Have kept freshwater aquaria since 1998 and marine aquaria since 2000, beginning with a 75 gallon coral and fish reef. 

We have always been fastidious about doing tank maintenance weekly and continue this practice in our bare bottom tanks.

Until March 2005, we had always kept sandbeds of 3" to 5" in all our marine aquaria.  After doing a little research, as well as struggling with cyanobacteria at various times in different tanks, we decided to remove the sandbeds from our tanks during tank upgrades.

 

The following description of our tank maintenance regime is the same as our maintenance of tanks with sandbeds.  The only difference in maintenance of bare bottom tanks is that of  siphoning detritus from the tank bottom during the water change.

Making RO/DI Water:

• Aqua-FX RO/DI 50 GPD unit plumbed into our kitchen sink, with standard drinking faucet adapter.

Flexible Hose:

• A three foot of flexible hose in the diameter to fit over the drinking faucet adapter is used to fill the dedicated RO/DI pail.

Pail:

• One five gallon pail with lid dedicated to be filled from our RO/DI unit with a flexible hose.
• Pails of RO/DI water are then transported to the Rubbermaid trashcans in one of our condo's bedrooms.

• Two green Rubbermaid 30 gallon trashcans, located in one of our condo's bedrooms, are used to store RO/DI water. 
• Right after a water change, the two trashcans are cleaned and rinsed in tapwater. 
• We then begin filling the trashcans from our RO/DI unit so the water can be aerated and heated to 79F to be ready for either the next water change or for emergency uses.

Powerheads:

• One Hagen 802 powerhead is used to aerate the RO/DI water in each trashcan. 
• The powerhead is laid on its side with the nozzle pointed directly at the water's surface for maximum water movement and aeration.

Heaters:

• One 50 watt Tronic heater and one 100 watt Tronic heater are used to heat the RO/DI water in each trashcan.

Extra Pails:

• Once the two trashcans are filled with RO/DI water, two five gallon pails then filled with RO/DI water.
• This water is used for either adding to the trashcans if an extra large water change is required, or are used to begin filling up the trashcans after a water change.

Mixing Saltwater - Equipment:

Salt Mix:

• We use either Kent or Instant Ocean salt bought in 200 gallon pails.  Lately, however, we have preferred using Kent salt.
• Luckily, we have Internet friends who are willing to be part of group buys of salt.  Once or twice a year, we buy up to eight pails of salt and store them unopened in our condo's den.

Refractometer:

• A portable refractometer is used to accurately measure salinity to 1.025.
• The refractometer  is always dried between taking readings, as well as dried before storage.

Towels:

• A hand towel is always nearby when working with water.
• A bath sized towel is on the floor in front of the trashcans to catch drips and spills.

Mixing Saltwater - Method:

How Much Salt to Use:

• We fill the trashcans to varying levels, so mixing saltwater is always an adventure.  I estimate how many cups I will need for a given level and dump the salt in.
• Once the salt is in the trashcan, I reach to the bottom to get hold of the powerhead.  I blow the salt that has settled on the bottom and corners of the trashcan up into the water column, then continue to blow the bottom of the can for a few minutes to ensure the salt has dissolved.
• Once dissolved, I use the refractometer to measure salinity. 

If Salinity Is Low:

• If salinity is too low, I add more salt, dissolve it with the powerhead as described above, then measure again.  I continue adding salt, mixing with the powerhead, then measuring salinity until it settles at 1.025.
• The powerhead is then placed back on the bottom of the trashcan with the nozzle pointed straight up.

If Salinity Is High:

• If salinity is too high, I add RO/DI water, let the powerhead mix the water, then measure again.  I continue adding RO/DI water, letting the powerhead mix the water until salinity until it settles at 1.025.
• The powerhead is then placed back on the bottom of the trashcan with the nozzle pointed straight up.

• Saltwater is mixed, as described above, the day before water changes.

• Each of our three reefs has its own Mag-Float cleaning magnet to prevent possible contamination from one tank to the other.
• The film algae is cleaned from the front and both sides of each tank so that when the rock is basted, detritus does not adhere to the film algae.

Turkey Basting the Rock:

• Each of our three reefs has its own turkey baster bought specifically for tank use only.
• The rock is thoroughly basted, especially in all nooks and crannies where an abundance of detritus accumulates.
• Basting the rock weekly prevents detritus build up and, in the long run, helps reduce nutrients which fuel nuisance algae and cyanobacteria growth.

