Hello! First time here with lots of questions

[bripen]

Hi. This is my first reef tank and I have a ton of questions about things occuring which I haven't found answers to in any of my books--and I have quite a few! Hopefully, someone will be willing to share some insight and knowledge. Thanks in advance.
Brian

 

[Krish]

Welcome to RF!!! You've come to the right place if you have questions...Let us know what all you need to find out and we'll do our best to answer them all.

 

[spongebob lover]

Welcome to RF dood !!
ask anything you're having problems with or even if you just wanna share your experiences, we're always happy to help and read

 

[bripen]

My setup is as follows: 75 gal RR with a 30 gal refugium/sump. My main return is via a GEN-X 4. I'm using mostly chaetomorph(sp?) and some caulerpa in the refugium on a 24 hour light schedule. The refugium also has 5 inches of live sand in it, along with 8 nassarius snails, and a 24 watt light. The display tank has approx. 90 lbs. of various types of live rock and maybe an inch of sand. Water circulation is via 3 Maxijet 900's with Hydors on them, all connected to a wavemaker. I also have an Aquel 170 gph canister filter with an 8 watt UV internal to it that I run occassionally with some charcoal. In the sump I have an Aqua-C Urchin skimmer connected to a Maxijet 12. For lighting, I have a 48" Orbit Extreme fixture--2x150w10kMH, 2x130w230/260 Actinics, and 6x1w white Lunar lights.
I set up the system about 6 months ago with just the rock and let it just sit for 2 months before adding some snails and hermits. 2 months later I added 2 brittle stars and 2 emerald crabs, and began to introduce some coral frags--a frogspawn, an anchor, and a chili coral. The following period I added some more corals and 3 fish--a Scribbled rabbitfish, a Tomato Clowfish with a Bubbletip Anemone, and an Orchid Dottyback (fridmanni). And that is where my tank is at now. LOL--sorry to be so long winded.

 

[bripen]

Question #1-What are all the tiny hard white dots that seem to grow on the back glass and powerheads?

 

[Krish]

Sounds like a pretty decent setup! I was curious how that caulerpa was working out for you? I've heard a lot of people steering clear of it because they can easily go "sexual" and mess up a tank, then again you hear of people that wouldn't use anything other than caulerpa...

As for the tiny hard white dots that seem to grow everywhere, it almost sounds like the beginning of coraline, but couldn't say for sure without a picture. I know some coraline will start out white and then eventually turn purple, pink etc so that might be what you are seeing, but like I said, hard to tell for sure without a pic

 

[mattseattle]

Coralline would be like flat paint chips. Coralline would also spread over time.

To me it sounds more like tube worms and/or other filter feeders if they are small white dots.

 

[Krish]

To me it sounds more like tube worms and/or other filter feeders if they are small white dots.

Very true...Didn't even think of that

 

[ronj]

Welcome to RF Brian!!...i agree with Matt..do they kind of resemble barnicles???

 

[bripen]

Thanks---and thaks to all for the welcome. The caulerpa does fine. I've removed at least 3 gallon size bags of both it and the chaetomorph in the past 5 months. As far as the sexual collapse goes, they say that the 24 hour lighting scheme prevents that. By the way, I didn't add the caulerpa, it just snuck in with the other, but so far it has been behaving.

 

[spongebob lover]

hmm i agree with Matt, they might be some type of worm.... may be Spirorbid Polychaete ?

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/photos_corals/showphoto.php?photo=634&cat=543

do they look like the ones in the picture to the link?

 

[bripen]

Hmmm...Not sure Ron. I have some barnacles on a gorgonian, but these are just teeny tiny little specks that pretty much are covering the back glass and powerhead motors. I have tubeworms and fanworms all over the place, and recently I've seen some strange slugs spawning. Also have voluteer tiny snails--not sure what type.

 

[bripen]

Maybe doodette--was that a magnification?

 

[bripen]

Yipee! The UPS man just brought my order with 3 Sure Grip magnetic power head holders. No more suction cups!!! I hope they work as well as I've heard.

 

[Krish]

They will work out great!!! I have 2 of them. Don't get your fingers between them though:shock: How are you liking the flow in your tank with the 3 maxi jets and the GenX 4? Do you feel you are getting good coverage with them?

 

[bripen]

I'm still not sure about the flow. I keep fiddling with it and trying to adjust it to keep the critters happy--which leads me to
Question #2: My reading tells me that water flow should decrease at night, but I have a Chili coral (Nepthyigorgia) that only opens up at night with high flow. Any suggestions? BTW--I'm in the process of constructing a large overhanging ledge for this coral as I understand they like to be upside down.

 

[Krish]

Some like to decrease the flow at night so their fish could "rest", but I've never done it. My 38gal I just took down had 4,000 gph of flow in it and it was full blast 24/7 and the fish were fine. Same went for my 75gal I had...I had about 5,000 gph in it and it was full blast all the time and never had a problem and now so far, my 24gal Aquapod has (3) Maxijet1200's and they stay on all the time without any issues. I guess it is all a matter of personal opinion.

 

[spongebob lover]

Maybe doodette--was that a magnification

I believe so dood .
yeah like Krish said some people like to lower their flow at night but you don't have to, i don't do it either .

 

[Krish]

Here's a cool thread on what people are using for flow in their tanks to give you some ideas incase you are considering increasing it any

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18140

 

[bripen]

My only real worry with increasing the flow is the flesh on my LPS corals (frogspawn, anchor, hammer, bubble, trachyphyllia). I don't want to irritate or tear them. I have a 900 gph powerhead standing by...