Why isn't my hammer bright green like in the lfs?

[MoreDakka]

Originally Posted by Myka

As sphelps said, find a used 4-bulb T5 fixture in the classifieds on CanReef. I think the one he linked to is too short for your tank as yours appears to be 36". AquaticLife make reasonably priced T5 fixtures and used ones are quite economical.

For LPS, if you use mainly blue bulbs you can push 12 months on them ime. I use T5s over my Zoa/LPS tank and really like the results. I use 3 blue plus bulbs and 1 Coral Light bulb and replace one bulb every 3 months which is only $30 every 3 months - easy to handle.

For nitrate issues, big waterchanges won't fix the problem entirely. You need to locate the source...tap water? Overfeeding? Poor skimmer? Poor water circulation allowing detritus to settle? Etc... Check out the links in my signature for advice on tank maintenance (Detritus Wars & Hair Algae).

I may have been incorrect in saying T5, it's a dual bulb, would it be t5-ho?



I tested the tap water. No extra nitrates coming from there, a bit of ammonium (about 0.25ppm). I was over feeding, now I've cut that back even more. I might have a couple of spots where the water sits but I'm seeing flow everywhere and my CUC is quite good at getting rid of stuff. Just added 4 nassarius snaills to the mix too. I've also gone ahead and scraped that back wall. That was gross, the water looked like a slew...nice now though,

Titus99 gave me a bunch of info as well, my HOB filter I was neglecting and probably farming nitrates out of that. That's now being cleaned daily/every other day. I was over feeding lots, that's been cut back. So my nitrate levels have dropped to 20ppm after 2 30-40% water changes (45g tank, 1" sand, 35 lb live rock...not sure how much water is actually in this tank).

Originally Posted by miuYH

What about par30/38 light bulbs?

I've brought THESE up before but the community hasn't responded to it yet. Not sure if they are a good buy or not. I'm assuming not?

Thanks again to everyone who is helping me with this problem. The tank looks brighter and cleaner than ever before.