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For SPS and smaller mouthed LPS, I used to make a cocktail using: Reef Roids, Reef Chili, re-hydrated in some Oyster Feast, along with a cube of Cyclop-eeze. Initially I would target feed, and then turn on the circulating pumps for about an hour before turning on the return pumps. The larger LPS...
The last time I had a fuge that's what I used too, with a clamp on reflector. Ultimately, I stared using a 6500K flood light since the reflector became a little pitted.
Here is a video of the pump, toward the end he explains the adjusting screw, and its purpose. He also claims you need at least 60 gpd for the dual membrane/ water saver unit. But according to Russ at Buckeye Hydro 65 psi would be a preferred minimum with 80 psi being the max.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php
The instructions for baking the baking soda calls for baking it at 300 degrees for one hour, but it will dissolve much better if you increase the temp to 400 and bake for 1 1/2 hours, which will have no ill affect on the end product(soda ash)...
It would be best to add salt mix to water, not the other way around. "Adding the salt before the water can be okay, but causes an unusually high salinity for the period when you are adding water, which can result in the formation of certain precipitates that may be hard to redissolve." R H-F
I once had a situation where I had some salt creep collect on the upper corner of my tank that was hidden by my canopy. The salt creep was acting like a wick and the water was slowly running down the outside corner of the tank, collecting along that seam. So, check for salt creep along the top...
You should be calibrating with a solution that is at the refractive index of the sample you are testing, so it would be best if you used a 35ppt calibration solution. Here is a good read:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-12/rhf/index.php#13
Is your refractometer calibrated? Using a 35ppt calibration solution, or RO/DI water? At 7.75, your pH isn't all that bad, and is more a symptom of higher levels of CO2 in the household atmosphere this time of year, low alk will also contribute.
Camden
Baltimore
AC
Alaska Sea Life Center, Seward AK
Sitka Sound Science Center, Sitka AK
Vancouver Aquarium, BC
Monterey Bay Aquarium, Ca.
Curacao Sea Aquarium, NA
They have an abysmal survival rate, need a very specific feed, and tend to hide in the rocks where they are difficult or next to impossible to see. Here is some reading. I tried one once, without success.