I'm a little confused about what the steps of this process are. Is this what I should be doing?

I don't have any dragonets or wrasses, so to just clear it up I should start by using a turkey baster to siphon the bigger chunks of the bacteria out and then turn my lights off for 3 days and put a blacker over the tank only to open once a day for feeding. Then on the 4th day I remove the blanket and keep the blue lights on for the time that the lights would normally be on, then on the 5th day I put the light schedule back to normal and then do a water change?

And are you sure that this will be safe for my Elegance coral, my Hammer coral, my little sea anemones and of course my fish??

Just starting out so this sort of information is very much appreciated.

I just use the Doradon acclimation kit, it's quick and easy with guarantee match in all parameters.

Sk8r, I was trying to find your blog in just Algae. I had no luck. Could you share the link, please?

Great read! Going through this right now. Thank you for the information!

Thanks for helping me undersstand my problem, hopefully over the next 6 months I'll see an improvement, just in time for the next outbreak

i guess that explains my tank!! this is so help full and im on my wayyy to fixing the problem. Very help full! thank you

hello. im a newbie and have heard damsel fish are verry sgressive can damsale fish be in the same tank as clown?

hello. im a newbie and have heard damsel fish are verry sgressive can damsale fish be in the same tank as clown?

Very nice summary. Thank you!!!

Thank you! Now when my tank is in its cycle and it takes on a new hair style I won't freak.. I'll know it's part of the process.

Thanks sk8er... good luck sbazain :$

having that problem right now trying to get macro algae I just set up the sump I did a diy overflow and I put it in to quick and I think the gases from the glue crashed my tank two fish died and the ones I saved are always hiding and wont eat did a water change removed the piping and bought a new overflow box water is doing good but they just wont eat can some body help me with this one love my tank want it back

Sk8r, what does it mean that once the tank is full and starts getting brown algea ( filled and refilled with treated tap water, switching to ro/di from my local pet store until I can afford a system of my own) When you get bubbles under and all over the live rock? I can see it under a few of my ledges and on some of my rock. Not really after a water change...but after I added my protien skimmer... I will be putting the skimmer in my sump with baffles once i get the sump tank and refugium with baffles built. Is it just from the skimmer? It seems to disperse them fairly well. idk

Thanks for the review on hair algae.

Can't wait for the bubble algae primer!

I wanted to report that my Mandarin is getting fat. The area behind its rib cage was very pinched when it came home from the LFS. It has a much smoother taper and seems to be eating like a king.

I stuffed some Cheato down in the "sump" and the pods have colonized it. I've also let a little algae grow on the glass and it looks like that's the happy hunting ground.

Long term I think this tank is too small to self sustain a pod population and a Mandarin. I'm going to culture some pods externally and try to train it to eat in a Mandrin Diner till the pods are ready.

It's good that you have this info out there. Every LFS I've visited has at least one Mandarin and customers are always asking about them. With most priced at $35+ I've only had one shop explain their needs correctly and that's the one that sold it to me.

Thanks again!

As always Sk8r, excellent post. I have both (not in the same tank) and my scooter eats chunks of krill I didn't think he could even get in his mouth. He blasts it out a couple of times but gets it down. Fun to watch!

Thanks Sk8r Bravo to you for the time and effort you put into this site as well as your tank. It can't be easy being a mod and you are a good one.

Respects always,

Sport/Roger