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Some advice if you want it...
i am a very much biology first. I use very minimal non biological filtration. Sparingly. Month 1. Get some live rock in it or live media. Or live sand (real not the carb sea stuff). Very little light. I'm talking like 30-50 par tops. Assuming you can't or won't get...
I got an innovative marine 112 , love the stand, love the tank. As long as it lasts I can't imagine wanting anything else. Also they have an extendable 5 year warranty.
I think most of that stuff can be addressed with all for reef. I'd do a large water change, buffer up the alk with baking soda and start using all for reef.
I've had the must success putting the culture in a bucket with live rock , filter floss etc and just dose the phyto and fish food as daily as possible. I had a 5 gallon tall, no fish reef on my Kitchen counter I used as a pod culture. It was by far my longest culture. Which in the end produced...
The snail tank at the lfs is always clean. Even if the snails and hermits aren't eating it they are running all over it annoying it to death. I have 1 Mexican turbo that basically keeps my whole tank clear of everything
Any tanks I run low or no fish I've dosed with phyto daily, reef nutrition live phyto. 1 drop a gallon. It's pretty balanced and your microfauna blow up