What makes a "stable" tank

[markalot]

my #1 worry: heater failing

Use 2 heaters, one set colder than the other. Always look at home much money you've spent on livestock vs how much you've saved not buying a second heater. It takes two outlets on the Apex but well worth the safety, especially in the winter. I say this and right now my second heater is still in a box on the shelf. :eek:

Do you use floats for topoff and if so how do you protect against a float getting stuck?

 

[themcnertney]

Consistency = Stability
Numbers can be off a bit, but if they are consistently off and don't fluctuate much, then I think you have a stable tank.

 

[najer]

Very interesting, my last waterchange was in April I think, manually dose 20 ml of my kh buffer a day, stays around 8, no skimmers or reactors, just a refugium.
My levels vary as I forget to dose my calcium and elements mix some days.
Salt between 34 and 36, also manually topped up RO daily.
Temp around 25.
Don't test much, mainly kh maybe once a week.
Only just over a year old but it is just an upgrade running the same way, as mentioned above, you will get a feel for your little reef rockpool! :)

 

[djd3mon]

Use 2 heaters, one set colder than the other. Always look at home much money you've spent on livestock vs how much you've saved not buying a second heater. It takes two outlets on the Apex but well worth the safety, especially in the winter. I say this and right now my second heater is still in a box on the shelf. :eek:

Do you use floats for topoff and if so how do you protect against a float getting stuck?

I need to invest in 2 high quality heaters. I'm stuck between getting 2 Cobalt neo therm heater or 2 titanium heaters

I use a smart ATO. I use 2 gallon jugs so if my ATO dumps all the water I will still be ok, but my parameters will be jacked.

 

[djd3mon]

Very interesting, my last waterchange was in April I think, manually dose 20 ml of my kh buffer a day, stays around 8, no skimmers or reactors, just a refugium.
My levels vary as I forget to dose my calcium and elements mix some days.
Salt between 34 and 36, also manually topped up RO daily.
Temp around 25.
Don't test much, mainly kh maybe once a week.
Only just over a year old but it is just an upgrade running the same way, as mentioned above, you will get a feel for your little reef rockpool! :)

any reason why you choose to do everything manually and not automatically? just wondering.

 

[najer]

any reason why you choose to do everything manually and not automatically? just wondering.

It makes me pay attention, there is a backup plan if I get hit by a bus, I like routine!
Only pic from today. :)

 

[Paul B]

I use 3 heaters in my tank. As for the ATO float switch sticking I have it set up so that my ATO only supplies slightly more water than the tank evaporates. My tank evaporates about a drop every 3 seconds. My Ato can only supply about a drop every 2 seconds so if it stuck, there would not be a large flood if there was even a flood. Put a valve on the supply line so it can just about keep up with evaporation and not much more.
When I am away I have a cheap camera on the tank so I can see it. I recently watched my tank from Hawaii.

 

[djd3mon]

I use 3 heaters in my tank. As for the ATO float switch sticking I have it set up so that my ATO only supplies slightly more water than the tank evaporates. My tank evaporates about a drop every 3 seconds. My Ato can only supply about a drop every 2 seconds so if it stuck, there would not be a large flood if there was even a flood. Put a valve on the supply line so it can just about keep up with evaporation and not much more.
When I am away I have a cheap camera on the tank so I can see it. I recently watched my tank from Hawaii.

very nice. Ive been thinking about putting one of my ip security cameras on my tank. Just have not got around to it yet.

 

[Paul B]

I only do that If I am leaving for a week or more.

 

[Waterjockey]

2 ways.
2 switches in parallel (or series as may be necessary)., if one fails, the other should work...test every switch on tank maintenance day.
2nd way, if you have a controller, use zombies stuck switch (float) method. Virtual outlet timer starts when ato starts filling. If it doesn't make the "full" level in a reasonable amount of time, assumes stuck float switch, locks the pump out and sends an alarm

 

[markalot]

I use a timed topoff rather than floats and I dose Kalk in the topoff so I get a stable amount daily. Failure would be the APEX somehow keeping an outlet on and overdosing. I have it on a PH monitor but if the APEX somehow died in the on position it would be bad.

 

[C3r0]

quite some experienced reefer from Germany here,

my setup:

put SPS-corals in my Tank 2 days after liferock.
I have no heater (the tank is always heated by the house around it and the pumps inside)
no dosing pump (i dose the triton method by hand without measuring)
no topoff (also by hand)
no waterchanges
just a big skimmer and a huge refugium (25% of the tank volume)
just a few fish witch i feed only with dry food (less waste)


I have 80% SPS in my Tank and they are all Acroporas Sp.
the only one i lost so far fell into a LPS
Tank is running for 13 Months now.

I thing the best thing you can do is have a refugium. The algae not only reduce nutrients in the tank but also produce aminos and stable the Tank (if there a not enough nutrients the algae dies and releases the absorbed nutrients back into the tank).

The Second best thing you can do is keep your hands outside the tank.

