[amp123dime]

I have a 46 gallon bow front with sand and crushed coral base with 15 plb live rock a coralife 36" lunar aqualight (192 watts) 2 30-60gallon whisper power filters hang on back style. lots of bubbles. No Protein skimmer( do I really need one) 3 Damsels a dogface puffer(I know he will outgrow eventually when he does i will upgrade) 3 big hairy red crabs Emerald?? a sea urchin and 5 hermit crabs. My water tested great except 20 Nitrates and the algae took off as soon as I put my light in about 2 weeks ago. How do I control algae better and get my nitrates to 0???? comments would be helpfull

[NATIVEVAMAN]

If it was my tank I would:
1. get about 40 more pounds of live rock
2.Get a protien skimmer for a tank of about 75 to 100 gallons. Get rid of the whisper filters,they are the reason for the high nitrates.
3.The crushed coral allows all sorts of things to sink in and cause problems,go for sugar fine live sand about 2 to 4 inch's thick. Along with live rock deep sand can be great for denitification.
4. The right kind of hermit crabs and snails can eat more algea than you can grow.

[glampka]

I echo what native said...
Also be sure to use RO/DI water.

[amp123dime]

Ok Changing over to fine sand is pretty cheap just removing all of what is in my tank may be tough but I can do it. I would like to upgrade to just 1 filter strong enough to pump 500 gph without breaking the bank I dont like having 2 hanging on the back of my tank cause a skimmer wont fit. What filter pump do I buy I cant find a good one?? and a protein skimmer for a 46 gallon bow I dont know. most the reveiws on skimmers are negative. I dont want to make any mistakes. Also the ro/di tap water filters are like 300 dollars holy **** thats a lot of money I never thought I would have invested over 1500 for a 46 gallon tank when all is said and done. I guess welcome to the expensive world of reef keeping........

[glampka]

Take a look @ www.airwaterice.com Products and answers for your water treatment needs. You can get a very good RO/DI for a lot less than $300. There are a few of us who have purchased their MightyMite - $99 - great little unit. As far as a HOB skimmer - take a look at the AquaC units & the Bak Pak 2 - both are very good skimmers. When you switch out the CC for the sand be sure to put your rock in 1st & back fill with the sand. This will give your rock a stable base & should you eventually get a burrowing fish your aquascape won't come tumbling down.

[pogodzib]

You've been given very good advice so far. Following it should get you to where you want to be.

Regarding the sand, "sugar" sized aragonite sand works the best. It is calcium based so it will help buffer your water. It does dissolve slowly over time so periodically you may need to add more. The sands that are sold at most "non-aquarium" based stores are silica based. Some people use it because of its cheap price, but it doesn't help buffer your water and silica is one thing that aids in algae growth. Most people do say that once the sand dust it rinsed out, the silica doesn't leach from the sand.

For skimmers, the most affordable HOT skimmers that do a nice job are the Coralife Super Skimmer (Needlewheel version) and the AquaC Remora series. Most other HOT skimmers are either way more expensive or do a crappy job. You should check them both out before making your choice. All skimmers have their good and bad sides. BTW - Since a skimmer is made out of plastic and a pump, their is really only one part of it that wears out and that is the pump. The rest of the unit works the same weather its new or several year old. Granted new models may have some nice improvement or upgrades to the m that the older models won't. If your concerned about the price, you can usually find good used skimmers on reef websites for half the price of a new skimmer.

[amp123dime]

Today I experienced a new issue my crabs attacked my black sea urchin and cut off all of his prickley things now he is just laying on the bottom getting attacked and still alive. I thought the sea urchin would stick on the glass and eat the algae but on the bottom he turned in to a crab toy. Should I throw him away to save him the pain or let him live without his prickley things and hope he can survive. My 2 year old is crying because the sea urchin was her favorite she says "My lub him, he's dying" //