agree my 80 gallon is bare bottom! However, that is not what I’m asking or trying to prove/test. I’m going to quote Ryan here;

“ Serious Reefs developed the 90/10 Method to give nearly everyone a straightforward path to a beautiful reef tank with minimal effort. The idea is simple: choose the highest-success option at every decision point so that 90 percent of people reach the finish line, and do it using roughly 10 percent of the effort and complexity typical of hobbyist approaches.

That means we pick tank types, equipment, and techniques that tolerate beginner mistakes, reduce guesswork, and make maintenance straightforward. We also build in smart audibles—intentional alternatives that lower or raise success probability—so you can make informed decisions rather than random coin flips.“

Without a doubt, a bare bottom take is doable however I would not agree that it fits well within the above criteria for this specific situation. It’s certainly not something I would have someone who’s brand new to reefing try and expect a successful experience.

The method specifically calls for live sand over live rock to reduce the chances of unwanted pests, slimes and algae. Ryan does specifically say that if your goal is a bare bottom SPS tank live rock would be a better choice.

I guess we just look at it differently.
My simple 13g at 2 months.
Sand and a few pieces of live rock.
Heater, flow, and small filter for floss and whatever.
Dosing esv 2 part at 3ml daily.
Any new person could replicate this easily.
It could be done just as well with no sand but sand would help a new reefer for sure in this setup.

 

[CHSUB]

Yes the guy is an expert and his advice is as good as anyone, don’t much like the name or the concept of “90/10” because most of the stuff is solid. Would, however, always have a skimmer. You just can’t go wrong with one, it the perfect saltwater device.

 

[X-37B]

"Ryan's whole point of the white brutes is to ensure you can spot any purity issues with your fresh saltwater. I think a white 5 gallon bucket for my water changes will do a close enough job of allowing me to spot any issues with my salt".
Any color bucket or barrel, I use blue, works if you own a flashlight.
I have only had residue using IO salt.
A white bucket is good to compare old water to new. You will notice a difference.

 

[X-37B]

Yes the guy is an expert and his advice is as good as anyone, don’t much like the name or the concept of “90/10” because most of the stuff is solid. Would, however, always have a skimmer. You just can’t go wrong with one, it the perfect saltwater device.

Skimmer not needed in small systems. My 150 runs a LifeReef and a Tunze 9430dc. You can't overskim.
Better for a newb to have one than not if the system is big enough. I have one on my 35, 50, 112, and 170, but not my 15 or 13.

 

[reef’r]

Let me ask you all a question. Let’s call it the question of the week.

At what point is budget more or less of a priority over chance of success?

I’m beginning to question the decision to not use live sand. I firmly believe it’s a price many are not willing to pay, but I also firmly believe that it will greatly increase chances of success across the board for most reefers.

Aside from those two reasons I also feel like I’m cutting the 90/10 method short by removing a minor component of the method. Can it really be considered the same method at that point?

I’d love to hear all of your thoughts and opinions on this!

I would say that my personal opinion is that anyone, brand new to the hobby or experienced should buy the best equipment and other various items for the tank that they can. If going for this method and wanting to follow it to a T then I would do just that… but we all know that going with live sand or live rock would GREATLY increase the chances that anyone’s setup will be successful. There are also plenty of tanks on here that are started dry and come out amazing but I know I certainly had a hard time doing it and found myself replacing dry rock with live. I don’t have ecotech wave makers because of the price, but I did start my tank with all live rock I’m not sure if that ties your question in or not? Maybe I’m just rambling.

On another note I think this will be a cool build. If you can keep the ugliest beat down and your planning on a softie tank I’m sure you’ll find success Ryan is a great guy to follow methods from I’m sure.

 

[fandaga]

Following along - looks interesting!

I just started listening to Serious Reefs. I really love the biome cycling series that Ryan did a few years ago.

