A few questions for the experienced reefers.

1) What is the best way of keeping my 125g's temperature consistent? A controller with sensor placed in the display tank? It's supposed to be at 78 but slowly fluctuates from 77 to 79.8 and doesn't seem to be completely related to the light cycle or uv sterilizer cycle. Right now I'm heating with a 250W jager heater in the sump. I have 2 of these but when I tried to run both the temperature fluctuated to extreme levels and my tank came down with ich.

2) I ran my tank with merely a skimmer and a sponge filter in the sump for a few months and always seemed to have particles floating in the water, but my pulsing xenia (my first and only coral at the time) grew like a weed. Well, when I added a 200 micron filter sock to cut down on the floating particles I noticed the xenia slimmed down a lot. At about this time I was treating with Rally and Tropical Science Marine Max (not at the same time) so they could've had an influence....but I was wondering if the filter sock is cutting too much of the beneficial bacteria and such from the water. I do not have a fuge yet but am planning on adding one beside the return on the opposite side of the sock/skimmer. Would this addition be enough to counteract what the sock is catching? Or would they just work against each other? Any advice or experience you've had with filter socks and refugiums is helpful.

3) I have been feeding a mix of 4 frozen brine and mysis cubes (soaked in garlic) to my tank each day. Is this too much? They clean it all up in about 3 or 4 minutes and act hungry for the rest of the night. Should I feed again later or am I already pushing it? They all seem to like pellets so I could feed them those later at night if recommended. I know a lot of feeding is simply personal preference but I don't want to set my self up for a catastrophe in the near future.

4) So I couldn't wash my filter sock out in the sink very well and had heard about someone washing it in the washing machine. Well without thinking I threw mine in the machine and added a tiny bit of detergent (though no bleach) to it out of habit. Do you think the detergent being used could have any ill effects on the tank if I use the sock again? Had I been thinking obviously I wouldn't have used anything but water.

Notes: 125g tank is stocked with 1 blue hippo (4"), 1 yellow tang (4"), 2 percula clowns (2"), 1 harlequin sweetlips (2"), 1 royal gramma (2"), 1 flame angel (1.5"), 1 Coral beauty (2"), 1 Yellow watchman goby (2"), 1 Pistol shrimp, 1 cleaner shrimp, 1 emerald crab, 3 hermits, 2 peppermint shrimp, 3 turbo snails, and 8 nassarius snails. I am currently working on adding to my cuc. Parameters, Ammonia-0, Nitrite-0, Nitrate <5, PH 8.0, Temp as stated above 77-80, cant remember other levels at the moment but all were at ideal levels when last checked. I have been running a uv sterilizer for 12hours a day lately to fight off parasites which are now gone.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Thanks much! I hope to hear from several others because I think I'm gonna have to make a few changes to my equipment and routine

 

I would not use the sock... It has detergent in it now.
That temp fluctuation is perfectly fine.
If I am using a sump I do not use any socks.

You are feeding A LOT... I would only feed Maybe a max of 1-2 cubes a day spread out over 3-5 feedings every few hours. Also you should add some seaweed or nori for your tangs!

 

I would not use the sock... It has detergent in it now.
That temp fluctuation is perfectly fine.
If I am using a sump I do not use any socks.

You are feeding A LOT... I would only feed Maybe a max of 1-2 cubes a day spread out over 3-5 feedings every few hours. Also you should add some seaweed or nori for your tangs!

 

Comments:

- Xenia like a lot of nutrients. I even knew one guy about 10 years ago that had a Xenia filter.

- When you put a sock in the system you are effectively filtering out nutrients by mechanical means. Particles that could potentially feed the Xenia get caught in the sock instead.

- Four cubes of food per day is a lot

 

One more comment:

Mist parasites are not adversely affected by the doses most people run uv sterilzers at. There are many reasons to run your water through uv, but solving for parasites should not be one of them.

 

Ok so I should go sockless once again and watch for a change in the xenia.

I will also drop down to 2 cubes per day and spread them out over 2 feedings as that's really all I have time for.

I do have seaweed that I feed every now and then, the tangs definitely love it!

Thanks again and if anyone else has a different experience, I would love to hear it.

 

Good plan.