PhiSigChris187 September 3, 2009 September 3, 2009 Hey Guys, My 110 gallon salt water tank has been up and running for 8 months. My setup includes: Eheim professional 2 canister filter Coralife super skimmer 180 lbs live rock 140 lbs sand Coralife pureflow R/0 unit NOVA Exreme PRO T5 lighting system 2 Koralia #4 Power Heads My tank is still young and I am still very new to the hobby. Any advice would be much appreciated!! - Chris
flowerseller September 3, 2009 September 3, 2009 Welcome, we're glad you're here. We all have experiences to share but are just as interested in learning.
zoozilla September 3, 2009 September 3, 2009 Welcome to WAMAS Chris Have you taken any recent water readings/measurements yet?
dschflier September 3, 2009 September 3, 2009 Welcome to WAMAS. Location is helpful. I say this becuase in my experience one of the best ways to learn is to go over other peoples places and ask about their setup. Often you can see ideas that you incorporate into your setup
ReeferMan September 3, 2009 September 3, 2009 You dont want to help this guy out, he's a tool! Glad to see you finally posted. Chris is one of my college fraternity brothers and he came to me for help with his tank. He is located in Falls church and I keep trying to convince him to install a sump. His skimmer is hanging on the back of his tank and he only turns it on when he's home because a overflowing skimmer almost caught his house on fire and damaged some equipment. He is experiencing a aglae bloom on his sand. He really needs someone to go to his house and address his issues and give him some tips. My first tip to him is to get a sump so he can put his skimmer in there and not worry about overflowing. Second would be to get more flow throughout the tank. I know we can all help get him on the right track. He's a good addition to Wamas so give him a warm welcome.
Origami September 3, 2009 September 3, 2009 Hi Chris. Welcome! I'm looking forward to hearing more about your setup and any challenges you're facing. Following up on your frat brother's notes, what's keeping you from installing a sump? Have you tried moving those Koralia's around (or to adjust your aquascaping) to try to get better flow?
ReeferMan September 3, 2009 September 3, 2009 I think he could also benefit from a better skimmer. Anyone have one there are looking to get rid of? Another benefit of a sump is a refug with macro algea. Chris once we get your tank straight I got some frags to get you started and I am sure others on here will help you out as well.
Origami September 3, 2009 September 3, 2009 I think he could also benefit from a better skimmer. Without a doubt. His budget will dictate what he can do, though. And, of course, his sump size.
jnguyen4007 September 3, 2009 September 3, 2009 Chris, A sump does not have to be fancy or expensive. A lot of ppl buy a used fish tank and convert it to a dedicated sump. Look around on WAMAS and craigslist for a used tank that fits your space and budget and go from there.
Boret September 3, 2009 September 3, 2009 Without a doubt. His budget will dictate what he can do, though. And, of course, his sump size. ..and I thought that size and money didn't matter...
Happyfeet September 3, 2009 September 3, 2009 (edited) He is experiencing a aglae bloom on his sand. He really needs someone to go to his house and address his issues and give him some tips. I've seen this work on other peoples tanks, and I'm currently building one for my own tank. It costs about 30 bucks and it will eliminate algae in your display tank (From what I've seen) and the research I've done on the topic. Installing an Algae turf underneath your tank will provide the best growing environment for algae and as such they will out compete the algae in your display tank. Having all your algae on an easily removed peice of plastic makes getting rid of that algae a lot easier. The turf scrubber is really easy to make too, it can be made out of a 5 gallon bucket. Here is a set up using a skimmer and an algae turf in a 20 gallon fish tank sump The principal is very simple: You have a screen; light is aimed at the screen, and tank water is streamed over the screen. What happens is that a type of algae called "turf" starts growing on the screen and this turf eats ALMOST ALL the nitrate and phosphate in the water flowing over it. However, the turf does NOT eat the food/pods/plankton in the water, so this food will stay in the water for the corals to eat. So if this "turf" is given the prime growing conditions it will out compete all other algaes in your tank, causing your display tank to clear up. Thats kind of the cliff notes version, It's possible to use it as your only form of filtration too, however I've seen mixed reviews on how effective it really is. I plan to try it as the only form of filtration in my tank find out for myself. Edited September 3, 2009 by Happyfeet
Lunker September 3, 2009 September 3, 2009 Welcome - Glad to have you on board and best of luck with your system.
lanman September 3, 2009 September 3, 2009 You are already doing the right things... You've been very patient!! Get everything 'just right' before you invest in much livestock, coral, etc. Welcome aboard! bob
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