What is your maintenance routine?

[Alfredo De La Fe]

Figured I would ask what my fellow board members do as far as a maintenance routine.

For me:

15% water change every 4 weeks (Instant Ocean salt)

Change out filter sock once a week, turn dirty filter sock inside out, wash with HOT water in washing machine with about 3 cups of clorox, let dry and reuse.

Change carbon with every water change - placed in a media bag and placed inside of filter sock

Clean/Scrap glass as needed

Replace about one gallon of evaporated water daily with water with a little less than 1/8th teaspoon of kalkwasser mixed in.

Just started adding 2 part calcium additive daily.

 

[rookie07]

What size tank? What size sump (if any) and what macros do you have?

I change 7 gl every 2 weeks on my solanas (but do weekly changes here and there to keep ahead of phosphates).
I try to clean sponges and replace pads once per month. I change chemi pure elite when water starts to smell (3-4 months if i had to guess).

 

[andylee]

I have approximately 70-80 gallon total volume. I add 5-10cc of two part solution every day. 2-3 gallons of top off daily. Clean skimmer every other day or so. Change 5 gallons of water every week. Clean surface of tank only when algae is visible (rarely).

 

[MeanGreenEyes]

40B w/ 30g sump and 2x 30g display fuges (in progress)

Macro's already obtained:

C. Prolifera
Chaeto
Dragon's breath
Blue ochtodes
Red titan
Red grape
unidentified hitchhiker on LR


10% weekly water change every Sat. (using last 150g of I.O. & switching to RC)

Carbon & GFO are changed on the first day of every month

Throw in a bag of CPE every 6 months

Regenerate 2 100ml bags of Purigen every 3 months in a bleach RO bath and rinse in RO with Prime for 3 days

Glass scraped as needed

Run Kalk in my ato at half dose (1tsp/gal of ato reservoir total volume) and kalk is dissolved in a dash of distilled white vinegar before being mixed with RODI

About to start dosing esv 2 part as soon as I fix an alarm on 1 of my 2 medical dosers.

Skimmer cup emptied as needed (skimmer soaked in vinegar bath monthly)

Power heads get vinegar bath about every 2 months

Full wipe down of tanks/sump/equipment regularly/monthly for salt creep

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

I don't have any macros... (No refugium) I have a 20 gallon glass tank as a sump on my 40 Breeder. (I have an AE Tech sump on my 180)

Alfred

 

[duke62]

I do 5 gallon water change on tuesday,5 gallons on saturday on a 100 gallons TWV. Every month i change the carbon and phosban but not on the same day. Change filter socks every 3 days and clean the glass every 2 days. I baste my corals every other day as well. Every 4 days i push around the macro algae in my fuge to stir up any particles caught in it. I check just the alk every 3 days. Nitrates i will check once a month and po4 only if i notice something is off. Skimmer pump and return i clean every 6 months and vortechs every 2 months. Skimmer i clean out when 3/4 full

 

[Awibrandy]

155 gallon Bow Front/30 gallon acrylic sump

Weekly 20% water changes/IO salt
Run BRS GFO/GAC through BRS Dual Reactors changed out monthly, or sooner depending on need.
2 socks changed out 2 X per week - washed in washing machine through 3 cycles with double rinse on each cycle. Only the first cycle gets a 1/2 cup of Clorox. Dried and reused.
Eshopps PSK 200 Skimmer - cup emptied during water changes or sooner if needed.

The above is for when my tank was running.. Currently no water changes until the cycle is completed, then back to the above once the tank is restocked.

 

[JarviZ]

I have a 14 gallon which I do 1 gallon water changes every 1-2 weeks, replace filter floss every 3-4 days, and replace purigen and CPE every 3-4 months. Simple does it

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

I am going to try to increase swapping out my filter sock on my 40 to every day or two. I have been doing it this week and in such a short time I can actually see a difference!

Alfred

 

[xxxAngeloxxx]

55g DT with 10g water change weekly followed by cleaning gfo and carbon every 2 weeks and cleaning out my filter sock.

