Help

[Ruth]

I would check your ammonia test kit. You should not be getting any reading for ammonia.
I would ditch the foam in the Fluval filter and just run carbon.
Nitrates can be tolerated by fish a lot easier that they will be by corals but at 80ppm you are getting close to a danger zone. I know in my FOWLR (and some softies and anemones) my nitrates always seem to run around 20-25ppm. I have large fish in this tank and they are all big eaters. I also skim the heck out of this tank (190g with sump/fuge) This is the tank that houses my Blonde Naso (13-14"), Moorish Idol, Maroon clown, Conspic. Angel, Goldflake angel and lonely Helfrichi fire fish.
I am sure that there are probably some better canister type filters but if you are upgrading in the near future (which you are going to have to) I wouldn't go and spend $300 on a new canister filter that chances are you are not going to use in the future and can probably only sell second hand for a fraction of what it will cost you.

[cav~firez22]

Thanks for the advice.

Got a pic of your blonde Naso? I love those fish.
I Do also have some xenia ( very shrivvled right now)
and a hammer coral, (looks fine to me. Big & Bubbly)

Do you happen to know of the best or better DIY Protein skimmer? I have serached, but i cant determine what one would be better.

In the meantime, tongiht i will pull the foam blocks and just run carbon, De-nitrate and bioballs.

Would more powerheads Help? im gonna need them for the 180, so if they will help now i will put some more in.

heres a couple of my nassy

[cav~firez22]

Ps
I really appreciate the Help and info.

Thanx alot guys

[Der_Iron_Chef]

I echo the others and say, ditch the foam filter pads. Also, it's not that you don't have enough filtration, it's that you don't have enough export. You want to get as much organic material out of the water BEFORE it gets locked into the nitrogen cycle.

Waste->ammonia->nitrite->nitrate->nitrogen.

Remove waste via skimming, and you reduce the amount of material going into the rest of the cycle. Get the organics out of the water early--with good skimming and water changes--and your nitrates will stay lower.

[cav~firez22]

Back to my previous question then,

What would be the most efficient DIY Skimmer?

I want to build it myself.

[Diana]

you have plenty of LR for biological filtration, so only use the canister for mechanical and chemical purposes. IMO, the BioMax is your problem.

[Der_Iron_Chef]

ReefCentral's DIY page: http://www.reefcentral.com/diy/

[Ruth]

I take crappy pictures but here is a pic of my Naso "Tank"

[Farrmanchu]

More flow would help to keep detrius suspended, and skimmed out. Ditch the biomax, and run the canister with the bags only. Cut feeding down, and WC more.

[andresont]

Originally Posted by Farrmanchu

More flow would help to keep detrius suspended, and skimmed out. Ditch the biomax, and run the canister with the bags only. Cut feeding down, and WC more.

I second that,(turkey baster does very little or nothing) flow is Very important and nothing does it better then "Tunze" kind of pumps even moded maxijets with props are great! You need this slow water front moving BEFORE you can skimm out dissolved cr*p.
Also you may want to take a look in to Sulphur Denitrator.
get rid of everything that collecting detritus in the canisters, leave only carbon and phosfate media, ie. no sponges.
Good luck with your tank.