Thursday Tank Tips

[revhtree]

Little tips can really go along way in helping others and well as ourselves achieve success in the hobby! Let's post a Thursday tank tip for those that may be reading today!

POST ONE PER POST!

 

[revhtree]

If you are able....

Have your main pump plugged into a whole different circuit than the rest of your tank equipment just in case something goes wrong on the heavier loaded circuit. This has come into play for me recently and I have realized the importance of it!

 

[austinl]

Keep you hands out of the tank....I love to tinker and and sometimes it's just better not to tinker which leads to stability.

Now if I can take my own advice I'll be ok.

 

[trevormass7]

Get a quarantine tank. I learned the hard way with ick. Abe yourself some time and money

 

[Mal11224]

Acclimating corals should be done correctly. I like to float the corals for a few moments to get the temperature leveled and then start a drip acclimation for about 1 hour and finish with an RX dip to remove any pest. The dip is very important as it will hopefully prevent a larger problem in the future. I start the corals at or near the bottom of the tank and slowly move them up on a magnetic rack to properly acclimate them. This method has worked great for me and my mixed reef tank.

 

[trevormass7]

*save

 

[atoll]

This little tip could make a big difference to the performance of your skimmer and next to nothing in cost or your time.
Depending on your skimmer either attach a short length of tube to the air inlet of your skimmer and put the other end into some hot RO water and allow the skimmers venturi to suck the hot water up into the skimmers impeller chamber. if you already have a tube coming from the venturi put the end into the hot water. Any crud built up like dust etc will hopefully be cleaned out and bring your skimmer back to maximum efficiency.

 

[120reefkeeper]

I've read this multiple times and it's [emoji817] truth.

Your not keeping fish and corals, your keeping water.

It's all about the water! [emoji4]

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Buy a controller.

 

[Gweeds1980]

Make your own frozen food... include guts and skin of sea fish and any algae you've got floating about and chuck in some cod liver oil... it makes a huge difference to the health of your fish, is healthier than anything you can buy and is cheaper

 

[Scorpius]

Bayer. Dip every coral in Bayer minus anemones and clams.

 

[scriptmonkey]

Have an extra return pump on standby in case the primary one fails. Doesn't need to be the most expensive, just something that can keep you up and running till you get your main one repaired\replaced.

 

[HeulittSalmi]

Take it slow, and research twice and buy once for both livestock and hardware. I started two tanks at once and saved up for better hardware on one, which took longer to get up and running. And got everything super cheap for the other tank and threw in random frags in the discount bin... Now I have two tanks, one is my Display Tank and the other was a graveyard with broken hardware which is currently empty out in my storage room waiting for a deep clean and some love.

You'll hear it time and time again in this hobby/addiction, nothing good happens quickly in a reeftank. You can spend years setting up a tank to have just one night ruin it..

 

[LetItReef]

Keep a extra heater just in case the current one fails.

 

[Pongo]

Run your skimmer and pumps in a 5 gal bucket with 2 gals of vinegar every 6 months can make your skimmer and pumps like new again.

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

I run my heater through a secondary heater controller. That way should either of them stick on the other will switch off properly. Highly unlikely to have 2 fail at one time. Then if one fails you have time to replace before you cook the tank upon realizing.

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

This thread reminded me I've got a lot of equipment cleaning to do.

 

[Animal Chin]

Never add a SOAPFISH to your tank. Sure they look cook but they will eat every fish in your tank that isn't twice its size. Mine ate 2 clowns, a Wrasse and an Oriental Sweetlips within the first 2 weeks I had him in my tank. The sweetlips was so bit that he could only fit half in its body and left the second half sticking out of its mouth until the first was digested. I had to tear down my 125 gallon to get it out.

NEVER ADD A SOAPFISH! lol

 

[AdamNC]

Clean your test vials thoroughly after testing.

 

[Katrina71]

Laugh at yourself. Smile at your tank. Sometimes vice versa.