📅🐠 Aquarium Commitment — Deep Ops Guide

🏳️ Disclaimer up front

This is a framework, not a rulebook. Everyone’s commitment varies with:
⏰ schedule • 🐟 stocking choices • 🤖 automation • 🧪 appetite for tinkering • 🏠 room conditions.
Use the numbers as starting points—then adapt to your life.

---

🧮 Commitment Formula (minutes per week)

Base by tank type

• 🟢 Freshwater low-tech: 40 min/wk
• 🌿 Freshwater high-tech (CO₂): 70 min/wk
• 🟤 Brackish: 70 min/wk
• 🔵 Saltwater FOWLR: 90 min/wk
• 🟣 Reef softies/LPS: 120 min/wk
• 🔴 Reef SPS-heavy: 180+ min/wk

Adders

• ➕ Volume >75g: +10 min / extra 25g
• ➕ Heavy/messy stocking (goldfish, cichlids, big predators): +20–40 min
• ➕ Multiple tanks: add ~80% of each additional tank’s base
• ➕ Active quarantine running: +15–25 min
• ➕ Manual salt mixing/top-off (no ATO): +15–25 min
• ➕ Lots of plants/corals (frequent trims/frags): +15–30 min

Subtractors (automation/tools)

• ➖ 🤖 Auto-top-off: –15 min
• ➖ 🍽️ Auto-feeder: –10 min
• ➖ 🐍 Sink hose/Python (no buckets): –10–20 min
• ➖ 🧲 Prefilter sponge on intake: –10 min
• ➖ 📳 Controller/alerts: –5–15 min

🔎 Reality check: brief daily touches beat occasional marathons.

---

📆 Task Cadence (what you actually do)

🗓️ Daily (2–25 min)

👀 Health scan • 🍽️ Feed (remove leftovers in 2–3 min) • 🌊 Confirm surface ripple & temp
🔬 Brackish/salt: top off (ATO ideal); quick salinity glance a few times/week.

🔁 Weekly (30–120+ min)

💧 Water change — fresh/brackish 20–50% (match temp; dechlor/salt); marine 10–25% with RO/DI
🧽 Clean glass • 🧹 Light substrate vacuum • 🧪 Test basics
🧲 Rinse prefilter in tank water (2 min, huge payoff)

🧰 Monthly (30–120+ min)

🌀 Filter service (stagger media) • 🔧 Powerhead/skimmer clean (marine)
✂️ Plant trims / coral maintenance • 🧯 Safety sweep (leak sensors, drip loops, heater check)

🗓️ Quarterly / Seasonal (45–180 min)

🧱 Canister/sump deep service • 🪞 Light lenses/quartz sleeves clean • 🧮 Meter calibration
🌬️ Dehumidifier/vent clean • Salt creep removal (marine)

🗓️ Annual (60–240 min spread)

🚰 RO/DI cartridge set • 🔥 Proactive heater replacement • 🧰 Spares audit (impellers, O-rings, air pumps)

---

🧭 First 90 Days (typical rollout)

• Day 0–7: Setup, leak test, aquascape (3–6 hrs)
• Week 1–4: Cycle—daily 5–10 min tests/logs until NH₃/NO₂⁻ = 0
• Week 3–10: “Ugly stage” (algae/diatoms): wipe glass, keep calm
• Week 4–12: Add livestock in waves; saltwater fish quarantine 2–4 weeks

---

🧩 Commitment by Popular Builds

(m = minutes, h = hours)

---

🤖 Automation Menu (time saved vs cost)

---

🧯 Emergency Readiness

• ⛽ Power outage: battery air pump, blankets for heat, plan for >4–8 hr events
• 🧪 Ammonia spike: binder conditioner, 40–50% WC, max aeration
• 🧴 Contaminant: large WC + fresh carbon/Poly-Filter, strong aeration
• 🏥 Disease: QT bin ready; finish full medication course

---

✈️ Travel Matrix

---

🎯 Performance Targets

• 💨 NH₃/NH₄⁺ & NO₂⁻: 0 ppm
• 💧 Nitrate: fresh <20–30 ppm (discus/fry <10); reef often <10–20
• ⚖️ pH/KH stable; reef Alk 7–11 dKH, Ca 400–450 ppm, Mg 1250–1350 ppm
• 🌡️ Temp steady (fresh 72–82°F; reef 77–79°F)
• 🔄 Flow: fresh 4–8× turnover; reef 10–30× in-tank circulation

---

🧠 Species that Raise Commitment

• 🐠 Discus/Rams—warm, pristine water, peaceful tankmates
• 🧱 African cichlids—heavy waste, territory management
• 🐡 Puffers—meaty foods, beak wear (snails), vigilant water quality
• 🪸 SPS corals—daily alk stability, high light/flow, frequent testing

---

📦 Consumables Cadence

• 🧴 Dechlorinator / 🧂 salt: keep 1–2 months on hand
• 🧪 Test reagents: refresh 6–12 months
• 🚰 RO/DI filters: 6–12 months (watch TDS)
• 🧊 Carbon/polish media (if used): 4–6 weeks
• 🔥 Heater: proactively replace 12–24 months

---

🧷 Choose Your Style

• Minimal: ATO + feeder; 20–30% weekly WC; simple stock
• Standard: Full weekly routine; modest testing; QT new fish; logs
• Meticulous: Controllers, dosers, data, strict QT, proactive parts

---

🏳️ Final reminder

This isn’t an end-all, be-all guide. Your ideal routine might be lighter or heavier. Start simple, automate where it helps, and refine until the tank is boringly stable and fits your life.