Coincidentally, I also bought a 40 breeder recently during Black Friday. Petco was running a 50% off special. I’m setting it up as a frag tank. I got the metal stand, glass top and a mechanical filter for $300; although the glass top already broke when I did a water change this weekend. I ordered an acrylic replacement from Etsy. Also, I cut some plywood boards to go under the stand and mount the electrical, which is in progress. For lighting, I’m using super cheap viparspectra, and for flow I’m using a Jebao wavemaker. I also have Jebao dosing pump and bought a dirt cheap ATO from Amazon. I’m doing this as bare bottom with just a couple rocks and a bio brick that were dark cured for 6 months. So far the tank has been running for a couple weeks. It cycled in one day, and then I added three mollies and an urchin the next day. Everything is doing well so far. I just turned the lights on 2 days ago and hoping I don’t get much algae.

 

[ianb1321]

This is a great concept. Looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

 

[fandaga]

Just adding to the live sand/rock discussion: I used Caribsea and dry rock in my main DT and got TBS sand and live rock from their “package” in my 2nd DT. The TBS stuff is great. The sand didn’t really have any significant hitch hikers like their base or premium rock. I’m not sure how critical each component of their package is, but my 2nd tank was insta-cycled and avoided the ugly stage entirely. I have softies, LPS, and SPS including acros growing in that tank after only a couple months with no fish. I just added some astrea snails, a tiger conch, and a few hermit crabs. There’s very little algae growth. Even though the TBS package was expensive, what I’m saving in not losing corals and not using additives and products like algaecides and probiotics is definitely making up for the initial investment. My main DT was initially cheap, but it’s been a money pit and major headache. I’d never do dry rock again.

The BRS series on biome cycling was a total eye opener. For the third tank (frag) I’m doing dark cured rock from my DT sump and no sand, just to see how it goes. Hopefully, that’s the most cost effective.

Anyways, there are probably a lot of different ways to solve the biome cycling problem. I’m eager to see how your tank develops!

 

[areefer01]

I would say that my personal opinion is that anyone, brand new to the hobby or experienced should buy the best equipment and other various items for the tank that they can.

Hmm...what does "best equipment" mean? How is that quantified? Is it price? Hobbyist recommendation? Social media or influencers? Product feature matrix?

Too many questions around the web about what is the best X, Y, Z. Best is saved for statistical sports, not our hobby.

 

[reef’r]

Hmm...what does "best equipment" mean? How is that quantified? Is it price? Hobbyist recommendation? Social media or influencers? Product feature matrix?

Too many questions around the web about what is the best X, Y, Z. Best is saved for statistical sports, not our hobby.

His question was related to budget and how does that play into success. I said “buy the best equipment for the tank you can” meaning if you can afford a higher end skimmer, higher end lighting, pumps, foods, heaters, live rock vs dead rock, then in my opinion that is the route you should go. I didn’t say reef octopus are the best skimmers there is and if you have anything else your skimmer sucks. The OP was questioning not going with live sand and instead sticking to the 90/10 and going dry, but having second thoughts. Can the tank be successful with dry sand? Absolutely. Will it be? Maybe. Would starting with some sort of live bacteria in the tank give it a much better head start? Absolutely. So then in my opinion, live sand would be the “best” option to go with.

 

[Kodski]

This is awesome! I too have been watching his series and will be following along with some "audibles", mainly in tank size.



I've been thinking about this as well. While I think the live sand would be the best option, I don't really like the look of it. From pictures I've seen, it just looks like a bunch of crushed shells. So, I've decided to go with Tropic Eden Miniflakes, another "audible". I am planning to actually get live sand and some rubble rock from TBS and use it to cycle the tank, will probably end up moving the rubble rock to the sump and might put the sand in my refugium, not sure though.

Thank you for your input! Glad to hear someone else got inspired by this method! Be sure to share your journey! I am still deciding but I think I’ll be going with the TBS Jar package if I do go the live sand route. Been talking to TBS directly so I’d like to share that conversation as well at some point.

Following. Love how you tied it to Ryan’s concepts.

Thank you! Please be sure to chime in and share your thoughts!

