Reef only no fish question. - Aquarium Advice

SeriousDude5 · 05-06-2008, 01:11 PM

I was considering keeping a small tank with no fish and just coral (expiremental really.) I was wondering however, how often the tank would need to be cleaned? I imagine the live rock / coral give off their own bio load and I was wondering if anyone has expierence with tanks like these and how often you clean your tank. Let me know thanks.

amkelly · 05-06-2008, 01:15 PM

you can keep the tank clean by just adding some inverts to it... throw a couple of snails in the tank and it should be fine, how big is the tank? think about adding different inverts but i would personally stay away from starfish, some eat corals and others can cause tanks to crash

SeriousDude5 · 05-06-2008, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amkelly

you can keep the tank clean by just adding some inverts to it... throw a couple of snails in the tank and it should be fine, how big is the tank? think about adding different inverts but i would personally stay away from starfish, some eat corals and others can cause tanks to crash

I was thinking somewhere around 10~20 gallons. I am speaking of the water quality however (sorry if I was misleading,) what you listed seems to take care of the solid things inside the tank.

**roka64** · 05-06-2008, 01:35 PM

I guess it would depend on what types of corals and how fast they deplete the trace elements in the tank, along with photoperiod, feeding, salt mix and so on.

amkelly · 05-07-2008, 10:09 AM

how about a small hang on skimmer, or just a small skimmer in general... mixed with a filter would work well i would think

**Ziggy953** · 05-07-2008, 10:16 AM

You will need a skimmer for sure. DOCs can still be an issue in a fishless tank. You are going to want good flow and good lighting and excellent water conditions. I would suggest weekly PWCs (10 - 15%). With a small tank you aren't going to need to feed the corals (unless you get something that requires target feedings) As long as you keep up with your PWCs your corals should get what they need from the water and light. Adding things like phytofeast or similar foods will effect your water parameters so you need to be careful when using them.

Innovator · 05-07-2008, 11:53 AM

You would probably be better of with a skimmerless system in order to keep nutrient levels high. Light alone will not provide adequate nutrition for corals to consume without nutrients entering the system. What you feed will depend upon the corals you wish to house. I would also recommend 25%-50% water changes either bi-weekly or even monthly and rid excess organics on a whole since smaller weekly %'s don't provide worthwhile fluctuation and you want longer concentrated times.

05-06-2008, 01:11 PM	#1 (permalink)
SeriousDude5 Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Connecticut Posts: 564	Reef only no fish question. I was considering keeping a small tank with no fish and just coral (expiremental really.) I was wondering however, how often the tank would need to be cleaned? I imagine the live rock / coral give off their own bio load and I was wondering if anyone has expierence with tanks like these and how often you clean your tank. Let me know thanks.

05-06-2008, 01:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
roka64 Aquarium Advice Addict Community Moderator Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 9,638 Images: 12	I guess it would depend on what types of corals and how fast they deplete the trace elements in the tank, along with photoperiod, feeding, salt mix and so on. __________________ Uh-oh, I just overloaded my Bioload! Vote for AA Good reading about: Nitrogen Cycle Fishless Cycling Need more help? Articles Acronym List --Scott

05-07-2008, 10:16 AM	#6 (permalink)
Ziggy953 Aquarium Advice Addict Community Moderator Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Sumerduck, Virginia Posts: 3,091 Images: 5	You will need a skimmer for sure. DOCs can still be an issue in a fishless tank. You are going to want good flow and good lighting and excellent water conditions. I would suggest weekly PWCs (10 - 15%). With a small tank you aren't going to need to feed the corals (unless you get something that requires target feedings) As long as you keep up with your PWCs your corals should get what they need from the water and light. Adding things like phytofeast or similar foods will effect your water parameters so you need to be careful when using them. __________________ Happy Reefing! *120 Build in progress 6/18/08* Visit our Article section for answers on a variety of topics. LFS, PWC, PH RO/DI what in the world? Look here! Pods, algae and more!

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05-06-2008, 01:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
amkelly Aquarium Advice Regular Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 68	you can keep the tank clean by just adding some inverts to it... throw a couple of snails in the tank and it should be fine, how big is the tank? think about adding different inverts but i would personally stay away from starfish, some eat corals and others can cause tanks to crash

05-07-2008, 10:09 AM	#5 (permalink)
amkelly Aquarium Advice Regular Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 68	how about a small hang on skimmer, or just a small skimmer in general... mixed with a filter would work well i would think

05-07-2008, 11:53 AM	#7 (permalink)
Innovator Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,036	You would probably be better of with a skimmerless system in order to keep nutrient levels high. Light alone will not provide adequate nutrition for corals to consume without nutrients entering the system. What you feed will depend upon the corals you wish to house. I would also recommend 25%-50% water changes either bi-weekly or even monthly and rid excess organics on a whole since smaller weekly %'s don't provide worthwhile fluctuation and you want longer concentrated times.