Reefbum

I am behind you in this. It is sad but true picture of the commercial reality. If all LFS had 100% honest to goodness staff, then this won't be planet earth. We were all once newbies before.

Generally I think if your chiller and pump is right for your tank size, the operating time will be 20-30 mins in 2 hrs interval. If yours kicks in too early and operate longer than that, think you should get a bigger pump and chiller.

Congrats! My reef went on auto mode after my boy came in April this year.

Lower temp good for FOWLR but not corals.They need warmer waters.

Totally agree.And there must be fair number of factors, not price alone. Btw this poll is flawed from start.

Besides water parameters, lighting and LS compatibilty are also known to influence coral growth or decay.Water circulation also plays a part.

Bro I admire your determination but I think it is a case of impatience. Most of us would like to have an 'instant reef'. By your messages, I can see you have the basic knowledge of what needs to be done. Before treating your tank for anything, please be patient and think carefully through. Try to see what your tank has and doesn't have.Lots of observation helps. Might just be adding too much or incompatible LS. GO VERY SLOW.

This hobby is like having a car. The more money and time spent on it makes the tank look great. If not, it is just like a car that takes you from point A to point B with the frequent breakdowns in between.

Whether plenums or DSBs, most of us still use skimmers.To really try out, throw way your skimmer.Then you will definitely know.

In short, DSB is not a ONE solution for all.Most reefers find it the hard way.

Dunno about other reefer bros here but I destroyed all crabs when I first set-up. Only then I realise not all crabs are bad.Now I have anemone crab and sallyfoot crabs.

Nice set-up. Agree with ocean deep.Mine in living room also cannot tahan liao.Feel like shifting my chiller to balcony.

1)Always keep to the speed limit and try not to always 'cheong' when challenged by other motorist. 2)Don't use the car during weekends to shopping or movies.Take public transport. 3)Reduce distance to and from work.(change job or move house)

Bro, U shopping for car or skirt? If you want car go to showroom.If you want skirt , anywhere also have.

Welcome bro to world of reefing.As your tank is just a few months old, don't fess up by those diatoms. It will generally clear by itself when the tank matures which can take about a year. The word is not to panic into doing something stupid. As for maintaning water quality, do have a schedule and stick to it.There are many ways to go about this and often than not beginners don't read enough for their own good. Instead they fully rely on the other reefers.What works for one doesn't mean it will work for you.I am sure you can find lots of info from books and internet. Much said, hope you will enjoy this hobby.Cheers.

Agree with Tanzy. Ka and Ca reactors are two different things but both serves the same purpose of replacing the need for dosing.As the names suggest, Ka reactor is for kalkwasser whereas Ca is for Calcium. However, Ka reactor also releases calcium but not in large amounts needed for your tank. Its good point is that it won't de-stabilise your pH as in the case of a poorly tuned Ca reactor. Also Ka reactors also been known to lower P04 levels.

Commitment and hard work is essential for this hobby.Many beginners are captivated by its beauty but lack the drive, knowledge and most importantly money to see it through.At the end of the day, it is only those that truly appreciate the wonders of the sea that stick to it.

I would go for maximum 1.5 inch of sand unless you going for DSB.

I have used both activated carbon and bio-rings and found them totally useless in maintaning water quality in marine tanks.Now I am just relying on LR , good skimmer and weekly water changes.My 2 cents.

If you intend to maximize your tank then go for the best( probably most expensive).Otherwise you waste money upgrading later on.If you intend to just have a few sps, get an average one will do.

For a small tank it makes more sense to change about 40-50% weekly.Let's say your tank volume is about 50 litres, then you would need to change close to 25 litres weekly.That's a lot of 1.5 litre bottles to store.

Not so sure what you mean by storing in bottles.How big are your bottles? 10 or 50 litres?? Anyway, I think it is a more hassle keeping in bottles than mixing new saltwater unless you are using saltwater from the sea.

IMO, it is not ncecessary to dose calcium and trace lements etc for a small tank like yours.Would rather have a larger amount of water change weekly.Dosing of additives is wasteful and upsets the balance in small tanks.

Bro, I don't think lighting is the problem.More like his calcium and carbonates.

Hush hush.Think not only Durai is having fat bonuses.More heads will roll.