How do you achieve stability?

[CRABDADDY]

Hello all,

Stability is something most reefers will attribute their beautiful show tanks to. What does it mean to you, and how do you achieve stability in your aquarium?

Long term stability is something I've struggled with from time to time with my 40g tank. It's my number one area I've marked for improvement with my newer 120g system. I'd love to hear others input on how they keep their tanks stable.

 

[Nano_Man]

More stable
Well aged tank which gets better as time goes on and more stable and constantly good parameters

 

[Reefer Matt]

By looking at my tanks, and testing parameters as frequently as required. Even with automated equipment, something always seems to happen that could compromise stability if I didn’t pay attention. Also by doing what I know needs to be done when it needs it. Procrastination kills stability, imo.

 

[CRABDADDY]

More stable
Well aged tank which gets better as time goes on and more stable and constantly good parameters

What do you do specifically to maintain solid, stable parameters?

 

[CRABDADDY]

By looking at my tanks, and testing parameters as frequently as required. Even with automated equipment, something always seems to happen that could compromise stability if I didn’t pay attention. Also by doing what I know needs to be done when it needs it. Procrastination kills stability, imo.

I really like this answer. This is something I needed to hear. I have definitely procrastinated on water changes from time to time. Definitely have slacked on testing sometimes.

 

[Nano_Man]

Good salt
If your a weekly water changer you won’t need to worry about too much . But the longer you don’t do water changes everything gets depleted so then comes in dosing. My tanks get weekly water changes and when testing everything looks good. I am a great believer of live rock full stop . This rock helps you out so much in your reef it is the foundation of your reef imo

 

[CRABDADDY]

Good salt
If your a weekly water changer you won’t need to worry about too much . But the longer you don’t do water changes everything gets depleted so then comes in dosing. My tanks get weekly water changes and when testing everything looks good. I am a great believer of live rock full stop . This rock helps you out so much in your reef it is the foundation of your reef imo

I did start my new tank with dry rock, but ended up seeding with a few pounds of live rock and sand a few months in. I'm hoping this has a similar effect to starting live rock, with less cost. If I had to do it again, I'd probably go full live rock, just so I could stop wondering "what if?".

 

[jda]

1. Diverse ecosystem with sand and real live rock
2. Water changes with salt modified to my tank parameters - no salt will ever get this right, so do it yourself
3. Balanced 3 part and trace additions through calcium reactor
4. Metal Halide lighting with no spectrum changes

It is super easy to make your salt mix right using acid to lower alk, mag and calcium chloride to raise both of those. I use IO since it is cheap and consistent. All of these additives are cheap and can last years and years. You only have to figure it out once and then you can just repeat.

 

[Nano_Man]

I did start my new tank with dry rock, but ended up seeding with a few pounds of live rock and sand a few months in. I'm hoping this has a similar effect to starting live rock, with less cost. If I had to do it again, I'd probably go full live rock, just so I could stop wondering "what if?".

I love the stuff
I crack up at paying for it but I wouldn’t go any other way every tank I have set up has had live rock. Even if I had a plain fish only tank I would have live rock in the sump . In the 90s they had the Berlin method tank full of live rock couple of power heads and a skimmer that was it the live rock is a filter in it self . So when your buying live rock your really buying the best filter ever imo

 

[brayden2980]

Either commit to weekly/ consistent and frequent water changes that won’t forgive slack and more targeted dosing

Or make a more self sustaining reef that can nearly survive with no maintenance, pushing more bio filtration and a refugium. Essentially a system that can rely on itself rather than you. Dosing will be needed (especially if you cut back on water changes) but you can make it easy with something like all for reef

find something that can be done and if it’s going to be mechanical filtration like filter socks you have to keep up on it. Same thing with the water changes.

If you can’t do that find ways to make it healthy without you like more ceramic media in the sump or increase the size of the refugium

Stability is keeping it in a range not at a number. No swings and only make small and slow changes even if your nitrates are at 40, take a few weeks to get them back down.

My phosphates went to .6 from improper coral feeding and I didn’t freak out and run a ton of gfo. I stopped my mistake and let the system balance itself

 

[CRABDADDY]

1. Diverse ecosystem with sand and real live rock
2. Water changes with salt modified to my tank parameters - no salt will ever get this right, so do it yourself
3. Balanced 3 part and trace additions through calcium reactor
4. Metal Halide lighting with no spectrum changes

It is super easy to make your salt mix right using acid to lower alk, mag and calcium chloride to raise both of those. I use IO since it is cheap and consistent. All of these additives are cheap and can last years and years. You only have to figure it out once and then you can just repeat.

