Leave well enough alone?

The urge to tweak a system that is stable, healthy and growing can be hard to resist.

Maybe if I dose more it will get even better ?

Not really if your parameters are within range. If the corals and fish look happy and are growing why change anything. Resist, must resist.

The more water changes I do the healthier the system will be?

IMO, smaller consistant water changes once or twice a month. I think avoiding swings in parameters is equally or more benefical to corals/inverts.

That corals or rock does not look quite right there.Things are always going to slide, fall, and grow and need some tweaking.

Unless the coral is showing signs and symptoms of stress, resist the urge to move things often in the tank. Doing all relocations and adjustments at one time is a good idea IMO. I garauntee if your tank is like mine, something is always needing relocation.

My personal new obession: How does the administration of Vitamin C affect the color, or what about potassium. Am I going to do this to my tank, probably not, but it is tempting.

I try to go three days without sticking my hand in the tank. Not really sure if it makes a difference but I use a lot less paper towels.

What element of your tank makes you want to stick your hands in ?

What do you want to try with regard to dosing products or supplements?

 

Excellent post and thoughts and practices.

I am getting away from fiddling with everything and have the goal of only sticking my hands in when there is a need to repair.

I have nothing I want to try as use most that cover almost all areas. The only thing that I sometimes think of checking is strontium and iodide just to see where it is at. But it usually passes because I do not have a test kit. LOL

 

In the last 8 weeks

my hands have been in for the following reasons

1) credit card use for getting rid of stubborn micro algae and coraline circles on front glass
2) to add the corals, and then relocate as I light acclimatise
3) to put snails the correct way up


I did however take almost all the rock out, and put it back in 3 times before I settled on a scape I liked

Steve

 

I only put my hands ion the tank when necessary. A WC & maybe to fix a rock if I think it is likely to slide. Aside from that I'm, not in the tank at all. I'm actually working on redoing my plumbing so that a WC can occur without the siphon. I hate that thing & having my hands in the tank at all, really.

For coraline on the inside of glass, I have a scraper. It looks like this.
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12756

So my hands don't go in then either. I will obviously need to reach in the tank when adding coral. When that time comes I will use rubber cleaning gloves.

 

I use a pump to change out my water from my sump.

 

Can you please elaborate on my thread? I don't want to take away from this one.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/general-reef-topics/auto-water-change-97954.html

 

+1 with above

 

GREAT THREAD I think alot of people(especially newbies) need to stop with their hands in the tank thing...I was doing it alot when i was a newbie...their no growth for a WHILE.

 

Remember to never wash your hands before you put them in the tank also. Anti-bacterial soap does just that;it kills needed bacteria in the tank. My uncle owns his own aquarium company and actually had someone mess up a tank from repeatedly doing this!

 

Agreed...if you do wash your hands, let them sit and dry off for bout an hour.