[lindsay]

A clean skimmer cup is good but if the pump and pipe work feeding the skimmer rarely gets cleaned then you may be amazed just how much performance is being lost.If you have any new year tips on your tank,why not add them below.

[Tony B]

Crikey there's loads of tips...... some of the below is obvious but no harm in mentioning it I guess

Carry out any required maintanence a few days before holiday, to allow any 'hick ups' to show.

Never carry out any changes or maintanence before bed.

Citric acid is king of cleaning for all pumps.

Avoid impulse buying of livestock - always research any coral, fish, invert etc before adding to your reef.

Test alkalinity at least once a week, imo this is one of the most important values to monitor closely.

Avoid doing any work on your tank after you have had a drink.

Always have spare Co2 and media for calcium reactors, when you are down to your last in reserve consider your self 'out-of-stock' and replace ASAP.

Ensure you have a spare sump return pump and halide/T5 bulbs.

Lastly, enjoy your aquarium.

Happy New Year,

Tony

[dylan]

personally i'd steer well clear of hydrometers buy a refractomter in stead of a fish or coral if your hard up all to often i hear yeh i'll buy that refracometer next week

[lindsay]

Some good ones there Tony,the one that stands out for me is not making changes to system equipment just before shutting up shop,got burnt on that one a few times lol.