Chemi-clean

[salisbury a d]

Yes each light is 55 watts a peice. Yes 3 sponges but one is only about the size of three half dollars stacked on each other and is in the overflow. It is cleaned every day. The other two are in the sump and are about 7 inches long and 1 inch wide a peice Cleaned weekly. the Test kits I use are Ammonia nitrate nitrite and ph are in the Saltwater master liquid test kit made by the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, inc. The others are Phosphate made by Seachem, An aldalinity tester made by Aquarium Systems and an extra Nitrite test kit made by Marine Enterprises International, inc.
I can understand airating the water but why have carbon in it instead of in the wet dry.
Also the tank is located in a fairly bright room with windows facing east west and south catching every bit of sun during the day.
Adam

 

[salisbury a d]

You still haven't told me what a silicate filter is. Is it a unit or a media for the filter? How do you test silicates? Is there any other way to rid of silicates without this "filter"?
Adam

 

[fender]

The silicate filters I have seen @ LFS appear to be a sponge like material, sorta like pot scrubber. If I member correct the say to put them in your filter etc. directly in the water flow.
The fact that your tank is getting hit with so much sunlight probably isn't helping. Most of the books I've read say this is a bad thing... as usual they don't go on to explain why....
One of my LFS has a green house type setup for their corals and in some tanks don't even have any supplimentary(sp) lighting.
The corals are doing VERY well.
HTH

 

[total]

I'm sorry to say but RO water is a must. Giving the reef bad water is like sticking you in a garage with the door closed and the car running. If you give the reef bad water you're going to kill it or make it suffer a miseralbe life. SPEND THE MONEY! Its the most important part of the tank. Good luck
TTFN