How to Clean Aquarium Reef

Frequent or weekly water changes will not maintain calcium levels in a reef aquarium. There are a number of things you can do in maintaining or even minimizing the calcium levels in your tank. Start by cutting back or giving only the recommended amount of food to your fish.

Instructions

1

Run the aquarium properly by utilizing a protein skimmer. Perform a calcium hydroxide and potassium iodide dosing along with other essential trace elements to slow down calcium deposits or at least maintain the calcium levels in the tank.

2

Use only water from a reverse osmosis unit, which strips the water of nitrate, phosphates, silicates and other possible algae food and change approximately 10 percent of the aquarium water every month.

3

Increase the water movement to keep the detritus suspended allowing water filtration or janitor crew clean up. It will also be more difficult for algae to attach itself to rocks or reef. Make sure the reef aquarium does not have any areas where there is no water flow.

4

Get some reef tank janitors for the aquarium. Tank janitors are different kinds of crustaceans and invertebrates that perform various cleaning tasks. Some are only algae eaters, while others eat algae, detritus and debris off the bottom of the tank, and some are sand sifters and filter feeders.

5

Select a variety of tank janitors from some of the more common species such as hermit crabs, shrimp or true crabs to assist with keeping your aquarium and aquarium reef clean.

6

Introduce one or two snails to your aquarium to assist in keeping the aquarium and reef clean of algae. Snails have big appetites and if you use more than one or two, they may starve.

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Frequent or weekly water changes will not maintain calcium levels in a reef aquarium. There are a number of things you can do in maintaining or even minimizing the calcium levels in your tank. Start by cutting back or giving only the recommended amount of food to your fish.

Instructions

1

Run the aquarium properly by utilizing a protein skimmer. Perform a calcium hydroxide and potassium iodide dosing along with other essential trace elements to slow down calcium deposits or at least maintain the calcium levels in the tank.

2

Use only water from a reverse osmosis unit, which strips the water of nitrate, phosphates, silicates and other possible algae food and change approximately 10 percent of the aquarium water every month.

3

Increase the water movement to keep the detritus suspended allowing water filtration or janitor crew clean up. It will also be more difficult for algae to attach itself to rocks or reef. Make sure the reef aquarium does not have any areas where there is no water flow.

4

Get some reef tank janitors for the aquarium. Tank janitors are different kinds of crustaceans and invertebrates that perform various cleaning tasks. Some are only algae eaters, while others eat algae, detritus and debris off the bottom of the tank, and some are sand sifters and filter feeders.

5

Select a variety of tank janitors from some of the more common species such as hermit crabs, shrimp or true crabs to assist with keeping your aquarium and aquarium reef clean.

6

Introduce one or two snails to your aquarium to assist in keeping the aquarium and reef clean of algae. Snails have big appetites and if you use more than one or two, they may starve.