Cord

Thx folks. Good to know it is not anything that will lead to a disaster. I have had too many disasters

like feather dusters? if so I have small ones all over my live rocks

Can anyone help me identify these strands growing out of my substrate. They are normally not visible, as they hide just beneath the surface of the sand, but I recently increased the flow which has caused the sand to be slightly displaced and reveal these. Good? Bad? normal?

I fell you fireman, I have been looking for someone to sit down with me as well, but was unsuccessful. I did however, have people willing to get me in the right direction via email communication. It is always much easier to sit down face to face. Urban reefer, may I bounce questions off you as well, when I get into a jam? So far my programs are pretty simple and I don't have any issues, but I am purchasing an additional energy bar soon and some modules, so things will be interesting

Hope you don't mind me watching this thread. I am a novice and a new apex owner as well. I am still hesitant to attach my main return to it because a possible glitch. I have found the Neptune Apex forum very helpful in becoming a great soundboard to ensure you are on the right track. Additionally, members will provide programs for you or review your programs and provide input

Does your tank get any direct sunlight whatsoever? I had a similar problem and tried everything possible to overcome the issue. Then I re married and was forced to move my tank in the basement. So far, no more problems

Welcome man. I an also new to this hobby and live in Mont Village. If you need anything give me a shout. I mean it. I am always eager to meet members nearby

Glad I started following this thread. Didn't know about the Jebaos, but as soon as Uncle Same re opens, that is 2nd on my to order list. By the way, Monkiboy, hurry up and stock that thing. I have to live vicariously through you

that is great news everyone. placing my order as soon as the gov reopens, lol

Thx for the info. I was checking out their site the other day and was wondering if anyone had experience with them. Glad to hear you recommend them, thx again

Hello WAMAS, I recently set up my 155 reef again (long story) and now that the cycle appears complete and the diatoms are dissipating, I figured I better invest in a clean up crew. My vision is to have a tank lightly stocked with Zoas, some lps, fish, and perhaps some anemones. I am leaning towards snails with no crabs. I have heard that crabs are opportunist and may eat inverts. Please share any thoughts or recommendations

69?, wow!!!

Good note. I have been calculating my approx. wattage usage as well, as I have a back up generator connected to the house in case of emergency. Hard to tell the wife to turn that TV off, my tank is running, lol

I do own a phosban 500, but was planning to wait to hook it up. I was under the impression that GFO and phosban controlled cyano bacteria and other forms of algae, but not diatoms. Let me know if I am incorrect and it will be on tomorrow, lol

Thx G, will def take the advice

correct, 1.018. I plan to increase it. I ran out of salt between my main tank and quarantine. Since there is no stock in the tank I figured it was fine while it is cycling

Thanks everyone for all the positive feedback. DJ Plus, I right around the corner man. The params are as follows: SG .18 Phos 0.1 ammonia 0 Nitrate 0 PH 7.9 Monkiboy here are a few pics of the bloom

First set up was unsuccessful, so I am trying this again. I had an algae bloom I could not eliminate. Initial set up was not 100% RO/DI water, but I did major water changes when I purchased an RO/DI filter. I tried just about everything except baking the rocks. I took a break after six months of frustration. The algae only grew on the sand, not the rocks, and I believe because of the tank's close proximity to a window with plenty of sunlight, this may have been the root of my problem. Recently, I removed all of the live rock into a temprary 55 gallon tank (100% RO/DI). Moved the 155 into the basement (No sunlight). Added RO/DI water, 135lbs dry sand, and placed the live rock back into the main tank. The tank has been running for approx 3 weeks and I have had diatoms for 2 weeks now. I must admit the diatoms resemble the same algae problem I had before. So I hope they go away this time. There is no stock in the tank currently 155 bowfront 135 lb dry sand 160 lb live rock 40 gallon breeder sump 18 Mag return pump Reef Octopus 200 skimmer 2 powerheads 2 ecoxotic panoramo pro modules (put out 80 watts each), I know I need to add more light fixtures to the modules, but my budget is limited. I figured as long as I focus the emajority of the lighting to the center, this is where I will place future corals Any suggestions and tips are welcome. Just trying to get reefing......

At this point it is not an eye sore, I have not seen sea squirts before and have no idea how large it may become. I have noticed that it is growing. It is funny how everything that I dont want to grow in my tank, seems to thrive in excess, like featherduster, lol, they are evrywhere (that is another story) As long as it is not taking away from the beauty of the clam, I will leave it be

I have trie to scrape them off lightyl, but in order to get a good hold of the clam, I need to hold it firmly and I am afraid of harming it. My cell phone will not do much better than that, sorry

I am uncertain Jan. Whatever they are, I'm not a fan, but they are growing

Does anyone know what these porous objects are on the side of this clam? Could it be some type of cavity for worms that have attached to the calm? I do have a lot of feather dusters in my tank

Thanks for the info John. Im not sure what the TDS level of the water would be after entering the first two stages and then entering the DI before the membrane, as I didn't get a reading at that point. Ross, perhaps we can replace the resin and check the reading. that should tell us if the membrane is shot. But it sounds like even if it is not shot, they have an avg life expectancy of a year, so I will prob start shopping for a new one

Before I begin let me mention that I am new to this hobby. A friend of mine (Ross) recently puchased a DI canister and cartridge from your store to add to my current Coralife RO filter. Prior to adding the DIto the RO, the TDS meter indicated an output of 8ppm. When I initially added the DI canister I placed it before the membrane, which was incorrect. The DI then turned burnt orange (which I thought was an indication of the need to replace) and it then read 3ppm. After realizing it was connected improperly, I susbsequently placed the clean water line from the membrane into the DI and took a sample after it ran for sevral hours; it still read 3ppm. Today I flushed the membrane for an hour and now it is at 2ppm. The RO filter was only purchased a year ago and the first two chambers/media and carbon were just replaced two months ago. Is it possible that connecting it wrong from the beginning exhausted the DI? Any help is appreciated

I have the standard 5 strips (2 blue, 3 white and blue) in each module. Do you recommend adding more?