Up until yesterday, the only fish I had in the tank were a pair of small clowns. I now also have 3 Bartlett's Anthias.
My skimmer is a Reef Octopus NWB 150. I ordered a better skimmer -- but that's a long story that I'm not going into. This one is pulling decent skimmate though, and it shouldn't be a problem for my 125 right now, I wouldn't think.
Presently I am dosing phytoplankton every other day, at about 1/2 what the bottle recommends.
I am also dosing Seachem's Fuel, at about 1/2-2/3 what the bottle recommends for amino acids/vitamins.
And, about every 4 days, I am using a very small portion of Reef Paradise frozen blend to feed the LPS; and what the LPS doesn't take in is grabbed by either the fish, the shrimp (I have a cleaner and a pistol) or the narcissus snails or hermit crabs.
Phyto and fuel are both really unneeded in your tank, right now especially, and up until yesterday you were overfeeding IMO with an OK skimmer (could be worse anyway). Phyto and fuel if used improperly are super easy to overdose in a tank, and will easily cause the problems you are seeing. Unless you are running biopellets or vodka/carbon dosing you really are putting alot more waste into the system then needed.
This is a very true statement IMHO. There is a very large misconception that phyto plankton is a preferred food source for coral. Feeding your coral is a good thing but should be done in moderation because they are consuming needed nutrients from your water column. I use very little phyto. I prefer the most common food source consumed in the ocean. Zoo plankton and add lipids but only on a once weekly bassis. I feed zoo plankton three times a week.
This is a very true statement IMHO. There is a very large misconception that phyto plankton is a preferred food source for coral. Feeding your coral is a good thing but should be done in moderation because they are consuming needed nutrients from your water column. I use very little phyto. I prefer the most common food source consumed in the ocean. Zoo plankton and add lipids but only on a once weekly bassis. I feed zoo plankton three times a week.
I was/am aware phytoplankton isn't feeding my corals. I was dosing it to help establish my amphipod population, though I guess I can hold off on that.
The reason I was dosing fuel is for health/color/growth for my LPS, but I can hold off on that awhile, too.
Yeah, I'm aware I don't have the best skimmer. It isn't what I ordered - or what I paid for. But, there are so many skimmers on the market, I wasn't aware of the fact until it was too late, and the place I ordered it from and paid for it through had closed down. So right now, I have to deal with it until I can get some other things paid for. I intend to upgrade to the Super Reef Octopus XP-2000. I really wish I had built my stand bigger ... I'm fairly limited now in what kind of skimmer I can put in, really can't have anything total over 23" high, or I won't be able to get the cup off.
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Originally Posted by Chris
