FuEl

Yea...hehe..got nitrates...used be around 30-40ppm. Recently measured around 15ppm. Nitrates don't affect sps very seriously if kept below 50ppm. Of cause the lower the better..since NSW has nitrate levels way below 1ppm. Phosphates affect sps much more.

Now now..got minors around..

Get 1/4 HP lah...get second hand quite cheap. No point getting 1/10 hp chiller. It will be more vulnerable to wear & tear due to more frequent and longer operation. Then if next time upgrade still can reuse 1/4 hp.

Heh..bro scarab..you're not facing nitrates alone.

Don't add supplements unless they are really neccessary and you know what they are for. Use the money to buy quality test kits by reputable brands like Salifert. Frankly the only supplements you will need are anti-chlorine(Eg. Seachem prime), Reef Builder by Seachem or anything that will increase kH, and calcium additives (Eg. Calcium advantage by Seachem). Of cause you will also need the kH and calcium test kits. Do some reading up in the 'sticky' threads in the "new to the hobby" section while waiting for your tank to settle down. Will save you further disappointment.

I think the problem is that you are stocking too fast. StoP adding anything for now and let your tank stabilise for another month. Meanwhile cut down feeding to once every 2-3 days, do your weekly water changes, you might want to consider upgrading your protein skimmer and maybe get a tunze turbelle or a powerhead to increase water circulation.. "after barely 5 days.....I only have 2 of the 13 left!!!" Adding 13 fish at once, even in a 10 year old marine tank is suicide.

Try increasing water movement in your tank. Esp near the sand bed and water surface (without salt spray). Rowaphos does'nt starve cyano that fast. You need to wait about 2-4 weeks to totally see the cyano die of starvation. In the meanwhile you might want to try some activated carbon and skimming heavily. Dissolved organic compounds can also fuel cyano bloom. Try to pick out as much cyano as you can daily so that when they die off nutrients don't get released back into the water.

This is my modified maxijet. Note the amount of water turbulence I get.

Yea...1200...and connected it to an electronic timer. Was going to use a manual timer..but at 15mins on/off meaning that the maxijet would be off for 15 min before it on again..Don't want that to happen in my tank. So used an electronic timer..with about 20+ program settings. So my maxijet will on/off about 20+ times in 24 hours...creating random current throughout my tank. I randomly set it to run for anywhere between 1 hour to 3 hours before switching it off and on again. Cooldown time between off/on operation is only set to 1 minute. The current that shoots out alternate between about 30-45 degree angles whereby the original output piping is. Now got D.I.Y wavemaker..no need tunze already..

Just tried it out...man...it rocks! So much more power from my maxijet!

3 inches is very large compared to an eviota...eviotas will be bite size snacks by then..

Why not just buy a reliable salifert test kit and stop wasting money on the inaccurate but cheaper ones?

Wah..so nice color..would love to exchange..but so far the nicest colored acro in my tank is a tricolor..still too small to frag.. Interested in birdnest frag?

heh..actually I thought they make use of alternating bloating and deflating movements to move around at first.. Then someone told me they make use of currents to move.. So I also not really sure how they move in the first place. But so far I never noticed my plate moving..cause it's in a low-moderate flow area..

Hmm..going for beckett huh...Good choice.

Hai...See everyone upgrading tank I myself hand itchy already..but scared get scolding from dad for wasting time and effort. Hai...Just hope my tank can hold till the end of year..then I can finally decide about whether to upgrade or not. Parents talking about migrating end of year...if they can't decide yet neither can i...

Long tentacled plate corals don't roam lah...at least not using their own energy to actively move around..They just bloat themselves up with water and make use of water currents to drift around. Something like water balloons.

Hmm..last time when I was using eheim canister..sometimes while I'm out my mom will mop the floor and mop out the plug of the canister without even realising it. Then when I come home..I notice a stagnant tank only circulated by an internal powerhead...I switched on the canister and dead amphipods were the first to gush out of the canister...great fish food. Did'nt notice adverse effects..Think it also depends on your tank size to buffer any traces of ammonia.

Great potential for a mixed reef. The tonga branches can be decorated with sps frags maybe?

Wow... Anyway..ever thought of moving down the brains at the top right corner? Then can stock with more sps.

Just heated a metal screwdriver..managed to drive it thru pvc!

The jawfish sounds ok...A little doubtful about the orchid dottyback. Might grow big enough to eat eviotas?

Hmmm..Roidan..notice you like the color purple.. One of my favourite colors too..but then not much purple in my tank..

Too crowded. The tilefish are a big no no. Their bioload would be way too high. I would'nt even dare to put one into my tank, even a small one. As for hectoris and rainfords...I suggest going only for 1 species and just a single fish. Grazers need alot of space to get enough food. For start you could add 1. Add the other one few months down the road if the previous one is doing well..

With his fans, I doubt he is using one. But I have personally seen many great tanks without chillers.