Is Your Reef Tank Too Clean?

We try and keep our tanks here at Tidal Gardens clean. VERY CLEAN. Is it possible to get a reef tank too clean?
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[@tidalgardens]

Who else keeps their tanks unsustainably clean?

[@minimellogaming2527]

Nope. Lazy reefer right here and never had a problem, heavy in, heavy out. Let the tank do the rest

[@Danimalpm1]

I’m unnecessarily obsessive about my testing. I realize there’s no need to daily test and record 8 parameters but can’t seem to help myself. It’s an unhealthy addiction for more info but I’m working on it.

[@reefwithmee]

I just beat Dino’s! I had a sudden drop in nitrate and they appeared very quickly! Thankfully I knew what to do and got rid of it quick, but yes!

[@CoralReef69]

I can’t be sure, but my stuff is colorful

[@bryanbonilla6858]

I wish I could be super clean but usually I have a ton of hair algae that I pull out every so often. I clean the glass and get the big chunks of algae out. Usually do water changes around every 1-3months but if everything looks fine, I leave it alone.

[@Rogers319]

Friendly reminder it’s been FIVE YEARS since a Coral Spotlight. Loved those

[@tidalgardens]

incorrect

[@MumRah]

​@@tidalgardens savage

[@bruhman8005]

It’s been 2/3 months. And good news for you is you have unwatched Tidal Gardens videos to get to! I envy you

[@RogueAquariums]

💯% agreed Than. I feel there is a point where you can keep your tank too clean. Finding a good balance is key where you enjoy the hobby and keeping your tank pristine at the same time. 😊

[@drewlong77]

I reactively and Literally laughed out Loud when I read the Title Question.

[@amongthetrees7237]

Got back into the hobby after 10 years, made sure to keep nitrates and phosphates super low, now I’m having all sorts of issues and come to find out it’s my fault for keeping nutrients too low

[@jbide7178]

That freshwater/rain on the clams probably helped clean pests off the clams.

[@bruhman8005]

@@davidridland I believe it’s the Red Sea, but there are some pictures online that are fields of them being fully exposed. It’s pretty insane.

[@at1the1beginning]

Yeah I was just about to say, the OCD maintenance tics are what I feel in gardening. Every time you go out there (even just to sit and enjoy your creation), your eye catches 'something to do'. Like there's weed that popped up since yesterday, better pull that out. Oh that leaf has a brown spot and must be taken care of or it spoils the lush green. That flowers is only two days old, but already past its prime, better snip it off etc. The work is never done.

[@lukewoods9386]

I have two nano tanks, first one used dry rock and have had hair and cyan algae issues the entire time, second time bought live rock, no algae whatsoever, never going with dry rock again lol

[@redrivervivariums6823]

Dry rock SUCKS

[@bruhman8005]

I bought 65 pounds of Florida live rock from the ocean and have had it cycling in a trash bin. I’m gonna do my best to set a good bacterial foundation.

[@cut419ram]

I had a pretty bad cyanobactera outbreak in my 3 gallon reef tank when I first started adding some coral and snails. I did eventually get it under control by doing cleanup water changes more often and letting time take it's corse. The trochus snail I got did a lot of cleanup on it too! I only have soft corals in the tank. The nitrates go between 5 and 20 with weekly water changes.

[@hurricaneaquatics]

I stopped checking my Acropora reef as it was a full time job. So my Nitrates were up to around 40 and my Phosphate was around 0.80 to 1.00. My Acros never looked better and I just did weekly water changes and it did fine. Dinoflagelates are from too low Nitrate and Phosphate. Green Hair algae is from overfeeding. I'm bad for overfeeding.

[@Pepe-dq2ib]

I ditched all socks and the skimmer from my sump and my room doesnt smell anymore. I dont even use reactors for media either, i just put them in a mesh bag and throw them in the sump. The corals are more active feeding and look healthier overall.

[@AndyPopo888]

I love your videos :D Always learn something!

[@gianasn]

13 mins video that solves all your algae problems 💪💪

[@vesawuoristo4162]

Always great to hear your thoughts

[@deanfielding4411]

Great insight and advice, thank you

[@Kloppy1992]

This is why I have a softy and invert tank. Low maintenance and enjoyable. I don’t have the time or the money to automate a system to where it can be high maintenance but enjoyable with auto water changers etc. Softies and macro algae is the future

[@SurfCityCorals-jx3zc]

I loved this one. Easy to relate to you, your explanations and thinking.

[@abitsalty7603]

Great discussion

[@markcrist8515]

I always love his videos.

[@ou812reefing]

Excellent job great information thanks as always for sharing

[@MikeGervasi]

Yes. And that's my issue.

[@user-eh4js2tz1v]

Thank you Sir I needed this i already feel better lol

[@rolisreefranch]

Yes. Yes, and YES! I'm about to take out my filter pad, just leaving skimmer/refugium. Nutrients are currently undetectible running skimmer for half the day. I've got wall to wall SPS growing through the waterline, but am about to run the experiment. Keep the bacteria in the water for the corals.

[@shirtdirt1874]

Yea I run into this issue actually in my coral QT tank. It's got 0 fish and extremely low nutrients and biodiversity. When I move the corals into the DT after QT the corals do so much better.

