The reef aquarium - Care
The care:
Well, the best tip here: Keep your hands out of the tank! Anyone who looks into their tank for the first time after a two-week vacation—after cleaning a peephole in the algae covering the glass—will be amazed at how well the corals are doing.
And this despite the fact that the vacation keeper only did the bare minimum. Most importantly, he didn't constantly fiddle around in the tank. Aside from the 'accidents' caused by the keeper's ignorance, the tank itself also took a vacation from its overzealous owner.
Constantly working in the tank and constantly changing water parameters causes stress for corals and fish. This can lead to the corals barely blooming and color development, despite optimal parameters.
But what constitutes a minimum of careful maintenance? 1. For heavily stocked tanks, regularly empty and clean the skimmer's foam cap twice a week. For tanks with a low fish population, weekly cleaning is usually sufficient.
Here, the water dissolves even the greasiest deposits. 2. Clean the windshield as needed – preferably with a magnetic cleaner or one with a handle so you don't have to reach in with your whole arm. 3. Check the most important water parameters: NO3, PO4, MG, CA, KH, as well as temperature, pH, and density.
The latter doesn't necessarily need to be checked weekly, as fluctuations due to dilution or concentration can be tolerated to a certain extent by slowly adjusting the concentration. A strong warning must be given here against measuring density/salinity with refractometers available at specialized pet stores.
Often, due to "mass measurements" at customers, no emphasis is placed on precise handling of the device (due to ignorance or time pressure remains to be seen), and incorrect measurements are commonplace. It's unthinkable what could happen if the customer naively adds too much salt to the pool or reduces the density, relying on their dealer's measurements!
(In my opinion, this also applies to other measurements. You should do everything yourself and not rely entirely on third-party measurements. At most, a second measurement from someone else to confirm your own determined values is useful!) The large aerometers from Tropic Marin and JBL are excellent, precise instruments that meet all the density measurement requirements of our hobby.
Of course, super-accurate readings can be determined with a refractometer, but it is essential to ensure the instrument is kept extremely clean and its calibration is repeated frequently. This is hardly reasonable for a salesperson who would otherwise be overwhelmed during a busy business with many customers.
For an experienced aquarist, a daily check of the tank is often enough to determine if something is wrong. However, monitoring the water quality has the advantage of being able to determine in advance which values are changing and thus take corrective action in a timely manner.
Beginners would do well to acquire this skill by taking frequent measurements. The effect, in addition to learning, is that they can also recognize the connection between changing water parameters and the condition of the corals. 4) If a rapid filter is used to remove suspended solids, the filter cartridge should be cleaned/replaced every few days before unpleasant degradation processes begin that only harm the water. 5) Add trace elements regularly. Those who own a dosing system have a clear advantage here. 6) Keep an eye on the functionality of the equipment. 7) Change the water weekly or at least every two weeks. This will ensure that the water conditions remain more consistent for our corals.
It's safe to change 10 to 20% of the water per month. The cost of salt is offset by savings on trace element dosage. Water changes also remove unwanted substances from the tank—a double benefit, so to speak.