I think it would be the hardest thing to work around. For my two cents there is no substitute for that ocean grown biome

I don’t disagree! It just becomes a hard call between cost and effectiveness. I think I’d like to go with what my fellow community members would like to see.

Yes the guy is an expert and his advice is as good as anyone, don’t much like the name or the concept of “90/10” because most of the stuff is solid. Would, however, always have a skimmer. You just can’t go wrong with one, it the perfect saltwater device.

Can you elaborate on why you don’t like the name or concept of the 90/10 method? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Personally a skimmer is a great tool for out tanks. I just don’t think it’s an absolute necessity to any degree and I think the evidence is in the number of tanks filled with fish and corals that you see nutrient deficiencies in. I do believe that a skimmer is one of if not the best possible way to fix ph issues.

"Ryan's whole point of the white brutes is to ensure you can spot any purity issues with your fresh saltwater. I think a white 5 gallon bucket for my water changes will do a close enough job of allowing me to spot any issues with my salt".
Any color bucket or barrel, I use blue, works if you own a flashlight.
I have only had residue using IO salt.
A white bucket is good to compare old water to new. You will notice a difference.

A flashlight is a must to inspect mixing barrels, I agree! I am using IO now on my main display and hate the residue it leaves. I’m excited to switch back to a clean salt again.

I would say that my personal opinion is that anyone, brand new to the hobby or experienced should buy the best equipment and other various items for the tank that they can. If going for this method and wanting to follow it to a T then I would do just that… but we all know that going with live sand or live rock would GREATLY increase the chances that anyone’s setup will be successful. There are also plenty of tanks on here that are started dry and come out amazing but I know I certainly had a hard time doing it and found myself replacing dry rock with live. I don’t have ecotech wave makers because of the price, but I did start my tank with all live rock I’m not sure if that ties your question in or not? Maybe I’m just rambling.

On another note I think this will be a cool build. If you can keep the ugliest beat down and your planning on a softie tank I’m sure you’ll find success Ryan is a great guy to follow methods from I’m sure.

I think that’s a great point that we all agree that live sand greatly increases our chances of success even though it’s also agreed unanimously that it’s not needed. At the end of the day, I find it odd though that we as a hobby don’t consider live sand a standard. I think unfortunately it comes down to money, where so many people want to get into reefing but can’t or don’t because the cost is too great. But there has to be a cutoff for how cheap can you do something right? Thanks for your input and kind words!

Following along - looks interesting!

I just started listening to Serious Reefs. I really love the biome cycling series that Ryan did a few years ago.

Coincidentally, I also bought a 40 breeder recently during Black Friday. Petco was running a 50% off special. I’m setting it up as a frag tank. I got the metal stand, glass top and a mechanical filter for $300; although the glass top already broke when I did a water change this weekend. I ordered an acrylic replacement from Etsy. Also, I cut some plywood boards to go under the stand and mount the electrical, which is in progress. For lighting, I’m using super cheap viparspectra, and for flow I’m using a Jebao wavemaker. I also have Jebao dosing pump and bought a dirt cheap ATO from Amazon. I’m doing this as bare bottom with just a couple rocks and a bio brick that were dark cured for 6 months. So far the tank has been running for a couple weeks. It cycled in one day, and then I added three mollies and an urchin the next day. Everything is doing well so far. I just turned the lights on 2 days ago and hoping I don’t get much algae.

Thank you and your tank is Looking good! Tops often times can cause oxygen exchange issues and consequently lower ph levels. Consider no top if you’re able to.

This is a great concept. Looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

Thanks! Be sure to chime in with your thoughts and suggestions!

Just adding to the live sand/rock discussion: I used Caribsea and dry rock in my main DT and got TBS sand and live rock from their “package” in my 2nd DT. The TBS stuff is great. The sand didn’t really have any significant hitch hikers like their base or premium rock. I’m not sure how critical each component of their package is, but my 2nd tank was insta-cycled and avoided the ugly stage entirely. I have softies, LPS, and SPS including acros growing in that tank after only a couple months with no fish. I just added some astrea snails, a tiger conch, and a few hermit crabs. There’s very little algae growth. Even though the TBS package was expensive, what I’m saving in not losing corals and not using additives and products like algaecides and probiotics is definitely making up for the initial investment. My main DT was initially cheap, but it’s been a money pit and major headache. I’d never do dry rock again.

