dskidmore
Aquarium Advice Addict
I'll let someone more experienced answer the coral question.
This is normal. Do you have a bit of space in the sump to make modifications? What you need are "bubble baffles" between your skimmer chamber and your pump chamber. They will force the water to go up, down, and up again. They will also keep the water level constant in the skimmer chamber, which is important for many skimmers.2. I bought an in sump skimmer and when I adjusted the air intake dial to get the "storm" in the chamber, the fine bubbles appeared in the tank through the return pumps. That makes the tank ugly and how do I prevent this?
The only downside to these baffles is that all your evaporation change will show up in the pump chamber, and you must be vigilant about your freshwater replacement of evaporation loss, or your pump may run dry.
I wrote up more than you ever want to know about sump design here.
You should be testing your CA if you are adding CA. Either pick up a CA test kit or stop dosing CA. A high quality salt mix, or real ocean water, should contain enough calcium for a low coral load. Keep up with regular water changes, and the CA will be replenished at a low level.3. I was advised to dose the CA 3 times a week
Do you have much in the way of plankton yet? Your tank is very young, you may need to add some suppimental plankton to the tank to feed the duster. The duster also likes current. Other than supplying plankton and current, all you can do is maintain water quality for him.4. I bought a feather duster and the worm is trying to extend its body out of the tube (1 inch) but then it went back. It is still doing it. Is it trying to catch the food or does it want out of the tube?
That seems a bit odd to me. Is the current diffrent there? Is all the food being swept to that location?5. Most of my snails huddle together in a corner of the tank. Is that normal?
I'd be cautious about that advice.My LFS tested the water and was advised that my tank is ready for any kind of corals and fish. I checked my water last night (Nitrite/ate=0, Ammonia=0, Ph is 8.0 and Salinity is 1.025). DP
First of all you never went through a cycle? I know you used a product that was supposed to give you an instant cycle, but I'd give it a few weeks to be sure that it really worked. Keep testing the nitrate/nitrite/ammonia every few days. I'd be very surpised if a new tank was at 0 nitrate right after a cycle.
Second, be sure to research each potential addition before putting it in. Not all fish/corals are comfortable in a new tank, even if the chemistry is perfect. You need to develop long-term stability, and a large population of "pods" before trying to keep some of the more sensitive inverts and fish. You also need to consider compatibility issues. Feel free to ask us about potential additions to your aquarium.