Your Reefing habits: from ULM to high manual labor

[ZoWhat]

To me,

My reefing habits include getting my clothes SOAKED during routine maintenance, cleaning out skimmers that make me wanna puke in the corner, getting cuts on my hands moving stuff around, to feeling sore and stiff after a big 4hr monthly maintenance job. BUT in the end, I love it....

Now..... when I hear "ULM" ....I immediately think of someone who buys a bunch of gadgets so ultimately they can sit and enjoy the tank, fish, corals more often......but also a person who doesn't exactly want to do much the way of husbandry work behind reefing. (Not to be read as a slam) If this is your style, who am I to judge?.... if you got the money for all the ULM gadgets....go for it

For me, my reefing style is Somewhat Medium to High Maintenance... SMHM, an acronym i just made up

I too sit and look at the tank and enjoy it.........BUT after 30mins of looking for coral growth, watching fish habits, i start to think of my next manual labor job I need to do on the tank and start planning it out in my head all while sitting in front of the tank.

I'm forever evolving and spinning projects around inside my head. I sometimes lay in bed while trying to fall asleep, thinking of different ways to plan a tank project that can better the tank. It can be different types of DIY foods for fish and coral, to plumbing things differently, to different flows in the tank, to different light spectrums, to what coral to buy next.....it just goes on and on. Its what keeps me mentally invested in the hobby.

Whats your style?



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[Oliver d]

Do not like gadgetry or high tec,I like my systems simple and enjoy doing maintenance and working on my tank.I would say the same as your method of reefing.

 

[norfolkgarden]

Controlling override is the fact that I can work out of town for a week at a time and cannot have plumbing issues while I'm gone.

I am grateful that better half is willing to feed the fish. Lol

Heavy fish stocking and manual top off, sometimes just once a week, means softies and GFO.

About an hour on the weekend to do 15 gallon water change and change out the strainer baskets for media and clean the glass every few weeks.

Turbos keep it clean except for coralline.

Water comes from LFS which is more convenient considering the possible plumbing issues.

Lol, I know, I know. Once you have your RODI system dialed in it shouldn't leak.

But the 1st time will probably end up being last time.
[emoji853]

 

[salty joe]

I sometimes lay in bed while trying to fall asleep, thinking of different ways to plan a tank project that can better the tank. It can be different types of DIY foods for fish and coral, to plumbing things differently, to different flows in the tank, to different light spectrums, to what coral to buy next.....it just goes on and on. Its what keeps me mentally invested in the hobby.

Whats your style?



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Haha, that's my favorite thing to think about as I drift to sleep...we must be brothers. My style was I tried to keep things dead simple but couldn't figure out how to get what I wanted without gadgets. So, I have some gadgets.

 

[Antics]

My style is to have a completely wet shirt and wonder if I'm sweating a monsoon or if I really got that much water on myself.

My wife tells me my maintenance habits include "doing it at the most inconvenient time" and "getting mad/being angry".

Personally, I think she's wrong. Some men love to be fuming while doing something they enjoy.

Right!?!

 

[ZoWhat]

My wife tells me my maintenance habits include "doing it at the most inconvenient time" and "getting mad/being angry".

Tell your wife you are selling all your reef stuff and joining a bowling league 3 nights a week and won't be home until 12midnight each of those 3 nites and you'll be stinking drunk.

Then ask her if she rather you keep the tank....and be home.




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[Forsaken77]

I would love to automate my tank more if I could. I had a failed back surgery and broke my big toe in 6 places, so lugging water isn't easy for me.

Honestly, I'd pay someone to maintain my tank if it was in the budget. After maintenance I feel like I just walked away from a head-on collision with a bus and can't move for 3 days. Even cleaning the glass is tough on my back.

Watching the fish just makes me forget about any life stresses I have. I view the fish as pets and they all interact with me differently. I definitely don't think about things to do with the tank to fall asleep, lol. If anything, thinking about doing a 20 gallon water change gives me anxiety for all the pain it's gonna cause me.

But once I start working on the tank, I keep going like a madman to get everything done. I want to find the simplest method possible and still keep my tank going smoothly so I can enjoy it more.

 

[squampton]

My tanks are pretty low maintenance, I do a little each day in the evening, clean glass, observe everything, check the skimmer, in the morning I manually dose a 2 part, nothing is automated, well I guess the auto top off could be considered automated...lol

I guess not being a lover of technology and controllers, I simply do not see a benefit, and for what they cost, I could buy a another tank, or fish, or something more useful/of value to me.

Lower tech is my way.

 

[srad750c]

My tank basically is ULM, I have a doser for my Ca/Alk. I hand dose a couple of supplements, change about 5-10 gals of water a month. I clean glass once or twice a month. Check water once a week. I don’t worry about NO3, never been able to keep above 1.0 ppm without dosing. PO4 is usually 0.114 or less, corals look great, if figure if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. As long as my corals look good and there’s some growth, I’m happy. I don’t want to get into constant pruning of my corals to keep my tank from being over crowed.