What's the one most beneficial change you have made to your tank?

[capture]

What is the most beneficial change you have made to any of your tanks in the past and/or recently? Of course, keep in mind your zoanthids.
I'm thinking everything in the way of equipment, clean-up-crews, livestock, removal of anything from your system, etc. It can be anything.

I recently changed my lighting from PC to Halide and increased my tank size from a standard 10 to a 16 bow. Not sure which I think is better yet. I'll have to come back to this later.

Share why you did it to begin with, what it was or is, what the overall benefit was and how long it took to see the end result (instant or more long term).

[killingseed]

i did the same with my lights as well. after starting fish only and getting into coral, i had pc lights. most softies did fine but when i started to get into zoa's i wasnt seeing what other have posted. some of the coloring was more powerful they what i was seeing. i have to say i also want to see more growth. i can say now i see the light! i would not change back at all.

[650-IS350]

8 T5s and a deltec MCE600 skimmer.

[capture]

delsol, i said one thing. lol.
really, a skimmer? I think i will have to get one soon. I have never had one. I also have next to no bioload though.

[650-IS350]

Its good to have one nevertheless.

Especially if you feed your palys and protopalys like I do. I have a HIGH bioload and have a dirty tank. surprised my SPS do well.

[Skeptic_07]

auto top off

[seapug]

PhosBan Reactor, hands down. No single piece of equipment has ever made such a dramatic improvement in my tanks.

[weluvfish54]

my g3 skimmer. by far.

[95accord]

i added water

[epicfish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12646237#post12646237 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 95accord
i added water

Well, I added salt.

[mpoletti]

A new tank :D

[ILoveReefer]

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[crazyfrog]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12646077#post12646077 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by seapug
PhosBan Reactor, hands down. No single piece of equipment has ever made such a dramatic improvement in my tanks.


hey seapug how did the phosban help? i also currently have a zoo/softies tank..

[MAMGM]

No question about it, running the Kent phosphate reactor has made my tank much more manageable and more fun to maintain

[capture]

I'm jumping on crazyfrog's question. why? how did it make such a big difference?
you too MAMGM?

[flyyyguy]

going way out of my way to achieve positive everywhere flow via creative flow design and aquascaping in such a way that will truly allow it

[Kigs]

vortech :D

[stoneroller]

EZ-Blade for me and getting rid of metallic GSP for my zoas.

[seapug]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12647382#post12647382 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crazyfrog
hey seapug how did the phosban help? i also currently have a zoo/softies tank..

It completely eliminated all hair algae in the tank and vastly improved the colors in all my corals. Phosphate is enemy #1 in a reef tank.

[650-IS350]

I always thought nitrate/nitriates and ammonia..

Phosphate is only really bad for the reef as it feeds all PEST algae??

[seapug]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12649027#post12649027 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by delsol650

Phosphate is only really bad for the reef as it feeds all PEST algae??

Nitrates and ammonia can be processed by live rock and easily controlled with water changes. Not so with Phosphate.

Apart from being pure algae fuel, it's also a poison to the calcification process in stony corals, drives down pH and Alkalinity, causes browning of coral pigments, and gets absorbed into calcerious substrates in the tanks (sand & rocks). It's also ubiquitous in rish foods and most tap water so it's almost impossible to avoid in a closed system aquarium.

It's nasty stuff, so take steps to eliminate it and the health of your tank will improve.

[Slakker]

Switching from "conditioned" tap water to RO/DI.

Hands down, kids, hands down :)

[capture]

Good stuff, seapug and delsol.
were the changes you speak of with the addition of the phosban reaactor instantaneous? or more slowly over time?

[cthedaytrader]

Controller
Already had ato and phosban but I put on AcJr first time using a controller on my tanks hands down best thing, controls temp, lights, pumps and soon ca reactor what a difference in stability

[650-IS350]

I've been playing with the idea of a small hang on phosphate reactor. Sux with having a 37cube, not my realstate to hang stuff on the back. Since the MCE600 already resides there.

[seapug]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12649821#post12649821 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capture
Good stuff, seapug and delsol.
were the changes you speak of with the addition of the phosban reaactor instantaneous? or more slowly over time?

