Food for fish.. I make up a mix .. Shrimp,squid ,green algae dry, mysis shrimp,krill,algae paste,cyclopeze,vitamins,silver sides. Put it all in a blender and freeze. I make my own frozen cubes. So it a little bit of everything .
Algae. It's for the most part easy to pull off
Socks. They are changed out once a month
Water change.. Once a month 25%
Water flow.. I have 4 korilla power heads two bigger one that are rated 1500 gph. Center overflow with 4 returns . I actually have to mp 60 on the way. I'm super excited about those....
I'm running carbon ractor. Octopus brand...
The hurricone is the cat 2. As for the octopus is a older model really not sure.
Tank water is clear. You can see all the way through.
Food: I like the idea of a homemade recipe that includes all that you list, but maybe to start we'll reduce the frequency you feed, try cutting out about a 1/3 of the feedings. If you now feed 3 times a day, let's try 2 times a day.
Carbon reactor: How often are you changing the media out? Does the reactor ever get clogged? I often see it best to change out the media once every 3 weeks or so. What type of carbon are you using? Some carbons are much better than others when using reactors. I prefer this one: ROX 0.8 carbon at Bulk Reef Supply. It tumbles better and it less prone to clogging in my experience. As for GFO (Should you ever use it) I prefer the regular stuff over the high capacity as I don't believe it makes much of a difference.
Only thing I can suggest about the skimmers is maybe to check to see if they need a thorough cleaning, especially the pumps. Vinegar the heck out of both to get back your efficiency.
Waterchanges: Have you considered maybe doing 10% per month? In your case it may get tiresome and even expensive, so I don't blame you for sticking to your current method.
Socks I have been hearing this a lot, but this part is definitely up to you as I am not a sock user: These should be changed out about once a week. They apparently become nitrate factories quickly unless cleaned out often.
Waterflow: I think the MP60 is going to help out a lot, I honestly think you may be lacking a lil in the turnover department, but am not sure hoe much your two other Koralias are pushing, nor your returns. Have you cleaned out those pumps lately, to make sure you are getting all the water movement you paid for? You may notice a vast difference otherwise. After leaving them in a vinegar solution for a while you'll be shocked at the difference!
Algae: If it's fairly easy to pull off, that's usually a good thing.. it's weaker. I am guessing with this algae coming and going that there is "funk" in there trying to get out.. but maybe your tank is at the cusp of just barely not being able to get it out. Rocks are truly like sponges.. when the environment is heavy with "funk" they absorbed some of it, and when the environment isn't, they release back out into the water column. I think with the slight improvement doing the above, you'll see a more permanent change of less to no algae in about a month or two. Patience is key here, just keep up with the maintenance and you'll be golden.
