Fish Only tank Maintenance!

huskysglare1 · 08/07/2009, 12:42 PM

what do you need to do to have a healthy fish only tank? change filter bags. do you need to do water change? please share how you maintenance your fish only tank.

jlemoine2 · 08/07/2009, 01:13 PM

There are some details missing in your question. The answer in the in is "it depends".

The total water volume, amount of live rock, depth of the sand, density of fish, how often the tank is fed, and quality of the filter, are all going to impact the water quality.

Many folks tend to overstock their tanks with fish, which may be more likely in a fish-only tank. The biggest problem in a fish-only tank is nitrates, which can be limited in a number of ways... water changes being one of them.

In my opinion, filter bags are nitrate traps, unless you are constantly cleaning them. If you have a good-sized skimmer on your moderately stocked fish-only tank, you could probably go for a long time between water changes.

Sorry I could not give you a specific answer, but it really just depends on a number of factors.

cloak · 08/07/2009, 01:35 PM

Treat it no differently than you would a freshwater tank, only there's salt involved. SG is about the only thing you'll really have to worry about IMO.

garrettm85 · 08/07/2009, 01:41 PM

One thing to consider in addition to managing nutrient levels, is controling pests and disease. I would recommend a UV and/or hyposalinity if you are only doing fish. Some medicate there water adn have good luck with that but I think that a more natural way to go would be just a lower salinity lvl and possibly a UV. If you are using a more intense lighting outfit and have a higher bioload which is pretty common in fish only systems, you will also need to watch out for thing like hair algae and cyano bacteria. Keep your salinity at 1.023 or so would allow for the addition of some inverts that would help with this too.

There are so many variable to consider and it really depends on alot of things. Most of all what you plan on keeping and what you want things to look like long term are the things to focus on.

Garrett

DamnPepShrimp · 08/07/2009, 01:48 PM

People think there is some huge difference in keeping FOWLR and reefs, when really there isn't much difference. I have both and maintain both pretty much the same. In a FOWLR tank, you have to keep water quality decent, the only thing that can slip here is nitrates, since they effect corals a lot more than fish. You still have to keep proper pH, nitrites, ammonia, SG, temp. If your keeping SPS, obviously you need to worry about more than a typical mixed reef, but really the only differences I see are nitrates and some trace elements, calcium, alk, mg etc.

I have been dosing vodka on both my tanks to help me minimize water changes. Some of us FO guys only do water changes several times a year, others just as much as reef guys. I run my skimmer somewhat wet, top of water with RO/DI, dose vodka and thats about it. I run a BB tank with a high turnover rate (65-70x) which allows me to keep all the detrius suspended and into the overflow down to the skimmer. When I do water changes, I can vacuum the body for better cleaning. I thought about running filter socks, but you really need to change them out probably every other day or two, depending on your bioload.

Shane Hoffman · 08/07/2009, 02:47 PM

There is to much to share. You need to go to the library or book store and get a few books about marine aquariums. There is also a good book I would recommend to anyone who is new to aquariums. Its marine aquariums for dummys....Thats not an insult its truly the name of the book. Very informative and covers all the stuff beginners. Also never take advice from forums without doing your own research...people will at times will give bad advice....usually these people are just misinformed but it happens. Be very patient and follow guidelines you read. Do no t rush and do not add fish to fast...you will save your self a ton of time, money, and frustration.....good luck...

Just out of curiosity, this is a question that a guy that is new to the hobby would ask...I see you have almost 400 posts....which implies you have been a member a while and posted quite a bit....

whats up with that?

