maximize my coral growth

[alienspacepirate]

if your bulbs are new and power compacts your corals should do o.k.
but as previously mentioned if you want growth upgrading to t-5 or mh would be best.

from your pics it does appear you have an algae problem. since you stated you use ro/di (good filters?) you may have a nutrient problem.

for a 55 with low nutrient requirements the 5gal a week should show improvement. just watch the feeding.

what kind of skimmer you running?

I don't know the brand of the skimmer.. but it does work and pulls out things. I may add a secondary skimmer though. The issue with feeding is that yellow tang. He is huge-normous and eats all the time. I was feeding him every other day and then he got so scrawny i thought i was going to lose him. Now I just feed him small amounts twice a day to fatten him back up.

Yeah the problem with him is he is just too big for the tank and needs food :/

[alienspacepirate]

oh I only use RO/DI water from the LFS...been that way since I set the tank up a few years ago. I wouldn't want to see how disastrous my tank would look with tap. LOL considering how well I grow algae right now.