Keeping records or maintenance and tasks on the reef aquarium,

It is a good idea to keep a notebook in which you record what you did and when you did it. Do not rely on your memory! Once some time has passed, your memory can fail as to when the reef was set up, when the rock was added, how long the tank took to cycle, when the inverts were added, how many of them there were, when the fish were added, how many of them went in, what kinds they were, what the results of your water tests have been, and so on.

Unless you are an analytical type, keeping a notebook and writing down all the things you initially do to the reef will seem like a waste of time. However, as time goes on (as it has a way of doing), you will begin to see the importance and benefits of keeping the notebook. If you do this from the start, there will be a minimum of guesswork regarding water changes, water quality, how long the reef has been set up, and the monetary value of the reef.

Here is a list of maintenance procedures,

Daily:

1. Check general appearance of reef.
2. Adjust protein skimmer.
3. Adjust water level (compensating for evaporation).
4. Feed livestock.

As needed:

1. Remove unwanted algae (on glass and overflow pipes).
2. Clean protein skimmer; change airstones; adjust Venturi valve.

Weekly:

1. Change prefilter pads.

Biweekly (alternately):

1. Change water.
2. Add trace elements.

Monthly:

1. Test water.
2. Clean the tank cover.
3. Wipe the light bulbs.

Every 3 months:

1. Clean the cooling fan(s).
2. Inspect and clean the water pumps.

Every 6 months:

1. Take down and completely clean the sump.
2. Take down and service the pump.
3. Replace light bulbs.

Once a year:

1. Completely take down, clean, and rebuild the reef.
2. 
   

Simplified Reefkeeping

Planning the Reef Aquarium

The most important thing to do is to plan. The reason this is so important, in my opinion, is that so many people would like to get into this hobby, but they don’t plan. They walk into a pet store, see some nice live rock and coral and invertebrate, and they want to start a tank with that. After their purchase, they find their light is not strong enough, their water isn’t pure enough, they don’t have test kits or the right size protein skimmer. Their tank has not been properly conditioned, so the livestock they bought dies. At this point, they are shocked at what it will cost to get the proper items, and many just give up. Some others try to go on with half of the items they really need, still with bad results. Do not take this approach!

Summary: Understand what is involved

• Can you afford a reef tank?
• Write a plan
• List actual costs of items in your area
• Get an idea of a tank size

1. What size tank?

Its location, preferably near a sink (for water supply and drain). Will the floor carry the weight of the tank? Preferably away from direct sunlight. How much floor space will all the equipment take? Is there enough power supply to run all the equipment? Will there be enough room to service behind the tank? (See Chapter 12, on large tank location.)

2. Your budget.

Can you afford it? List and plan (very important). You may not be able to have everything up and running right away. But if you are patient and plan ahead, buying what you need as you can afford it, you will end up with the largest, most pleasing setup you can have. Put a lot of effort into the functioning of the system first, before adding live creatures to it. Plan for the ease of water changes and waste water drainage, the location of your tap water purification system, a large protein skimmer, and high-power lights with the proper bulbs. Once you have these in place (proceeding to each item as you can afford it), you won’t have to worry about jeopardizing the livestock you will buy. This is definitely the best approach. The next pages will give a recommended sequence for purchases.

In this hobby only bad things happen fast, due to lack of time spent on planning

3. Your time.

Remember: only bad things happen fast in this hobby, usually due to lack of time spent. Patience is invaluable. Keeping a reef will take a considerable amount of time, especially if you fabricate the components yourself. However, the rewards are exceptional! You will get tremendous satisfaction from knowing that you built components that are practical to maintain, and far exceed factory-built standards. But all this takes time,a lot of time. Are you willing to do water changes every two to three weeks? Are you ready to change your prefilter every week? Make limewater as needed for evaporation? Remove algae as needed? These are all responsibilities you have to take into consideration. (See Chapter 9, "Maintenance.")