| A maintenance free aquarium - no work at all! | | | | is stocked with hardy soft corals. The lighting |
| Just view and enjoy the coral colours and the | | | | cycle is controlled by electric timers. There is a |
| various reef fish. Many or perhaps all aquarists | | | | very efficient and properly set up protein |
| would tend to call that aquatic heaven - maybe. | | | | skimmer in use. |
| Is it possible though? Is there a way that the | | | | The aquarist watches carefully until he/she sees |
| aquarist can design a marine system where, once | | | | what type of algae appears. Snails are introduced |
| all is settled and mature, there is nothing else to | | | | to the aquarium to control this. This is successful. |
| do? | | | | An automatic top-up system using reverse |
| The first thing is to compare the aquarium to the | | | | osmosis water is employed. Hey, we're |
| wild reef. Yes, there are the same kind of | | | | maintenance free! |
| inhabitants in the aquarium as on the wild reef, | | | | No we're not. Film algae appears on the viewing |
| just fewer of them. Also, there are far fewer | | | | glasses and the snails attack it but have no ability |
| species of livestock on the captive reef. So, | | | | to 'keep it clean,' efficient as they might be. The |
| there's the first point - the wild reef has far | | | | DSB needs feeding to maintain the population of |
| greater diversity of life. The different species | | | | minute life forms which keep it healthy. The reef |
| have their own niche on the wild reef, each having | | | | rocks need to be 'de-dusted' occasionally. The |
| a food source. There are some overlaps of | | | | lighting tubes need to be replaced periodically. |
| course but generally it is all very well organised. | | | | Seawater quality, so important, needs to be |
| Nature has everything under control. The first | | | | tested routinely. |
| problem that the aquarist is likely to face is in | | | | Seawater quality brings up another question, and |
| making sure that all potential difficulties are dealt | | | | this is aquarium water changes. The seawater |
| with, from dealing with different forms of | | | | change amount varies system to system, |
| nuisance algae to having enough food for fish if | | | | aquarists knowing, after a period, what the |
| kept. | | | | system requires. All aquarists change seawater |
| So what if fish are not kept, just a reef with | | | | though. There have been those who have |
| corals. This immediately makes the question of | | | | experimented (or tried to save money) without, |
| water quality easier to deal with, as the wastes | | | | but problems of various sorts have arisen. |
| from the fish are gone. In addition, there isn't any | | | | So they need to be done. |
| need to feed the fish. So, if the aquarium filtration | | | | No, a marine aquarium system cannot be |
| is excellent, such as live rock and a deep sand | | | | maintenance free. The move towards natural |
| bed, will that remove maintenance? | | | | methods such as live rock, DSB's, algae filtration |
| The corals need looking at now. The hard corals | | | | etc has improved things immensely. Captive reefs |
| generally need considerable light, but that isn't a | | | | run much closer to how Nature intended |
| particular problem, with the availability of halide | | | | nowadays. Add to this the use of highly efficient |
| bulbs and the fast up and coming LED's. They also | | | | protein skimmers, calcium reactors, electronically |
| require a sufficient level of calcium, magnesium | | | | controlled seawater circulation, controlled |
| etc which has to be provided. So in comes the | | | | temperature, accurate water level top-up |
| calcium reactor, which can supply calcium along | | | | systems, anti-nitrate reactors, anti- phosphate |
| with magnesium, and probably other minerals in | | | | reactors, sophisticated lighting systems etc and |
| traces, if the correct media is used. That solves | | | | the system is indeed looking after itself to a |
| that. Wait a minute though, the calcium reactor | | | | considerable extent. Correct livestock in the |
| needs servicing on occasion, and also the media | | | | aquarium, not only corals but snails etc enhances |
| needs renewal periodically. | | | | self support. Experimentation by advanced |
| What about soft corals? These can exist with less | | | | aquarists goes on and in the future other |
| light, fluorescent tubes often being employed. | | | | innovative methods of control and aquarium |
| They also need less calcium. It is argued, from | | | | maintenance may come into use. |
| anecdotal reports, that the addition of iodine is | | | | A completely hands-off system will never |
| good for soft coral growth and health, but as this | | | | materialise in my view. There is always something |
| is not scientifically proven (as far as I know) it will | | | | there that 'needs doing,' be it a water change, |
| be ignored. There isn't any absolute need to feed | | | | cleaning the glass free of algae, changing media |
| certain soft corals, they grow without it. So the | | | | etc. Thank goodness I say. One of the joys of |
| maintenance free aquarium idea is intact at the | | | | this hobby is the knowledge that actions are |
| moment. | | | | helping maintain such interesting life. |
| The marine system is set up with a live rock | | | | Also, in the extremely unlikely event that a |
| reef, the live rock being in sufficient quantity. The | | | | hands-off system did materialize, what aquarist |
| rock filtration is backed up by a DSB. The system | | | | could keep their hands off? |