# zero maintenance reef tank



## erichh

I'm fascinated with the idea of a "zero maintenance" reef tank. By zero maintenance, I mean a reef tank that is self contained where the fish live off the plant life and coral, plants, fish, etc grow naturally without any effort of the owner! I don't know if it is possible but I'd like to try to get as close to this as possible. 

I found an article on the internet about some experienced reef tank owners who tried to make a zero maintenance tank and seemed to succeed to a great extent. The only thing they did was periodically add salt and trace elements (once every three months), add water, and once per year give the tank a thorough cleaning. They never fed the fish or plants because they lived off of each other.

I put the article on my website if anyone is interested: Zero Maintenance Reef Tank at BiOrb Fish Tank

I'd love to get some feedback from anyone who is experienced. Next year, it is my goal to attempt to re-create the experiment they did and try to find a way to keep the mulm buildup under control so that a big annual cleaning isn't required...

Erich


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## automatic-hydromatic

I've heard of it being done with a freshwater setup, but I've never heard of it being done with a saltwater setup

would be neat though  would probably have to be a LARGE tank to keep up with the bioload and not have crazy water parameter swings, I would assume


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## erichh

These guys used a 100 gallon tank so that's the minimum I'd try to use. There was no mention of a refugium of any kind which I'd want to add. That would make things a little more stable as well..


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## trouble93

I have a friend that owns in fish store in W.Va that did this in a 125gal reef tank. It would have won the ugliest tank award hands down, but it worked. He had it running for more then 5 years. Full reef but lightly stocked with fish if I remember 3 yellow tangs and a sailfin tang. Did have a sump but no skimmer. The tank sat on his sun porch spring and summer it was lite just by the sun light, fall and winter he did light it with MH's for about 4 hours a day. I just gave him a call and asked if there was anything he wanted to pass on,and he did. He added that this type of tank works with soft coral well but if you add LPS's use a ATO with kalkwasser mixed strong to keep up the calcium. And he also added that about every 6 months or so he added Figi reef mud to the sump to keep the trace elements up.


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## erichh

> It would have won the ugliest tank award hands down


lol! Well, it's good to know that someone else has accomplished a nearly maintenance free reef tank. Thanks for the advice from your friend. Is his tank ugly because he doesn't clean it?


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## trouble93

erichh said:


> lol! Well, it's good to know that someone else has accomplished a nearly maintenance free reef tank. Thanks for the advice from your friend. Is his tank ugly because he doesn't clean it?


Partly but there are many factors that played a part in the overall look. Because of the sun light it was a lot of algae the main food source for the tangs. Natural sun light is about 5.8 kelvins so the coral didn't have that popping color it would've had under constant aquarium lighting. And with a tank that big with only 4 fish and bland coral, what's the attraction?


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