Recent content by Spicolte

Great advice. I love the salinity rant. I've been in the hobby from the early 90's. If I recall correctly, the ocean salinity promoted at that time was 1.023 and only later did it become the higher number. I'm up around 1.025-27 now in this tank. Powerheads in place are along the back...

Excellent point. I watch the tangs eat the algae "around" the mushrooms but never a direct nipping of the corals.

Fascinating tip. What exactly does the orange lens filter out? All the blue lights? I agree with the PAR meter, thank you, but I was hoping for the percentages. Thank you to "Coral Reefer" for that percentage.

I wanted to update you all on my progress. I performed weekly 20% water changes each Saturday for 5 weeks. Each time I manually scrubbed the rocks with a toothbrush while siphoning. I also siphoned off the top layer of gravel that was covered in green algae. After 5 weeks though, my tank was...

Welcome. Check out the ocean rider seashore farm. They have a training program to educate you from “soup to nuts” on seahorses. I highly suggest it. https://seahorse.com/ocean-rider-farm-location

lol. No. I got it. I just figured being on the “easy” side of corals I fit more the FO parameters. I even inching my salinity back up to get it corrected.

Excellent point. I think it could be much higher and is drawn down to what is still outside the norms by the corals.

1.023 you mean? I thought of the tank as closer to a FOWLR hence that salinity.

I agree and Kenny stressed that as well. I never thought about using a filter sock or fine net to catch the algae and return the water directly to my sump as I siphon! Given I was vacuuming out gravel I just went straight into the bucket. If water changes need to happen to correct my...

Thank you for that resource. I did relay my puffer to Kenny so the urchins were my only safe choice to add (with the exception of more tangs which brings its own drama and headaches).

Update: Visited High Tide Aquatics today and talked with Kenny. Great guy and phenomenal tanks. Thank you for the advice to visit him. He did share how high the phosphate is in his heavily stocked reef tank in the front. But…he has the corals to use up all that fuel…I don’t. I’ve got some new...

I added into my filter sock in my sump. Initially I dripped it slow into the sump to minimize cloudiness, but found the filer socks are well above the 10 microns specified so in the full amount went into the sock and viola, no cloudiness.

My head scratching moment is looking at the same parameters in my 100 gallon tank and seeing large fluffy mushrooms, and then my 180 in contrast with them all closed.

Thank you so much. I truly appreciate you suggestions. You are all helping me form a plan of attack.

I agree with you completely. Thank you. I suppose I'd add more mushroom corals if the current ones were thriving. I can however, add more elephant corals from my 100 gallon tank. I have a whole bunch in there I can move. I will try a few urchins and see what happens. I have the real estate...