Reef keeping good practices list (all welcome to add)

[asg]

Hi all, creating a post for all to share what one practices at home for good reefing. Newbie old bird all are welcome to add.

Let me keep the fish rolling

1) keep a calender and write down every key thing that requires attention and replacement eg added 100g of AC on 13/08/14, wash wave maker on ddmmyy, etc.

2) keep all the manual of the equipment and re read them from time to time

3) buy a small digital scale to measure AC, Bio-sphere, etc

4) buy stock when your existing bottle is half left

5) always have a pail of aged replacement sea water ready

6) test your water at least once a week even if everything appears fine

7) know which LFS can be trusted and which is snake oil seller

8) label all your electrical plugs

9) next person please add...

[Angel Keeper]

Always have extra salt at home. You never know when you need it... Spoken from experience...

[joby553]

Always have extra salt at home. You never know when you need it... Spoken from experience...

How much extra? Think I might need to standby.!.!

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[james72]

10) Do not pour lfs water into your reef tank cos it might contain copper for fish treatment or salinity might be very low.

Cheers,

James

[asg]

11) wash your hand and arm before you put them into your fish tank (even for one second).

[Angel Keeper]

How much extra? Think I might need to standby.!.!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I always have at least half of a 22 kg on standby...

[tang_sohal]

Dont mix water container.. u never know what residue chemicals left

[pcw]

I don't know if this is a good reefing practice or just a safety note but do set drip loops for all your electrical devices for your aquarium. Especially after some maintenance, there's a chance to forget to put the wires back in place for a drip loop.

[erikokelf]

1) keep a calender and write down every key thing that requires attention and replacement eg added 100g of AC on 13/08/14, wash wave maker on ddmmyy, etc.

2) keep all the manual of the equipment and re read them from time to time

3) buy a small digital scale to measure AC, Bio-sphere, etc

4) buy stock when your existing bottle is half left

5) always have a pail of aged replacement sea water ready

6) test your water at least once a week even if everything appears fine

7) know which LFS can be trusted and which is snake oil seller

8) label all your electrical plugs

9) next person please add...

10) Do not pour lfs water into your reef tank cos it might contain copper for fish treatment or salinity might be very low.

11) wash your hand and arm before you put them into your fish tank (even for one second).

12) Always check and empty your skimmer cup to prevent overflowing.

[hideaki]

11) wash your hand and arm before you put them into your fish tank (even for one second).

Just wondering, do you use any hand soap to wash hands or just water? I am paranoid about soap.

[asg]

Just wondering, do you use any hand soap to wash hands or just water? I am paranoid about soap.

I use soap... and follow the SARS eight steps washing protocol cos i believe soap is cheaper than fish in the long run

[Angel Keeper]

Just have to ensure that you rinse really well...

[hideaki]

Hahaha... i am just worried of any residue soap on my hands, so i try not to use soap just before dipping my hands into tank.

[kenyee]

1) keep a calender and write down thing that requires attention and replacement eg added 100g of AC on 13/08/14, wash wave maker on ddmmyy, etc.

2) keep all the manual of the equipment and re read them from time to time

3) buy a small digital scale to measure AC, Bio-sphere, etc

4) buy stock when your existing bottle is half left

5) always have a pail of aged replacement sea water ready

6) test your water at least once a week even if everything appears fine

7) know which LFS can be trusted and which is snake oil seller

8) label all your electrical plugs

9) next person please add...

10) Do not pour lfs water into your reef tank cos it might contain copper for fish treatment or salinity might be very low.

11) wash your hand and arm before you put them into your fish tank (even for one second).

12) Always check and empty your skimmer cup to prevent overflowing.

13) keep record of fishes u buy..do not add too many too fast..

[hideaki]

Regarding point 13, is there a guide as to how many fishes are recommended for a specific size of tank? Say, my tank is 4x1.5x2.5, what is the recommended max number of fishes I should have without risking overloading?

[asg]

Regarding point 13, is there a guide as to how many fishes are recommended for a specific size of tank? Say, my tank is 4x1.5x2.5, what is the recommended max number of fishes I should have without risking overloading?

I read somewhere, the very very general guideline is roughly one cm of fish for each gallon of water. Of cos the bio load for a five cm triggerfish is way higher than a five cm goby...

[hideaki]

Thanks andtsg. That's a good guide.

[Angel Keeper]

I just started putting a kitchen tap filter sock at the outlet in my tank... I had no idea how much gunk I was pulling out... Had to replace the filter sock in one day...

[taufiq85]

1) keep a calender and write down thing that requires attention and replacement eg added 100g of AC on 13/08/14, wash wave maker on ddmmyy, etc.

2) keep all the manual of the equipment and re read them from time to time

3) buy a small digital scale to measure AC, Bio-sphere, etc

4) buy stock when your existing bottle is half left

5) always have a pail of aged replacement sea water ready

6) test your water at least once a week even if everything appears fine

7) know which LFS can be trusted and which is snake oil seller

8) label all your electrical plugs

9) next person please add...

10) Do not pour lfs water into your reef tank cos it might contain copper for fish treatment or salinity might be very low.

11) wash your hand and arm before you put them into your fish tank (even for one second).

12) Always check and empty your skimmer cup to prevent overflowing.

13) keep record of fishes u buy..do not add too many too fast..

14)Wash or svc chiller filters more often than not chillers are always neglected.

[blackcell]

When handling liverock or stock. Using gloves will be best. You never know what sort of bacteria is there..

185 Gallons - 5ft tank since nov 2013

[poh34]

1) keep a calender and write down thing that requires attention and replacement eg added 100g of AC on 13/08/14, wash wave maker on ddmmyy, etc.

2) keep all the manual of the equipment and re read them from time to time

3) buy a small digital scale to measure AC, Bio-sphere, etc

4) buy stock when your existing bottle is half left

5) always have a pail of aged replacement sea water ready

6) test your water at least once a week even if everything appears fine

7) know which LFS can be trusted and which is snake oil seller

8) label all your electrical plugs

9) next person please add...

10) Do not pour lfs water into your reef tank cos it might contain copper for fish treatment or salinity might be very low.

11) wash your hand and arm before you put them into your fish tank (even for one second).

12) Always check and empty your skimmer cup to prevent overflowing.

13) keep record of fishes u buy..do not add too many too fast..

14)Wash or svc chiller filters more often than not chillers are always neglected.

15)weekly water change (that prove to be very important for me)