Only softies tank care

Im planning for a softies only tank. as i travel alot, i cannot take care of the parameters much coz of stony corals which consume too much of calcium and drop in alkaline, etc.. im planning for a 100 gal softies only tank with only a few cleaner shrimps, chromis as the fishes and might add a few perc clowns. i want to know, what are the basic parameters i need to keep a check on like iodine, strontium etc. (test kits)also want to know that do i need to run skimmer 24hrs or just 6-8 hours a day as it removes all of iodine and other trace elements. also want to know about what supplements to add regularly. i wnat to add few live rocks so that if any fish dies, its easy for me to remove. well is it ok to add dead rocks then supplement them with coralline algae so that i dont get any pest problems ever. need advise. the sump will just have cheato in it with an external skimmer. Also tell me the hardiest and beautiful softies i can keep in it.

 

If you can do regular water changes, I don't think it necessary to test/dose for iodine and strontium. The WC's will keep your mag/cal up anyways. But you do need to keep a good check on your ph and alk levels. And I would provide at least 100 lbs. of live rock, and run your skimmer 24 hours a day.

this link will help with parameters
Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

 

but dont u think that skimming 24 hrs will decrease my iodine levels? ill change 5% every week or 10% bi weekley. will use aragonite fine sand and LR, is it ok to add dead rocks then supplement them with coralline algae so that i dont get any pest problems. i have LR with lots of coralline algae.

 

I don't think it will deplete it, if you are doing regular waterchanges. And yes, I added 70 lbs. of dead base rock and then added 25 of live. But I still have pests from the live stuff. I wont do this again. I will use dead macro rock, and the coraline will come eventually.

 

im planning to do the same. im planning to supplement coralline algae from my current setup to my tank and dose purple up for faster growth of coralline algae. is it necessary to keep skimmer on during cycling process?

 

I've kept my skimmer on 24/7(except when my impeller was out for a bit) and I'm going in a similar route you are on. Softies with LR/LS and hardy fish. So far my red mushroom and Xenia are doing fine. If you plan on being away for durations of time I would recommend on having either an extra skimmer on hand, in case something happens(just my opinion from experience, you don't have to go that far) and look into a battery powered air stone in case you have a power loss while gone. If you're just starting the tank you'll have a nice 30-45 days where you won't have to really do anything but watch your seeded rock grow algae and some brown diatoms bloom and go away. I'd start with a good clean up crew, base rock, and a few cultured live rock pieces to avoid the pest issues you said you don't want. After your levels all come down to safe parameters, you can then add some hardy fish like clowns, or chromies. Keep away from the shrimp until your water levels become safe cause they can be quickly thrown off by imbalances.

 

And don't add the clean up crew until like week 3 if you're just starting up the tank, Some people tell you not to add anything until all your nitrates and ammonia reach zero, but hermit crabs, emerald crabs, and snails are hardy creatures, plus they help clean up diatoms as they peak. The way I look at it they live and eat in the nastys of the oceans and aquariums anyways, they're pretty used to it.

 

what if i take my old water? the nitrates are 20-25 but everything is living nothings dead since a very long time.

 

I wouldn't dose purple up. Even though coralline is a pretty algae, its still an algae, and if it can grow out of control. The last thing you want is to have to spend hours scraping coralline off the glass. I had that experience, and given the hard skeleton, coralline is not a fun algae to battle.

 

ok, wont dose purple up, but what if i take my old water? the nitrates are 20-25 but everything is living nothings dead since a very long time, approx 4 months. the nitrates are due to over feeding. my current setup is 15 gallon and new will be 80 - 100 gallon.