In article ,
Teri G wrote:

(snip)

Okay, coraline algae is a different ballgame. When ppl say *add algae*
- I think of macro algaes, usually Caulerpas. These you wouldn't want
in your display. Coraline is a solid encrusting algae (what gives LR
it's "purple" color), and no fish that I am aware of, will eat it.

Well, you're just full of useful information! Thank you for once again
correcting my misconceptions! ;-)

Coral Angels do eat algae off rocks, though, right? That's what they're
pecking at?

I was hoping to get *whatever* it is they like to eat by adding some
live rock, but it seems I should wait till the water chemistry is
corrected before doing that. MY LFS guy has given me some sage advice,
too: concentrate on PH, alkalinity, calcium and salinity first of all.

He, along with some others here said I should get some live sand in
there right away, so I did that yesterday! Aragonite, anyway. I'll get
some sand from one of nature's reefs to seed that with soon, but it's
effect on water chemistry should be there now.

The Coral Beauty was very unhappy with the disturbance. I kept the silty
cloud down to a minimum by pouring the sand down through a length of PVC
pipe, but of course the tank clouded up for an hour or so anyway. He was
swimming frantically till lights out, hours after it had cleared. I'm
really starting to worry about him... Everyone else in the tank seems
okay; no obvious signs of stress.

Try some live or frozen brine or frozen mysis for the C. Beauty - see if
it will eat that.

He won't take flake, frozen brine or mysis, and I've tried two different
formulations of frozen mixtures, supposedly good for Pygmy Angels,
etc... He won't take any of them. He seems interested in food, comes out
quickly when the food kits the water and the Damsels go nuts, even
tastes some of what's there, but quickly spits it out and then just
swims around kind of agitated.

Will kalkwasser lower alkalinity and raise PH?

Kalkwasser is a naturally balanced additive, and will raise both calcium
and alk. It also has an extremely high pH, and will raise that as well.

I plan to bring all water parameters into compliance before using the
kalk reactor.

That high, eh? For some reason I thought I was aiming for 1.021. Thanks
for pointing that out.

A good article:

http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/a.../1/default.asp

In summary, 1.025 is the closest to the natural salinity of the reef
where most of our critters come from.

Thanks again, Teri. You've been very helpful!

--Charlie Henderson