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Sorry, that should be 0.03 for SPS

Thanks. I thought the ideal level for LPS was around 0.05 and 0.05 for SPS? I mean it's academic as I haven't got any LPS or SPS yet but was I wrong about that?

Thank you! Interestingly the algae has died back a lot already - at one point the base was covered in brown algae, most of which I was able to brush away, and my snails and hermits have nibbled most of the rest. It isn't squishy. I think I may leave the CUC to get on with it for a few days more...

I'd be grateful for any ideas on what's going on with this toadstool, and how to fix it? As you can see its stalk has basically collapsed. I've fiddled with the flow and I'm gradually increasing the light intensity although AIUI this is a low-light coral. I wonder if it could be lack of...

Thanks (a bit late I know). You are right about the pictures - still working on that. Well, anyway, the lesions disappeared and as the fish didn't seem to be having any issues I put it back in the display tank. Was fine for a few days and then vanished. No sign of an ammonia spike but it's been...

NB Sorry, that phosphate should have read "0.08". Also: Water changes - 10% weekly Tankmates - 2 small clownfish, a 6 line wrasse and a long nosed hawkfish 1 toadstool coral and 1 mushroom coral 6 turbo snails No changes to any of the above since the royal gramma was added. The wrasse did...

Would appreciate any help in diagnosing this. Apologies for the poor photos - best I could do! I've had this royal gramma for about 3 weeks now. Just noticed this morning a single white spot on the base of its caudal fin. There also appears to be a very small grey patch surrounding it. There...

In turn I typed .5 for .05 but I think we'er on the same page! Thanks. Will probably add some mysis into the mix and see how they get on with that.

Mixture of flake ("Pro-F Aquatic Life with Garlic") and frozen artemia. A very little twice a day at the moment. I haven't tried live food yet. Interesting about the phosphate. I'd thought I'd need to bring it down to about 0.5 or thereabouts but if I can get away with 0.1 for soft corals at...

Thanks.

I do use RO (I make my own using a 4 stage RODI system). You could have a point about the flow as that spot is a bit sheltered by the rocks either side of it, but I can reposition the powerheads to fix that.

As of yesterday: Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 0 pH somewhere between 8.0 and 8.2 (all these have been consistent for weeks now) Phosphate 0.1 - fine for the fish as far as I know but maybe too high for corals? The wrasse is doing fine. Eating well and not bothering anybody (he did hang around...

So, quick update. The tank as it is now. You can see the clowns, 6 line wrasse and the hawkfish in the background and a couple of snails (I've just added 6 turbo snails as my first clean up crew and they've mopped up most of the diatoms already - though I'm going to have to clean them off the...

Yes, I was thinking along those lines. Any recommendations? I want something hardy but not something that will take over the tank, at least to begin with.

Sure. I was about to post an update anyway.

For context, this was meant to be a picture of Boris and Carrie the clownfish (UK readers will understand) but they got photobombed by my hawkfish and two turbo snails. The one on the right of the shot cleaned up those diatoms by himself in 24 hours.

I'll be very interested to see how you get on as I'm in the same place in the hobby as you are and your set up and mine are very similar. What corals have you got? I've not been brave enough to add any yet!

A couple of things got me into it as a kid. Jacques Cousteau was on the telly a lot, and my Dad (who was something of a SCUBA pioneer having got into it in the early 50s) had a shelf full of books by the likes of Cousteau, Hans Haas etc. I couldn't really go diving in tropical waters but I could...

So, life didn't to altogether as planned (deliveries delayed, some issues with the sump/cabinet that I had to sort out, the odd life event etc) but I did get it up and running in the end. I've found some of the equipment I originally planned either wasn't available or physically wouldn't fit...

My only experience with hatchetfish was many years ago when I tried to keep some in my old 40g tank. It had a reasonably close fitting lid but they still managed to jump through the gaps, strand themselves on the lid and bake under the light. :( You may be right about their tankmates being the...

Thanks. Yes, that's pretty much my thinking. Whatever I do I'm planning to do it veerrryy gradually and in easy stages!

Tbf neither did I until a few weeks ago! (Fish Only / Fish Only With Live Rock)

Do you know what your phospate levels are? Some algae (I think this includes hair algae) love phosphate.

Cheers. I think you're right about corals - I may yet chicken out and settle for a FO or FOWLR set up but would like to give them a go.

Thanks for replying. Well, as I said upthread, I've had freshwater tanks for many years, so it's not my first tank but it is my first marine setup. I propose to cycle it mch as I'd cycle a FW tank - as far as I can tell the process isn't fundamentally different. Not sure whether to go down the...

Provisional shopping list: Heater - taking the sump into account I need a 300 W heater and am thinking of a Fluval E Mechanical filter - Probably a small TMC manual reef roller - I'd rather get an automatic one but the ones I've seen are too big for the first chamber at least Skimmer - I find...

So, here is the new arrival, which I'm hoping will turn out to be my pride & joy rather than an absolute nightmare... At the moment it's a blank canvass. I'm planning a fairly basic reef setup with some beginners corals (eventually). Someone kindly suggested I start a journal so I'll post my...

Thanks! 220L + sump (about 115 L if I've measured it right). I was going to go for FOWLR but I'm thinking along the lines of a simple reef set up now.