Maintainence Tips

To all of you out there who are having good luck with your 10 gallon nanos, could you share the wealth ?

What would you say are the very most important things to remember when keeping a small tank ?

 

keeping up with top offs and parameters

 

Test your water

Consistent water changes

Minimal bioload stocking

 

by parameters , John, do you mean testing things like Calcium, Magnesium
Alkalinity, Nitrate, Phosphate and maybe PH?

Steve

 

Yes Sir I do.

 

running carbon for 1 week each month and Purigen for the other 3
where my winning formula in the 5 gallon I had

I used the water from the reef to set it up, so I had good water quality

I changed 2 litres (Jug used) of water each week

I had manual top off, but added a bit in the mornings, and then again, when I got home from work - so my level did not fluctuate much during the day

Steve

 

Awesome. Excellent advice.

 

It is so good to be able to chat with people having success with their nanos. That has not been my experience. I've seen so many beautiful pictures, but I am not having much luck with Coral. My water is crystal clear, the parameters test well & the live rock is covered with a beautiful pink coralline. I've had my clown since the beginning & a beautiful sea anenome.

I top off the tank every morning. Perhaps I should also be doing it in the evening.

I test the parameters, but usually only salinity, nitrates & calcium. How often should you test ?

I have heard so many different opinions about water changes that it would make your head spin. 10% water change twice a week, 10% water change once a week, 10% water change only when the water becomes dirty. ( cloudy ) That is why I wanted to talk to people meeting with success.

Each time you do a water change, would you rinse the media in the disgarded water ?

Should I be scrubbing the inside of the glass on a regular basis ?

You said to use charcoal one week a month & purigen for the other 3. I use charcoal all 4 weeks. What is purigen ?

Thanks guys for all your fabulous suggestions. It is such a relief to ask for help with my nano & not be told I shouldn't have bought one because it is too difficult to maintain a balance.

I want a beautiful reef. I need all the help you can give.

 

It sounds like a nice tank. Can you share any pictures?

 

It is not a nice tank. I can only wish. I'd never send a pic of what it looks like now. There would be nothing to see.
I have a good mushroom coral. All the others ( button coral, Kenya Tree Frag & ricordia ) are struggling. I lost a frog spawn.
I'm doing something wrong. That's why I am here getting tips from those who have those beautiful tanks I'd love to have.
Why would a clown, a sea anenome & a mushroom coral do well & not the others ? You would thnk if it had anything to do with the parameters, it would affect them all.I have searched each coral individually to find out its specfic requirements, but nothing seems to work.
Please. I have been struggling with this for 2 1/2 years. I need your help. I've already started a list of your suggestions. I had further questions in my last post.