It took my 90 gallon about 8 weeks with one media change at 4 weeks to really see results, but once the phosphate level went below the "algae threshold" it all died and disappeared in about 5 days. It was pretty amazing. The color improvement on the corals was a bit slower to occur but was very noticable.

[650-IS350]

I'll look into getting one once my 37 cube is done in 2 weeks and done tearing down my 100gal. Do you have a specific model/brand I should look at? I'm looking more for a Hang on the back type.

[MAMGM]

2littlefishes and kent are the least exspensive hob that I found

[crazyfrog]

how about additive products? what additives do you guys use for zoos?

i only used iodine before and started adding strontium they corals look "meatyer" and bigget. maybe its me

[capture]

crazy, when you say your corals you talking just zoanthids or all your corals in the tank? just curious.

[fishfanatic06]

Staying off reefcentral, so I stop getting new ideas that make me go change my tank all the time so nothing does well. lol

[Nereaga]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12646854#post12646854 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ILoveReefer
auto top off

2nd that!

Brad

[kiran523]

Of all the the recent changes I have made (a lot) I would say the biggest change came from my H&S skimmer. It is is a beast. It allowed me to feed my corals much more often.

A funny mistake would be the first time I fed the tank with the H&S. I had my hand in the tank spot feeding as I usually do when I start to hear a faint splatter. I look over and see my skimmer (whose cup I had just emptied) overflowing like Niagara Falls. Doh!

[DML08]

went from PC to 6 T5's.. gonna upgrade to a bigger tank next week 55tall... I'm also interested in what additive people are using in there tank.. not just for zoa's but coral's in general.

[Auntbeez]

What's the one most beneficial change you have made to your tank?

Changing from PC lights to T5s. I only wish I had known enough to get a 6 or 8 bulb fixture instead of the four. When funds permit I will upgrade.

[seafansar]

Just thought those of you who were looking into phosphate reactors would like this little DIY. http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=77999&st=0

My biggest change was manually removing all my hair algae and adding a big clean up crew. Now my zoas aren't being smothered by algae anymore.

[Pufferpunk]

LOL, can any of you guess what I'm gonna say? It starts with a "C"!

[seafansar]

Well the link I was trying to post was a DIY phosphate reactor. Pretty much you take a gatorade bottle, drill a hole in the cap to fit a pipe in and little holes around that one to let the water out. Have the piping go down in the bottle to the bottom. Fit a valve on the pipe and fill the bottle with phosphate remover. Pipe water down into the bottle and let it go up through the phosphate remover and out the little holes in the cap.

[MUCHO REEF]

Capture wrote

What is the most beneficial change you have made to any of your tanks in the past and/or recently? Of course, keep in mind your zoanthids.
I'm thinking everything in the way of equipment, clean-up-crews, livestock, removal of anything from your system, etc. It can be anything.

I recently changed my lighting from PC to Halide and increased my tank size from a standard 10 to a 16 bow. Not sure which I think is better yet. I'll have to come back to this later.

Share why you did it to begin with, what it was or is, what the overall benefit was and how long it took to see the end result (instant or more long term).

[jcw]

It took my 90 gallon about 8 weeks with one media change at 4 weeks to really see results, but once the phosphate level went below the "algae threshold" it all died and disappeared in about 5 days. It was pretty amazing. The color improvement on the corals was a bit slower to occur but was very noticable.

Yeah! I'm 3 weeks in and have made my first media change in my brs reactor. I hope i see the same results soon.

This is an old thread...

[Joshporksandwic]

Dosing Vodka & ascorbic acid.

[MUCHO REEF]

This is an old thread...


Yes, they all are. Older threads are also useful and helpful threads.:)

[tlsrcs]

i have changed alot. I got rid of the halids and went with T5s then got rid of those and went with LEDs. i add a Etss600 skimmer and about 150LBS of LR to my sumps. i have no bad algea my skimmer is barly working anymore and growth is good.

[Paul B]

Adding bacteria from the sea a few times a year.

[Borchers]

Well, I bought my own RODI unit,

Added an ACjr

Top off with premade Kalwasser mix and fresh RODI

Upgraded light to an 8 bulb Tek Unit and Geismann bulbs.

