You can't do that! But you did it anyway! What was it?

[HB AL]

Having a Clown trigger, Assasi trigger, Sargassum trigger and Blueline trigger all in one mixed reef tank along with 10 other fish.

Oh I forgot, you have to do water changes weekly or your fish and corals will suffer and die, well I haven't done one going on 3 years, this tank has been running almost 5 years but most of the rock, a couple fish and a few corals came from the system I took down.

 

[LRT]

They said you cant use real live rock anymore.
I said I'm gonna fill a couple reservoirs with some Walt Smith and Gulf Live Rock.
Put a sock on my return and that was the end of that.
It's funny I have nuisance algae growing on everything but my live rock now.
Gotta try and figure out how to make a few frag tables out of live rock lol.

 

[Paul B]

I don't know where to start. When I started my tank in 1971 I used water from the East River next to Manhattan.
The rock I used was very porous asphalt that I collected at the surf line near Manhattan. (Some of it is probably still in my tank)
I used blue driveway gravel for substrait.

When I went fishing, if I caught a tiny flounder, sea robin, eels, stripped bass, lobster or crab, I would put it in my tank until it got to big, then I would let it go.





Under my live rock was bricks and cinder blocks.

I picked up seaweed and planted it in my gravel.

I built my own glass cleaner


First rotating algae scrubber.


DIY evaporative chiller


I fed earthworms and bugs. I still use a reverse undergravel filter.

My last lighting system I built out of copper pipe with LEDs glued to it. Water would circulate through it to a DIY radiator to keep it cool.





I throw these mud snails in by the dozen


Besides that< I run a normal tank like everyone else.

 

[Timfish]

Them "You can't run a reef system without a skimmer". Me, "You mean like this?"

500 Gallon Mixed Reef



Them "And you can't use tap water either!" Me "Like I've done with these systems with tapwater and no skimmers?"

90 Gallon Mixed Reef


Mixed Reef started in 1997, 10-07-19


220 Rimless 450 view



Them "You can't rehome fish" Me "Like this decades old Sailfin that's had 3 owners?"

 

[rozart]

When I first started I kept putting the water I bought my fishes from the store into my tanks and I thought nothing bad would happen, but it started to kill off my corals and then finally stopped after Many people started to point it out

 

[The guppy guru]

i managed to acclimate a group of guppies over to full marine conditions and they survived........until my clown fish found them to be tasty.

I don’t use RODI water because I don’t find a need for it here in DHS our water is relatively clean and a good dechlorinator is usually enough.

 

[Smarkow]

7 tangs in a 210 display. 5 of them have been together 4 years, the other two were added 1-2 years ago

One each of
Redsea Sailfin
Yellow
Purple/Yellowtail
Scopas
Mimic Eibli
Hippo
and one unifentified Grey/Reddish tang I haven’t ID’d yet from our LFS

Also ran a heavily stocked tank, growing corals, with no protein skimmer for years (scrubber and fuge alone depending on the year)

 

[goldslinger]

Up until recently was flamed every time I said I didn’t do water changes. Now no water change systems are increasingly the norm. I guess People assume You’re stupid and didn’t do Your research. Haven’t done a water change in my 56 gallon mixed reef and My wife’s lps tank, for 7 years. Not because I’m lazy, but because I think it’s a ticking waste of Money and time. I can’t stand it when someone recommends a 80 percent water change to lower nutrients, when there are so many ways to do it much easier and less wasteful. I don’t even do water changes after medication when polyfilter (a blood filter media, not Floss ) and good carbon will remove it for Me. I did My first ICP water test several Months ago and all important perimeters was spot on. I do the ESV Bionic 2 part dosing and manually dose, iron, manganese, and Potassium when needed.