Our Mag-Float glass cleaning magnets are stored with a cloth between the two magnets. Also shown are a pair of tweezers used for removing invasive macroalgae from rock crevices; a long, sharp-pointed tool for removing crabs; a one millilitre syringe with a fine needle for injecting aptasia with vinegar. These three tools are most likely to be used during water changes when the glass tops and lights have been removed from the tanks. In my opinion, a reefer's best friend is a turkey baster that has been bought for aquarium use only. We use separate basters for each of our tanks to avoid spreading possible contaminants from one tank to the other. The day before the weekly water change, we clean the glass of any film algae, then turkey baste the rock.

Above is how cloudy the 67 gallon reef gets after a through rock basting.
If basted weekly, the cloudiness is minimal.
If periods of time are longer than a week between bastings, tanks get cloudier.
If the tank has never been basted, the cloudiness can be so great
that the back of the tank may not be visible.

• The plastic jug, shown below, is used to slip under and remove each unplugged powerhead to prevent loose detritus from falling back into the water column. 
• The plastic jug, or another plastic container, is used to hold changewater for the purposes of thoroughly cleaning the foams used in the Hagen powerhead Quickfilter attachments.

Toothbrush:

• A toothbrush that has never been used for teeth brushing is used to clean powerhead components.

Q-Tips and Small Plate:

• A glass full of Q-Tips is on hand to clean impeller chambers and other small powerhead parts.
• A small plate is on hand to put used Q-Tips on during the cleaning of a total of seven powerheads in our three reefs.

• 20" rigid tube has been attached to ten feet of 1/2" flexible hose.  With the long hose, we can position the catch pail at one end of any of our tanks and be able to siphon detritus anywhere in the tank.

Pail and Tub:

• A five gallon salt pail is used for catching the outgoing, detritus-laden changewater. 
• A 15 gallon Rubbermaid tub holds the changewater pail to catch any splashes and to contain the wet hose while not in use.

This is our water change apparatus.
A five gallon salt pail is kept inside the blue Rubbermaid tub to catch any splashes.
A 20" rigid tube has been attached to ten feet of 1/2" flexible hose.
To reduce the amount of water going into the salt pail, the flexible hose is pinched.
If something large becomes lodged where the hose is pinched,
the hose is opened completely to allow the clog to pass,
then is pinched again to reduce water flow.
This allows the crud to be siphoned out without too much water coming along with it.
The long hose is especially useful in our larger tanks.
 

• Total height of our three tanks and stands is 57", so a dining room chair is used to stand on during all tank maintenance.

Towels:

• Towels of various sizes are a necessity when working in our three deep tanks.
• Some towels are used in the kitchen where powerheads are broken down and cleaned, and when drying off plastic containers used during the maintenance process.
• Other towels are used to dry off glass covers that have been cleaned in tapwater.
• Towels are used to wipe down and dry light fixtures, glass tank braces, the outside glass, as well as the stands.
• Other towels are used to keep the tank maintenance people dry.

Basket for Dirty Towels:

• For all the wet and dirty towels we generate, we bring out a laundry basket which is often full by the end of maintenance on our three reefs.

• Bring out all equipment, listed above, and situate them in their appropriate places for easy use. 
• Since we have three bare bottom reefs to maintain, we begin with the smallest, a 37 gallon, proceed to the 67 gallon, and finish with the 120 gallon.

Unplug, Move and Clean Lighting Fixture:

• The metal halide fixture on the 37 gallon is unplugged and allowed enough time to cool before moving and cleaning.
• The VHO fixture on the 67 gallon is unplugged, moved and cleaned immediately because it does not get very hot.
• The PC fixture and NO fixture on the 120 gallon are unplugged, moved and cleaned immediately because they also do not get very hot.
• A wet cloth is used on the lenses of the metal halide and VHO fixtures to clean off all saltwater splashes, immediately followed by being dried with a towel.  Lens cleaning prevents salt build up from obscuring light.
• The wet cloth is then used to clean dust off the topside of each fixture, followed by being dried by a towel.

Remove Glass Tops, Wash and Dry Them:

• Each tank has glass tops to prevent water splashing onto the light fixtures.
• Each piece of glass is cleaned in the sink under running water to remove salt splashes then dried with a towel.  Weekly glass cleaning prevents salt build up from obscuring light.

Turn Off Powerbar into which Powerheads and Heaters Are Plugged:

• It is safer to have the heaters off during the water change, so the powerbar into which heaters and powerheads are plugged is turned off. 

