Marella

I've always been told that if you are keeping any corals it should be between 11 and 14 dkH

If you are going to a 90g, you might consider a yellow tang. Mine has kept the hair algea neatly groomed, not eliminated but definitley under control. I have noticed large areas of the algea starting to disappear after getting a UV sterilizer.

I have started to see some aiptasia growing in my tank and would like to know how others have gotten rid of it. I would prefer to go a more natural route rather than trying to inject kalkwasser into the base of them.

Thanks. I just placed mine on the sand between two rocks so we shall see what happens.

Just got a feather duster yesterday, 5" long 3" wide. I have placed it on some rocks in a moderate flow area, but the flow keeps knocking it around. What is a good place for one of these and how do I attach it to the substrate?

I hear the Remora is supposed to be one of the best HOB skimmers around. I don't know much about hang on skimmers but here is a link that might be of some help.

http://www.proteinskimmer.com/products/RemoraFAQ2.htm

I'm not a pro myself, but I did have a similar problem. Do you have baffles in your sump to trap any microbubbles before they reach the return pump? In my case I had to add a baffle to trap the bubbles, and the problem was gone.

Are you going with a sump or not? Dont' skimp on the skimmer. Probably the most important piece of equipment whether going FOWLR or reef. Don't be talked into getting unnecessray stuff like a Calcium Reactor etc. Basically all you need are some powerheads, protein skimmer, and some good lights. If you don't plan on keeping SPS then you can go with the cheaper alternative of PC lights, because MH lights will run you more than what you are budgeting for a 100gal.

Forgot to mention, get enough live rock for your tank, 1 1/2 to 2 lbs per gallon. This is your primary bio filter.

You don't want to bring it down too much, if any. A sg of 1.027 corresponds to 36 ppt of salinity, which is the end range of natural sea water. You may want to try to keep it at 35 ppt which is a sg of 1.026.

There is a good site which has recommended water parameters and what you should test for and what is unnecessary.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

My tank temp is 84F and I want to cool it down to 78-80F. I can't afford a chiller right now but wondering if anyone has any ideas on the best way to keep the water temp in this range.

Nitrites are starting to peak now. So the cycling is going well.

Thanks for the post. I really should get an RO/DI unit for my top off and mixing water.

Haven't thought of testing the newly mixed sw for ammonia. I'll have to do that. Probably should get new test kits. I am dosing alk, no reactor.

Should I be adding cycle or stability to the tank to help boost the bacteria population?

There were a few LPS, but everything has been removed now.

Sorry, it is SW, nothing left in the tank except for the sand and rock.

It's a 95g with 150lbs rock in the tank, and 30 lbs rock in the sump. 1-2 inch sand bed. No canister filter. I bought an established system but then it crashed a few days after the move so it has bee cycling for the last week.

Parameters:

SG 1.023

Ammonia 4ppm

Nitrite/trates both at 0ppm

pH 8.4

dKH 14

Phos 0ppm

The test kit reads to 12ppm and it is about 1 1/2 years old. Also just bought one of those ammonia alert do-hickeys that hang in the tank which shows it is at toxic levels (which start at 2ppm).

My tank crash over a week ago. Managed to save quite a bit from it, and the livestock is happily boarding elsewhere. Recyling the tank now but my ammonia levels have not changed since the crash. I did a 50% water change on the weekend and took readings before and after. Both times ammonia was at 4ppm. Just seems odd that it would be the same after replacing half of the water. Any suggestions?

Thanks for the offer. I will be setting up the tank this weekend, and I figure it will be a month before I finish curing the LR.

Thanks. I will try your suggestion Ty once I get my tank up and running which should be within the week.

Does anyone know of a lfs where I could get live sand in Calgary?

I heard about this algea on Nature. Apparently it was genetically engineered for reef aquariums and is introduced into the natural enviroment by reefers in coastal regions during water changes. It is also a big problem in the Mediterranian.