1 year noob

Hi everyone,
I have been checking out the forums and I see tons of info here.
I have a 155 Bow front tank with a 30g refug and a 30 g sump.(will post pics later..at work now) I have 2- 6' vho actinics with 3 175 MH. I have had some success with the tank but I get frustrated sometimes. I feel as though I am guessing about what to do next with water quality issues. I love a challenge and this deffinately fits the bill.
I am not sure if I have enough powerheads now but the water movement seems fine.(2 maxijet 1200 with conversion kits) not sure about the basics I guess. I feel as though I am getting conflicting information from the local stores here and just need some good solid advise. I look forward to any and all advise you guys and gals can supply.
cant wait til I start asking questions. hope I dont wear out my welcome with you.
I did have some fun last night killing some aptasia. ;D
thanks in advance...

 

Hey! Welcome to 3reef. You'll get far better advice here than at pretty much any LFS. I have learned absolutely everything i know so far from this site. I can see where just two powerheads could cause some flow problems. Have you thought about doing a closed loop with multiple outlets? Would be a lot cheaper than buying a few smaller powerheads.

Ivan

 

like the title says...one year noob...lol please explain the closed loop with multiple outlets. I have my refuge and the sump in the garage(actually a storage room.. you could never fit a car in there much less work on it). any idea how much wattage on the heater/s i should have? I have 2-300w in the sump.

 

I am not sure the names right now but I have the test strip one that has multiple tests on each strip. i also have specific gravity tester. Thats about it. When I think something is amiss I take a sample to the LFS. do you recommend any tests I could/ should be doing myself?

 

Closed loop is just a pump behind the tank. Water is pumped out of the tank..then back into the tank. It's a pretty simple setup. Just have one inlet to the pump then branch off the pipe leaving the pump so it shoots the water back into the tank in various spots. Do a few google searches on it for a better explanation.

 

I got ya. thanks.

 

For those of you joining us that are new to the hobby - the best piece of advice you'll get around here as a saltwater newbie is 3Reef's slogan
"Go slow, let it grow."
And for those experianced hobbyists joining us - it's still good advice
good luck and post pics soon

 

The test strips I have test for alkalinity, ph, nitrate, nitrite, and maybe 1 other but that is all I test for at home. I have a Montipora, leather, star pollops and a couple of other stony corals. There is also a Hippo tang, Purple Tang, maroon clown, 4 stripe damsel, sailfin. we just lost a couple of fish when my skimmer pump went down along with my hammer coral and even some of my mushrooms. Not to mention when I replaced the pump my heater must have devolped a crack or something because it exploded in my sump tripping out my GFCI and stinking to high heaven. Power was out all night to my pump, heat, skimmer, and uv sterilizer. Ever heard of Murphy's Law... I live it. lol that should be my signature.