 

[ifarmer]

i have 35g display tank plus a 30g basement sump.

I do about 10% weekly water change and clean the skimmer cup once a week.

I do all the water testing (ALK, Calcium, PO4 and nitrate )twice a week

Feed the fish twice a week

Clean the front & side glass twice a week

Watching the tank at night for 30 minutes alone with before bed time

 

[lnevo]

I am going to try to increase swapping out my filter sock on my 40 to every day or two. I have been doing it this week and in such a short time I can actually see a difference!

Alfred

What differences are you seeing? Parameters? Water clarity?

 

[pjewett]

I have a 90 gallon with 30 gallon sump.

10 gallon water change every week (Reef Crystals)

Change carbon & GFO bi-weekly

Clean/Scrap glass as needed

Dump & clean protein skimmer daily..sometimes it isn't very full but I'm afraid of it overflowing.

Trim down chaeto as needed.

 

[fishman1069]

I have a 20 gallon with no sump. I do 5 gals wc a week with red sea coral pro salt. Empty skimmer cup and wipe down glass daily. Test for all,calc and ph weekly. Mag monthly

 

[BaaMNYC]

I do 10-15% water change weekly.
Change gfo & carbon monthly.
No filter socks in my system.

Dose two part with a Bm doser.

 

[ReefMonkey13]

Here is my routine for my 75G + 30G sump (approx: 80-85Gal of water volume):

• Daily Water Change of 2 Gallons (semi-automatic push button start)
• Mix New salt water weekly
• Clean Skimmer cup and neck weekly
• Test Alk (as needed), Calc, Mg and PO4 weekly
• Replenish RO water for ATO weekly
• Stir sections of sand bed weekly
• Clean glass as needed.
• Change Carbon monthly (was running GFO but once I started daily water change have taken if off line with no issues)
• Fill up auto feeder bi-weekly
• Vinegar bath pumps when I feel up to it but mostly ever 3-4 months.

There are more odds and ends things I do but these are generally the ones I track.

 

[Paul B]

15% water change every 4 weeks (Instant Ocean salt)

Change out filter sock once a week, turn dirty filter sock inside out, wash with HOT water in washing machine with about 3 cups of clorox, let dry and reuse.

Change carbon with every water change - placed in a media bag and placed inside of filter sock



Replace about one gallon of evaporated water daily with water with a little less than 1/8th teaspoon of kalkwasser mixed in.

Mix New salt water weekly



Test Alk (as needed), Calc, Mg and PO4 weekly

Replenish RO water for ATO weekly

Stir sections of sand bed weekly



Change Carbon monthly (was running GFO but once I started daily water change have taken if off line with no issues)

Fill up auto feeder bi-weekly

Vinegar bath pumps when I feel up to it but mostly ever 3-4 months.

None of the above. :smile:

I open some clams and feed the tank and also add worms. Of course I clean the glass.
Dam, I forgot I do add ice melter for calcium and baking soda every week, and change some water 4 or 5 times a year.

 

[d5332]

vodka daily
food daily
calcium weekly
ATO refill weekly
clean glass 2 x week
sort of dust off tank every two weeks

I dont change water

 

[James]

10 gallon WC weekly on an 80 gallon tank.
test salinity, Ca, Mg and KH once or twice a week for my new tank (in the old one only when something seemed off)
empty skimmer cup once or twice a week
Dose homemade 2 part daily
Change carbon and a little gfo (in the same reactor) every 3 weeks to a month

 

[jackson6745]

Feed fish 2x daily
Coral food like oyster eggs 4x-5x weekly when lights go out.
Change sock 2x weekly
Change GFO every 3 weeks
Change carbon every 2 week
Dosing 2 part + top off by controllers
Clean glass every 2 days
clean skimmer cup every 3 days
Detritus blow every other day (raise flow turkey baste rocks)
15% weekly water change
Vacuum in stand and behind tank, wipe down dust + salt creep 1-2 times per month.