Share a FAVORITE reef tank maintenance tip!

[Red_Beard]

Almost as good as a battlebrush, small stiff bristles and the angle of the head is good for scrubbing the b'jeezes out of pumps and plumbing

 

[LafondReef]

I also use this super cheap razor holder that snaps onto the straight blades I use for stubborn glass scrap projects. It keeps track of the blades so nothing slips into the tank not noticed.. nothing worse than a rusty razor blade slipped down behind rockwork

 

[vadryn]

I waited too long to get a digital spectrometer for salinity. (Milwuakee) So fast and easy, calibrate in seconds with RO water, no trying to focus and read under a light and calibrate with a screwdriver. If salinity is the #1 parameter (which I keep hearing) then making this as easy and accurate as possible makes sense.

 

[aquaman67]

I watched a BRS YouTube interview with Victor from World Wide Corals about clean up crews.

Victor said that a clean up crew must be maintained. Just because you bought 10 snails doesn’t mean you will always have 10 snails (paraphrased)

That statement was an epiphany for me. I was being dumb not by maintaining my clean up crew.

I fixed that I my tank looks much better with much less maintenance on my part.

Here’s the video


Victor from WWC

 

[56longroof]

I've found the pre packaged eye glass wipes are excellent for cleaning the glass. I always get some streaking with vinegar and water. And added plus is there is no spray residue.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Plastic spray bottle filled with RODI water. Rinse down spray all my sump and lids to keep salt creep and build up away. Especially after my weekly water changes.

GREAT IDEA!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I've found the pre packaged eye glass wipes are excellent for cleaning the glass. I always get some streaking with vinegar and water. And added plus is there is no spray residue.

That is a good idea to clean your glass!

 

[BancReefer]

My 2nd best tip is using a thin sheet of Magic Eraser on the inside of my glass between the MAGNET and the GLASS! Works wonders for cleaning day to day when you don't really need a hard scrub and don't want to put a SCRAPER to work. I buy them in bulk and toss each one after it's been used. It's shocking how much each one removes day in and day out.

Just be sure to NOT get any sand/grit stuck between the sheet and the glass.

I bought a box of 1000 sheets for $9 5 years ago and I’ve hardly made a dent. These are the best.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I bought a box of 1000 sheets for $9 5 years ago and I’ve hardly made a dent. These are the best.

That is crazy you got that many for so cheap!

 

[BancReefer]

When I fill up doing a water change, I use my ATO pump so the level is always the same in the tank and I don’t have to worry about a salinity swing from a differing tank volume. I have a small tank but this lets me start to clean up while the tank fills without worrying about overflow.

 

[56longroof]

That is a good idea to clean your glass!

We bought a box of them on Amazon. They are fairly cheap.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

We bought a box of them on Amazon. They are fairly cheap.

I'll be ordering some soon!

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

When in doubt, throw a tuxedo in.

 

[AlexandraDreadlocksPanda]

I just found the reef mat hack, that's a winner for me.

What reef mat hack? Using it higher out the water to save on fleece roll?

 

[BrianneG]

Wow such great ideas. I would love an idea if anyone has any for cleaning the inside walls of an acrylic tank that is 24" deep and my arms can't reach the bottom.. I have tried the scraper sticks with acrylic blades and they are crap.

 

[BrianneG]

use the largest auto top-off reservoir you can in your application!

I use 23 gallon slim jim trashcans for each of my ~90 gallon systems and don't have to refill for ~2 weeks. Less frequent maintenance, and allows you to go on vacation/travel with less stress! I use these trash cans due to their small footprint, durability, and cost-effectiveness versus "purpose designed" acrylic reservoirs: https://amzn.to/4fgS1ZT

I have a 10 gallon reservoir and I am so thankful I do. So much nicer not to have to worry

 

[BrianneG]

My 2nd best tip is using a thin sheet of Magic Eraser on the inside of my glass between the MAGNET and the GLASS! Works wonders for cleaning day to day when you don't really need a hard scrub and don't want to put a SCRAPER to work. I buy them in bulk and toss each one after it's been used. It's shocking how much each one removes day in and day out.

Just be sure to NOT get any sand/grit stuck between the sheet and the glass.

another any ideas HOW NOT To get the sand/ rock stuck?? I think that would be the award winner

 

[BigAl07]

another any ideas HOW NOT To get the sand/ rock stuck?? I think that would be the award winner

I start off, when using the blade, going VERTICAL into the sand creating a "cleaned area" right above the sand and then when I go horizontal I've pretty much removed much of a chance of getting sand in the unit and then making large visible scratches in the glass.

Then when I go along horizontal with the sand, if at all possible, I will PULL the mag/scraper along the sand with the leading edge higher than the trailing edge.

 

[KQuillan]

What reef mat hack? Using it higher out the water to save on fleece roll?

No, contact Steve here: https://preconfilter.com/ Tell him what you need, and he will hook you up.

 

[Stephensx04]

Setup your tank to make maintenance easy. Spend the extra time and money up front. If it’s a pain to do something, it likely won’t get done.

This is a big one. My water changes while manual only require me to open and close a couple valves to change out water and not make a mess.