[@bruhman8005]

My tip that I have learned for appreciating and not becoming OCD about your reef tank is every now and then don’t look at it. Seriously. If you stare at your Reef all day long, you will see nothing but problems yet when your friend comes over, they will be amazed. Or you could tape paper or something around the glass so that for one week you can’t see the tank keep an eye on your parameters by getting water from the sump and except your anxious feelings. You will be amazed when you take the cover off. I have a 30 gallon acro tank and just came back from eight days of my mother I’m keeping an eye on it. of the best PE/color I’ve seen for a while

Great video! Also, nice watch! 😉

[@bubblebaath7840]

Since I started uni my rank has just been downhill, I’ve been struggling to do any maintenance at all, my fish rarely get fed every day in any given week, i just had a cyano outbreak, my heater blew up, my return pump is making a weird rattling/buzzing noise that stopped for a couple hours after I cleaned it and then started again, it’s a complete mess but somehow everything is still surviving.. just far from thriving

[@lovermansmith9082]

Thanks Than the Man ! Would love an update or separate video on your cistern system . Hows that working out . Has the filter system been change . Are you using the cistern water for tanks ? Or maybe the garden . How much cash you think your saving . Would also like to here more , maybe an upgrade on your geo thermo heat pump system . Is that system used to heat water & air . Please ! 😊

[@MACNTOSFAM]

i’ve snorkeled in hawaii. scuba’d in the carribean & the philippines. i can tell ya, visually it’s nothing compared to our aquariums. although i’ve never tested the waters, i’m sure the macro & micronutrient content of these waters vary especially in seasons, like monsoon or dry seasons, just because of the currents

[@iangray7674]

always look forward to new videos from you! From your experience what are the main factors for heavy coralline algae growth? My tank used to barely grow coralline and of recent it has been thriving with coralline. I have some input as ive been running things a bit dirtier than I used to. Just wanted to hear an experts take on some key factors for coralline growth.

[@TheLiddojunior]

The ocean has wayy more coral food available as well , the zooplankton probably makes up for low nutrients

[@stonedboolya6443]

I’m a beginner so take my word for what it is, but in my year or so experience I can say even when my tank is absolutely filthy with hair algae and cyano some soft corals like Kenya Trees and Clove Polyps grow just fine in those conditions. I wouldn’t recommend keeping Zoanthids in a filthy tank though they easily get overrun by nuisance algaes and aiptasia

[@reefblue1885]

Hola es bueno tenerlo todo limpio y ordenado una pregunta ¿como podria conseguir que mis lps sobre todo Euphyllias torch tengo un troco o base con mas carne? gracias y saludos desde España😊

[@fishnewhere387]

Yep 0/0 nitrate and phosphate. Dino outbreak. Needed to dose nutrients and bacteria back to the tank. Have them on fence now, hopefully another week and I'll be done.

[@LOONEY8581]

Clams feel some type of way in your tanks 😂

[@shane6450]

1:55 fascinating.

[@CNT12696]

My nutrients accidentally bottomed out a week ago because the skimmer was doing too well. Trying to get it back to normal and I can’t even see halfway through the tank with waterborne algae or bacteria

[@mrcovert011]

I wish lol, i got a reef matt fleece roller direct fresh air line to my protein skimmer 7 stage RO run a GFO cantister with 6 small fish in a 65 gallon and still battle hair algae alk cal mag salinity all in check 8.2 ph 5 hour light cycle on 15% radions beefed up clean up crew with refugium.

[@RyanFelt]

Whoa what are those brain looking things @5:15 ?

[@SmokinReefer...]

They are tunicates.

[@JulioCesar-ez6wf]

⚖Balance is the key!!!

[@agape1love4ever41]

Mine naturally stays at low nutrients. Under 0.5 phosphate and a little above five for nitrate. It seems like I can’t do anything wrong with my tank, it just stays low in nutrients. And I feed a lot of food to my fish.

[@grimreaper4801]

I had a small jaw breaker that fall off it plug. Been there for like 2 months but never seen unhappy or close. But my other mushrooms are super happy and splitting. I have the mushroom ina mushroom cage hopefully it will reattach. If the mushroom fall off would it mean it 100% dead?

[@TobysTank]

No that means it's not happy where it is. Let it drift and reattach where it wants.

[@grimreaper4801]

Ok thanks. hopfully it will reattach. I put it in lower light@@TobysTank

[@Merknilash]

Not only is 3000 par and air exposure not a thing in our tanks, but it would probably kill our corals if we tried to replicate it There’s so many differences

[@simonlockley-evans3925]

As I understand things, we test for inorganic No3 and Po4, these compounds are used as bulding blocks not metabolised by bacteria for energy, corals dont "absorb" inorganic No3 Po4 either. So low No3 po4 has an indirect consequence in that its limiting to bacterial replication. This is when other organisms like cyano, dino fill the gap. Corals prefered nitrogen source is NH4 they will definatly strip a nitrogen molecule from that compound. We are not replicating the ocean in a 4ft tank, here is the lightbulb moment.. we are replicating the boundary layer and the area within a colony,, corals design slows down flow. They need to reduce flow for their symbiotic microbes to survive. If you sample the water thats sheilded from strong currents within a wild coral colony you will find elevated disolved inorganic N&P compared to 0 in the surrounding water. So when you think of it this way it makes sense as to why our tanks chemisty seems different to the wild oceans, in reality its similar.

[@sovereignviper90]

We just need to replicate 1/1 trillion times smaller lol

[@00Mass00]

I think the most problems I see in fb groups is zero nitrate too much phosphate = Cyano.

[@falcolf]

I'd rather have algae and happy hammers and zoas than no algae and sad corals!

[@ThaSilentOne420]

I quit the hobby when salt shot up to 85$ a box

[@hurricaneaquatics]

If you're on a budget, forget a saltwater tank. If you want a tank and fish on a budget , go freshwater.

[@EddieDubs]

Easiest answer ever. No. No it isn't.