Maintenance, whats your routine?

[Dmann]

Everybody has a different routine and maintenance schedule. Lets hear how you maintain your tank daily? Weekly? Bi weekly? Monthly?

So I do 30% water changes two weeks and 50% monthly
Clean the glass every other day
Vacuum substrate weekly
Clean sump monthly

 

[pairenoid]

make ro water, 10 gallons every 2 mondays
water change every tues or wed for about 2.5 gallons
clean glass maybe once a week, feed every day once before dinner

never vacuum substrate and thats basically all i do

 

[mr_X]

50 gallons water change every week.
clean glass every evening
change out filter socks every 3 days.
feed every other day
Clean and empty skimmer cups about every 3-4 days
never vacuum substrate

 

[Dmann]

So I shod never vacuum the substrate? It's only been set up salt for a few weeks now. I'm trying to figure out a good routine

 

[mr_X]

Unless you using crushed coral, or a substrate with very large granules, you shouldn't vacuum the substrate. There is a lot of life in it that you are taking out of the tank.
Also, your flow should be enough that you don't get a lot of debris settling on it.
This is especially so for those who have deep sand beds, and use the beds for filtration.

 

[Dmann]

I have a 3 inch bed of aragonite substrate. It's a medium to coarse.

 

[mr_X]

If it's as coarse as crushed coral, then I would really remove it instead of vacuuming it on a regular basis. A coarse bed will never become a deep sand bed because water flows freely through it. Instead it will become a nutrient sink.
Otherwise, you can vacuum it regularly, and vacuum out any life that's in it each week, though it kind of goes against the whole point of keeping a piece of the reef alive in your home.

 

[Dmann]

Ok, I wouldn't say it's it tat big. But it's not fine sand either

 

[Dmann]

Hear it is under my foxface

 

[54seaweed]

So I shod never vacuum the substrate? It's only been set up salt for a few weeks now. I'm trying to figure out a good routine

I have no need to my clown sweeps it clean lol

my daily routine on my 37 sw reef bowfront

7am turn on moonlights
8am turn on actnics
9am turn on whites
11am feed fish
12pm fill evaporation
6 pm do all my testing than feed fish (live foods)
7pm shut off whites
8pm shut off actnics
9pm shut off moon lights
2x a week I clean out skimmer
clean glass daily
weekly 10 gal water change
replace eaten macro in main tank fish love the fresh greens and it's packed with pods
I also have maintenance on my other tanks that wasn't mentioned
35g hex freshwater
30g brackish
20g sw breeder (raise pods,brine,mysiss,and macros)
40g sw breeder reef sps tank in the build stage
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f11/round-2-a-241983.html

 

[Dmann]

I have no need to my clown sweeps it clean lol

my daily routine on my 37 sw reef bowfront

7am turn on moonlights
8am turn on actnics
9am turn on whites
11am feed fish
12pm fill evaporation
6 pm do all my testing than feed fish (live foods)
7pm shut off whites
8pm shut off actnics
9pm shut off moon lights
2x a week I clean out skimmer
clean glass daily
weekly 10 gal water change
replace eaten macro in main tank fish love the fresh greens and it's packed with pods
I also have maintenance on my other tanks that wasn't mentioned
35g hex freshwater
30g brackish
20g sw breeder (raise pods,brine,mysiss,and macros)
40g sw breeder reef sps tank in the build stage
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f11/round-2-a-241983.html

WOW, that a tight schedule.

 

[mr_X]

You turn on and off your lighting manually? I would invest in a few timers.
Dmann. Hard to tell from your picture, but I would probably not vacuum that sand bed. Just keep good flow in the tank so that detritus (uneaten fish food and poop) doesn't settle on it.

 

[Dmann]

Hey thanks x, I will turn my vortek up

 

[54seaweed]

You turn on and off your lighting manually? I would invest in a few timers.
Dmann.

yes haven't got there yet but that will happen sooner or later just not important at the moment

 

[bonniewoodruff]

I do a 12 gallon water change and rinse out the filters once a week. Top off water every day to every other day. Empty protein skimmer cup as needed.

 

[Dmann]

I like this thread, I'm learning a lot. Thanks everyone and let's keep this going

 

[SaltwaterNuB]

Dmann: I don't want to take away for your thread, but does everyone buy premixed water or mix themselves?

 

[bonniewoodruff]

I mix my own water, it would cost too much to buy it premixed, plus I wouldn't want to carry that water more than once. I set up the ro unit in my garage so I just mix as needed. I do usually keep about 10 gallons ready to go at all times.

 

[SaltwaterNuB]

Yeah I keep my mixed in a 35 gallon trash bin. I keep 2 power heads and salinity right at 1.025. Is it ok to always have water in bin? Or should I clean it out every other week?

 

[Dmann]

I mix my own, I keep about 20 gal of ro water in a bin with a power head. When I'm going to do pwc I will mix the water with salt in a separate container. 1.025 salinity