Can you elaborate on how you're adjusting your freshly mixed saltwater? I've never heard of this method.

I didn't realize consider metal halides when building my tank. I know many people consider them to be the best at growing corals, especially SPS, but I ended up going with radions and T5s. Mostly because of long term availability.

 

[Paul B]

This:

Or make a more self sustaining reef that can nearly survive with no maintenance, pushing more bio filtration and a refugium. Essentially a system that can rely on itself rather than you.

I rarely test and almost never tweek. My tank generally takes care of itself with little help from me except cleaning the glass and feeding.

 

[jda]

You can lower alk with Muriatic Acid. You can get this at most hardware stores. Number of MLs of Muriatic Acid to use is the gallons * desired dKh drop * .123. If you get salt with lower calcium and magnesium numbers, you can raise them with Calcium Chloride and Magnesium Chloride - there are calculators online. I have my formula to make 44 gallons of Instant Ocean in a 44g brute at 35 ppt of salinity with 7.0 of alk and 425 of calcium. I figured out the formula years ago and just repeat it.

To me, it is folly to buy perhaps a lesser salt to match a paramter here or there when none of them really will. I also don't want to pay twice as much for a lower alk salt when a bottle of acid is less than $10 and lasts for ever... and is also good for cleaning things.

 

[kevgib67]

My last tank I had running for 16 years, mostly softies and a few lps. Not long into it it just went on cruise control with religious 10% water changes a month. I don’t think I ever tested again after the first year. My eyes would tell me what was going on and if things didn’t look right I just increased frequency and amount of water changes, it didn’t happen often. This go around I’ve reached a similar stage after the 2 year mark. But I do keep an eye on my magnesium and calcium because it is a predominantly lps with a couple sps tank. I do dose both as the weekly water changes aren’t keeping up.

 

[JTP424]

As everyone has basically stated, consistency. With EVERYTHING you do. As well as DOCUMENTATION. Keep a notebook, excel doc etc. Whatever you can to make sure you note what you're doing when, how it impacted the tank etc.

 

[KenBabich]

Stability experience for me having had 20 gallon AIO for 1.5 year, then upgraded to 50 gallon AIO , now at 1 year mark.

1. Auto top off
2. Anal retentive water testing several times a week first couple of months now then minimum 1x weekly (salinity, pH, ammonia, nitrates, and phosphate once a week.. sometimes salinity and pH twice a week, depending upon how much the auto top off replenishes the tank
3. Being that I live in an apartment and cannot make my own water I use the same local fish store for my water supply for consistency that said, I also add baking soda to the 5 gallon containers to bring the alkalinity up so that way my water changes aren’t a shock to the system. This also includes elevating, the pH of my RODI auto top off water.
4. Ink Bird, dual heater cooler to ensure stable water temperature.
5. Biweekly 20 percent water change.
6. Adding small amount of bacteria after each water change with the UV off for 12 hours.
7. Having a hang on back UV sterilizer.
8. Changing filter floss daily or no less than every other day. You wipe your butt more than once a day don’t you? So why not the fish poo
9. When doing water change, I include manual, removal of algae and some vacuuming of sand bed
10. Class cleaning as needed basis
11. Looking into my tank at all of us inhabitants and letting them know I love them and that they better behave or there’s the porcelain throne flush waiting for them! Just kidding on the flush!
12. Good water, flow, whatever that means with use of additional powerheads, in addition to stock return outlets.
13. Using charcoal filtration and changing it on a regular basis.

Hope this helps

 

[Fritz05]

My suggestion for stability is:

1. Find your maintenance routine
2. Stick to it!

 

[Paul B]

With EVERYTHING you do. As well as DOCUMENTATION. Keep a notebook, excel doc etc. Whatever you can to make sure you note what you're doing when, how it impacted the tank etc.

I kept a log book for about the first 20 years and I still have it. It started in a spiral notebook before it was way before computers were invented and went up to about the early 90s.

 

[kevgib67]

I kept a log book for about the first 20 years and I still have it. It started in a spiral notebook before it was way before computers were invented and went up to about the early 90s.

Old school! I like it.

 

[Paul B]

Everything I do is old school because I am old.