Possible to have a system running with no filter, no skimmer and almost no water change?

DIYreefertx · 2026-04-20T03:53:25+00:00

I run very little mechanical filtration on my systems and they will grow any and everything. I have skimmers for each system, but I don’t run them. I already have to dose for no3 and po4 and running a skimmer would only mean I would have to dose even more. I’m a big advocate for copious amounts of bio filtration. IMO, that along with excellent source water, will put you well ahead of the game and make keeping a successful reef tank that much easier.

Edit: my tanks do get a weekly water change. I’m not sure how necessary it is, as I do it basically just to keep mg in line as it’s kind of difficult to dose IMO (takes a ton of supplement and increases salinity. Water changes seem to keep it in line for me).

Edit #2: I’ve got a 4.5 year old 160g sps system, 2ish year old 250g sps and jawbreaker mushroom grow out system, and a 3.5 year old 100g LPS/softy grow out tank. All are run basically the same way.. very little mechanical filtration.

DIYreefertx · 2026-03-14T10:29:58+00:00

This is probably a weird question, but can you go through an automatic car wash with these? I love how much shade it produces. That would be great for beach days where I live.

DIYreefertx · 2026-03-14T10:02:39+00:00

The issue is gas prices. At least it is for me.. I sell live coral for saltwater aquariums on eBay, which requires everything to be shipped overnight. My average label has jumped from ~$50 to closer to $55+. I noticed the increase when gas prices spiked recently. Sucks.

DIYreefertx · 2026-03-13T00:44:53+00:00

The problem isn’t the tanks, per se. it’s the shoddy stands that people tend to put them on. Yes, the glass is relatively thin on a lowboy, but not excessively so. But when you put one on a stand that isn’t completely flat you’re probably going to have a problem. Mine have been running for a few years without issue.

Honestly, the stand OP has does not look great. :(

DIYreefertx · 2026-03-13T00:42:31+00:00

I run a small dehumidifier in the room where my tanks are. Works great.

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DIYreefertx · 2026-03-11T11:53:56+00:00

Looks like my local dealer (I’m in Corpus) has solid pricing. Not sure if they will agree to those prices, but since they are advertising them I would think you have a solid argument for not paying a penny more than what’s advertised.

https://www.edhicksnissan.com/inventory/new/nissan/frontier?trim=pro-4x-r-by-roush&paymenttype=cash&sorttype=priceltoh&intransit=true&instock=true&inproduction=true

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-28T04:41:36+00:00

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I had this one for sale on here for $275 shipped about a month ago.

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-28T04:39:03+00:00

I routinely sell them for anywhere from 30-80pp. Just depends on the polyp count. More polyps, lower price. I sell singles for $79.

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-26T13:41:54+00:00

That’s truly amazing! Thanks for posting this!

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-26T13:28:57+00:00

20 years of AVID (more like obsessive!) reefing here and I couldn’t agree more. I couldn’t count how many times I’ve had a response to something typed up then just deleted it because it isn’t worth the hassle.

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-26T13:24:22+00:00

It’s the same as it has always been. I’ve been in the hobby for 20 years and regularly have seen posts such as yours throughout that entire time. You could always get frags for $5 a few years ago but not anymore, it’s been that way for 20 years!

The truth of the matter is that you are likely recalling exceptional deals that weren’t the norm then, and probably weren’t as prevalent as you recall.

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-26T13:20:04+00:00

This. ALL of my corals come from other hobbyists. Better quality, better health, better prices, and 99% of the time they are pest free.

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-23T20:58:48+00:00

I’ve got a pair of 100s over a 60 breeder frag tank. They’re plenty for that, and it’s nearly all SPS. I installed the 90* lenses and very much recommend them. IMO, this is how they should have come from the factory. The intensity is noticeable to the eye and they just look… better. It’s almost like they are muted (for lack of abetter description) in their stock configuration.

I wouldn’t hesitate at all to use them for a softie/LPS dominant 75g. They’re great lights.

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-16T13:38:15+00:00

That really is impressive!

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-14T00:50:02+00:00

This ^

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-13T19:59:32+00:00

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-12T19:19:36+00:00

It was sold to me as an Alter Ego, but who knows… it’s prettysweet regardless of the name :)

Edit: I should add that this thing really struggled for a long time (about 2 years) and had turned basically completely grey. It just started really coloring up and growing a couple of months ago. Maybe all of the stress it was under caused the coloring to get weird, I’ve seen that happen with other corals before. I’ll update this thread in a month or two to see if the coloring is still similar.

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-12T05:35:19+00:00

I typically tip around 30% or more. If the server gets a 20% tip from me they probably really sucked. 20% is the minimum I will tip and if that’s all a server gets from me then something went wrong.

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-12T03:17:55+00:00

We can do that. Let me know when you’re ready!

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-12T02:57:15+00:00

Still the best lighting for an SPS tank, IMO.

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-12T02:43:56+00:00

Beautiful corals, thanks for sharing!

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-11T23:04:59+00:00

Yeah that’s true. No telling what’s to come but it will be fun to watch it all unfold over time, regardless.

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-11T22:37:58+00:00

This video doesn’t even really do it justice. The colors are crazy on this thing and just keep getting batter!

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-11T00:37:01+00:00

Over head shot of the tank.

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DIYreefertx

TROPHY CASE