Ultra Low maintenance aquarium

[buff1]

I'm planning a new aquarium. It will be an All Glass or Oceanic 90 or 120. I would like to keep SPS, Clams, a few fish and other inverts, normal cleanup snails etc, some softies ( like star polyps, etc.). I plan on using two Double ended 250w pendants hanging over the tank and a refugium/sump that has fairly low turnover (400-800 gph). I would increase turbulence in the tank via either closed loop w/ Sea Swirls or the new Tunze stream powerheads which have gotten excellent early reviews. Cost is a distant secondary consideration to my first two goals. One, I would like to provide an excellent environment for my animals. Two, I would like the system to be ultra-low maintenance. I understand that those two goals are somewhat at odds with each other but I would like to hear ideas and examples of succesful aquariums that have very low upkeep. For example, I have read that some people who keep mangroves believe it eliminates the need for a protein skimmer. That would mean less cleaning, pouring out waste, cleaning the pump, etc. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

[mongo]

You might get a number of different opinions on this...this is just mine. If you want low maintenance there are two keys 1) low bio-load and 2) some form of nutrient export. The nutrient export part is easy, set up a refugium with good macro algae growth that you harvest regularly. Low bioload probably means lower than what you think. For a 90-100 gal tank you wouldn't want more than say 3 medium sized fish (a pair of clowns and a flame angel for example), cleanup crew, etc. Keep in mind the other inverts you list also add to the bio-load. With a healthy refugium supplying pods and other food you might only feed the tank 2-3 times a week. This has been my approach and my tank is doing well. No skimmer, few water changes and everything is going well.

 

[trigger0214]

I'll put in my 2 cents as well, since your goals sound very similar to mine. I believe mongo is correct in saying:

Low bioload probably means lower than what you think

I currently have a 125-gallon with a 40-gallon refugium in the basement. There is a good amount of circulation though the refugium (I’d say 700-800 GPH) and other circulation in the tank. I have (2) 250 watt 10 K MH on the show tank and 110 watts of 10 K PC's on the refugium. I am also cultivating macro-algae in the sump. I also am protein skimming and ozinizing (with a very small dosage). So far, I am keeping pom-pom xenia, xenia elongata, a clam, several propagated colonies of star-polyps, frogspawns, tree corals, hammer corals, mushrooms, alveopora, bubble coral, orange button polyps, and candy cane corals. Everything is doing great and I only really have to scrape the algae off the glass every 2 weeks or so. Now, for livestock I have a male and female pair of Japanese swallowtail angels, 2 perculas, I small Chevron Tang, a neon dotty back, three juvenile conch snails, 1 fore shrimp, 4 peppermint shrimp, and various other turbo snails (about 20 or so). I feed a small amount of flake every day, and frozen food 2-3 times a week (like a cube of mysis shrimp). Once a week, I shut off the filter, and hit the tank with 30 mL of DT's and some silver heads.

Anyway.... I teeter right on the line of good water quality. I find myself cutting back on the food here and there depending on how my Tang is looking....yep the ich thing (looks more like lymphocytes, but I will say ich here). Usually, I will change like 10-15 % monthly and I upgrading my refugium to Southdown (I am trying to avoid relying to heavily on protein skimming).


Anyway, its more like a buck fifty...but there ya go

.

 

[ReefLion]

Go basement sump if you can. It allows you to do several things. First, a large sump system for greater stability. Second, easy movement for the maintainance you have to do. Third, easy access to plumbing and, if you're lucky, a floor drain. Access to plumbing allows you to set up a constant dosing system. A floor drain means you can put a bulkhead in the side of your sump, along with a ball valve, and perform very simple water changes.

I can elaborate, but I don't feel like typing it all if you don't have access to a basement.

