72g AGA Bow Front Reef

[PhoenixOne]

HARDWARE
AGA 72g Bow Front Reef Ready
115 lbs LR
CPR CY194 w/skimmer
Catalina Aquarium 2x150w 15000kMH/4x55w PC actinics set on timers for
dawn/day/dusk
Live sand/crushed coral
Three Hydor Koralia PH (two #3, one #2)
Coralife twist 9x UV sterilizer
Kold Steril II 3 stage water filter
INHABITANTS
1 Hippo Tang
1 Powder/Lilipop Tang
1 Yellow Tang
1 Gold Bar Maroon Clown
1 Neon Goby
1 Long tentacle anemone
2 Coco worms
1 Frong spawn
1 Short tentacle plate
1 Galaxia
1 Favia
1 Lobo
1 Wesophyllia
1 Trumpet Coral
1 (almost gone) torch
1 (tryin to save) acro
1 Pom Pom Xenia(brought it 2 weeks ago, started to shrink. Cant keep them alive for some reason)
2 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
1 Fire Shrimp
50 Nassarius snails
12 Astrea snails
7 janitor hermits(forgot the name)
6 Emerald crabs
Parameters
Ammonia 0
Nitrates 10-20 ppm(been struggling to get it to 0
Nitrites 0
Phosphates 0
Calcuim (this is where it gets weird) Instant Ocean= 750. My LFS Elos test= 350. go figure!
Alk 6.5 meq
PH 8.0
Temp, 79-82. I have a fan mounted on Filter lid. Been struggling with that too

After reading a mess load of posts here, I am in the process of removing the Bio Bale....slowly I might add to avoid any spikes.

I purchased this light from Catalina Aquarium which has a separate matching ballast

My wesophyllia used to open up so much that he would sometime float! Now, since i brought the lights about a year ago, he hasn't opened up. Dunno what to do. He's not happy.

I've had some probs with hair algae. Its an on again off again thing. My nitrates never went beyond 20, and my phosphates always been zero. I do Bi-weekly 25% water changes using Tropic Marin Pro Reef and I feed every three to four days. I added more sand to get a deeper bed, brought 3 Hydor Koralias to improve circulation, cut the lights to 7 hrs a day and water change/top off I use Kold Steril II water filter. I broke down the CPR filter to clean out any detritus stuck in there, continuously clean out the overflow cause gunk, detritus and hair algae would build up in there and I keep the shades closed during the morning hours cause sunrise comes through. I wish I never got a bow front cause I lose valuble space in the corners of the cabinet and scraping coraline aglae off with a razor on a curved glass is a pain. Tank has been up for 3 years. Any thoughts and Ideas will greatly be appreciated and I will see if I can convince my wife/boss to let me buy whatever you fellow reefers suggest. (And if i forgot any info let me know)

 

[marki24]

I like your fish. Beautiful, but they look like they had outgrown your tank already. Just curious, why do you have the glass canopy? Are you aware that you have less light penetrating thru the glass and less water evaporation.

 

[PhoenixOne]

These guys for some reason like to jump. I've sat here and many a times and I've heard a "bump" and I knew someone knocked their head up there. I built a homemade screen top but that cut the light by half. I was so disappointed cause I worked all day making them cause they don't make curved screen tops for these tanks. Do you think egg crate would work? Would it cut the light spectrum as well? Will the egg crate melt from the HQI's?

 

[marki24]

Eggcrates is not a good idea. It might melt under the MH's. if i were you i would built a hood canopy. That might solve your problems.

 

[PhoenixOne]

B....B...BUILD? Yikes!! I can't build lincoln logs to save my life! LOL. But I doubt a canopy would work due to the light legs. They are sitting on the edge of the tank. I also been around to a few LFS's and they said the same about the light legs.