Hi Wayne,

The turnover is pretty good: there are two powerheads plus the return
from the skimmer plus the return from a hang on filter (in which I keep
the charcoal and silicate/phosphate sponge).
I have a lot of live rock in the tank, so there are certainly plenty of
obstructions.

I completely overhauled my CPR BakPak skimmer last night, and that
seems to have improved the collection rate of skim. I've increased the
lights to 12 hours on.

I'm going to go with this setup for a couple of days to see what
improvements there are (if any).

Thanks again.
Julian

TheRock wrote:
What about turn over of water ?
You say you've got 2 power heads ? What's the GPH ?
Are there obstructions that would restrict flow (corals, rock etc.) ?



"Wayne Sallee" wrote in message
nk.net...
Get rid of things that don't work well in a reef tank.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



jjbunn wrote on 9/29/2006 9:24 PM:
Wayne Sallee wrote:
Well if you are trying to eliminate the corals, then keep
doing what you are doing.

If you want your corals to live, then turn the lights back
on. 12 hour is a normal light cycle. 1 hour is just pathetic.

Pull the algae out with you hands. You can also use a
tooth brush, they work well. Use fresh phosphate remover,
add some algae eating critters.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Hi Wayne,

Thanks: excellent input.
I will try again with a normal light cycle, but this has only
exacerbated the problem when I've tried it recently.

I have pulled clumps of the algae out, and continue to do so ... but
it's often hard to get a hold of as it's so slippery. I've scrubbed the
rocks with a toothbrush several times in the last week or so, but I
have the impression this is just distributing the algae further!

I have a Kent Phosphate and Silicate remover in ... I need to replace
it now because it has been in a couple of days

I'd love to add some snails ... I have a bunch of hermit crabs, but my
Picasso Trigger just treats snails as a delicious snack :-)

Julian