Tim

 

[kevinpo]

First of all let me say it looks like you have a very good plan and excellent choice for equipment. Go with the 120 you will like the width much better when it comes to aquascaping and lighting. If you get a good skimmer it never needs to be adjusted and need only be cleaned once every week or 2 (5-10 min.). If you also get the automatic wast collector it only needs to be emptied once a month. I think a refugium on a reverse lighting schedule is also a must. It can also generate some cash if you grow 5-6 macro algaes in there. Here's a link to some inexpensive skimmers but powerful.
http://www.icehouse.net/reef/

HTH,
Kevin

 

[buff1]

I wish I had a basement, but alas....no. It sounds like I'm on the right track at least. Two follow up questions that I will also post new topics about. In the refugium, is it possible to mix macros with mangroves? I would think that plenty of light would get past the leaves of the mangroves to the macros. Second, the Tunze protein skimmers look like they are easy to care for so I would love any info/criticism/praise for Tunze skimmers.

 

[SPC]

In the refugium, is it possible to mix macros with mangroves?

-Yes it is possible, but IMO the magroves aren't going to help your water quality much. Macros feed from the water column, mangroves feed from the substrate for the most part. Mangroves also grow very slowly under the conditions that we keep them in, so not much up take there either even if they were feeding a little from the water column.
Steve

 

[Anonymous]

Steve is right about mangroves. My macros vastly outpace the mangroves in terms of growth.

Bummer about no basement. Is there a closet nearby, or a crawlspace under the house. I have my 180 sump in a 40 inch crawlspace. If you can do a remote sump you win. It is way easy to automate much of everything, Ca dosing, top off, nutrient export, skimmer without having to look at all that stuff or hear it or worry about how it looks. I barely do anything to my tank, and when I go out of town I have no worries.

Go with the largest tank you can, and spend the money to automate everything you can and don't skimp! Get a really good magnet glass cleaner, put everything on timers.

It is time consuming to set up, but then week to week fiddling becomes a minimum.

You can do all this with an under tank sump as well.

 

[buff1]

Thanks for the tips. Things are progressing slowly as I am waiting for the tank and stand to arrive (AGA 120 reef ready). I am going to get a custom sump made from icehouse.net when I get the stand and can measure exactly how much space I have. The sump will have a segregated section that is purely a refugium (the refugium section should be at least 22"x28"). One overflow will dump into the refugium side and the other will dump into the sump side where the skimmer, calcium reactor, heaters, water leveler, etc, reside. I plan on having about 600-800 gph total moving through the sump. So 3 or 400 through the refugium side and the same amount coming down the other side. I ordered the Tunze stream 6100's with multicontroller so turbulent water movement in the tank will be no problem. I have decided on the Euroreef cs8-1 or 2 depending on how much space I have in the stand. I have a Giesemann system 260 on order, but I don't know how long it will take to get here. :roll: In the meantime, I will use some other lamps I have and not add any serious zooxanthellae users. I am also probably going to put a CPR aquafuge on the back as a second small refugium. I'm doing this for two reasons. First, extra space for macros and nitrate reduction. Second, because the water returns to the tank without passing through a pump, so any critters that make it to the siphon back to the tank are sure to stay alive. :idea: It should provide some natural food for my livestock. I have decided on Harbor Aquatics for the live rock when the time comes. Basically, that is the plan. To any who have read this entire plan, I thank you for any comments or criticisms. I can always modify later, but it's easier to get it right the first time.

 

[Rich-n-poor]

Here is the one principal I have applied in every tank I have owned salt or fresh over the past 20 years.........


BALANCED ECOSYSTEM

The main point in this being diversity. I see people put way too many of one animal in a tank than the tank can support. For example People will add up to 1 snail per gallon in new tank as clean up crews all the same variety only to find out that the system can not support them once they have done their job.

I have tried the opposite approach having about 12 snails of 5 different types in my 37 gallon adding only 2 or 3 at a time when i encounter a type I dont already have. since each is different i assume their needs are a little different one eats what the other doesnt to a certain degree ect. less competition for food means healthier animals and a cleaner tank since the do a more efficent job of disposing of waste.

I also try to balance what i consider positive and negative bioload. fish being waste producers corals and snails and crabs being wate eliminators.
As I add more corals I add more fish to provide the nutrition the need as I add more fish I add more crabs to consume fish waste.

Another example would be this You wouldnt want to put a mandarian in with a wrasse in with a dottyback because they would all compete for basically the same food i.e. pods, wipe out their population and throw off the balance of the tank.

I have done 1 water change 30% in a year on my 37 gallon with this approach it works for me

rich
_________________
Hormone Problems Forum