The BRS series on biome cycling was a total eye opener. For the third tank (frag) I’m doing dark cured rock from my DT sump and no sand, just to see how it goes. Hopefully, that’s the most cost effective.

Anyways, there are probably a lot of different ways to solve the biome cycling problem. I’m eager to see how your tank develops!

It’s great to hear first hand experience with cycling tanks with and without seeding the biome. In the past I’ve always had cycled rock rubble or ceramic media in my sumps that I seed new tanks with. I can’t say I’ve ever had an ugly stage since I started doing that. I won’t be doing that this time because unfortunately I have aptasia in the tank now but I also want to use what new reefers would have easy access to. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Kodski]

Got the stand in place and tank on top tonight. Not sure I like how much the top overhangs. 3CM quartz is strong, but not that strong, all direct weight points are not over the cabinet. I may have to either find a different top or reinforce this one somehow.

 

[Ryan - Serious Reefs]

Awesome. Following :)

 

[fandaga]

Thank you for your input! Glad to hear someone else got inspired by this method! Be sure to share your journey! I am still deciding but I think I’ll be going with the TBS Jar package if I do go the live sand route. Been talking to TBS directly so I’d like to share that conversation as well at some point.

Thank you! Please be sure to chime in and share your thoughts!

I don’t disagree! It just becomes a hard call between cost and effectiveness. I think I’d like to go with what my fellow community members would like to see.

Can you elaborate on why you don’t like the name or concept of the 90/10 method? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Personally a skimmer is a great tool for out tanks. I just don’t think it’s an absolute necessity to any degree and I think the evidence is in the number of tanks filled with fish and corals that you see nutrient deficiencies in. I do believe that a skimmer is one of if not the best possible way to fix ph issues.

A flashlight is a must to inspect mixing barrels, I agree! I am using IO now on my main display and hate the residue it leaves. I’m excited to switch back to a clean salt again.

I think that’s a great point that we all agree that live sand greatly increases our chances of success even though it’s also agreed unanimously that it’s not needed. At the end of the day, I find it odd though that we as a hobby don’t consider live sand a standard. I think unfortunately it comes down to money, where so many people want to get into reefing but can’t or don’t because the cost is too great. But there has to be a cutoff for how cheap can you do something right? Thanks for your input and kind words!

Thank you and your tank is Looking good! Tops often times can cause oxygen exchange issues and consequently lower ph levels. Consider no top if you’re able to.

Thanks! Be sure to chime in with your thoughts and suggestions!

It’s great to hear first hand experience with cycling tanks with and without seeding the biome. In the past I’ve always had cycled rock rubble or ceramic media in my sumps that I seed new tanks with. I can’t say I’ve ever had an ugly stage since I started doing that. I won’t be doing that this time because unfortunately I have aptasia in the tank now but I also want to use what new reefers would have easy access to. Thanks for sharing!

Yeah, I agree with the lid comment but like it for primarily limiting evaporation and also preventing fish jumping. Since I’m not running a skimmer, I have an air stone /pump to help with oxygen. This tank is in the basement, which I’ve found runs much higher and narrower pH than upstairs. I guess my basement is drafty…

Biggest downside with the lid is probably the hit to PAR.

 

[rtparty]

I’ve come to really enjoy the look of the TBS sand with its different shapes and sizes. The broken up seashells. It looks real

 

[Kodski]

Awesome. Following :)

I can’t tell you how awesome it is to have you following along Ryan! I’ll do my best to do right by the method!

In the past I’ve fallen into that category of winging putting a tank together and biome cycling it. I’ve been luckily thus far with algae’s and slimes but have seen my tanks experience many ups and downs throughout that process. I really look forward to trying the 90/10 method and I’m excited to share with the community.