High Tide Aquatics

Reef Hobbyist 29g

If you are going spend the dough for a phosphate tester, I suggest getting
the Hanna ultra low range HI736.
Tank phosphates need to be on the really low end, and the regular one is not that accurate in that range.
About the same price.
Although you do have to multiply by 3.066/1000.
 
As a side note: Fancy testing beyond Alk/Calcium might be overkill for a 29G system
unless you start to see problems. Just do a few extra water changes.
 
I've been doing some reading on the phosphate test kits and somehow feel the $50 on the Hanna device can instead be used on a GFO reactor ;)

So debating between Seachem, Salifert, Red Sea & Elos. Any recommendations?
 
I have 2 30 gallon systems and I do not test phosphate on either one of them. Its usually pretty easy to tell by the health of the corals and nuisance algae in the tank if phosphate is becoming an issue. With small systems you can just do water changes to easily keep phosphates low. Just keep up with your tank maintenance and water change schedule and you should be fine. Also, you can add a media reactor with GFO if you seem like you're having issues. I honestly don't see any need to buy an expensive Hanna Checker.
 
After 20min of chasing around these things with my Nikon I finally got some macro shots and I’m guessing they’re Copepods?

They’re smaller than a millimeter and I see a lot of these guys running around the glass…

I used my 105mm f2.8 Macro lens 1:1 to capture them…

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Although my question is how could they get into my tank? I never have purchased & added any pods (but was planning to).
 
Spotted these things sticking on my Frogspawn’s stem and zoa rock today & it looks like they are Pineapple sponges which are part of any new system.

They’re filter feeders (good for the tank), and are supposed to disappear eventually as the system matures (got this info from external sources).

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Noticed a few of these guys on my LR today. They’re like 10mm and got this webby structure.

Looks like they are tube worms (like feather dusters) and supposed to be good for the tank, and a sign of good water params I heard...

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This is the first time I’ve ever seen a snail doing something like this… My guess was some kind of snail poop but turns out that its SPAWNING (releasing sperm/eggs).


Good thing is I got only 1 margarita, 2 asterias & a turbo, so no expecting babies for now ;)
 
I think trochus snail are good choice of snail. they can flip over when the fall unlike astrae snail or mexican turbos. trochus that i have dont knock over coral.
 
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