Unplug Powerheads and Reposition Cords:

• The powerheads are unplugged and their cords are brought around to the sides of the tank for easy powerhead removal.

Remove Powerheads for Cleaning:

• The plastic jug, shown above, is submerged under the powerhead to prevent loose detritus from falling back into the water column when the powerhead is lifted from the water.
• Powerheads are kept in plastic containers of tankwater until changewater becomes available for cleaning.

Siphon Out Obvious Detritus:

• Siphoning out detritus in our tanks is a two person job due to the height and sizes of our bare bottom tanks. 
• The tub, pail and siphon hose are placed beside the tank.
• The chair, with a towel on its back for easy access, is placed sideways in front of the tank.  I climb onto the chair, take the rigid tubing end of the hose and place it in the tank.  My partner begins the siphon.  Once the siphon is flowing, I pinch the hose to reduce the amount of water going through the 1/2" hose which still allows detritus to be easily sucked out.
• Once the front, sides and back of the tank have been siphoned free of detritus, the siphon hose is removed and drained.  The pail is taken to the kitchen sink for powerhead cleaning.

• While some  detritus is in plain view and is easy to reach, a lot of it gets blown under the rock structure where there is lower water current.
• Detritus from under the rock is blown out, from several angles, from under the rock toward the back of the tank.  During the basting process, some of the detritus swirls up into the water column.  While we wait for this crud to settle, the powerheads are broken down and cleaned with changewater from the first pail.

Cleaning Filter Media:

• The most important part of cleaning the powerheads is thoroughly cleaning the filter media.  Throughout the week, detritus from the water column is caught by the foams used in the Hagen powerheads' Quickfilters.  During rock basting, even more detritus is caught in the foams.
• Foams are always cleaned in changewater, never tapwater.  Tapwater kills the nitrifying bacteria living in the pores of the foams.  Cleaning with changewater preserves this bacteria.
• The foams are squeezed and squished to remove the detritus, and go through several containers of changewater during the cleaning process, until the changewater and foams are clean.

• The most tedious part of weekly maintenance, is breaking down each powerhead and cleaning individual components in changewater with the above mentioned cleaning tools.
• A toothbrush, dedicated for reef use, is used to scrub detritus off the larger powerhead components.
•  Q-Tips are used to clean inside impeller chambers and other small areas. 
• Once all the components are clean, the powerheads are reassembled and wait until the last pail of detritus water is siphoned from the tank before being placed back in the tank.

• The water-borne detritus settles while the powerheads and filter media are cleaned and reassembled.  Then, the siphoning begins again, primarily at the back of the tank, as described above.

On the left is new saltwater that will be going into the tank after the water change.
On the right is the second pail of detritus siphoned from the 67 gallon tank.

• A clean large plastic container is stored inside a clean five gallon salt pail near the Rubbermaid trashcans used for making new saltwater.  Both are dedicated for transferring new saltwater and are not used for removing water from the display tanks.
• The plastic container is used to transfer new saltwater from the Rubbermaid trashcans into the five gallon pail. 
• New saltwater going into the tank is slowly added so corals are not deluged.
• Once the level of the water is high enough to cover the powerheads, the powerbar is turned on which turns on the powerheads.  Adjustment to powerhead direction is made based on the movement of corals in the tank.
• Once the tank has been filled to the desired level, the pail and plastic container are rinsed out in tapwater before storage so salt build up does not become a problem.

• The water change pail is rinsed in tapwater after use in each tank to avoid possible contamination from one tank to the other.  The siphon hose should also be rinsed in tapwater, but this is currently not our practice.

Final Cleanup:

• Dirty Q-Tips are placed on a plate for easy disposal at the end of the water changes.
• The toothbrush, and all plastic jugs, containers, hoses and miscellaneous tools are washed and rinsed in tapwater before storage.
• The water-logged area around the kitchen sink is wiped up.
• The empty Rubbermaid trashcans and powerheads used for making new saltwater, as well as pail and plastic container used for transfer of new saltwater to tanks, are rinsed in tapwater.  The trashcans are ready to be refilled.
• Occasionally, there is precipitation from new saltwater in the trashcans.  This precipitation is scrubbed out with a scrubbing pad dedicated to trashcan use.  The trashcans are then rinsed and are ready to be refilled.
• All towels used during maintenance and cleanup are taken in the laundry basket to be washed, dried, folded and stored for next week's maintenance.