08/07/2009, 12:42 PM	#1
huskysglare1 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: San Jose Posts: 1,406	Fish Only tank Maintenance! what do you need to do to have a healthy fish only tank? change filter bags. do you need to do water change? please share how you maintenance your fish only tank. __________________ Since Jan 2008 Current system: 170G+50g Sump/Bio-Pellet Reactor. 2x400w Radium+2x110w VHO. 2 x HYDRO Magnum 8 + 1xMP60w (removed 2 x Koralia 4). SWC 300A Cone (had SWC 200 w/ Red Demon); it's AWESOME! BRS DOSER(Cal, Alk, and Mag). Current Tank Info: 170g+50g sump

08/07/2009, 01:13 PM	#2
jlemoine2 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 200	There are some details missing in your question. The answer in the in is "it depends". The total water volume, amount of live rock, depth of the sand, density of fish, how often the tank is fed, and quality of the filter, are all going to impact the water quality. Many folks tend to overstock their tanks with fish, which may be more likely in a fish-only tank. The biggest problem in a fish-only tank is nitrates, which can be limited in a number of ways... water changes being one of them. In my opinion, filter bags are nitrate traps, unless you are constantly cleaning them. If you have a good-sized skimmer on your moderately stocked fish-only tank, you could probably go for a long time between water changes. Sorry I could not give you a specific answer, but it really just depends on a number of factors. __________________ -James Current Tank Info: 120 gallon reef w/ 40 gallon frag tank.

08/07/2009, 01:41 PM	#4
garrettm85 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Salem, OR Posts: 138	One thing to consider in addition to managing nutrient levels, is controling pests and disease. I would recommend a UV and/or hyposalinity if you are only doing fish. Some medicate there water adn have good luck with that but I think that a more natural way to go would be just a lower salinity lvl and possibly a UV. If you are using a more intense lighting outfit and have a higher bioload which is pretty common in fish only systems, you will also need to watch out for thing like hair algae and cyano bacteria. Keep your salinity at 1.023 or so would allow for the addition of some inverts that would help with this too. There are so many variable to consider and it really depends on alot of things. Most of all what you plan on keeping and what you want things to look like long term are the things to focus on. Garrett __________________ 90g display with inline prop system.

08/07/2009, 02:47 PM	#6
Shane Hoffman Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: 45 mins from Chicago Posts: 2,009	There is to much to share. You need to go to the library or book store and get a few books about marine aquariums. There is also a good book I would recommend to anyone who is new to aquariums. Its marine aquariums for dummys....Thats not an insult its truly the name of the book. Very informative and covers all the stuff beginners. Also never take advice from forums without doing your own research...people will at times will give bad advice....usually these people are just misinformed but it happens. Be very patient and follow guidelines you read. Do no t rush and do not add fish to fast...you will save your self a ton of time, money, and frustration.....good luck... Just out of curiosity, this is a question that a guy that is new to the hobby would ask...I see you have almost 400 posts....which implies you have been a member a while and posted quite a bit.... whats up with that? __________________ A wise man once said "Never play leap frog with a unicorn" Current Tank Info: 150 gallon glass with 20 gallon sump, 175lbs of coraline covered live rock, EuroReef skimmer rated for 250gal, 25watt Aqua UV sterilizer, Fluval FX5, Hamilton 3x250watt MH, 160 watt Blue actinic....Mixed reef

08/07/2009, 01:35 PM	#3
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	Treat it no differently than you would a freshwater tank, only there's salt involved. SG is about the only thing you'll really have to worry about IMO.

08/07/2009, 01:48 PM	#5
DamnPepShrimp Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Delaware Posts: 5,152	People think there is some huge difference in keeping FOWLR and reefs, when really there isn't much difference. I have both and maintain both pretty much the same. In a FOWLR tank, you have to keep water quality decent, the only thing that can slip here is nitrates, since they effect corals a lot more than fish. You still have to keep proper pH, nitrites, ammonia, SG, temp. If your keeping SPS, obviously you need to worry about more than a typical mixed reef, but really the only differences I see are nitrates and some trace elements, calcium, alk, mg etc. I have been dosing vodka on both my tanks to help me minimize water changes. Some of us FO guys only do water changes several times a year, others just as much as reef guys. I run my skimmer somewhat wet, top of water with RO/DI, dose vodka and thats about it. I run a BB tank with a high turnover rate (65-70x) which allows me to keep all the detrius suspended and into the overflow down to the skimmer. When I do water changes, I can vacuum the body for better cleaning. I thought about running filter socks, but you really need to change them out probably every other day or two, depending on your bioload.