This should not be a guide for handling SPS. Just a friendly reminder that you dont have to fallow a plan or a guide to handle these kind of corals.

 

[markalot]

This should not be a guide for handling SPS. Just a friendly reminder that you dont have to fallow a plan or a guide to handle these kind of corals.

Will you start a tank thread or post pictures of your tank? I'm always interested to see how other people do it successfully.

 

[bif24701]

I use 3 heaters in my tank. As for the ATO float switch sticking I have it set up so that my ATO only supplies slightly more water than the tank evaporates. My tank evaporates about a drop every 3 seconds. My Ato can only supply about a drop every 2 seconds so if it stuck, there would not be a large flood if there was even a flood. Put a valve on the supply line so it can just about keep up with evaporation and not much more.
When I am away I have a cheap camera on the tank so I can see it. I recently watched my tank from Hawaii.

I have my Kalk/ATO pump to add water on a set timed schedule and amount using a BRS 50ml/minute dosing pump. This eliminates all floats and switches. Took me just a few days to find the sweet spot to match my evaporation and once I got that figured out I haven't had to think about it since, only to refill and mix in Kalk. Zero risk of over dose. Alarm set it pH creeps up too high will shut down the pump via APEX.

 

[ReefManKen]

Like twillard was hitting on. the relationship between nitrates and alkalinity will dictate the rest of your parameters. So nitrate is at 10 ppm, then alk should be a little higher because of the higher nutrient load. If you run a low nutrient system with nitrate around 5 ppm, alk should be lowered also, like around 8 dkh. the alkalinity component and nutrient levels have a close relationship. It sounds like you have learned a lot in 7 months.

Couldn't have summed that up better honestly. So true!

 

[ReefManKen]

my #1 worry: heater failing

Glad I live in Florida, heat is my main problem but my chiller has that under control. Couldn't help but giggle at that!

 

[djd3mon]

Glad I live in Florida, heat is my main problem but my chiller has that under control. Couldn't help but giggle at that!

Aan I'm in Texas, lol

 

[waxhawreefer]

Starting a new tank, this will be my third, been doing this for 5 years, my opinion is that it takes a long time for your tank to really be stable, I mean, u cycle it, no ammonia etc but ur bacteria takes a long time to really build up properly, at least six months, in the mean time ur other parameters are in check which is great, but I won't add sps for at least 6 months, it always seems that they don't grow, don't die but don't grow, then all of a sudden they encrust then explode with growth or look nice for a while then slowly fade, try and get the tank better established, dose pods, algae, additional bacteria and only do water changes when ur nitrates are over 10-16ppm, phosphates could be from food but probably from ur rock, I always seem to register phosphate while running gfo for the first year then it's gone, I'm assuming it's in the rock then when it's gone I don't run any gfo until it registers again, my last tank my nitrates were between 12-16 with phenomenal growth from my acros, no phosphates but I know something was using it , I wanted to lower my nitrates but couldn't get them down, even with weekly water changes, but everything looked great so I wasn't too concerned, I think it just takes time!!

 

[bif24701]

Starting a new tank, this will be my third, been doing this for 5 years, my opinion is that it takes a long time for your tank to really be stable, I mean, u cycle it, no ammonia etc but ur bacteria takes a long time to really build up properly, at least six months, in the mean time ur other parameters are in check which is great, but I won't add sps for at least 6 months, it always seems that they don't grow, don't die but don't grow, then all of a sudden they encrust then explode with growth or look nice for a while then slowly fade, try and get the tank better established, dose pods, algae, additional bacteria and only do water changes when ur nitrates are over 10-16ppm, phosphates could be from food but probably from ur rock, I always seem to register phosphate while running gfo for the first year then it's gone, I'm assuming it's in the rock then when it's gone I don't run any gfo until it registers again, my last tank my nitrates were between 12-16 with phenomenal growth from my acros, no phosphates but I know something was using it , I wanted to lower my nitrates but couldn't get them down, even with weekly water changes, but everything looked great so I wasn't too concerned, I think it just takes time!!

I have to agree with you there. It does take time to establish a good reef system. More than just bacteria, also learning how all the system components function together and then live stock changes. When you first set up you are adding fish and coral so that takes time to dial in the equipment. Finding the sweet spot is so important. Then you run into problem with algae or pests or diseases/parasites and have to work those. I had a chronic low pH problem for awhile but once that was finally solved (my last real issue) then everything finally took off.

 

[waxhawreefer]

I have to agree with you there. It does take time to establish a good reef system. More than just bacteria, also learning how all the system components function together and then live stock changes. When you first set up you are adding fish and coral so that takes time to dial in the equipment. Finding the sweet spot is so important. Then you run into problem with algae or pests or diseases/parasites and have to work those. I had a chronic low pH problem for awhile but once that was finally solved (my last real issue) then everything finally took off.

Had the same low ph, then tried that BRS co2 pellet stuff that I connected to my skimmer intake and problem solve!