[fdonophan]

Switching from "conditioned" tap water to RO/DI.

Hands down, kids, hands down :)

^^ THIS!! ^^

Our tapwater is a nitrate frat party!! It took me a long time to figure out why no matter how many times I did water changes with my neighborhoods high-dollar-obnoxiously-expensive-quality-water (that I pay over $100 a month for :mad:) I couldn't see through my green glass every single day!

I have to change my prefilter once a month and my RO every 3 months. So glad we have the GOOD water...

[Red_Blenny]

Adding a sponge to catch all the detris and increasing the flow of my tank.

[Friday Night]

Letting my tank go and now it's on cruise control all I do is top off.

Just did my "monthly water change"

[MUCHO REEF]

Letting my tank go and now it's on cruise control all I do is top off.

Just did my "monthly water change"


+1 Friday, that is some simple and very sound advice my friend. I have always advocated keeping your hands out of your tank and just allow the reef to do what it does naturally. 2 thumbs bro. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


Mucho Reef

[thesilence87]

Switch from a 250w Metal Halide fixture with a 14k Phoenix bulbto a dimmable 165w LED fixture with bridgelux LED's. My corals pop so much more, and I've noticed a significant increase in growth, and with the amount of time I spend in front of my tank, I notice minute growth...

The second best thing I've done is probably switch the rio 600 on my skimmer to a MJ 1200, it just feels like it skims so much more.

[heckfire]

getting ati bulbs and removing the macro from my fuge,,

[thesilence87]

getting ati bulbs and removing the macro from my fuge,,

Why the removal of the Macro, if I might ask?

[y0ung0ne]

I would have to say my lighting went from pc to t5 and everything likes it. Also have been working on me water chemistry as well checking more things then I normally did when I first started in the hobby.

[Lwhite]

Developing a rock solid maintenance routine with high quality water. I went from plagued with Cyano and bad qater quality to a tank that everything is doing great now.

[heckfire]

Why the removal of the Macro, if I might ask?

i needed to free up the room for chemical filtration and i was not impressed with the macro results

[A. Grandis]

I would say my ATI PM 6 bulbs for my 75gal, as far as I remember of all times.
It's just amazing how much I've got out of that investment.
The zoas are doing much better with the reflectors and the choices of bulbs to change in spectrum is amazing.

This is a good thread.

Grandis.

[paddyob]

Auto top off.

Nice to maintain consistent salinity.

[MUCHO REEF]

Developing a rock solid maintenance routine with high quality water. I went from plagued with Cyano and bad qater quality to a tank that everything is doing great now.


Lots of great replies/info in this thread, but this one is by far my favortite. Maintenance, whether it is daily, weekly or monthly, can make the difference between success or tank/polyp failure. I think equally important is maintaining a log of everything you do, change, add, even visual changes within your system is so important.


Mucho Reef

[Friday Night]

Testing RO water with a TDS from LFS before buying.
Or asking when is the last time they changed out thier membrane.

:smokin:

[MUCHO REEF]

Testing RO water with a TDS from LFS before buying.
Or asking when is the last time they changed out thier membrane.

:smokin:


Smart idea. I purchased from a LFS once and was shocked by my readings I took when I arrived home. Now I am not knocking LFS water, just the one experience I had. Good point Friday.

[Crush Coral]

Hey Seapug, what media are you using in your reactor?

[Bk2Reefin]

changed it from fresh to saltwater

[Friday Night]

Yea no doubt mooch
Last lfs bought some needed a 911 toP off. I got it next morning checked b4 work I had an algae propagation tank.

[ReeferBill]

Took out my double biowheel filter and added a refugium with liverock a deep sand bed and macro algea....:dance:

[MUCHO REEF]

Agreed, bio-wheel :thumbdown

[MichaelDavid]

I just added a skimmer to my 125g, 20g cube, 16g fragtank AIO. I thought having a big fuge would be enough. All my parameters were in check, but my sps showed slow growth. After added a skimmer, polyp extension increase and growth has gotten better. They're must have been a lot of DOC's in the water.