HaysStanford

If the stuff in the first picture has what seems to be little bumps containing polyp like organisms it is probably a colony of bryozoans. It could also be some sponge or a colony of small tunicates.

Search "jbj" on craigslist and there is a guy who is selling a mh clip on. Its a K2 Viper, but he doesnt say whether its the 70 watt model or the 150 watt model.

It is okay if I reference you to craigslist right? Im not trying to advertise or anything, im just trying to help you find what you are looking for.

perhaps we could add an arduino controlled nano cooling unit using this?

is this still available?

So the tank has been up and running for a few weeks now! There were a few leaks in the beginning, but all have been fixed and havent leaked since. My original plans had some flaws, and so I had to workaround a few things, including a small crack between bulkheads I created due to my own impulsive decision to tighten the threaded pvc pipe into an already tightened bulkhead (which just kept tightening the bulkhead more). Since there had to be some extra tension to insert the pvc pipe it caused some uneven pressure on the glass and it cracked... It was a pretty simple fix though, all I did was put some silicone over it and it hasnt leaked at all. Here is a list of gear and livestock I have in my system, as well as some pictures.

EQUIPMENT

• Precision Marine R30 Sump
• Coralife Super Skimmer 65
• JBJ A.T.O.
• Danner Mag-Drive Supreme 3
• Nova Extreme Pro T5HO with the 3 actinic and 3 10k bulbs that were included
• 1 Vortech MP10 without the wireless driver
• 1 Hydor Koralia Evolution 600 GPH powerhead

​
LIVESTOCK

• 2 Percula Clownfish
• 1 Coral Beauty Dwarf Angelfish
• 2 Tricolor Ricordea Mushrooms
• Soul Diesel Acanthastrea Polyps
• Neon Green Pavona
• Green Glaxea
• Blue Chalice with Bright Yellow Polyps
• Unknown SPS
• Unknown LPS
• 29 lbs of Marshall Island Live Rock
• 30 lbs of Fiji Live Rock
• Chaetomorpha Macroalgae
• Some Clams/Oysters that came on the liverock
• Some unknown LPS polyps attached the liverock
• Halimeda Macroalgae
• Dragonsbreath Macroalgae

​

Great video! Thanks for the info

Does anyone have any ideas or techniques they use to make their skimmer remove as many proteins as it possibly can?

Should a protein skimmer be run while you are cycling your tank? Would it just make the cycle take longer?

Power compacts are the main type of lighting that change wavelength. Other types like T5 fluorescents tend to decrease more in PAR rather than change wavelength

If you are using power compacts and havent changed them in a while that could definitely be one of the big contributing factors. The wavelength of power compacts tends to change as they get older, causing it to feed algae more.

what is the flow like in your system?

also, one way to solve it is simply put some live rotifers in there like bio does in his culture. Just turn off your HOB filter (it really shouldnt make too big of a difference if only for a couple of days) and let the rotifers do their thing. It could actually be a good thing due to all the live food it could make for your corals and such.

are you using any activated carbon?

So I ordered A resun sk300 protein skimmer on ebay for 25 bucks. I just set it up yesterday on my 10 gallon clownfish tank and will be updating this thread on the results I get. The tank its in has a pretty large algae problem, so I should be able to notice any improvements in water quality. The few reviews and videos that I could find in english said fairly positive things about this skimmer considering it is the cheapest HOB skimmer I could find that uses a venturi pump. Keep in mind this is the first protein skimmer ive ever operated, although I think ive got a pretty good idea on how to adjust it to get good DOC reduction. The skimmer is still breaking in but it already spits out a massive number of micro-bubbles, but they only rise above the water in the skimmer by about an inch max when in the narrowest part of the skimmers neck, which is probably due to it not having a layer of proteins on the plastic yet. The only issue I see right now that probably isnt caused by the freshness of the skimmer is that it shoots out a ton of micro-bubbles through its side (its not broken, it just has a very compact design that requires the whole skimmer chamber to be separated in order to reach the pump). So far this seems like it would be a pretty good HOB skimmer for anyone looking for a cheap solution to obtaining cleaner water in a QT that doesnt really hold any aesthetic value.

Aiptasia X got rid of my majano

Id say that its definitely a majano anemone. Here is a picture of one that looks similar to yours just with less tentacles.

http://www.pirx.com/gallery/var/albums/reef/cnidarians/majano.jpg?m=1306192082

I'm more inclined to believe that small hitch hiker is the beginning of a majano anemome. The lack of definition on the 'fingers' doesn't look like clove polyps. Clove polyps have more of a feathery appearance on their fingers.

I agree this looks like the start of a majano. I had a tiny majano in my tank right next to some pipe organ corals. I never noticed it until it started getting a bit green, but before that it looked like just another pipe organ polyp beginning to grow.

Can you post pictures please?

You definitely have a good point. I think we need to know more about the system in order to get closer to a conclusion.

Sounds interesting. I'm going to look online to see if I can find any info on this. Would this be considered a good thing? I guess it would lead to more growth and spread right? If that is what's happening...

The book said coral spawning should be avoided since it dramatically changes the water quality in a very short period of time.

I still don't consider myself an expert, but I think these correlate:

lights on increases photosynthesis

photosynthesis reduces CO2

a reduction in CO2 increases pH

an increase of pH means an increase in alkalinity (bicarbonates)

an increase in alkalinity can lead to abiotic precipitation of calcium

abiotic precipitation of calcium is a snow storm

Is that wrong?

Im fairly positive you have the right idea, but I dont think leaving the display lights on while leaving the refugium lights off would cause an increase of ph. If anything I think it would lower the ph because all the algae in the refugium isnt carrying out photosynthesis and there probably isnt a large amount of algae in the display (the main source of algae being on corals) to produce a significant change in ph. But thats just my take on it, you very well could be right.

The book that I was reading that information in is called "The Reef Aquarium Vol. 3" and its a pretty reputable book.

I read that there is a chance that corals will start spawning when they are exposed to a longer photo-period. The article also explained the effects of coral spawning and it sounds pretty close to what you are experiencing. I may be completely wrong but its just something to keep in mind.

Maybe we should have a predefined price that everyone agrees on for every 1/4 inch of certain corals. Like each 1/4 inch of birdnest coral takes 5 dollars out of your budget. I feel like if someone get a really good deal on something than it could be extremely unfair for those who cant find any good deals.

Should the hole drilled have a diameter of 1-5/8 inch so the 1-3/4 inch fitting can go in?

By total diameter I mean the size of the hole where you put in the pipe plus the thickness of the bulkhead.