Priorities to Achieve Stability?

[Euphylliaphyle]

I ask this innocently, although answers may generate controversy. What can we do that is most efficacious for the dollars and effort in achieving reef tank stability? I know many actions can contribute, but what would make your top one to three? What is your reasoning for each?
I posit that automatic water changes may be better than the lauded automatic top-off. Rationale: Tiny, incremental water changes done a couple of times per day would be less abruptly disruptive to water chemistry than the same amount of water changed once per week. Compared to top-off, if equally incremental, auto top-off is less bang for the buck than AWC because it relies on the relative stability of RO/DI water vs. salt mix, and can be performed simply with fewer opportunities for error or variation, and certainly in my case with less effort. Performed even manually daily, I postulate that top-off is less disruptive than water change as commonly practiced. Please convince me otherwise before I buy AWC.
Full disclosure: I run neither at the moment but am considering both.

 

[sixty_reefer]

I’m from the view that you cannot beat a reliable ATO with a AWC, unless your AWC was plumbed directly into the sea, I can’t see it compensating properly for evaporation

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

for me it is:
1- Leave the tank alone
2- Regular maintenance, wether daily or weekly or monthly keep it regular (includes water changes, cleaning equipment, etc)
3- Don't lose interest and keep up the daily upkeep (visual inspections, feeding, unclogging clogged impellers, etc...)

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

I’m from the view that you cannot beat a reliable ATO with a AWC, unless your AWC was plumbed directly into the sea, I can’t see it compensating properly for evaporation

Do you use AWC integrated with ATO? What equipment are you using?

 

[sixty_reefer]

Do you use AWC integrated with ATO? What equipment are you using?

I’ve always used a ATO for salinity stability, and relied on chemistry and biological understanding for everything else.

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

for me it is:
1- Leave the tank alone
2- Regular maintenance, wether daily or weekly or monthly keep it regular (includes water changes, cleaning equipment, etc)
3- Don't lose interest and keep up the daily upkeep (visual inspections, feeding, unclogging clogged impellers, etc...)

I agree, leave it alone as much as possible. I am thinking of using AWC ironically, to help me leave it alone. I have noticed - more than I'd hope for - parameter swings in my salt mix from batch to batch and view 2x/day AWC as a way to level that out in a more gradual way than 16% every 10 days as I do now. I don't mind doing it manually at that frequency. I actually enjoy it.

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

I’ve always used a ATO for salinity stability, and relied on chemistry and biological understanding for everything else.

So no water changes, and using Moonshiners or similar trace additions?

 

[sixty_reefer]

So no water changes, and using Moonshiners or similar trace additions?

I only do water changes occasionally, mostly as a good excuse to visit the LFS, corals don’t really excite me anymore but when I did kept them, I’d just dosed trace weekly and run ICP every now and then to check if everything stayed within acceptable range.

 

[exnisstech]

ATO is a must have on any tank for me. Its more for convience than stability tho because I don't feel like manually topping of.
TBH keeping things stable for me comes by ignoring things and not trying to micro manage every level and let the tank settle where it settles and roll with it. For me keeping things simple keeps things stable. All tanks only test N, P and alk weekly and calcium once every few months. I don't do ICP or any other testing.
This tank is stable with alk at 8.0 - 8.5 dkH managed manually dosing ESV 2 part each morning NO3 runs 20-40 and PO4 0.4 - 0.9. I do 25g WCs weekly using IO purple. I never test new salt other than salinty.

This tank is different because it has always ran low nutrients. I do random 4g WCs on no set schedule using IO salt also. The only supplement I use is AFR to maintain alk at 8 - 8.5 dkH. AFR is on a doser. NO3 runs 2-8 ppm and PO4 0.03-0.04 I did have to dose N and P off and on for the first couple of years when I would test 0.

Maybe my tanks aren't really stable but I'm unaware because im not looking for problems

 

[revhtree]

Should be a great thread!