DFR

I’d look into some trochus snails. In my experience, they are just as good as asterea but have the added benefit of reproducing in captivity.

A full spectrum (white light) would be best for all inhabitants that will go into the aquarium (including coralline and corals). If you are only concerned about the coralline in a fugue or dedicated tank then a grow light or something with more of a focus on the red spectrum would be more beneficial.

Welcome to the group!

Action Glass in Beltsville, MD was also reasonably priced and one that I always recommend.

I don’t know if you already replaced your top off, but the best I’ve found is Neptune ATK which you can run with you apex or you can use stand alone. The only issue with these are cheap optical sensors are included with the kits and don’t last too long so spares should also be purchased. I have however heard that this issue has been addressed in their newer sensors(only time will tell). My second choice would be tunze osmolator... they’re practically bullet proof.

I’m sure those allergies aren’t fun when they flare up, but that is a nice reason to get chauffeured whenever someone else is with you.

Thanks a lot, and that’s good news. This will actually save me about $15 per filter change (which will compound over time). I did see that water quality report but there was another article published in 2016 that had me unsure. It mentioned a treatment program for free ammonia if chloraminating, but I wasn’t sure if that would be on the report.

I’m getting ready to place an order for replacement filters on my RODI unit. Typically I go with a setup that can handle water treated with chlorines as well as chloramines. Well, I’d like to optimize my purchase to more reflect my source water. After perusing WSSCs site for some time, I’m slowly beginning to realize this is not as easy find as I thought it would be. Does anyone know if they use chloramines at their treatment plants? I’ll probably just call them on Monday if no one knows.

Did you seed your tank with bacteria or is the only bacteria from the live rock? Also how big is the rock(s) in relation to the tank? The only reason I ask is because the rock(s) your using may be large enough to sustain your system. Since you have nitrates and no ammonia nor nitrite, that would point to a cycled system. Also, are you only dosing ammonia or are you also ghost feeding?

Diatoms are algae. Photos would help but it’s possible that they’re some sort of tube worm. Are they sessile or are they moving around the tank? Well regardless of what they are, killing them will not harm anything in the rock (assuming you're referring to the bacterial colony you’re trying to grow with the cycle process). That’ll actually help as the bacteria you are trying to populate needs dead or decaying matter. But before killing them, make sure that they are actually pests and not possibly beneficial.

Sounds like a pretty solid plan for your build. The only thing I would change is to do away with the UV sterilizer, or if it is a must, only run when needed. There’s no harm in running carbon 24/7 providing it is changed regularly (twice a month). As for the refugium, just know that it will collect all sorts of gunk and detritus, so if you have OCD it’ll drive you nuts. Otherwise I’d start it following the cycle. I’d also go with a variety of algae’s as various chemical imbalances or deficiencies would cause melting of certain algae’s and not others. So if this is your main form of nutrient export you can easily destabilize your entire system if something was to cause your chaeto to melt. Plus I don’t know of any aquarium inhabitants that’ll consume chaeto.

Welcome to the group!

Good luck, never fun dealing with these unplanned issues.

There’s really nothing to it, if you were closer to me I’d be willing to help out but Fairfax is a bit of a drive for me. What exactly do you need guidance on, design, what to use, or how to do it?

Welcome!!! Lol, who needs fish when there are corals. But I do see your clown(s) in the far corner.

Welcome to WAMAS!!! You’ll find the group to be pretty active as well as helpful.

My guess would be injury, especially if it was recently introduced to the system.

Which filters did u change? I’d look at the di resin though. Sometimes channels can form if it isn’t packed tightly. This would in a sense lead to water bypassing most of the beads making that stage ineffective. You may have low tds water leaving the ro membrane (which is normal) that is not being polished by the resin. You may also want to change the RO membrane as it’s around 2 years.

Wood stands are usually the first choice because parts can be easily sourced, are pretty cheap, versatile, and pretty forgiving to work with. The only downside is that it takes up a decent amount of real estate. Wood stands can also be built on-site. Aluminum can also be easily assembled on-site providing you order all the pieces pre-cut. Because the aluminum is so modular, it is easy to add or retrofit various components to the stand, as well as reuse in different configurations if you were to ever break down the tank. Steel stands are extremely strong for its size and can last a lifetime. One issue (unless you are able to weld) is that it must be fabricated off-site then moved into desired location. This can be an issue for some larger systems as it will need to be transported and can be cumbersome to move around corners. I can not speak for cost of steel stands, but I can give you some numbers for wood and 80/20 Al extrusion. For a regular 24”x24”x30” stand frame (not including enclosure), a wood stand will cost sub $50, whereas the aluminum would be around $350. I do not know of any local shops where you can source the aluminum, but if there are any that could possibly reduce the cost.

I can’t really see the object well, but as it’s more on the ridge between the two corallites, I’d say it’s probably a barnacle or a sponge. Does it sort of look like a “fan” that pulses in and out of an opening periodically? This is usually more frequent during feeding. (Google images of barnacle feeding)

Don’t know if you got some, but I have some Caulerpa racemosa and chaeto if you’d like to try again with it. I live in 20737 for proximity reference.

+1 on spaghetti worm. Typically they are hidden within small crevices with only their tentacles exposed.

There aren’t any lists that I know of either, but maybe someone will chime in if there is. You are generally correct about compatibility. When planning placement, I typically OVERGENERALIZE. I typically treat most soft coral like they will engage in coral warfare. LPSs tend to have pretty long sweeper tentacles so I give them a little more space. When it comes to SPSs I tend to place them based on anticipated growth. Do you have any specific coral in mind that you were concerned with?

Did you get rid of your red algae? Pics would help identify if you still have it. If it is red slime, chemiclean is great providing you have decent oxygen exchange (surface agitation, skimmer, airstone) in your system otherwise it could cause issues due to oxygen depletion.

The Jebao 3000 models (wp, dcs/dcp) are all rated around 800gph, so with the head loss should give you a little more than 10x turnover at 100%. If this is your first choice, you will be fine with the output (even when it is on max), though I’d probably also run it around 50%.