huntingforfish

uv sterilizer only kills the ich that passes through it. problem is that not all ich in tank will pass though it.

no need to restart tank. just leave your tank fallow for about a month preferably longer. The ich parasite cannot live wouthout a fish host.

agree that ufg could become clogged in the long term, generally not used in saltwater tanks anymore. Why must connect a ufg to a dsb though? U could just connect a remote dsb straight to tank, lots of threads online on building one.

Dont add too much live rock, also dead rocks won't help to cycle your tank. u need bacteria to kickstart the cycling process, which you get from the live rock. mix in dead rock and live rock and over time (can take mths) the dead rock will become live.

hi might want to try hypo-salinity treatment or copper in quarantine tank if your fishes still have ich. Ich only dies in 4-6 weeks if the tank is left fallow (without fish). If fishes are still in your tank, it might take up to 10 months for the ich to die out. refer to this article for more info. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php

most fish in your list (except for mandarin) should take to pellets quite easily. look for good quality pellets like nls. gd luck with your tank.

you prob need powerheads to increase flow in tank. 5 ft too big for return pump alone.

sun corals don't depend on light for food, so should be ok. But must be prepared to feed them regularly. mandarins need a good supply of pods, so cannot put in fishes that compete with them for this food (ie wrasses). make sure tank is mature enough (websites recommend at least 1 year) so that there are enough pods. Best is have a refugium connected to tank so pods have safe place to breed. alternately you can also go looking around for mandarins that are trained to eat prepared foods. Easier gobies would be the watchman gobies, firefish.

General rule is one pound of LR per US gallon.

six-line, yellow corris or flasher wrasses would be good. (don't get cleaner wrasses)

hi those look like azure damsels rather than yellow tails. blue tangs prob need more space (but prob can get small specimen and upgrade tank later) watch out for aggression from damsels. blue tangs get big, maybe consider a smaller tang like zebrasoma or bristletooth genus? ie. yellow, scopas or kole tang? harlequin shrimps need special diet (starfishes) so must be prepared to feed these regularly. tuxedo urchin good for this size tank. clowns stick to smaller species rather than maroon or tomato as these can get quite large. your lighting prob can keep mushrooms and zoas. (place them higher up if you see them reaching for light) other more demanding corals (lps) i not too sure.

Thanks.

Hi, thinking of buying the following skimmer. Any idea where to buy it from?