So many of us have such a variety of equipment and husbandry skills when it comes to our tank. It is very hard to talk about the three things listed in the subject in regards to how they effect your tank without giving great details on water quality, equipment used (Skimmer, lighting, etc.), husbandry, and acurate observations. I am hoping that given enough detail that I may be offered some sound advice on what I can do to improve the over all quality of the tank, in particular, coral coloration.
Equipment:
My tank is a standard 75 gallon four foot long tank. My lighting consists of 2 x 250w Iwasaki 6500k MH and four 110w VHO blue actinic bulbs. The MH are mounted about a foot above the water line and the VHO bulbs about 7-8 inches. I used a MR-1 Myreefcreation protein skimmer, a 30 gallon refugium with a new batch of cheato starting. I have about 20x turnover rate on my water.
Water quality:
I do not detect any ammonia, nitrate or nitrites. I cannot really detect any phosphates but believe the test kit is not very accurate. Calcium is at 420ppm and Alk is 8-11 DKH. Magnesium is normal. I use all Salifert test kits. This is all I ever test for. Salinity is 1.027
Husbandry:
I have been bad about water changes in the past. I would normally do a 30% once every couple to few months. Only very recently have I changed this practice. I have changed 40% last weekend and 30% two weekends previous. I would like to do a 40% each month. I feed my fish only 2 times a week with about a thumbnail size of mysis shrimp. I do not feed anything else period. I figure this would reduce my nutrient level. I rarely run my protein skimmer because I typically never get too much out of it. I either contribute this to low nutrients or a poor operating skimmer.
Observations:
Until the last two water changes I noticed that when you look length wise down the tank you can see a definite yellow coloration in the water. After the recent water changes and running carbon I could clearly see the difference, no pun intended, but the water was clear with no yellow color at all.
I can certainly add any other details if needed.
Left side of tank:
Right side:
Any advice is welcome. I am not unhappy with my tank but I do believe the colors could be better. Thanks!
Equipment:
My tank is a standard 75 gallon four foot long tank. My lighting consists of 2 x 250w Iwasaki 6500k MH and four 110w VHO blue actinic bulbs. The MH are mounted about a foot above the water line and the VHO bulbs about 7-8 inches. I used a MR-1 Myreefcreation protein skimmer, a 30 gallon refugium with a new batch of cheato starting. I have about 20x turnover rate on my water.
Water quality:
I do not detect any ammonia, nitrate or nitrites. I cannot really detect any phosphates but believe the test kit is not very accurate. Calcium is at 420ppm and Alk is 8-11 DKH. Magnesium is normal. I use all Salifert test kits. This is all I ever test for. Salinity is 1.027
Husbandry:
I have been bad about water changes in the past. I would normally do a 30% once every couple to few months. Only very recently have I changed this practice. I have changed 40% last weekend and 30% two weekends previous. I would like to do a 40% each month. I feed my fish only 2 times a week with about a thumbnail size of mysis shrimp. I do not feed anything else period. I figure this would reduce my nutrient level. I rarely run my protein skimmer because I typically never get too much out of it. I either contribute this to low nutrients or a poor operating skimmer.
Observations:
Until the last two water changes I noticed that when you look length wise down the tank you can see a definite yellow coloration in the water. After the recent water changes and running carbon I could clearly see the difference, no pun intended, but the water was clear with no yellow color at all.
I can certainly add any other details if needed.
Left side of tank:
Right side:
Any advice is welcome. I am not unhappy with my tank but I do believe the colors could be better. Thanks!
