Acropora

I said before your pump yields 1200gph at 4ft! I meant to say they yield 1100gph @ 4 ft not 1200gph! just a correction!

 

Hope this helps! lol!

 

Ok... seems better as far as plumbing goes, so to have better flow around, unfourtunately as you already know, the pumps are not strong enough to be able to provide enough circulation for the tank. Without looking at it, it is hard now to tell you an"estimated" GPH from your main pumps. You can use a 5g bucket and have it filled with one of your returns, and then calculate if it takes so much time to fill this 5 gallon bucket, how long would it do in one hour's time. This will be far more accurate. Good for you on the 1' inch piping, Much better OPEN FLOW! As far as the ball pipes, what I mean is that by looking at the picture of your tan, on the right side I see the ball pipe has the "water disperser" little black semi-triangular end that "flatens" the water, is restricting the flow. Definately not helping flow. The Korallias are good pumps, so hopefully this will help you maintain nutrients suspended. The corals need enough flow around them to expell waste and to bring nutrients in, without it, their own waste suffocate their tissue and leads to the decay and ultimately death of the coral. At least you know about your flow short comnings and you are working to correct them.

 

hmmm.... :| ! As I said, from the looks of the picture, it seems that way. I still need clarification, so If you can take pics of the coral I should be able to tell!Try and take some pictures near the base where both corals seem to meet! It would be very unusual for 2 distinct colonies of any type of corals to be so close to each other and still be alive. They will compete for space every night and kill each other when in such proximity! I do see what you mean about the grow pattern of it in relation to the other coral (if it is 2). Heck, If you say they are 2 corals instead of just one, I dont have a reason to NOT believe you.Sometimes though it just seems this way. Growth patters can be altered thru culturing or even by positioning of corals so it is not unusual to see this,When a coral bleaches it can start at the tips or at the base, but after the coral bleached the tips can change colors by getting coated with nutrients in the water, and under the right lighting might deceive you and make you think "it" is a different coral.All I can see in the pic is what seems like a bleached area of a single frag which seems to be aquacultured.
Again, just based on that pic, so let it be if you DO KNOW is 2 corals .

 

Hmmm! I have my tank drilled by myself to accomodate 2 drops of 1 inch plus the 4 returns on the back wall, for the same reasons you described. Im running about 2400gph of true circulation thru my piping and the flow is still ok on the drops! You also have 2 drops of 1 inch in your 180g tank. This should allow you to use much more circulation than what you have... I dont know what you are using as far as the plumbing on your overflow boxes, are you using the kit that came with the tank? was it a durso pipe kit? or a regular one with the sponge and the little floater? You can up your down flow capabilites by changing the plumbing here to Durso Pipes and this will also be almost completely quite. If you still feel you cannot push as much flow as you want you can turn your returns into drops and then have all the returns come from the back of the tank thru pvc! This way you wont have to use but one or 2 pumps inside the main display just to address little stagnant areas!

 

Your clam will have more than enough food from the nitrates, phosphates, TDS in the water. And also from everytime you feed the fish.Dont complicate yourself with plankton, or any other additives. I have 9 clams, 4 of which are 7 inch Maxximas and they are growing just fine!
1 minute feeding is too much! Rate the food based on what you see EACH fish feed, this is typically 30 seconds or so! Most of the people's tanks I service killed their fish and corals by OVER feeding not UNDER feeding. I have yet to see that! lol!

 

You can modify your current Dursos this way:

"get a 1 inch tee/end cap, and a ftp threated in one end and open in the other end...... !
Crap.... just give me a sec Ill take a pic! and post!

 

Here! I cant remember whether you need 1 inch and a 1/4 or inch and 1/2! but you get the idea. You need to drill a 1/2 hole in the end cap and thread in one of them valves (quick disconnect) we use for 1/4 inch RO systems! They sell a 1/2 inch threated end and then slip on on the other side at lowes/ home depot!

 

You dont have to drill! you can rig pvc piping to make the returns to support themselves on the lip of the tank by 2, 90 degrees and then putting a tee there!

 

sweet! but where is the majestic?? lol! Yeah that coral is a single colony and it is now dead in one good section. To try and save the rest brake apart the dead part and dip the section where you broke the coral off in some iodine solution! This will hopefully "cauterize" (sorta) the cut and allow the coral to heal! Im sorry to be the bearer of bad news! (

 

In the Photography section...

 

You see how you have the returns and At the the ends have the flow restrictors? The semi triangular things at the end of the spouts? You should remove those! They only restrict and limit water flow! Leave the end without them! That should help on flow! I see the dursos and the water level, if you do the mod I told you,you can improve flow rate and not have to worry about it!