Reefing Tips & Tricks

[jcook54]

There is a ton of information about there about reefing. Youtube, R2R, ARC, blogs and podcasts. I could keep going on. I'm curious to know what you do that some others might not. What's a tip that isn't generally part of the "How To Reef" conversation. This topic came to mind when I was talking to folks at the MACNA Event so I thought we could pool our experience and maybe come up with good sticky.

Citric Acid - Citric acid is the best way I've found to clean pumps. This isn't so much a "trick" since a lot of folks know this but I mentioned it to a few newer members and they'd never heard of it. So, if you're cleaning pumps, powerheads, heaters or really anything, make up a solution of citric acid and watch it dissolve away. You can buy it by the pound on Amazon and save some money. The first time I ordered it I got it from BRS and it says to mix it at 12 tablespoons per gallon of water. I do something close and results may vary. The citric acid is much easier on rubber seals, doesn't stink so much and can be used over and over until it's non-reactive. Watch out for hangnails and small cuts on your hand though, serious ouch.

Barb fittings & smaller diameter siphons - This is something I've been doing for years. I went to Ace Hardware, bought a few double bard fittings and a few feet of the hose to go with it. When I'm doing water changes, the smaller diameter tubing with the barb fitting allows me to draw detritus out of small nooks and crannies. (I sand down the barb fitting on the exposed side so it doesn't get stuck in the small crevices.) Using a 3/8" diameter vinyl tube with 3/8" x 1/4" reducing double barb fitting also help in sucking out GHA when I need to. The barb functions as it's own little scraper.




Air brush cleaning brushes - These are little brushed that are commonly used to clean out the small diameter spray nozzle on airbrush paint guns. In this hobby, you can never have too many small brushes to clean pumps and impellers. I buy mine at Harbor Freight and they're super cheap.



What tip or trick do you have in your back pocket that you can share with the rest of us?

 

[jcook54]

I just thought of another one.

Individual super glues - I use a decent amount of super glue when I frag but whenever I buy a larger bottle, one of two things happen. First, the tip dries out and I have to cut it back. After a few sessions, I've had to cut the tip a few times and I might as well not even have a tip it's so raggedy. Second, it just dried out all together or, at the very least, becomes unusable for one reason or another. Whenever I try using a large bottle, it end up throwing some of it away. So, I go to Harbor Freight and buy their individual packs of "Super Glue Gel". Make sure you get the gel, that's super important too. A few years ago I did a price per ounce comparison and Harbor Freight was the cheapest by far. If you'd like to try this, make sure you get he one's marked "Gel". The packaging for both the regular and gel is exactly the same except for one small but very important word.

 

[Rickdareefa]

Dip zoas in hydrogen peroxide to kill off algae.

 

[Rickdareefa]

Dip zoas in hydrogen peroxide to kill off algae.

Also drip peroxide onto problem algae spots that can be removed from the tank then rinse with tank water from a water change

 

[DiefsReef]

I haven't been in the hobby long enough to feel like I should be giving tips just yet but I second everything I've seen above so far.

I use citric acid to clean everything. You can save a lot of money buying bulk. I bought (Citric acid, 50 lb Pail) for then $89. Of course like everything else, the price has doubled since then but BRS is selling 3lbs for $50 so you do the math.
Even if you go with a 10lb bag you are still $100 ahead.
This bucket has lasted me 2 years and I'm just under half left.

Two other tips;
Go Roller filter and never clean a sock again. Enough said
Spend the extra money on a skimmer with a dc pump and controller. .
I've got an Aquamaxx DFC-80 and love how easy it is to keep it working well.

Another late addition: I got tired of cutting and replacing zip ties.
Use Velcro Cable Ties instead of zip ties!

​

 

[qasimja]

here's my tip dont ever let your wife go to the lfs with you then they may get a hint at the true cost of this hobby is

 

[myvwrock]

To clean my glass front on my tank i use a spray bottle with water in it and a cheap squeegee. No chemicals.

Sent from my LM-K500 using Tapatalk

 

[Jaycen B.]

I like to use Zeiss lens cleaning wipes for tough spots on my tank. Works great.

 

[billyocean]

Diy mesh tops. 1/4 mesh from BRS.
Home depot:
aluminum window frame
Plastic corner pieces
Window spline..I went with the thicker spline. Hard to get in but holds like a champ.
Spline roller if you don't have one
Start at one long end and keep straight, next short end, long end, short end
Keep pulling tight the whole time..you can always take the spline back out and re apply as you go to make tight. An extra pair of hands will make it easier but alone is fine too.

If you don't have an auto top off..get one. Keeps salinity spot on

I'm at the point where I need a doser so it spreads the dosing out evenly, not a necessity, but I see this as a great addition

Test your alk, calc, phos, & nitrate regular until you have a good idea on consumption/stability. Mag shouldn't swing very heavily so testing isn't needed as frequently.

Don't chase numbers or make rash changes if your corals are happy..it's a guide, not a rule. The key is stabilty., corals will adapt to a wide range of numbers

Edit:
All tanks are different for whatever reason. I don't run a skimmer in my 125. Only have 6 fish though. Have filter socks and live rock in my sump for filtration. There's a reef octo sro 2000 ext in my closet should I have the need to install it but my numbers stay where I want them so it's not installed yet. This is what's working for my tank..so in my case, it doesn't really follow the "mainstream" protocol but it's running fine.

Basic things but my 2 cents